The Garmin Forerunner 305 is popular and reasonably affordable GPS device and heart rate monitor watch for the sporting enthusiast in your family. With a huge form factor, and a rechargeable lithium ion battery with a life of 10 hours, this Forerunner 305 watch is not meant for casual use. Clearly, the Forerunner 305 is targeted at the serious biker or jogger. The 305 watch face is large and readable even when jogging, and can be configured to show any three parameters, such as HR or current speed. The large buttons on this watch also makes it easy to change the parameters during the workout. All in all, it is easy and straightforward to use.
The best feature of this sports watch is its highly sensitive SirFStar III GPC receiver, which has an antenna that wraps halfway around the wrist, accounting for the watch’s large size. Beneath an open sky, acquisition of satellite signals is nearly instantaneous after you push the power button. Near tall trees or buildings, acquisition of satellite signals may take 30 to 60 seconds. The GPS receiver tracks both location and elevation. While this garmin watch is water resistant down to 1 meter depth for 30 minutes, it is not meant for swimming, as the GPS receiver loses satellite signals as soon as it is immersed in water. Furthermore, the 30 min water resistance is clearly too short for many swimming sessions.
The 305 comes with Garmin’s latest heart rate monitor chest strap with ANT+ technology. For those among you who tend towards the geeky side, ANT+ is a wireless communication protocol that is popular among health device manufacturers due to its low power consumption and cross-talk immunity. The chest strap is soft and comfortable, and comes with 2 sensor elements. Wet both sensor elements before the workout to allow for better electrical contact with your chest.
After the workout, you can download all the data from your Garmin 305 onto your computer via the provided USB cable. This Garmin Forerunner watch itself has a modest amount of internal memory and can store several workout sessions, but it is probably best to habitually download data after each workout. The Garmin Training Center software must be installed on the computer. The data analysis is the best part of owning the Garmin 305 watch. You can plot out the exact distance of each workout session on Google Earth, along with elevation and heart rate details at each point during the route. Normally, it takes months to observe the improvements in endurance and strength that come from working out. With the availability of heart rate data, you can observe subtle improvement in your physiology from week to week. You will start observing that your heart rate takes longer to go up during your route, and peaks out at lower rates during the strenuous climbs. Knowing how your heart responds to various elevations and distances also allows you to choose more appropriate routes for the next stage of your workout. For the hyper-competitive, you can also upload your exercise data onto the Garmin Connect on the internet, and compare your workout parameters with others.
For those who like to accessorize your watch, the Garmin 305 presents many options. The most important must-buy accessory for bikers is probably the quick-release bike mount. This allows you to place the 305 watch front and center during your biking session, avoiding those awkward glances at your wrist, and allowing you to track your minute-by-minute speed at various points in your route. The vehicle power cable is also useful if you drive to your workout location, and frequently forget to charge your Garmin 305 watch in its dock during the day. There is also a foot pod for joggers that allow you to incorporate stride pace and distance data into your session.
In conclusion, the Garmin Forerunner 305 is a good present for any jogger or biker, and will bring a fresh perspective to your workout sessions.