I Put the Coros Pace 4 to the Test: Could It Rekindle My Love for Running? Now I'm Eyeing a Triathlon!

I WON’T lie. I am neither technical nor an elite runner (with both points blindingly obvious to anyone who knows me).

So when I was asked to test the Coros 4 watch I was slightly apprehensive and fighting waves of imposter syndrome.

The Coros looks classy with its brilliant AMOLED screen Credit: Coros It looks sleek and weighs just 33 grams

This impressive bit of kit “evaluates SpO2, records VO2 max and measures overnight HRV” among a million other things… surely this is not for a lifelong £6.99 Casio wearer like me?

But I was offered comfort by the mission statement at the top of the Coros website, assuring me it was “created to help everyone from elite racers to first-timers discover their potential”.

So, maybe there was hope…

I would love to get back into running after a string of hamstring and calf injuries, having been a and completed a few half marathons and a triathlon.

I honestly never thought that having a smart running watch could help me achieve that – but how wrong I was.

The Coros 4 was surprisingly easy for even me to set up and connect to the app, and my first impression was this could be handier than I thought.

Having had an initial play I was dumbfounded by the endless options available, which you might expect for the £229 starting price (I’m still finding new tools every day) .

However the instructions on the app (more easy to follow than on the website for some reason) and virtual help centre, where you can fire in your queries and get sent a list of videos and help sheets, made it possible to find what I was looking for.

For it is all probably a doddle. For idiots like me, it hasn’t been. But if you spend ten minutes looking through the instructions you’ll be OK. I would urge patience… it gets simpler to use with time.

When it comes to actually putting it into action it is so easy to track runs and other activities and monitor your progress while you do it.

Simply turn the dial to choose your activity from a massive range including running, swimming, cycling, hiking, gym cardio and weight training and hit start.

I loved the display telling me my speed, distance run, time run, heart rate as I ran – and then the alerts for things such as reaching certain points and upcoming hills.

One of my best features is how you can map out routes on the app and save them to your watch so you can measure your progress on them as you train.

The watch’s GPS also directs you and tells you when you are going off route, which is very useful if you have saved routes in areas that you’re not familiar with.

All the data from every activity is saved in your watch and easily accessible with a turn of a dial. And it will be logged on the app so you can gauge your improvements throughout the entire year.

The Coros Pace 4 can track a huge range of activities, including swimming and gym workouts Having all the data at hand has inspired me to get back on my bike and consider another triathlon

You can even do voice recordings straight after an activity to log how it went.

I’m sure there is a term for it named after some elite 1950s Olympic coaching pioneer, but having all this data at my fingertips really has helped me focus on my “training”.

You can plan your own schedule for the upcoming weeks and months, or follow one of the pre-designed programmes that Coros provides depending on your fitness levels and targets.

For me, the easy to use swimming and cycling tracker has inspired me to think about trying another triathlon (once my injured shoulder allows me to start swimming properly again).

In terms of avoiding injuries, there is even a recovery tool telling you how long you should wait before starting a new activity as well as ways of tracking exertion levels and overloads.

The brilliant AMOLED screen can also help with any dieting plans with calorie intake monitor, daily steps and heart rate among the many options you can keep track of with a flick of a wrist.

I’ve even been learning about my stress and sleep patterns thanks to the various trackers. The handy explanations of all the science in the app also mean I now actually understand what “overnight HRV” means and how it affects my recovery from daily activity.

I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface with all the Coros 4 has to offer, but I love it already.

While it looks good and has all the normal features you’d want in a smart watch, it really is making getting fit easier by offering instant rewards through displaying and recording my efforts.

And I’ve no doubt that as I hopefully take things further, it will be able to provide whatever data and assistance I need.

*Buy the Coros Pace 4 here from £229