Marathon season is right around the corner, and if you've willingly entered yourself into a race this fall, whether it's a 5K, 10K, half, or full marathon, you've probably already begun training for it (or should start doing so as soon as possible). A fitness tracker, like a smartwatch, smart band, or smart ring, can help monitor your pace, distance, gains, and recovery. These devices have become more comfortable than ever (as someone who has tested lots of them), and the brands behind them, like Apple, Google, Samsung, or Oura, are putting comfort and wearability at the top of mind. Also: The best smartwatches we've tested These devices, while advanced and helpful, aren't terribly cheap. Luckily, we're in prime deals season: As companies gear up for new product launches, they're discounting older generations (which are, normally, marginally similar to the new product they'll unveil this fall). So if you're aiming to maximize your budget while buying a smartwatch, I've rounded up some of my favorite deals to shop on smartwatches -- and included some personal testing experience of my own. Want to save more on your favorite tech? Get daily deals straight to your inbox when you sign up for ZDNET Recommends, your one-stop newsletter for the sale. Best smartwatch and fitness tracker deals Nina Raemont/ZDNET More smartwatch and fitness tracker deals Best Buy smartwatch and fitness tracker deals FAQs How did we choose these deals? While considering the products on this list, I considered each discounted device's popularity, quality, deal amount, and general deal worthiness, based on my own testing. Should I buy a smartwatch or a smart ring? A smartwatch functions as a health tracker and an around-the-wrist companion to your phone. You can answer texts, set timers, ask the smartwatch's AI assistant questions, and more with an Apple Watch, Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch, or Garmin. It will record your exercise and sleep and deliver that through the smartwatch's health app, as well as on your phone's health app. A smart ring is a little different. It doesn't have a screen, so it won't distract you throughout the day with pings or messages. All of the data it collects is displayed on your phone. If a smartwatch is a lifestyle wearable with health functionalities, a smartwatch is a health-centered wearable. Should I buy a health tracker? If you are an active person who is interested in keeping tabs on your vitals, like heart rate, body temperature, or heart rate variability, or activity, like steps and calories burned, a health tracker is an effective device. With recent medical advancements, health trackers do more than just count steps: they can monitor sleep and shine light on often undiagnosed conditions, like sleep apnea, atrial fibrillation, and more. However, some people buy a smartwatch or smart ring and then experience data overload: constantly monitoring their biometrics makes them anxious, or their sleep and activity scores are never where they want them to be, and they end up constantly worrying about this data.