The one where its gotta be a BIA….

I remember the first time my cousin- Bekah (of Mill City Running) talked me into a GPS watch. I figured they were for the “real runners”, what did I need with one. I quickly fell in love with know my time, distance, pace, etc.…. at times to a fault. I was enthralled with knowing but hated the weight and constant updates needed. As an apple junkie you can imagine that I was excited when they announced their new apple watch… what an amazing piece of equipment for any runner. Again though I worried about the size and weight, I am little person and feeling things “on” me when I run drives me crazy. I am not one of those runners that can run with her phone because it is too cumbersome… not doing this poses a problem for tracking as well. So I guessed I would have to deal with whatever apple threw my way since I was tired of my Garmin…. That is until I stumbled across an ad for a new GPS watch designed just for women call the Bia.

Bia did not just “shrink and pink” a GPS watch as they say…. They revolutionized the running watch for women. They added an SOS feature, super fast GPS connect, live tracking, and automatic uploads to your favorite workout app, not to mention workout plans. Best of all… it isn’t just a running watch, you can use it for biking and swimming too- it is completely waterproof.

I set out to test-drive this watch on a sunny morning in Florida. First thing is first, the watch piece on your wrist is very light, comfortable, and easy to operate. The reason they can accomplish this is because the crux of the device are in the Go Stick, which easily attaches onto your waistband. It is hardly noticeable at only 44g weight and smaller than most GU’s, and trust me… I am weird about thinks weighing me down as I run, and I did not notice it.

You simple shake the GO stick to activate it and watch how fast it connects to GPS. This is one of my biggest complaints with other watches I have used… I travel a lot and they seem to take forever to connect to GPS in a new location… most of the times they wont connect at all if you haven’t “updated” them which is so irritating. Bia isn’t like that-it connected in MN as fast as it did in FL with no updates… in fact it updates on its own which is a god sent to me. The GO Stick holds a charge for 17 hours. and brace yourself…. the watch never needs to be charged… EVER! How incredible is that?

While out on the run it seemed very accurate and was easy to read. I tried the SOS feature, which I love as a female runner who runs alone in different states frequently. All you have to do is press and hold the only button on the watch and it sends a text to whomever you set up that tells them you are in distress and your exact location. It is also easy to cancel if you do it on accident. I checked in with my hubby when I got home to make sure it worked and in fact it did, which is piece of mind for him as well. The other cool thing is that you can allow others to live track you that again brings piece of mind when you are out on the open road alone.

As soon as I got home it quickly and wirelessly synced my data with MapMyFitness, and there it was on my phone for me to check out. I loved that I did not have to do anything, my kind of toy!

Last but not least, I also really like that Bia does not take themselves too seriously. The comments that come on the screen after a workout make me smile and chuckle. Something my Nike watch did not do when it said “way to get out there” after I ran my first marathon… really Nike….

They also came out with a men’s version… so don’t fret boys… you can have one too 🙂 I am working my angles to try to get the men’s and women’s watches into Mill City Running so you can all buy local and still get an amazing product!

Overall I am in love with this watch, it is exactly what I have been waiting for. Something petite, with safety features that does not sacrifice design or reliability. Bia nailed it, and I am happy to say I will be paying to keep my demo watch and I will love every minute with it. Sorry apple but this girl is a Bia girl now…

Happy Running!