My New Toy - Garmin Forerunner 305
Tags: garmin, gps, pace, forerunner

My New Toy - Garmin Forerunner 305 It's been awhile since my last blog - I've been travelling and didn't have much time to check in.  I did manage to keep a steady workout while I was gone, but let me tell you...  Running in Singapore is much different than running in California.  The humidity is a killer and I ended up being happy with half of my normal run (and one time I even lost 5 lbs in water weight from one 5k run!).  I also kept up with the weights and bodyweight circuit, but I took about a week off when I got back.  Just getting back into it this week...  Which (finally) brings me to the subject of this blog: my new toy, the Garmin Forerunner 305.

I ordered it from Costco.com as they were having a great deal before I left for my trip.  About $190 out the door, including shipping.  I used to work at SiRF, the maker of the GPS engine inside, so I knew all about the product as I actually used to get paid to go running with it and call it "testing".  But I never did buy one because it was a little too expensive to justify.  At less than $200 bucks, though - it's a steal and I couldn't pass it up.

I used it for the first time today as I ran a short run of 3 miles.  It's like a bulky wristwatch, so it really doesn't get in the way physically, but it makes a huge mental difference.  When you are able to see your instantaneous pace (e.g. minutes per mile), it really keeps you trying hard, since you know that it is also recording the whole run for analysis later.  This is where it gets really fun - you attach it to the computer afterwards, and it downloads the workout into the Garmin Training Center software for a detailed review of your performance (see the following link for today's run):

sites.google.com/a/zillywilly.com/zillywilly-/Home/garmin-305/paul_garmin.JPG
BTW - the Forerunner has built-in modes for biking, running, multi-sports.  I highly recommend getting one if you want to step up your game.  ... And if you're interested, Singapore is a great place to visit: clean and safe, everyone seems to get along nicely.  But I sure am glad to be back home :)
on 6/3/2008

1 - 8 out of 8
plucky “ Thank you, Sir! The interesting thing is, while I was gone, I didn't have a home-cooked meal in two weeks. Normally, I don't eat restaurant food much, so I was pleasantly surprised that I managed to keep my weight constant throughout. Goes to show that all that work training the metabolism paid off and it was able to keep burning hot even though I wasn't giving it the best fuel. Now I'm chomping on my home-made salad for lunch and I'm really back ;) ”
-  plucky on 6/4/2008 in response to OldeButGoode Respond
OldeButGoode “ Welcome back - let us know more "down the line". ”
-  OldeButGoode on 6/4/2008 Respond
plucky “ I'll let you know more as I use more of it's cool features. BTW - it does come with a wireless heart-rate monitor (it's optional to wear). Some other useful features are a built-in interval training, and alerts (e.g. it will beep at you if you are running too slow or fast for a particular workout). ”
-  plucky on 6/4/2008 in response to Carina Respond
plucky “ It is as badass as it looks ;) One cool feature is a virtual training partner. You can program it to keep track of a fictitious competitor and run with them or race against them. I don't know what's worse, competing against a wristwatch or being completely antisocial! ”
-  plucky on 6/4/2008 in response to ryan Respond
Carina “ Ryan's right... this does look badass! :) I've seen this gadget in Runner's World Magazine and wanted it so badly but I think it was around $250 or $285, wasn't it? I know it was way too much for my budget and at that time, I wasn't running on a regular basis. $190 s a really great deal. Gotta love Costco! I just got my heart rate monitor back from Polar (I sent it out for a battery change). I was going to wait 'til the thing dies before I got a new toy. But it's going on 8 years now and will probably outlive me like my parrot! I might just start saving and get this thing anyways. I'm glad you wrote this blog. I don't know anybody who owns one so it's good to get your opinion. Thanks! ”
-  Carina on 6/4/2008 Respond
plucky “ Well, I went to the gym first, so I lost some there... but yes, I weighed myself before I left and after I came back and there was a 5 lb delta. At first I though it was measuring kg's, but sure enough it was lbs. Don't worry though, I gained it all back in beer later that day - thanks for your concern ;) ”
-  plucky on 6/4/2008 Respond
runningbear “ Pardon my ADD....I know your post is about the gadget, but 5 lbs in water?! YIKES! ”
-  runningbear on 6/3/2008 Respond
ryan “ That looks badass ”
-  ryan on 6/3/2008 Respond
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