Forums >Gears and Wears>Garmin for a new runner
Hi! I am finally investing in a Garmin. I'm torn between the 310XT, the 410, and the 210. I ran cross country in high school for two years, but had pretty low mileage (20-25 miles/week). My freshman year of college I got back into running, about 10-15 miles/week. This past summerI really ramped up the running and from May-October, I ran 40-50 miles/week. Unfortunately, I have really bad asthma and I live in one of the coldest states in the US. The dry air prevents me from running outside in December-Feb/March. I want to get a GPS/Heart Rate monitor from Garmin and I'm wondering which is best for me. The 410 is the cheapest at amazon (I have to buy from amazon - using Xmas gift cards) but I don't like the bezel features. I want
- a good heart rate monitor
- a good GPS
- ability to use HRM inside (at gym)
- foot pod capabilities, or lap timing (for treadmill use)
Recommendations? Thoughts?
I prefer the 310xt to the 405 (410 is similar to the 405). You can pair HRM and foot pod to both of these types of watches.
battery life is around 20 hours for the 310xt compared to 8 for the 405 (I'm assuming the 410 is in the 8 hour range). The 310 can display 4 fields instead of just 3. It also has an on/off button.
I had the 205, but lost it. I also have the 305 and a 210. I actually liked the 205 and 305 better than the 210. The main thing the 210 has over the earlier models is the screen contrast. I think for the money the 310xt is the way to go. I'm itching to get a 910xt
levitation specialist
Check out DC Rainmaker.com for his in depth reviews of each model, that helped me decide and feel more solid in which watch was the right choice for me.
I had a hard time deciding between the 210 and 610. I ended up going with the 610 and it has been a solid choice for me and my running with a bit of biking mixed in. Not a swimmer, so the 310xt or the 910xt were never really in consideration but they are solid devices as well.
Loves the outdoors
I have a 310XT and like it. It's huge, but when I compared it to the 405 (assuming the 410 is similar) it actually fitted my wrist better. Less like a giant bangle than the 405 was. I don't do Tri either, but I love the waterproofness for when I run in a downpour. It is very flexible in screen display and it is easy to set up interval sessions. No idea how the footpod works, but I've set it up to monitor my HR overnight for fun and that worked so I can't see why you couldn't monitor your HR on TM run after turning off the GPS.
One day I decided I wanted to become a runner, so I did.
I've got a fever...
Recently got the 310xt to replace my dead 305. Love it.
Has all the features the OP listed, plus the waterproof thing. I also prefer physical buttons to a touchscreen on a running watch, so that was a big factor in picking this over a 410 or 210.
Footpod is nice -- if you use it outdoors, it simply records cadence, and the GPS takes care of distance. Run indoors (whether on a treadmill or actually moving) and the foot pod will calculate distance in the absence of GPS signal.
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.