Steve's Wanderings ...

Monday, September 01, 2008

Garmin Forerunner 405

I just purchased the Garmin Forerunner 405 (with the optional Heart Rate Monitor (HRM)). I have enjoyed using the Garmin Forerunner 305 (the previous generation device); I was wearing it to generate the course map in my prior MS2S Course entry below.  However, after seeing Belle’s latest entry on her site regarding her use of the 405 in her weekend training run, I saw that it had capabilities which my 305 does not..

First and foremost, the addition of Garmin Connect, which allows users to share data collected from various workouts. Since Belle is my “virtual training partner” this had instant appeal for me. I had tried in vain to set up a much simpler logging facility on the old version of my site, and this seems to be a MUCH improved method of logging workouts!

Secondly there is the ability to upload data to my PC using a wireless connection - I had always managed at one point or another to inadvertently disconnect the USB cable - usually by kicking it!

So why am I entering this in the Cycling category? Because my first use of it won’t be in a run. Instead I will wear it in this weekend’s Tour de Tahoe, a 72-mile (116km) ride around Lake Tahoe. I don’t know if I will wear the HRM that comes with the Garmin or with my bike speedometer, but I like to watch my heart rate on long-distance events to keep myself on more or less an even keel ...

I will post whatever data I collect in a follow-up entry sometime next week, hopefully including a few photos.

Belle has posted a nice example of how to use Garmin Connect to log a workout; this is from her recent 26.77km training run - http://connect.garmin.com/activity/701181

Tour de Tahoe site - http://www.bikethewest.com/tourdetahoe.html