22 February 2016

[Guest Post] Gear Review - Garmin Forerunner 235

It is time to watch my pace

In December a great friend let me know he had won a new Garmin Forerunner 235 in a contest and asked if I would like his Garmin Forerunner 305. I said sure. For years I have been running with just plain old wrist watches keeping track of my time and than going on DailyMile and figuring out my distance ... so a GPS watch was a huge leap forward to say the least and one that I was willing to give a “try” but not “buy” anytime in the near future. 


One Wednesday night after our RunNinja speed work out a bag was handed to me with what I thought was the Forerunner 305. When I got home I believed my great friend had made a mistake as the new Forerunner 235 was in the bag. I really did not want this new unit and tried to give it back to him but his theory was "if it still works fine then why don't I just keep on using it?" The new watch sat in the box for a few weeks until my wife convinced me that sometimes I need to learn the lesson of being a grateful receiver and I gave into the total excitement of opening up a new electronic item (you know that smell). Crazy to think this watch is valued similarly to some used cars I have bought! 


Enough of my stories and onto the watch itself. The hardest part of setting up this watch was just getting it out of the box. It was definitely well protected for shipping considering the abuse a unit like this will take on ones wrist during its lifetime. Charged it up, entered a few settings and “BAM” like Fred Flintstone with an abacus I was ready to go. First race of the year was January 1st 2016 up in Orillia, and I am “off to the races” with my new watch. 

Some comments on the watch: 
  • The band is incredibly flexible and adjustable. With winter running I am usually fastening the watch easily over a base layer and a running jacket. 
  • The optical heart rate monitor seems to work great through all these layers. Not sure I really want to know how this technology works but it does. 
  • The five buttons work great and are easily “pressable” with any gloves or mittens I have been wearing this winter. 
  • The display is clear and crisp and even with my bad eyesight I can see the information at a quick glance in any light conditions 
  • Text messages and phone calls are sent to the display while my phone is on my person through a Bluetooth connection. 

Two months later as I begin to train for my first marathon in Ottawa this May I will begin to really “put this unit through its paces.”  While I never want to fully rely on a watch to get outside and run I have already enjoyed the benefits of this watch during speed work and monitoring my times on a race pace run. Also I love maps so seeing my runs from above is great and a real time saver. Most likely I am only using about 10-20 % of this watch's capabilities so we will see as my training goes on what I find out about it. 

As this watch was a gift to me if ever we are out running together and you want to take it for a test run just ask and I will be happy to pass on the blessing someone has blessed me with.

Buen camino!

Lewis 
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