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R. Cross (Brussels, Belgium) –

  

OK, first looks – you are thinking to yourself “But what if someone tries to land a helicopter on it’s enormous surface while I am out running?!”

Well, don’t worry about it. Yes it looks bulky but when you are out running you never notice the size and it’s easy to appreciate the highly configurable and easy to read display. This device is all about options. I choose to run with the four following items all simultaneously displayed:
Heart Rate, Elapsed running time, Average pace in km/h and Total Distance

I can of course choose to see other bits of information and have the screens changing at intervals I determine but part of the joy of running is getting away from it all and looking where you are going! The device just works, capturing all that lovely information about your heart, what kinds of slopes you are running on, how far you are travelling.

I once got lost in some big woods near where I live, then I simply turned the watch into navigation mode and was able to trace my way back through the forest to where I started from – absolutely brilliant gadget.

The real fun with the Forerunner comes when you get to analyze the data. The software provided with the watch is very basic. Most people I know download the excellent Sport Tracks software which is freeware from Zone 5 Software. To use this software you also need to have installed on your Windows PC a version of .NET from Microsoft (this is just some extra software for the Operating System to allow programs written in a certain way to run – again, it’s a free download from Microsoft).

Now you can amaze your friends and family about how far you run, how fast you go, how big the hills are you are running up, amaze them with how many calories you’ve burnt off. All in lovely printed graphical format. But whatever you do, don’t wear your watch out when you go down to the pub – for one, the battery (rechargeable from your PC) only lasts for 10 hours, but you might just have someone trying to land a helicopter on it!! This watch is cool for running, but nothing else.

These sorts of gadgets used to sell in Europe for about 400 but now that Garmin have brought out a new model with a fancy iPod wannabee interface (who cares – I never really touch the thing when I am out running, apart from the start/stop button), the price has dropped dramatically. For those of you like me who live in mainland Europe, the power supply has got switchable components so you can use the plug in different sockets. These days, I consider it to be essential training eqpt and I never run or cycle without it.

UPDATE – had the product for a year now, in fact I have bought a second one for my wife to use with her training. I’ve started to use the Workout function for my marathon training. You can design your whole training programme, upload it into the watch and then it tells you how fast you have to run and for how long. This is really useful if you are doing interval training for example, run 2Kms fast then ½km slow to recover, repeat 4 times. You get audible alerts if you are too fast or too slow or if your heart rate goes outside of the desired training zone. I’ve downloaded an entire marathon training schedule from the Runners World website and I just do what the watch tells me. So yes, I’m a raving fan of the Forerunner 305. The only negative point I would make is that the elevation data is not highly accurate but it does give a good impression of the kind of slopes you are running on.

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M. J. Horsfield (UK) –

  

This is an amazing device. I thought I would add the following to previous reviews.

Answers to the questions I couldn’t sort out before purchase (as a triathlete):
1. Can you swim with it? Sadly not. Although certified as waterproof it is not sufficiently watertight to swim with.

2. Can you download routes FROM memory map TO the device i.e. brand new runs/bikes planned at home on the map? YES – but you need to upgrade memory map 2004 software to the USB supporting version via their website. The device will then guide you around the planned course.

Added suggestions:

Everyone should check out SportTracks software (shareware – zonefive) which is vastly superior to the Garmin packaged applet. SportTracks integrates with google earth and automatically generates satellite images of your route.

The pre-loaded advanced training packages are good for turbo sessions. Obviously the GPS is useless but the watch will monitor your heart rate & cadence (with attachment) and instruct you through a pre-set or custom pre-programmed workout e.g. Cycle in zone 3 for 5 mins; Cycle in zone 4 for 2 mins etc.

Other bonuses over my old GPS and heart rate monitors:
It charges via USB while connected to the computer.
It has a coded heart rate belt – no cross-talk in the gym.
It has excellent GPS reception in the woods (much superior to my Geko 301).

All in all: For £150 a bargain. It has virtually replaced my old HRM and my GPS.

Downsides? £150 is still a lot. The large unit might put you off. It looks a bit retro. Can’t swim in it. I now *know* that I run as slowly as I thought!

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