Garmin Forerunner 305 Review
The Garmin Forerunner 305 is by far the best wrist-mounted GPS that I’ve ever used. I’m so happy with my own, I decided to write this Garmin Forerunner 305 review.
In this Garmin Forerunner 305 review, I’ll try and explain why I, personally, enjoy the Garmin Forerunner 305 so much, and why I think any serious athlete looking into getting a wrist-mounted GPS would also want to have their very own Garmin Forerunner 305.
Before the Garmin Forerunner 305, wrist-mounted GPS units looked just like the GPS units used in cars, just with a wrist strap attached. They were bulky, uncomfortable, and dorky looking, so I didn’t bother looking at wrist-mounted GPS units, especially Garmins.
An older friend of mine, who is also a runner, recently got a Garmin Forerunner 305 watch. He and I run together once or twice a week, and he usually gives me a run for my money although he’s in his 60’s. Even though he’s not extremely tech savvy, my older friend was able to start using his Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS right out of the box, spending minimal time reading the (very short, well-written) “getting started” guide that comes in the package.
When he showed me his Garmin Forerunner 305 is was immediately impressed with how well designed this new model is. The screen is big and easy to read. It’s very intuitive. He let me use it on one of our runs and, unlike older models, it didn’t feel like I was wearing a computer on my arm. I was so impressed that I went out and bought a Garmin Forerunner 305 of my very own! Check out my Garmin Forerunner 305 review:
My Garmin Forerunner 305 Review
I like the Garmin Forerunner 305 a lot. I’ve had it for about three weeks, and have used it on 12 workouts so far. I use it primarily for running with biking a secondary usage. The main reason I wanted it was for the instantaneous readout of distance, running pace and heart rate, the latter needed for the speed work I want to do this running season.
The core functionality (distance and heart rate monitoring) works perfectly. There’s none of the signal drops I’ve had with other heart monitors. Once the satellites are initially acquired, I’ve only had one dropout when I was outside. The initial acquisition of the satellites can be quirky and can take some time. The accuracy (according to the readout) is +/- 25ft, depending on how many satellites can be found. I’ve compared the distance measurement on the GPS with a known, measured distance on one of the trails I run on . The GPS always increments a mile when I’m within 5 or 10 feet of the mile marker sign on the path. Well, I guess that’s the least I should expect from a $350 GPS unit! Of course the Garmin Forerunner 305 watch is bigger than a normal running stopwatch, but that hasn’t bothered me at all. The heart rate strap is also very comfortable and well-designed.
Garmin Forerunner 305 Review:The Display
The display is crisp and has one outstanding feature: The information presented on the various pages can be completely user-customized. The default screen layout is rather poor, but in just a few steps I could replace it with the information I wanted to see while I run. There are almost 40 different data fields you can choose from for display:
- current pace
- average lap pace
- average run pace
- heartrate
- distance
Garmin Forerunner 305 Review: Software and Hardware
Upload of workout data to the PC software (Training Center) is transparent. The PC software is very good for presenting time/distance/pace/heart rate/calorie data. However the maps it shows are very crude. I’ve worked a bit with one of the online, subscription services (MotionBased). That looks really good and provides some additional functionality beyond the included Training Center software, although I still haven’t decided if it’s worth the $$$ yet for long-term data storage. MotionBased allows export to Google Earth, and it’s tremendously cool to see your running path superimposed on a satellite image. You can recharge the unit through the USB port on your computer, although it’s slower than using the dedicated recharger.
Garmin Forerunner 305 Review: My Only Regret
The only disappointment with the Garmin Forerunner 305 is the point-in-time (instantaneous) pace measurement: It varies wildly during a run. I see swings as big as +/- 3 minutes/mile. I’m a marathoner and I know my pace is fairly consistent during a run. I just looked at my run today, and according to the data the first mile varied from 5:57/mile to 12:06 mile. I suspect the problem is either in the averaging algorithm (too short a distance?), or in the uncertainty that results from different satellites coming in and out of view. The variations seem to get worse under tree cover compared with an open area. Luckily there’s a lap-average pace that can be presented, and at least that value is useful and more accurate. The bottom line is that you can’t look at the watch and say “right now I’m running 9 mins/mile”. There is the ability to specify a pace smoothing factor, but I have it maxed out and still see the variations. The elevation readout also seems inaccurate, but that isn’t important to me.
Garmin Forerunner 305 Review: Footpod
The use of the Speed/Cadence Bike Sensor and/or Foot Pod can allow you to continue using your Forerunner 305 even when you may be training indoors. While this data may be available on the machine you may be using it can’t duplicate the Forerunner 305 in managing the storage of workout data to combine with your online MotionBased account.
Garmin Forerunner 305 Review:The Bottom Line
I had hoped that owning this device would prove motivational for me, and indeed it has. I can’t imagine running or biking without it. Updating my training log is trivial now: Plug this thing into my computer, and it’s done. My hope is that a future software update will do something about the pace calculation (maybe a few additional levels of smoothing?). If so, the Garmin Forerunner 305 would earn 5 stars! Regardless, this is the best wrist-mounted GPS available for the Garmin Forerunner 305 price!
Garmin Forerunner 305 Review Positives:
- Flawless heart rate sampling
- Great distance measuring and lap-average pace calculation
- Seamless integration with a PC
- Fully-automatic training log update
- User-customizable display
Negatives:
- Wildly-varying pace readout.