Wanna feel like a pro in training? Then Garmin Forerunner 305 is your tool

My Background. I have been using GPS tools for a while and I have used them regularly in my training for at least 2 years. My favorite sport activities are inline skating (speedskating, more properly) and downhill skiing. Before purchasing the Forerunner 305 I used the Forerunner 101 for about 2 years. I think that the 101 is still a terrific tool for a price of around $100.

Garmin Forerunner 101 Review

But the new Garmin Forerunner 205 and 305 bring the game to the next level mostly because of the interaction between the devices and the Motion Based software.

Why buying the Forerunner 305 ? There are other products out there and other ways to combine a GPS system and a heart rate monitor. For a while, for example, I managed with the Garmin Forerunner 101 and a Suunto X6HR watch as a heart rate monitor. But the two devices combined are both more expensive, more cumbersome, and do not allow the interaction of the two sets of data. The Motion Based software is really something.

Isn't the price stiff ? Yes and no. I mean you can pay less than the MSRP of $349 + tax and, in fact, by browsing the internet a lot, I managed to pay $280 + tax. But, if you are going to get any other product that work in a similar way and produces the same quality of results, I think you are going to pay more.

Is the product durable at least ? Well, I would like to think so. But the truth is that only time will tell. I have heard some complaints (maybe you read some too), but I cannot recognize in those problems. I would be careful, however, about using the Forerunner 305 in water. First of all, there has always been a problem with the heart rate monitor in water (with all products) and second I do not trust the waterproof issue too much. One contribution lamented that water found its way in. This is a big issue for those who would like to check their training sessions for triathlon or swimming. The product is very sleak and, compared to the Forerunner xx1 series, definitely lighter. So, one has to suspect that maybe it is not all that sturdy. Nevertheless, the new deviced is much more discrete around the wrist than any of the xx1 models and chances are you will not hit with the device too often, like if you were to take a fall for instance.

How about the GPS chip ? Is it better than previous ones ? Meaning that a chip is good must be taken to mean that the device reads a good satellite signal in most or all situations and that the position is acquired in a relatively short time. I am aware that other reviewers have different epinions , however, my experience so far has been for a fast signal acquisition (even while standing below a leafy tree and never had to experience the "weak signal" warning like it used to happen with the xx1 family of Forerunner. It is possible that my area has overall better satellite signals, but I plan to do some more testing during the next few weeks. So far I have been able to pick the satellite signal in less than 30 seconds even in case of a cold start and in several locations in California.

Inline skaters are going to be the happiest.. and for a very simple reason. Speedskaters like to skate fast with their arms behind their back. With the xx1 family of devices this would normally lead to either a weak signal or the loss of signal entirely. The only "trick" to correct the problem was to wear the device with the display facing the ground so that when the arms were going behind the back, the display would face the sky. This was cumbersome since to read it, then the skater had to rotate the device, read the numbers and put it back. Not the easiest thing in the world when you are skating at 15-20mph. With the Forerunner 305 (and 205) the antenna is located in the right position to face the sky when the arms go behind the back and there is no need to move the device back and forth.

Is the 305 easy to use or does one need a Master's degree ? It is fairly easy. If you were familiar with any of the xx1 family of Forerunners, you can use the 305 (or 205) without basically any need for the manual. And, if you were not familiar with similar Garmin product, no need to worry: the manual is fairly thin and the menu very immediate to understand and use. Most sophistication takes place with the new software. Of course, if you wanted to understand the intricacies of the technology inside the device, then you may very well need a Ph.D in Engineering, but I doubt most users would want to go that deep.

Compared with the xx1 family of devices, where is the 305 improved the most ? For one the signal quality, better graphics to see the satellites at work (not necessarily useful) and there has been an improvement within the Training Assistant. Besides letting you choose a distance and a time or other combination of speed distance and time, the 305 allows to create a course (a specific course where you have biked, ran or inline skated before) with a time associated and you can compete against yourself. I found it very useful. The other major improvement is the Multi-sport workouts option which I believe is aimed at those athletes who are involved in triathlon or similar.

How about skiing ? I have not had a chance to use it on snow yet being still Summer. Yet, I have used the Forerunner 101 and it should work. The real problem is the signal. You cannot wear the 305 under your sleeve and expect to get a perfect signal and accurate readings. I think it will have to be worn over your sleeves. It is a good thing that Garmin ships it with a long and a shorter strap (at least my shipment did) and the long strap should allow to fit the 305 over the sleeve of your skiing jacket.
One final thing: the device, according to Garmin specifications, is meant to work between -4F and 140F, so it may not work properly on the coldest days, but should be fine on most skiing days.


Anything still missing ? Yes, the calories consumption for inline skating is not available. You can use the bike menu for most inline skating activities but the calories consumption would be wrong as inline skating burns more calories than cycling at the same speed. Usually, I take the number of calories provided for cycling and improve it by 20%. Since there are algorithms available to compute calories consumption for inline skating it is too bad that Garmin did not incorporate it in its products yet. Also, since the 305 is aimed at the crowd of athletes involved in triathlon, I think that also swimming would need some improvements. There is one issue that leaves me a little confused. Garmin claims that the 305 is waterproof in 1 meter (3.1 feet) of water for 30 minutes... That should be fine for most swimmers doing the freestyle since their arms are probably not likely to go deeper than 2 feet at any time.. but there are reports that in a few occasions water went in. Also, does it mean that if you keep the forerunner in 2 feet of water, it could remain waterproof for 1 hours or would it still be 30 minutes? How reliable is the heart rate monitor in water? Pool water is high in chlorine and, chlorine being very conductive could short-circuit the transmitter and the unit would not be able to detect ECG. How about salt water in the Ocean? I think Garmin needs to address this issue and provide more guidance about swimming.

Motion Agent Software: the cherry on top of the cake. It is what really makes the difference. Imagine plotting your route on an accurate map, and being able to follow your effort on the map while your speed, elevation, heart rate, etc. is being shown. That is really something. Similarly, your workout can be used by others to compete against you and viceversa. The free version is already good enough to understand all the potential of the product, the full version (for which you have to pay, I believe it is around $14 per month or something like that) would allow you to analyze your workout in even more details. The benefits of the software, to me at least, are very, very clear. Another problem with the free version is that only the 10 most recent events can be seen. With the version requiring the full membership instead this limitation is not an issue.

My final thoughts: The product brought me back to train with a lot of enthusiasm the like of which I thought I had lost. The price is a little demanding, but it packs so many features and seems to work very well that I surely think it was money well spent. Hopefully, I will think that way also 1 year from now. Just too bad that inline skating is not yet given full citizenship in the device. Maybe the next model.

UPDATE (August 13, 2007). It has been almost one year since I started using Garmin Forerunner 305. No problems to report. Excellent signal. Only once in Central Park in NY it took quite a bit to get the satellite signal, but in other 10+ occasion at the same location it worked fine.

I would also like to offer a chance to those who did not have a chance to see Motionbased at work to take a look at a file of one of my workouts recently, an inline skating session in Central Park. Try the link below, it should work:

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3637765

Once you are in, experiment with the player function. The analyzer function is not available (subscribers only). If there were problems let me know and I will try to talk to the people at Garmin to see if I can be allowed to link to something more specific.

Enjoy.