Garmin Forerunner 305

Ran 5.7 miles @ 7:39/mile pace.
AHR - 154
Paved roads.
Very hilly.
Mid-20's, snowing.

First off, congrats to my brother who successfully ran his first marathon today down in Tampa. Also congrats to my father who had another BQ time in his Gainesville marathon, and finished first in his AG.

While they were doing their races, I set out for 5.7 miles with my new toy, the Garmin Forerunner 305. Very happy with it. Noticed big changes in performance and options from my Forerunner 201.

The one big feature the new one has over my old one is the heart rate monitor. I found it to be very comfortable, and it was really neat to see my HR at various stages during the run. For example, I kept a pretty consistent HR throughout the run. However, my splits going up the big hill (about two miles long) were around 7:45. Splits going down the same hill were around 7:27. Interesting to see the difference gravity made in putting out the faster time while my aerobic effort was still the same.

While that's all fine and dandy, I did also learn something given the HR data. I was going way too fast for a recovery run. Splits alone should normally tell me that, but I felt the run was pretty effortless. Knowing the HR zones and that I probably should have been at least 10 beats per minute slower shows that it should have been more effortless. Definitely better motivation for me to take it easy. Man, how I'm wishing I would have had this yesterday when I did my tempo run.

Also, this model picks up the satellites wicked fast. I was locked on indoors in my computer room within five seconds! With the 201, I'd have to leave it outside for a few minutes to get a lock.

The smaller size is also welcome, and I love the layout. Nice having the start/stop and split buttons on the face of the unit, rather than the sides. On the screen, you can also have four sets of data showing at once, and to go to another screen with other data (all customizable) just takes the press of a button. An expensive purchase, but well justified, in my opinion.

As for the workout, the run itself was rather pleasant. Light snow falling throughout the run, and I was out early enough (8am) where car traffic was minimal, not that it's ever heavy. The dirt road I normally take back down the hill was still pretty thick with snow, despite being plowed, so I just went back down the way I came.

Rest day tomorrow.