Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor

Garmin Forerunner 305, The Forerunner series provides outdoor athletes and runners with real-time information about speed, distance, and heart rate all on a single device with an easy to read display. With features like auto-lap/pause/learn/scroll, training assistant tools, various alerts, and Training Center, the Forerunner enabled people to use all of that data to train smarter and more effectively. The Forerunner 305 will serve as the next generation Forerunner family. The Forerunner x05 series will incorporate many of the same great features of the Forerunner x01 series such as ease-of-use, large easy to read display, and software training features while improving other areas of the design to better meet the demands of athletes.

Garmin Forerunner 305 Technical Details

• High-Sensitivity, Watch-Like GPS Receiver That Provides Exceptional Signal Reception
• 1 Piece Training Assistant That Provides Athletes With Precise Speed, Distance & Pace Data
• Includes Training Center Software, Which Allows Users To Download Workout Data For A Detailed Analysis
• Used For Multiple Sports Such As Cycling, Cross- Country Skiing & Windsurfing
• Data Acquired May Also Be Analyzed. Which Provides Online Mapping & Route Sharing

Garmin Forerunner 305 Reviews

I was torn between the 305 and 405, particularly since the functionality seems to be about the same. What made the difference for me was actually going to the store and trying each one on. I am a female with very small wrists, so I thought the 405 might be better. But when I tried them on, I was surprised to find that the 305 is a MUCH better fit. The band on the 405 consists of stiff plastic on either side of the face, while the 305 band is flexible rubber on either side of the face. The 405 was therefore more bulky, and uncomfortable just standing in the store wearing it. While the face of the 305 is larger, Garmin Forerunner 305 is designed to wrap around the wrist and seems less bulky. Yes, the 305 looks geeky, but so does the 405 if you’re a small person. (I found that Amazon’s prices were much cheaper, even with 1-day shipping, so even though I tried them on in-store, I ordered from Amazon).
Update: Used the 305 for the first time today on a run in Central Park, and it worked perfectly. I chose an organized race to try it out, so I could test its accuracy against the course mileage and course clock – Garmin Forerunner 305 matched up perfectly, and never dropped a signal in the park. After reading all the reviews re: current pace issues, I set mine to show four fields: (1) time; (2) distance; (3) current pace; (4) average pace. I did notice some erratic changes in the current pace, and it does seem to lag a few seconds, but most of the time it matched up well with the average pace (which was incredibly helpful), and did generally reflect when I was running faster or slower. Garmin Forerunner 305 was nice to be able to compare how my “current pace” tracked against my average for the race.
My first use of this watch also resulted in a new PR for me (by almost 40 seconds). I found it incredibly useful in staying motivated. It was great to see the faster current pace, which made me feel good and want to continue it, and it was helpful to see when I was starting to slow, so I could pick it back up. Highly recommended!

I am running my first marathon in October and in a sort of weird way, this device is key to keeping me on target. I use it for the entire week, against my set training plan (32 miles this week) without charging it. At the end of the week, I pop Garmin Forerunner 305 in the dock to download data and recharge.
I use it primarily to track my mileage, time, and pace. I also look at heart rate and elevation to determine improvement. The real beauty of this device is the ability to run ANY route you want, without even thinking about the distance before hand.

The garmin Training Center software is so-so. I would really like to do more with the data in terms of analysis and graphing, but it’s a pain with the raw data (export function). I understand you can use the web software (MotionBased or Connect) to do more, but I have not experimented yet with the web software.
As for size, some have complained about it, BUT I do not have any problems with the size. I do not have big wrists either. Garmin Forerunner 305 is certainly larger than a watch and Garmin Forerunner 305 does take up a good portion of the top and side of the wrist. Look at it this way, you look like a serious runner with it! It *may* be a problem for a petite female with very small wrists. The heart monitor is also no big deal. I wear it all the time, and barely know it’s there. Sometimes when I sweat a lot, Garmin Forerunner 305 starts to slip down a little. You can either tighten it or occasionally re-adjust as you run. I don’t like it tight, to ease my breathing.
As for reliability … NO issues. Works flawlessly. It does take a couple of minutes to acquire satellite signal prior to run.
I am glad I did not buy the newer 405 based on its reviews. (But the new 310XT looks very nice)
In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with the 305.

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