I've had a Xiaomi Band 8 for a few months and use it to track my runs, but honestly I don't know if it actually helps me or if it's just a gadget. I see people with Apple Watches and Garmins that are way more expensive and I wonder if it makes a difference in performance.
It's not that the watch doesn't help, it's more that the Xiaomi Band 8 already does a decent job at this - it tracks distance, heart rate, time, and that's already pretty solid. The real difference is in the details: a Garmin or Apple Watch maps your route with more precise GPS, gives you haptic feedback during your run, integrates better with training apps, that kind of stuff you discover ends up making a difference whether you like it or not when you want to improve your time or avoid injury. But honestly, for most people who run as a hobby, what you've got already does the job.
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