After 2 weeks with the Garmin Cirqa, I've fallen back in love with 'vibe running' and ditched my regular watch and the Strava obsession it enables

Date:
Sat, 08 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Description:
The Garmin Cirqa has freed me from the clutches of 'Strava-itis' and got me back into running based on vibes.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The Garmin Cirqa is making
waves in the fitness community. I put the new screenless tracker through its paces over 10 days of intensive testing, and awarded it 4.5 stars in my
Garmin Cirqa review . As part of the testing process, I wore it for all of my workouts over the past couple of weeks and, unusually for a device I've been testing for review purposes, I'm still wearing it now.

I normally alternate between an Apple Watch Ultra 3 or a Garmin Fenix 8 , but I've found myself loathe to ditch the Cirqa just yet. This isn't only because it's good: I'm gravitating towards the Cirqa because it interfaces with a system I already use, and because it's helping me get over the dreaded "Strava-itis". Last month, our writer Becca Caddy wrote about optimization culture how wearables are causing us to engage in unhealthy mindsets and disordered behaviors. I can certainly attest to that: I'm guilty of glancing at my watch during a run, wanting to push my pace even on zone 2 sessions and easy days, because I know the end results are going to end up on my Strava account for all to see. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

Even uncoupling my watch from automatically uploading my run to Strava is
only half the battle. I'm constantly glancing at the watch to check my pace and time, engaging in subconscious judgement, comparing my own performance to that of my mates, colleagues and acquaintances. I didn't realize quite how much my self-judgement was sapping my enjoyment of exercise.

The Cirqa, and to some extent the Google Fitbit Air I tested earlier in the year, goes some way to changing all that. You may like Garmin Cirqa review: 2026's top-tier screenless smart band Is Garmin Cirqa good? I tested it against the best heart rate strap 3 discreet, screenless fitness trackers
I've personally tested, and where to buy them on Prime Day (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) While the Cirqa offers up some fitness and wellness metrics (certainly plenty to understand the effect of exercise on your body and health), what it doesn't give you is workout specifics. You won't find split pace per kilometer, for example, which runners use to
measure average speed across a distance run, or heart rate zones to display a workout's intensity. With other models, I get those statistics piped into my ears at regular intervals, and my watches offer them at a glance.

Having access to such statistics removed during the workout can be
detrimental to performance or for those times you're training for a specific event, but it's oddly freeing for day-to-day fitness training. I ran a 10km route during the testing period (at least, I assume it was 10km based on previous runs) and the Cirqa recorded plenty of heart rate-based statistics and applied them to recovery metrics such as my Training Readiness Score, along with how it improved stats such as my VO2 Max and Fitness Age. Get
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However, it informed me of these statistics after the run, and didn't deliver any specific run performance information at all beyond time and heart rate information. Without my watch to glance at during the workout, I wasn't adhering to a target pace: I was running on vibes and perceived effort.

I concentrated on how my body felt, and responded to that in the moment. I paid attention to my form, my music, the trees and the road. I didn't feel guilty about stopping to stretch part way through, nor did I pause the Cirqa for that particularly pause, as doing so would invalidate the whole
"complete, holistic workout overview" thing it's got going on. For the first time in quite some time, I had no idea at all about how fast I had run but I knew that it was a good workout as a result of every other metric and the
fact that I felt awesome.

Although it isn't a running-specific device, the Cirqa is exactly what I needed to reinvigorate my relationship with the road. When the time returns
to take my training seriously again, taking speed and times on board again, I'll switch back to my best Garmin watch , with all my fitness stats ready to be incorporated into Garmin's workout plans.

Do you run without a fitness tracker, or use a screenless model, to better
run on vibes, or are you a metrics-fiend with a dedicated running watch? Let me know in the poll below. The best Garmin watches for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best Garmin watches 1. Best overall: Garmin Venu
4 2. Best premium: Garmin Fenix 8 3. Best budget: Garmin Vivoactive 6 Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/fitness-trackers/after-2-weeks-with-t he-garmin-cirqa-ive-fallen-back-in-love-with-vibe-running-and-ditched-my-regul ar-watch-and-the-strava-obsession-it-enables


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