Garmin Forerunner 305 Review
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Garmin Forerunner 305
Just when you thought Garmin had cornered the market on powerful, affordable, and effective wrist-mounted GPS devices, here comes the Forerunner 305. The release of this device is a major achievement from a design and technology perspective. This isn't just marketing-speak; the Forerunner 305 is the most accurate, most reliable wrist-mounted performance and GPS tracking tool we've ever tested. Yes, it's that good. While no device this compact can do everything (yet), the 305 pushes the boundaries of what is possible from something strapped around your wrist. The 305 model includes wireless heartrate monitoring and it can also be connected to Garmin's wireless bicycle speed and cadence sensor. If you don't need these features, consider the lower-priced Forerunner 205.
View Garmin's Forerunner demonstration video.
 Choose from 12 data fields to display on the 305's screen. View larger. |
 The design cleverly integrates the GPS antenna and aims it towards the sky when you're running or walking. View larger. |
 The Virtual Partner function makes your workouts more competitive. View larger. |
 Choose from three workout modes that help you target your training goals. View larger. |
 The 305 features rudimentary mapping and location marking functions. View larger. |
The 305's design is a radical departure from Garmin's previous generation of wrist mounted GPS devices, which reached a pinnacle with the Garmin Forerunner 301. While the 301 delivered accurate heart rate monitoring, good performance tracking, and decent GPS reception, it didn't quite deliver in the design department. The form factor was bulky and wearing it wasn't much different than duct taping a full-sized GPS device to your wrist.
Not so with the 305. Garmin's engineers obviously burned the midnight oil and have come up with a waterproof design that, while certainly not as small as a sports watch, feels just as comfortable. The curved casing allows the unit's antenna to face the sky when you're running, while the widescreen display is perfectly positioned for viewing when you need it. And the display certainly deserves a few kudos. While it's smaller than the display found on previous Forerunners, its resolution is far higher, offering incredible clarity and crispness.
Garmin has smartly given the 305 a simple button layout and the buttons have a nice tactile feel with good pressure response. The right side houses the menu selection and enter buttons, while the left houses a power/backlight button and a mode button. This simple and elegant solution is a big improvement over the sometimes confusing button functionality of previous Forerunners. View button layout.
The underside of the 305 is pretty nondescript, except for a row of contacts that interface with the included charging and data cradle. The cradle is small and unobtrusive and its single mini-USB port connects to either an included AC adapter, or a USB cable that connects to your PC. In addition to data transfer with the USB cable, you can also charge the 305's embedded lithium-ion battery via a powered USB connection from your computer.
GPS Performance
The big news about the Forerunner 305 is that it features an integrated, high-sensitivity SiRFstar III GPS receiver. What does this mean? It means that the 305's ability to both track, and maintain a lock on, your position is better than anything before it. After an intial battery charge, the tester had the 305 on his wrist and was tracking speed and distance with GPS satellites within 3 minutes. The next time we used the 305, satellite acquisition was nearly instantaneous. A run through dense trees didn't faze the unit either; tracking remained true and steady. Performance on a bike was equally impressive. Whatever witchcraft has been cooked up by the designers of the SiRF technology, we like it!
 The simple docking cradle makes charging and data connectivity a snap. |
Training Functions
The 305 is first and foremost a training tool, and its ability to organize a ton of data types into a user experience that is intuitive and simple is no small feat. Whiz-bang technology aside, if you can't use it and make it a natural part of your exercise routine, it's worthless. When it comes to these factors -- and here's the take home message on the 305 -- this device is successful where many other devices fail.
The heart and soul of the 305 can be found on the data screens, which give you real-time information about all aspects of your workout. In fact, the 305 can display a dizzying array of data, such as calories burned, distance, elevation, grade, and heading, as well as multiple lap and pace modes. The 305 adds the ability to track heartrate, lap heartrate, average heartrate, and heartrate zones via the included coded heartrate chest strap. With the purchase of a separate wireless cadence and speed meter, you can also track bike performance data.
Thankfully, the device makes it easy to define how much or how little data you want to view during a workout. You can arrange the data that's most important to you and then make that data appear front and center on the device. Indeed, within a few minutes of skimming the manual and fiddling with the device setup, you'll have your most important data displaying just the way you like it. The ability to display heartrate is a big plus, too, as it's a fairly good indicator of excercise output, fatigue, and fitness level. The 305 has all the heartrate functions you'd expect from a full-function monitor, including the ability to set target zones and alerts to maximize the effectiveness of your workouts.
Garmin's Virtual Partner function was cool feature of previous Forerunners and they've decided to keep a good thing going with the 305. If you're the type that performs best when you've got a competitor egging you on, you'll love this function, as it allows you to set up virtual running or biking companions that compete against you.
