I’ve always been quick to embrace the latest technology released by Apple, except for one device – the Apple Watch. I thought I didn’t need a smart watch and I didn’t think it could be as good a training partner to my much-loved Garmin Forerunner 220. But I was wrong.

Packed with incredible running, fitness and health capabilities including a reliable built-in GPS, wrist heart rate sensor and wireless bluetooth headphone connectivity, the Apple Watch Series 2 is a well-designed piece of running kit that warrants respect. Here’s my thoughts on the Apple Watch Series 2 as a running watch.

Like all other Apple products, setting up the Apple Watch Series 2 is so easy. Peal off the packaging, open the box, fit the sports band, turn on the watch and follow the prompts to sync it with your iPhone. There’s some additional customisation, like setting which wrist to wear it on and choosing calories or kilojoules for workout metrics, but it still takes under 10 minutes to get up an running.

Hey good looking

The Apple Watch Series 2 looks impressive. It has smooth lines, soft square edges and a dazzling range of wristbands to choose from, including 12 bright coloured high-performance fluorocarbon-based synthetic rubber sport bands. Mine has a stainless steel case with a sapphire crystal face, which is more scratch resistant that the Ion-X glass (strengthened glass). It’s not only me who thinks the watch is good looking. Since wearing it, I’ve had several people comment on how stylish it looks, especially when I wear it with the Modern Buckle in blue granada leather or the woven stainless steel mesh Milanese Loop band. At just over 50g it’s comfortable to wear on a run and isn’t as heavy or bulky as  some sports watches.

Apple Watch Series 2 with light blue sport band

See how she runs

The second generation watch is faster, has improved battery life (around 5 hours when using GPS), automatically pauses and resumes when you stop or start running, and features indoor and outdoor running workout options – cementing this product’s place as a sports watch, not just a smartwatch.

A combination of GPS, Wi-Fi, and locally stored satellite data helps identify your position, so you can immediately start your workout. Ahhhhh…the days of running on the spot waving my arms around waiting for a satellite signal are finally over!

By selecting the ‘outdoor run’ in the Workout app it records precise distance, pace, and speed for outdoor runs – all without needing to take an iPhone. I was a skeptical about the GPS function until I wore it alongside my Garmin and the end results were the same. I tested it a second and third time on runs with friends who wore other sports watches and there were only slight variances (I’m talking one or two metres) and that can happen with the same brand anyway.

Apple Watch Series 2 vs Garmin Fenix

The heart rate wrist sensor is surprisingly accurate as well. In the past I hadn’t bothered with heart rate monitors because the chest straps were uncomfortable and were too big for me. The wrist sensor makes tracking your heart rate easy, especially during sprint or hill training sessions when keeping an eye on your max heart rate matters.

Some of the other less-known features that impressed me about this watch are:

• The SOS feature: No matter where you are in the world, pressing and holding the side button initiates a call to emergency services. This will also automatically notify and share your location with your emergency contacts.
• Waterproof: The watch is water resistant to 50m, meaning you can cool off after a run in the pool or ocean and get credit for every stroke.
• Music: Listen to music through your watch by selecting which playlists or podcasts you want to sync from your iPhone (up to 2GB or 250 songs). The watch also syncs beautifully with wireless headphones like Powerbeats3 Wireless earphones.

Apple Watch Series 2 vs Garmin Forerunner 150

Room for improvement

On the whole, I’m a convert of the Apple Watch Series 2. You can tell Apple has listened to feedback and refined their offering the second time round to align better with the needs of runners. Subsequent OS updates and a wider range of third-party running apps on offer means it’s now much improved than the first Apple Watch.

While it’s not necessarily the ultimate running watch, for people who want a smartwatch with running capabilities it’s now a really solid option. The fact that it’s also a proper smartwatch means it’s also far more versatile than its rivals.

From my experience there are a couple of further tweaks that could be made to make it even better for runners:

• Stronger and louder haptic and audio cues – I like to be notified of each kilometre I’ve ran but the tapping or haptic sensation generated by this watch is so slight that it’s easy to miss. The sound is also basically non-existent.
• Are you still running? – On the odd occasion that I’ve crossed the finish line or ended a run without hitting pause or stop on my watch, it would be great if it could sense the step-down in pace and send a push notification asking if I’m still running as a gentle reminder to end the workout.
• Once you’ve saved an outdoor run workout option of the Workout app you can’t access your running stats on the watch. Instead you have to view it on your phone and while it does provide you with all the information, being able to see the key metrics like distance, pace and time would be a plus.

Running with the Apple Watch Series 2