Talk me out of buying a Garmin Forerunner 205 (Read 1617 times)

For $185 on Amazon right now. I'm really feeling weak here people. I'm not a gadget guy, really. But it is so small and unobtrusive and technically advanced. And the freedom. Oh the freedom it would buy. That's what that thing is all about for me. Just run anywhere, anytime, go exploring and still know my distance and pace and then upload the data to Motionbase and generate maps...etc. Do workouts anywhere on any stretch of road. Hmm. Help me.

Why? What's it got that the 205 doesn't have? I don't want a HRM.

No help from me. I caved last week and now I got one sitting at home. My new mission is to get as many people to buy it as I can. The only solace I'll get is that I won't be the only one regretting the purchase

The way these devices work is that they look into the skies for signals from different satellites. Depending on the signals they receive, the GPS devices can then calculate where you are in terms of lat and long. Around buildings, mountains, tall trees, et cetera, the satellite signals can become obscured, weakened, or reflect. When this happens, it can confuse your device and make it look like you are somewhere other than where you are. Typically, the error is by just a few feet or meters, but occasionally you can lose signal lock altogether. The latter is uncommon with the Forerunner *05 series (i.e., the 205 or the 305), but rarely does happen. More commonly, the signal tracing calculated in your device wavers as you go around curves, sometimes adding a small bit of distance. In my experience, the error is < 1-2%,="" worst="" case.="" on="" a="" particularly="" curvy="" route,="" it="" can="" be="" a="" touch="" higher="" (such="" as="" doing="" laps="" on="" a="" track,="" in="" which="" case="" you="" only="" need="" to="" follow="" time,="" not="" to="" calculate="" distance).="" i="" run="" amongst="" buildings="" and="" in="" the="" woods="" all="" the="" time.="" in="" general,="" the="" signal="" has="" been="" excellent="" and="" the="" tracings="" accurate.="" you="" can="" check="" out="" my="" data="" by="" going="" to="" />www.motionbased.com, and then search for "rosenbst" in the trailnetworks section. If, for example, you select the Team Nashville 10 miler, and then zoom in at the map towards the starting loop at the southern end, you can see how the curves confused the signal a bit, but then it stayed onroad. That activity is here too: http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/2017584

Have the 305. The GPS works pretty well. However, I wouldn't rely on the current pace to be accurate 100%, since I have noticed it can fluctuate a fair amount, and can lag a little. But it will give you a pretty good idea as to what your pace is. The HRM is decent, too. Although I apparently have issues or something, because it says my HR BEFORE the run is over 100. So far, I've managed to peak it at 195, which means my starting HR is already at almost 60%.....I run comfortably at around 170-175 bpm.

That is really cool, thanks. Were you running on a path along the side of the road or did it just peg your position as near the road but not on it? Also, did it measure 10.15 for the course or does that include a little extra running at the start/finish? Yes, I think the lap pace or average pace is what I would want most often. I think I'm in.

Yes, certified courses are tiny bit long and are measured for the shortest possible route, which is hard to actually run...or plot on a map using satellite images. I doubt I'll use the thing in races but for workouts that is certainly accurate enough for me. As it stands I'm generally estimating my pace and/or distance anyway.

I find the device is good in races as it helps me make sure not to go out to fast, helps me monitor my pace, and gives me good information that I can review critically after the race. I find the HRM is very helpful in training, to make sure that I keep my exertion high during tempo work, and low during easy work (since it is easy to do the wrong thing). I figure that I would rather have the HRM now than decide later that I want one, and have to buy the whole thing over again. The *01 series has fewer features and the satellite reception is not as good as the *05 series. It is still fine, but the *05s are better.