If you're looking for an complicated workout with a variety of intervals and intensity levels, or just a quick three-mile jog against your best time last week, the 305 has you covered. Navigating to the Workouts menu on the device yields three options: Quick Workouts, Interval, and Advanced Workout. A quick workout is just that; set the distance and time, distance and pace, or time and pace of your planned workout and off you go. Interval workouts are just the same, but they allow you to add repetitions and rest between them. When you really want to get fancy with your exercise, you can step up to advanced workouts, which include goals for each workout step, as well as varied distances, times, and rest periods. You can use the Garmin Training Center software to set up these workouts and then upload them to the device.
PC Connectivity and Software
Garmin has been outfitting their devices with USB connectivity for some time now -- a welcome move for those who struggled with serial port connections in the days of yore. Thanks to USB, the 305 integrates seamlessly with the Training Center software and we quickly had workout history uploaded and stored on the PC (Sadly, Training Center is not Mac-compatible). Not only does Training Center make it easy to track your performance, you can graph data such as heartrate alongside your speed and distance. Over time, this is a great way to view your fitness levels increase, and it also helps you see what types of workouts are necessary to strengthen your weaknesses. For instance, if you see your heartrate begin to spike after a certain distance, you know you need to increase your endurance workouts to train that area of fitness.
In a first for the Forerunner series, the Training Center software also lets you define courses on your PC that you can upload to the device. When course information is combined with uploaded workout information, the Forerunner becomes a complete guide, telling you where to go, when to make a turn, and what kind of workout to do when you're on the road or path. Back on the PC, the software's ability to overlay workout data on maps of the course makes it easy to see where the course offers up the tough hills and the easy recovery spots. Plus, the ability to track historical performance on a given course is a great way to measure your improvement.
The 305 is also fully compatible with Garmin's MotionBased service, which takes your training to another level by connecting your data with the Internet. While we weren't able to use the service, the promise of sharing courses, maps, workouts, and performance data with other users is intriguing. And if you're a serious endurance athlete, you'll be glad to know that the 305 is also compatible with TrainingPeaks.com, an easy-to-use web based training system designed to help athletes train for any event.
Pros
- Radically new design is better in every way
- Amazing accuracy and fast satellite acquisition time
- So simple to set up and use, you will actually use it
- No Mac OS compatibility
- Okay, it's bigger than a sport's watch -- but so much more powerful
Forerunner 305, Garmin Training Center CD-ROM, heart rate monitor, docking cradle, expander strap, A/C charger, USB cable, owner's manual, quick start guide.
Customer Reviews
Average rating: 
Lots of information
Totally love it!
I'm a new runner, and I loved it ... very easy to use, super powerful, and it made me more interested about running. The GPS is very good, good accuracy, I've used it in the USA and Mexico and it works really nice.
Pros:
- I run on some streets/parks that I haven't marked and with this I know the distances I run, GPS is very accurate
- Everything is very useful, you can customize the screens, the defaults are pretty good, you can see your pace, HR, lap times, best lap, etc etc
- After a workout I can easily transfer the data to my laptop and see all the charts/logs ... amazing, I really love it, I can chart everything, and with another software I can even see the satellite views of where I ran.
- I tend to plan better my workouts, and then I just transfer the workout I want to do to the device, and I just follow it. Super nice.
- Myself, being a rookie runner, trained some of the very first days with just a chronometer: I'd skip miles, do less laps, etc etc ... with this, I don't do that any more, because I want to see everything on my charts.
- I have almost 2 months with it and I am still discovering new stuff. It was really easy to use at the beginning, then I moved to the charts, then to the workouts ... and I haven't used the "Virtual Partner" function that I thought I was going to be using ... it will be fun!
Cons
- Not a big one for me, but a friend warned me that it would take a min or 2 to get the Satellite reception ... it's faster when you start on the same points, it might take a little more some times when you switch locations. But so far, I haven't had any big problem with it.
- Another small one for me, but a friend an I looked at the elevation charts and they don't seem accurate. Elevation is not a big issue for me, so it's not a problem ... maybe for cycling. It actually has showed some "good" measures of elevation in different cities I've been, but I don't think it's that accurate.
So to me this has been a great great addition to my training. BTW, it's not that huge, I've a small frame and I thought it was going to be huge but it's not ... it's big, but very light, so I feel OK with it.
Fun for data geeks
Most reviewers have covered the good and bad reliably, here's my opinion after about a month of varied use:
Buy it if:
1. You want the flexibility of doing structured interval workouts on any course, not just the track.
2. You're a data geek who would rather not spend hours plotting out a course on google earth to get an accurate distance for your runs.
3. You're a data geek who wants mileage splits for every run.
4. You want a lightweight, high-quality HRM included in the deal.
Don't buy it if:
1. You want cycling computer-quality real-time speed readout. With today's GPS, it's not going to happen. The real-time speed is reasonably accurate (maybe +/- 30 second/mile), but trust me, it's not great and very slow to pick up speed changes.
2. You want a precise altimeter capable of calculating total climbing/descending. On flat courses, the cumulative error makes this a joke, but on hilly courses there is some benefit, especially with the software post-workout.
