Running After 40

Samsung Fit3 to Garmin Forerunner 970: Why I Upgraded My Running Watch After 40

Before using the Garmin Forerunner 970, I used a Galaxy Fit3.

To be fair, the Galaxy Fit3 was not a bad device at all.

It was light, simple, and easy to wear every day. The battery also lasted about a week for me, which was very convenient. Most of all, it was much more affordable than a premium running watch.

When I only wanted to check simple activity data, the Galaxy Fit3 was enough.

I could check my steps, basic workout records, and daily movement. For everyday use, it did its job well.

But as I started running more consistently after 40, something changed.

The more I ran, the more curious I became.

At first, I only wanted to know simple numbers.

How far did I run?
How long did I run?
How many steps did I take?

But after a while, those numbers were not enough for me anymore.

I wanted to understand how my body was responding to each run.

Was this run easy or harder than it looked?
Was my heart rate too high?
Was I recovering well?
Did my sleep affect my run?
Was I building fitness or just getting tired?

That was when I started looking for more detailed data.

I wanted to see things like heart rate, training load, sleep score, Body Battery, HRV, recovery condition, cadence, ground contact time, and running dynamics.

That was one of the main reasons I moved from the Galaxy Fit3 to the Garmin Forerunner 970.

For me, the Garmin was not just a more expensive watch.

It was a tool to understand my body better as a runner after 40.

Here is how I personally see the difference between the two devices.

Feature	Galaxy Fit3	Garmin Forerunner 970
Main Purpose	Simple fitness and daily activity tracking	Advanced running, training, and recovery tracking
Price Level	More affordable	Premium and expensive
Comfort	Light and easy to wear every day	Larger, but useful for serious running data
Battery	About a week for me	Strong enough for daily training and data tracking
Running Data	Basic workout and activity data	Detailed running, training, and recovery data
Sleep & Recovery	Basic sleep and health tracking	Deeper sleep, recovery, HRV, Body Battery, and training insights
Best For	Daily movement and simple health tracking	Runners who want to understand their body more deeply
My Reason for Switching	It was good, but I wanted more data	I wanted to understand how my body responds to running

The Galaxy Fit3 was good for starting.

It helped me stay aware of my movement. It was comfortable, simple, and not too expensive.

But maybe this is just human nature.

Once I started running more, I wanted to know more.

I did not want to look only at distance and pace. I wanted to understand what was happening inside my body.

After 40, I think this becomes more important.

When I was younger, I could probably run without thinking too much about recovery.

But now, I want to be more careful.

I want to know when to push, when to slow down, and when to rest.

That is why the Garmin Forerunner 970 became useful for me.

It gives me more information than I can fully understand right now, but that is also part of the reason I like it. I am still learning.

I am learning what my heart rate means.
I am learning how sleep affects my running.
I am learning how training load changes after different types of runs.
I am learning how my body feels compared with what the data shows.

Soon after buying the Garmin, I accidentally scratched the bezel a little.

Honestly, that was disappointing.

It was not a cheap watch, and seeing a scratch so early made me feel bad for a moment.

But even with that small scratch, I am still very satisfied with it.

Because I did not buy it just to keep it perfect.

I bought it to use it.

I bought it to run with it.
I bought it to learn from it.
I bought it to understand my body better after 40.

The Galaxy Fit3 was a good starting point for me.

But the Garmin Forerunner 970 feels like the next step in my running journey.

This is not a sponsored review.

I bought the Garmin Forerunner 970 myself because I wanted to understand my running, recovery, and body data better after 40.

For me, the upgrade was not really about the watch.

It was about becoming more curious about my own body.

And maybe that curiosity is one of the reasons I keep running.