Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Garmin Forerunner Quiz

Man, it’s been a long week already…  Is anybody else tired of working? lol… silly girl running?! ;) Anyways… I’m getting ready to head back to work and just wanted to write up a quick post because I’m curious about something.

Garmin forerunners…

Do you own one (or more)?

Which model do you have (or want)?

What do you love about it?

What do you hate about it?

Any additional comments?

I’ve been dreaming about them lately, so I though I’d gather a bit of data before actually really thinking about buying one ;)  Have a great day everyone!

35 comments:

  1. Forerunner 205. Highly recommend it. It gives everything you need, and the price is great (check out Amazon.com for the best deal).

    It's super bulky, but you get used to it.

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  2. I have the 305 and really love it. I like the virtual trainer and all the stats it gives me! I wanted one with a heart rate monitor. I don't have any complaints about it- it syncs with Garmin Connect and Daily Mile.

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  3. i have the 405cx. love everything. hate nothing.

    i feel like it made me a more "nerdy" runner. like all i can talk about now are splits and paces and elevation. i'm a huge sucker for knowing and improving on numbers. best b-day gift ever. thanks mr. dawn!!

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  4. I have the 305 and LOVE it!! Love that I can have it display my average pace for the lap and for the run total. There is nothing I don't like about it! I got mine in April and it seems that I'm still learning. I just realized a couple of weeks ago that I can do my mile repeats on a special quick workout setting. SO much fun!

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  5. I'm a Garmin addict! I had the 405 and had a love/hate relationship with it. It was very high tech, but I didn't want/use most of the functions. Also, it would often go all wonky when there was excess moisture (rain, snow, or even sweaty arms - sorry, I can't run without sweating!) I finally passed it along to another runner and bought the 110. I really love it. It's simple to use, and has the functions I wanted - GPS for distance, time, and pace (including splits).

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  6. I don't have any advice for you. All I know is that I really really want one too! Tell us about the one you get! I'm sort of looking into one as well. Mostly the prices are stopping me from getting one.

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  7. @Jamie - yeah... me too lol! That's why I'm simply dreaming as of now ;)

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  8. I have the 305 and would highly recommend it.

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  9. I have and love the 205. The Garmin is great for tempo runs and speed work! The only difference between the 205 and the 305 (aside from tons of money) is the heartrate monitor. I wouldn't use that information, so I saved a few bucks by choosing the 205. Once you buy a Garmin, you'll wonder why you waited so long. :)

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  10. I have the Garmin Forerunner 305 and love it!! I love that I don't have to worry about tracking my mileage through websites or other things and that I can track my runs online. I also enjoy that it helps me push myself on the days I want to be lazy with the heart rate monitor.

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  11. I own one, the garmin Forerunner 305. Its awesome! I love that it has a screen large enough that I can read without much effort and it keeps track of a lot of info (pace, elevation, calories burned, etc.). I don't like the heart rate monitor. It never seems to stay in the correct place and most of its readings are off (way too low, 60 bpm while sprinting to a finish line? Am I dead the rest of the time? lol). But it operates without the HRM, so I just leave it off and everything is fine :)

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  12. Zaneta - Great post. I've read everyone's blog where they say "the garmin says I did this distance in this time" and I think - hmm, maybe I need one of those. But . . . I have NO CLUE where to even start. Thanks for asking for soliciting everyone's thoughts. :)

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  13. I have the 305 and LOVE it! It has everything I need for my multisport lifestyle! It's a little big on my wrist, but totally worth it.
    I did a review on my blog about it if you want to read it. You can find it under the Sunday Sampler page.

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  14. I have the 305 and I love it.
    I have a few friends who teased me about it (said it was huge and I should get a wagon to carry it on my runs). They went out and got the 405 because it’s sleeker and nicer looking. Both of them since complained about the touch dial being too sensitive (their jackets and long-sleeve shirts brush it and it changes. If they lock it…they have to press more buttons while running to change view screens).
    I suppose if you live someplace where you only wear t-shirts or bra-tops for your runs this isn’t an issue. My 305 has enough room on the big-ass screen to view 4 info fields (I usually use time, distance, pace and average pace…but on occasion…I use heart rate).
    (One of my friends humbly sold his 405 and picked up the 305)…the dial pissed him off that much.

    As for the looks…it’s not a dinner watch…it’s a running watch.
    My fuel belt looks pretty silly too…that’s why I don’t wear it out to dinner.

    Good luck…but you don’t need ‘luck’.

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  15. Aimee- Thanks, I read your review! Im now leaning towards the 305!

    Quinton - haha... I was totally leaning towards the 305 until you told me its not a dinner watch... dang it!
    But seriously... I'm starting a garmin fund! :)

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  16. Hahaha...Z...I have a few shirts that are not appropriate for dinner too...
    ...it hasn't stopped me.
    Feel free to wear your 305 anywhere you want.

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  17. YAY for Garmin.

    310XT.

    It doesn't tell actual time but it probably could call China.

    It vibrates at each mile - which I LOVE. I can't hear a bing or ding with headphones on so I love the vibrate thing.

