Garmin Forerunner 305 Handheld GPS Receiver

About Me
I'm a 28 year old male that has been running off and on the last 8 years. I run between 12 and 25 miles a week from spring to early winter. I fall off the bandwagon quite frequently but overall I enjoy running. I also lift weights and play golf.

Overview
The Garmin Forerunner 305 is the third GPS that I have purchased. The first GPS was a Garmin eTrex Legend, the second was a navigation system for my vehicle, and now I have purchased the Forerunner 305 to assist in my workouts.

The Garmin Forerunner is the latest and greatest workout assistant that Garmin has turned out. It features a GPS receiver that you wear on your wrist. It's worn like a watch but it's by far the largest watch that I have ever worn. The size is disconcerting at first but it only weighs a few ounces and it feels smaller than it looks.

It features the latest SIRF GPS technology which allows fast satellite acquisitions and strong signal strength while outside. You may also experience limited signal indoors.

The Forerunner 305 also includes a chest strap that transmits your heart rate wirelessly to the watch.

There is also an optional cadence sensor for a bicycle and a foot pod if you are indoors on a track or a treadmill.

Packaging
The Forerunner comes into a pretty small little square box. There is not a lot of wasted packaging. It's not knock your socks off packaging like something from Apple, but it is better than your run-of-the-mill device.

First Thoughts
The Forerunner was much larger than I had expected, but like I mentioned it is very light and it wears smaller than it looks.

Installation
Right away I installed the Garmin Training Center software. Installation on Windows XP was quite easy. It only took a few minutes and was pretty painless.

I was unable to sync up the Forerunner right away due to a 3-4 hour initial charge time on the watch. I left the watch sit on the charger for a few hours and came back to it fully charged a little over 3 hours later.

First Use
Right after turning on the unit it managed to acquire satellites sitting in my home office. I was quite impressed. I went through the menu and set a couple quick options for my first run. I set options for 1/2 mile laps and my goal heart rate range.

I put on the chest strap which started transmitting my heart rate right away to the watch. There was no sync up issues.

For my first run I picked a quick workout and ran versus distance and pace. The Forerunner performed flawlessly although the default screen setup managed to annoy me on my run. By default the information that I would enjoy looking at while on the run was not visible or if it was there it was too small to read.

After my first run I let the watch dry off and then synced up the watch. The transfer to my PC of my workout data was quite easy. Unfortunately the default software has a pretty poor set of maps and I was unable to see street level detail. The default software though does have nice graphs to look at all the recorded information.

Thankfully if the Training Center software really puts you off you can upload your information to Motionbased.com

Later Runs
After my first run I modified the default screens to show more pertinent information. I also added a rotation to the screens. I also read how to turn on the backlight. The consecutive runs were just as easy as the first run but the information was where I wanted it to be.

After a run the battery manages to charge in about 20 or 30 minutes.

Final Thoughts
The Forerunner 305 is one of the best training aids for runners. Unfortunately running is one of the sports that does not see lots of new equipment come on the market. What do you really need to run? Shoes, shorts and a top? We don't benefit from the latest and greatest like so many other sports. Thankfully with the addition of the Forerunner 305 we now have a little wrist top 2.72 ounce miracle that records our workout data.

The price may be a little prohibitive for some users but you can find it on sale. I purchased mine for $190 with a $50 mail in rebate. At the full $323 retail I don't think that I would have purchased it.

Scores (out of 5 stars)

Packaging *****
Setup *****
Ease of use *****
Software **
Battery Life ****
Durability ****

Overall *****

UPDATE
I've been using the Forerunner 305 for a couple more weeks and it never ceases to amaze me. I have been experimenting with the advanced workout feature and it amazes me what it can do. This little gadget is truly worth it's weight in gold. The advanced workout feature alone has the capability to improve your times if you run competitively.

If you just run to get into better shape the watch is such a great tool. Not sure if you are improving just run the same route that you previously have ran. See if you run it faster.

The watch also gives you the ability to run intervals without having to pre-measure distance or go to a track. It's so nice to be able to set up fancy ladder routines without a bunch of pre-planning.

The 305 also gives you the ability to explore as you run. No longer do I have to spend time driving a course to get the measurement....I just run. It gives you freedom that you normally wouldn't be able to enjoy.

This purchase is justified, even at full retail.