RunningAHEAD - Topic: GPS question

posted: 3/10/2008 at 2:30 PM
modified: 3/10/2008 at 2:31 PM

Ok...so I currently do all my running inside on a treadmill, but I would like to move it back outside since the weather is getting nicer. I'm considering a Garmin but I have some questions. Does a Garmin keep track of how far you're running so say I want to run 5 miles but am not really sure how far that is via regular roads it would tell me on the thing? I've done mapmyrun.com and the problem is that I have a trail in town that I want to run on but really have no idea how far it is. Also....I don't need a lot of high tech stuff, just want to know how far I've gone and possibly my pace. Is a 205 good enough...or is there even a lesser model I should look for? I'm going to go to ebay to get it, so I can keep the price down. I know there are newer models but that doesn't matter to me. Any and all info would be great. Thanks!

DrewEOB

Lazy idiot

posted: 3/10/2008 at 2:49 PM

Any of the currently available Garmin models should give you what you're looking for (20x, 30x, 40x). I'm sure the forum search would yield quite a bit of information on any of these (most specifically the 305) if you want more in depth info.

Tick tock

NateFromRI

posted: 3/10/2008 at 2:49 PM

The Forerunner 205 will definitely tell you how far you've gone, along with a ton of other information. If you want to go lower tech/lower cost, you can check out the Forerunner 50. It uses a foot pod to measure, rather than GPS. I haven't used that technique, but it is supposed to be very accurate, especially after calibration on a track.

-------------------------------------
5K - 18:25 - 3/19/11
10K - 39:38 - 12/13/09
1/2 - 1:29:38 - 5/30/10
Full - 3:45:40 - 5/27/07

Ringmaster

posted: 3/10/2008 at 4:34 PM

Hi, Melanie. I have the 205, which was helpful for me in pacing myself since I was trained as a sprinter and had a very hard time resisting the impulse to go all out . . . tough to sustain for any distance. What I like about the *05 models compared to the earlier models is that they actually sit on your wrist. A girlfriend of mine had a 201 and it looked like she had strapped her car's console to her wrist. Maybe for my hubby it wouldn't have been a problem, but she's five-foot like me and I knew it would be a pain to wear. My 205 has a face that's bigger than a wristwatch, but easy enough to wear. Yes, it will tell you how far you've gone and your pace. It will also tell you lots of other stuff--your splits, the grade of any hills you hit (if you set it up to), how many calories you burned . . . Compare them on the Garmin site; you might find that the size of the screen is of no importance to you, but it sure was to me. Happy running--especially on your new trails!

Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Heb. 12:1b)
Mile by Mile

Ennay

A Saucy Wench

posted: 3/10/2008 at 4:53 PM

caveat...it will tell you how far you have run IF your trail is not wooded. If your trail is wooded you may want to look in to a foot pod, although even they can be dicey on trails (stride length on trails is often different than on the track you calibrate it on)

I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

jEfFgObLuE

I've got a fever...

posted: 3/10/2008 at 5:01 PM

Quote from Ennay on 3/10/2008 at 4:53 PM:

caveat...it will tell you how far you have run IF your trail is not wooded. If your trail is wooded you may want to look in to a foot pod, although even they can be dicey on trails (stride length on trails is often different than on the track you calibrate it on)

True, but shouldn't be too much of a problem with a 205/305 device (Ennay, don't you have a 201 or 301? They made big improvements with the GPS reception on the 205/305 series). I run a wooded trail with rolling hill regularly and have no problems with drop-out.

On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office. But you will wish that you'd spent more time running. Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

melaniemae427

posted: 3/10/2008 at 5:33 PM

Thanks for all the info everyone. I'm thinking I'm going with the 205...I found lots of them on ebay for between 100-150 bucks. It should do everything I need it to!

GPS question (Read 478 times)