Sports Insurance Blog

The Garmin Forerunner 305 is the sixth product of a small series of GPS personal trainers. Like the 205, the Forerunner 305 has a GPS receiver embedded in the wrist component with an built in wrap-around antenna in the wrist strap. These features make it easier to keep up an accurate flow of information to your Garmin Forerunner 305, even when jogging under trees or tall buildings which may otherwise interrupt the signal. And because the GPS is integral to the 305 Forerunner, you don’t have to worry about the difficulty of wearing a separate piece while exercising. A step up from the Forerunner 205, the 305 includes a superior heart rate monitor that allows you to record and compare current and past data. Check out how you’re doing once you’re done by uploading your data to software on your home computer.

You’ll be able to have a great workout with the Forerunner 305 for a few reasons. You can use the Garmin Training Center software included with your 305 to map out your exercise circuits and contrast your speed and heart rate progress from past runs to your current one. You can also make it fun by competing against yourself via the Virtual Opponent - a virtual “you” created from the recorded data of a past course on the same route. The display on the wrist unit of the Forerunner 305 will graphically compare your progress with the earlier workout so that you are always inspired to improve your performance.

There are a few different accessories that can be integrated with the 305 as well, including an optional foot pad for those who wish to exercise where GPS reception may not be acquirable, and a cadence sensor for bicyclists. If you should lose the GPS signal while running or want to train indoors, the foot pad will allow you to continue tracking the calories burned and your speed. You can utilize the cadence sensor when you’re riding your bicycle to track your progress without the need for GPS; there’s even a feature to let you know if you’re cycling too quickly or too slowly for your predetermined rates, warning you so you can work harder.

The Forerunner 305 enhances on the 205 model with the addition of heart rate alerts you can set for yourself. This will provide you the ability to achieve a certain heart rate that you are exerting for, especially with the ebb and flow of your routine. When you are outside these preset limits (over or under), the Forerunner 305 will notify you.

A charging station/docking cradle comes with the unit, allowing you to either upload your workout information to a computer for evaluation or to recharge the unit before your next workout.