Now that I am doing so much running, cycling, etc... I have been looking at the Garmin Forerunners. I think it would be a wonderful tool to add to my training and having quite a few credits from buying shoes, etc at the LRS, I have been considering getting one.
305 or 405? what are the strengths/drawbacks of each one, etc? Any thoughts are appreciated or if you have suggestions for other products...
Newman
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I love the 305. The drawbacks are it's not as cool/small, it's not wireless and I've heard the 405 sat uplinks are faster. I know a lot of people don't like the size of the 305 and you'll get a bigger tan line I guess. But I love mine and use it for running, biking, hiking, everything.
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I also have the 305 and love it. I think I paid 150 at Costco. It is absolutely great for tracking my progress on my average speed, my heartrate, how far I have travelled, etc. I have been doing interval training a lot more and only as far as 4-5 miles instead of distance training and the 305 helps me with my speeds (mins per mile) and heart rate zones. I run hard for 1 min then slower for 2 min then fast again for 1 etc and I can see the graphs of everything I did when I am done. I get a little over-analytical but I like to see if I am actually improving or not.
A couple things about the 305, not sure if the 405 does too: you can change the screens depending on what you want to see when you run. I personally like to see my total time, total distance, and current pace/mile. I have a split screen that shows all 3 at once. You can set heart rate zones and pace zones. You can set timers on it if you want to run intervals.
I upload my runs and then you can create maps that show cross streets. You can create a 'course' whihc is a route you often run, and then you run against a 'virtual partner', that keeps you on pace. It is real motivating to look at your watch and see that your partner is beating you by 30 feet, so you pick up the pace and pull ahead before the finish. After a run I can look at how i did comparing my pace versus my heartrate. It records the elevation, how far you went uphill or downhill.
One great thing about GPS watches is that you can run wherever you want to go and it records your distance, so you don't have to do a set route if you want to avoid traffic or the sun in your eyes or whatever. I am happy with my 305, but it does sometimes take a while to establish the link with the satelites (2-3 minutes on a bad day, but i am usually warming up and stretching a bit anyway).
i just ordered this off of amazon.com. it was going for 155 USD new. I thought that was a pretty good price since I was seeing it other places for 300. i hope it didn't "fall off the back of a truck"
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I have a Garmin 305. It is clunkier than the Nike you linked to, but I think it is something you can get used to. You're not going to leave it on as your watch though as you might with the Nike. The 305 also serves as my bike computer so I do make use of the other features. I like the PC software for tracking but even more I like the online site where you can upload your data- it's better for replaying your walk/run/ride and is integrated better with the map.
What features are driving the change for you from the Nike to the Garmin?
I work with a guy who has the 405 and uses it as his regular wristwatch, in fact I didn't realize it was a Forerunner until I saw the label on it. He finds it pretty useful. I personally prefer the 205 - I primarily use the GPS to familiarize myself / verify a course that I track on mapmyrun. After I memorize the mile markers I just use my regular $10 watch. YMMV, I guess I'm a low-tech runner.
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"If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell." - Dean Karnazes' track coach, Ultramarathon Man
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Yeah, I guess I'd rather spend the money on more shoes. I tend to look at the clock when I start running and then again when I'm done and do the math :-)
Ok, I *did* buy a GWF, so there's that. Did I just out myself?
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Sorry, GoWear Fit activity tracker. There's a ginormous thread about it on here, take a little searchy-search. :-)
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tenacious Training and Tweaking (the A lotta Alitteration thread)
Garmin Forerunnner
Linear Mode