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  18. Thank you so much for this post. I have been planning to get a Garmin but couldn't decide which one to get. Definitely leaning toward the 305 now.

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  19. I own a 305 but really wanted a 310xt so I could use it for swimming too.

    I'm a data freak so I love my 305. You can use for interval training, galloway, speedwork, it has a HRM, tells you your pace, etc.

    I just wish it could show real time.

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  20. I have the 110 and I really like it. The price was right as well. I bought it at the Chicago Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon Expo and it was on sale. It is normally around $200.00. It is smaller (read more watch like) than the 305 model. It measures distance/pace/time. It is compatible with a heart rate monitor but I do not use one. I haven't downloaded the data on my computer yet but I know from a friend it is very simple (3 of us bought the 110 at the Chicago RNR 1/2). We all love it!

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  21. Zaneta, I know I already commented, but i just had to say the same thing again. THIS IS A FANTASTIC post getting FANTASTIC feedback. Thanks sooo much!

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  22. I don't have one. My reason why? TOO EXPENSIVE. I'm poor. I'll buy one when they are down to $50.

    My two cents. :)

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  23. I have the 305 and love that I alway know my pace. Haven't messed with it enough to see all that it can do. My only complaint is that it rests right on my wrist bone and can't quite get it to sit just right. And it doesn't tell the time of day. What's up with that? :)

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  24. I own a garmin 305 with a hr monitor. I love the data it gives me, and I love that it doesn't freak out in the rain. I don't hate, but am bothered that it's so large on my little wrist, and I wish the battery lasted longer.

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  25. I don't own one and I'm not planning to get one. I just relax and run. I pace myself according to how I feel.

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  26. Got mine for Christmas last year (the 305). It's the MOST used gift I have ever received. Best money spent!

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  27. 1. Yes
    2. Garmin FR 405 CX
    3. HR Monitor, GPS, Programmable speed workouts/interval runs, HR-based workouts, virtual partner, nice internet-based software once you upload your data, and probably lots more that I can't think of!
    4. Price! Luckily I received it as a (very nice!) gift. Can't really complain about this - but GPS signal is dropped sometimes in tunnels. Windows updates occasionally interfere with software (I can usually find a fix quickly though). Wristband that came with it is too big for my 5.5" wrist -- so I use the velcro strap instead.
    5. It's been a very helpful tool for my running!

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  28. i have a 205 that is many many years old. the only thing i don't like about it is that it had trouble seating correctly on the cradle these days. otherwise it works great for me.

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  29. Cool, Another Ohio blogger, What part?

    I have the 305 Forerunner, but I want the 310xt. I love that it does everything I want it do, I dont like the size of it and that it doesnt tell time (and the embarassment cause when someone sees it, and ask for the time and I have to say it doesnt tell the time) and I am having trouble with the cadence sensor for the bike right now with it.

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  30. To all the 305 owners stating it doesn't have a clock on it...yes it does! You have to hit mode a few times but it's there. It's just not on the "running" screen you use. :)

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  31. I have the 110, it was all that I could justify spending at the time. I love it, and while it would be great to flip through my laps as I'm running, or know my actual pace, I've found that it's really unnecessary. I think it's pretty accurate, I've never had it bonk on me had satellite connectivity issues.

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  32. Forerunner 305. I LOVE it and it is only like $140 on Amazon.

    Kevin
    http://halftriing.blogspot.com/

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  33. I have the 305 and I love it! I really like that I can kind of race against myself. That was the reason I bought it. There is a lot to it that I still don't even know how to use.

    It is a little big, but I like that because I feel like it makes my wrist feel petite! :)

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  34. I have a 405 aka Mr. Green Garmin.

    I love it but I have 2 complaints:

    [1] I hate that you cannot get 'totals' if you use the interval feature. In other words, if you want it to beep at 5:1 intervals, you will only be able to see the data for the last interval you've run/walked. Lame.
    [2] The battery life isn't all that great and doesn't last an entire marathon for a slow runner like me

    Other than that, I love Mr. Green Garmin!

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  35. GreenGirl-
    Maybe I'm not understanding, but if you tap into history, you can see your most recent event and can scroll through the laps. I guess when I'm doing intervals or speed work, I see my pace flash at the end of the lap then it's out of my mind because I'm worying about the next interval.

    My 2:30 half marathon zapped up about 35% of my 405CX battery (that's the longest I've had it on continuously) - I think that depends on how often you scroll through the screens and how hard your watch has to look for satellites. i.e. in Philly this was harder because of all the tall buildings interfering.

    They claim when fully charged it should last for 8 hours of training.

    I read on one of the Garmin Forums that if you're having problems with battery life-- "Do several "power cycles" with the unit (as I do with any of my lithium-ion gadgets). I charge it to 100% then use it to nearly 0%. Then I repeat this pattern at least 3-5 times. This should be done when the product is new because it supposedly helps with the batteries memory of knowing the upper bounds and lower bounds of its energy reserve."

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Thanks for stopping by! I love hearing from you! Have a GREAT day!! :)

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