Garmin Forerunner 305 - GPS watch - running

Perfect watch to track mileage, heart rate, calories, intervals etc.. Terrific price and best watch out there for data lovers. Don't miss this deal.

This watch does everything I wanted it to do and more. I am a long-time runner, but have lately been trying to be more serious/regimented with my training. I can now track my running data very easily, especially with the included software. The product screens offered by Garmin seem to indicate that the 305 screens are different than the 205. The watches are the exact same, with the notable difference that the 305 has the heart rate monitor, WHICH YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD GET, especially for the measly price difference. Even if you don't like it, it's nice to have in case you want to pop it on every now and then and just check out your heart rate. You definitely don't have to use it. The only negative for me, and this is minor, is that the wrist band is pretty average. It won't stay latched sometimes while I'm running and doesn't seem to be very high quality. Also, the watch will jiggle when I run because the strap doesn't want to stay in place. I'm ordering a velcro replacement from Garmin that many people seem to love. This seems like an very easy, reasonable fix for a few extra bucks.

I always wanted to know the distance that I have run, sometimes I would retrace my run with my car and try to get a general idea using the odometer. But I tend to run on the street and trails, there was never a reliable way to figure out the total distance. Now there is, the Garmin 305 gives me the distance Im running, heart rate and time on the main screen. You can can also get your average pace. If you set up a course you can use the virtual partner and compete against your previous run. You would see 2 runners on the screen, you in white and your virtual partner in black. Throughout the run you can see if you are ahead or behind and by how much. At one point I was behind 240 feet and managed to close the gap to 11 feet but just couldnt beat myself. Watch Setup: Press the power button and the watch finds a satalite in a few minutes. I have not had to wait long for the watch to find a satalite. The signal stays even when running beneath trees. Wear the chest strap and you can also use the heart rate monitor, which works fine. The computer software that comes with it is an excellent training tool. Line graphs show average pace, speed, heart rate, elevation and more for the entire run. You can compare runs on the same course by viewing multiple line graphs on your computer. View your entire run in google maps, with points throughout that you can click on to see pace, heart rate and time. Cons: its kind of big, bigger that an average heart rate monitor, for me not a problem, for someone with a small wrist it could be an issue. Contrary to what the directions say you cannot download maps. And when you use the software the map feature will seem not to work when you view your run, you must zoom out if you want to see your run in the map screen. Unless your run is more than 10 miles or so, all you will see is a white screen with your route on it. So the map feature really is not useable if you run shorter distances. That is why you would view in Google Maps, that works great. Just download Google Maps and click on "view in Google Maps". I highly recommend the Garmin Forerunner 305

I am not a high-tech person but this is very easy to use....very intuitive. The graphs and maps are great. The summary of your workouts shows you things like speed (XX.XXminutes/mile or mph...your choice as you can use this for running or biking); average heart rate over the run; number of minutes spent in various heart rate zones (zones are calculated based on some basic info you enter one time about yourself/age/weight etc); calories burned (you have to enter some info about yourself to make this work..like your weight and age. Then, based on that info along with the speed of your run, your heart rate and elevation changes, it calculates an estimated calorie burn...very interesting stuff!). I paid $128 for this from WalMart.com...seems like a GREAT price (I bought a Pulsar Heart Rate watch/monitor a few years ago for $100...and all it does is gives me my heart rate). I Definitely recommend this GPS Watch.

I spent a month reading reviews and comparing the various GPS watches on the market. I finally purchased the GF 305 with the heart rate monitor. Despite looking at it in its package at Best Buy, I was still disappointed with the bulkiness of the watch. I felt as though the packaging makes it look a lot thinner. For a person with skinny arms, the watch looks rather huge. Otherwise, I love this watch. It does not send my running data wirelessly which is one reason I hesitated in purchasing the 305; however, wireless transfer of data is not worth the additional cost. Besides, the watch recharges while it's hooked up to the computer downloading the data. The Garmin online graphs, calendar, calorie counting, goal setting, etc...is awesome and very user friendly. Downloading your data only takes seconds. Even the heart rate monitor which I doubted I would wear, is very comfortable. I hardly notice I am wearing it. The only other complaint I have is the GPS can take a number of minutes to find the satellite. I usually turn it on several minutes prior to my run so that it is ready when I am. Otherwise, it has operated flawlessly - never loses its signal, maintains my heart rate even when I adjust the strap mid-run, and always stops and starts whenever I stop and start running. It will be hard for me to switch to a diiferent model the next time I need to buy a GPS watch.