3. You want anything beyond the most primitive mapping functionality. This is not a navigation tool.
4. You want to record extended backpacking trips. The battery life is only good for about 10-12 hours.
All-up it's a quality piece of hardware worth the money, especially for obsessive data geeks like me.
The 305 has completely changed how I run
I recently began training for a marathon. Due to the nature of the city I live in, it's very difficult to estimate distances and the first couple weeks of training were dominated by running on the treadmill; including a couple of my long runs (at that point 7 and 9 milers). I needed a change and it came in the form of the Garmin Forerunner 305. As it is right now, the Forerunner is an amazing tool that every SERIOUS (I'll come back to this) runner should look into.
So, what specifically do I like about it. Quite simply, I love the accuracy and effectiveness of the GPS. I run out and back courses, and always do my best to keep the 'back' as close as I can to the 'out'. When I get back to where I began, the Garmin is generally within a couple of feet of the end and I'm certain it's only behind because of small variations I have in my course. At this point, I should mention that I live in Vermont where high buildings and concrete canyons aren't too much of a problem. I'd imagine that some people who live in places like Boston or NYC may have more problems in an urban jungle setting. That being said, I do run through a lot of trees (more representative of Vermont) and I have no lost my satellite signal once.
Another point that really impresses me is the workout menu. It's very intuitive to set up distances, pace and interval workouts. It's basically as easy as it can be without hooking a keyboard directly up to the watch! I mainly use the interval and distance and pace functions. Inteval and distance work without a hitch; pacing gets a little muddy sometimes. That is to say, I find the alerts I set up for my pacing don't go off a lot of the time or that the options for the alerts are too limited. It's not a big deal, and all it entails is checking my watch more than I may like during a 15 mile run. In response to other reviewers who have said that the pacing is way off and not an accurate estimation of what they are actually running. I implore you to pay careful attention to how you are running, I have found it to be very accurate and very much in tune with the slight variations that we all have in our pacing: try very hard to focus on your pace next time you run and see how much variation there actually is.
What about aesthetic qualities? Well, it's big! But not out of hand. It fits comfortably on your wrist and is very easy to read during a run. How about functionality during a run? I find it very easy to change the screen when I'm running (quick press of one of the arrow buttons). However, the buttons are stiff and I can see some having an issue with how they feel and may have to get used to it. Another little gripe I have is the auto-pause function; a great idea but one that feels poorly executed. If I stop running completely it sometimes will not stop, If I hold my arm up to change the screen, sometimes not all the time, it will pause. Be aware that you may have to manually pause it to cut down on this minor, but noticeable, gripe; inconvenience; problem..etc, etc. Also, like I said before, I have never had an issue finding satellites or losing them and often keep reception inside very thick concrete buildings.
Who would I suggest this product to? This is where it gets a little foggy. Marathoners, triathletes or any sort of endurance athlete should give this watch a long, serious look. It has served as that extra push for me through some of my harder runs, like a friend telling me not to quit. It also saves us endurance athletes a lot of time by eliminating the need to measure a route, you'll discover things you never saw before running free of a confined route.
Who should think a little harder about this item before picking it up? Casual runners, those looking to lose weight/calorie burn or those looking for a stop watch that "does a little more." First things first, it's expensive and if you're not willing to take advantage of all or most of the features the price looks even steeper and you may end up being disappointed. Second, after awhile of using it, it becomes very clear that this is not a calorie burning tool. It does display the amount burned, but I think it's there to tell me how many more I need to put back in when you consider it's placed in tandem with mileage, pace, time, etc. It's there, but it is not the focus of the product. Third, like I said before, it's not just a stop watch that does a little extra. This is a full blown training tool that you need to use to train. This is a trainer's tool not a casual athlete tool.
Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to delve into the software yet. I use a mac, and it says it is compatible with macs; however, I have not seen the compatibility yet.
PROS:
- Excellent accuracy
- Great features -- easy to figure out workout options, etc.
- Good pace accuracy (see cons for the flipside)
- Great Endurance athlete training tool
- Reception is awesome, I'm getting perfect reception in big buildings and through forested areas
CONS:
- Large size may be a problem for some
- While pace is accurate, some of the tools that go along with it are not functional
- What the heck is up with auto-pause?
- Software issues for me
- Large price may be enough to shy some people away
- Not for casual athletes, be ready to commit to using this item
Don't let the number of Cons fool you, I consider them all relatively minor compared to the pros and what I use it for. This is a great tool and one that I never plan on running without again. If it weren't for a couple gripe-y things, it would have gotten five stars from me.
Thanks for reading.
Forerunner 305 keeps me focused.
After seeing my friend Dan's Forerunner and the data on the web, I had to have one. With web offers and rebates, local stores couldn't touch the net price. I've had it close to a month and have no complaints. I'm able to monitor the heart rate and have a clear idea of how my training is going. It's also nice for those experimental rides where you're not sure how far or how hard you're going. Combined with a wired bike computer with cadence, I have all the data I need. The Garmin software is easy and the Motion Based website is even better.
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