Luckily I was able to get the watch from Amazon.com at a very reasonable price.
The first thing I noticed when I opened the box was how bulky it was. I was a little concerned that the size and weight of it was going to bother me on my runs. While I'm on the subject of initial concerns, I'll add a few more.
I should start this with an admission that I did not read too much about the watch before I bought it. I'm a bit of an impulse buyer so when I saw that a few of Twitter friends had it, I figured it was good enough to buy. Of course I could have asked them the following questions before my purchase, but what fun would that be?
- Does the 305 have the functionality needed for my interval running method? I am an avid follower of the Jeff Galloway running method.
- If it did allow interval running, would the notification be loud enough for me to hear it, even if I'm running by a busy road?
- Would the GPS receiver be strong enough to keep track of my runs through dense woods.
Throughout the next several weeks, I was able to discover the answers to each of these questions.
It took me a few times to figure out how to properly use the watch, but this could have been avoided if I had actually read the manual. Where's the adventure in that? Once I got the hang of it, starting up an interval workout is a breeze. The watch easily handles any type of interval workout you want to set up whether you want the intervals to break on time, distances or both. My only concern right now is that the intervals only allow 99 laps. My last run of 14 miles took 52 "laps" so I'm worried that as I train for my 50M race, this limit may force me to split my workouts.
As for the interval notifications, the multiple beeps that are emitted at the end of each interval have proven to be loud enough for me to hear, even when running along a fairly busy street. I'm not sure if it could be heard running on the interstate, but there is a limit as to how far I'll go for a review.
I have also found that the GPS receiver is strong enough to track me on all my off road adventures so far. From the woods of upper Michigan to the mountains of Virginia.
The ability to upload the data to Garmin Connect Online then sync it to my Daily Mile account has proven to be a valuable benefit as well.
All things considered I have found this to be a great running watch, and well worth the price. It's great to just grab a water bottle, strap on my watch and head out the door for a run.
I was nervous to read your review because I literally just bought the 305 on Amazon yesterday. Glad to hear you're happy with it so far! I can't wait to strap on the watch and 'go' like you said.
ReplyDeleteYeah - I've had this watch a few years now and used it during the 2011 Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago. For the most part it did a good job of tracking me even when surrounded by tall buildings.
ReplyDeleteRun on!