The Olympics spark the imagination and inspire the heart. Who can forget Michael Phelps winning eight gold medals in the sport of swimming, some by mere hundredths of a second? His accomplishments have inspired thousands around the world to take the plunge and strive for success as well. However, the fame and glory of Phelps and other Olympiads represents years of intense training and fine-tuning of skill. Now, GPS technology comes alongside athletes of all levels and all sports to inspire, encourage, and train, including swimming.

 

According to the company’s description, the Garmin Swim is the “first training watch designed specifically for swimmers that lets users track stroke type, stroke count, distance, pace, lengths and more.” Its unique design is both lightweight and waterproof, and it will not take anything away from the swimmer’s stroke or speed. The battery life for the Garmin Swim lasts up to a year, making it the perfect GPS tracking device for logging drills and starting timed sets. It uses wireless technology in the form of ANT+ standard, and it is compatible with both Mac and Windows computer systems.

 

The watch also keeps track of a swimmer’s swolf score. Swolf comes from swim and golf; it combines time and number of strokes to help an athlete train with more precision. For the swimmer, it takes the number of strokes and the seconds required to complete one length of the pool. And like golf, the lower the score, the better. With the information provided by the GPS-enabled watch, the swimmer can try different stroke lengths in combination with different stroke rates and effort to increase his efficiency and performance.

 

Once a training session is complete, the swimmer can then upload the results to Garmin Connect, where the GPS data can help him plan a more strategic workout session. Not only can the athlete see his own results, but he can also share them with his coach for further analysis. Garmin Connect also provides an online community of fitness enthusiasts from around the world representing 80 million different activities for added incentive.

 

For the professional and the amateur alike, Garmin’s swim watch featuring global positioning system technology can help bolster every training endeavor and make reaching the goal a reality, whether it is Olympic gold or just a personal best. And for just $150, no athlete will be left behind.