MOVE: March 2012

Are You Headed in the Right Direction? Maybe it's time for a guide!

Garmin Forerunner 405cx GPS Watch Review

In early 2008 I was still very much a novice in the world of endurance athletics, although I probably didn't know it at the time. At that point, having been a certified trainer for three years, with a few age-group victories in local 5k's, and a couple half marathons under my belt - I thought I had a decent grasp on endurance training methodology, the technologies available to boost performance, and how it all tied together. To keep things in perspective, it was only three years prior (in 2005), that my idea of a "training plan" meant go all out in every workout regardless of distance, and vomiting was just an inevitable part of truly giving it my all....maybe novice isn't the best word....maybe sophomoric might be more suited!

But then a funny thing happened, as it typically does - I plateaued (que the music....dun dun dun)!

Driven to improve, and surrounded by colleagues who shared a similar passion - we decided it was time to get serious about our individual training...that we had to benchmark some of the best coaches and most widely accepted research....learn more to improve personally, that we must collect and dig through our own personal data....that we must track our own performance metrics, develop some of our own hypothesis and test it against the latest research. Now four years later, after adding a few "gunners" to our team - through ELEMENTS, we're passing some of our learning on to you!

Like in all success projects or experiments, it's well known that solid data can drive positive results. Someone even once told me "What Get's Measured Get's Done".....in the world of endurance training, this is spot on! But how? Enter the single most beneficial training device I've used to take my marathon PR from 3:19 to 3:02 in three years - the Garmin GPS watch. Having upped my mental game, I came to learn how important things like variable pacing, cadence, heart rate, calories burned, aerobic vs. anaerobic training, and more can be to the endurance athlete - and this single device can do it all, and more. Although I started with the Garmin 305, since I received the Garmin 405cx as an awesome Christmas present from a pretty cool company (hint hint), below is my review.

Garmin 405cx Features:

• Displays Time - can choose total chrono time, lap time, time of day
• Continuously tracks pace (either MPH if cycling or minutes per mile if running or walking)
• Displays distance in miles or kilometers
• Records Heart Rate wirelessly by interfacing with heart rate strap (included in purchase price)
• Cadence (with optional accessory) - tracks how many steps or revolutions on the bike
• Calculates Calories based on Heart Rate
• Wireslessly updates to computer
• Provides for shareable workouts in the "Garmin Community"
• Displays three data fields at once at your choice (pace, distance, time)
• Automatic lap notification (alerts you each time you complete desired lap distance, i.e mile)
• Auto toggle between data metrics (i.e. heart rate, pace, time, distance)
• Battery life of 8 hours

All in all, I am enjoying the Garmin 405cx and believe it to be a very valuable tool for those looking to "MOVE" with a bit more precision. My only gripe to date when comparing to the 305 is that I personally enjoyed being able to view 4 data fields at once (distance, time, current pace, avg. pace) - however, there's something to be said about the 405cx's sleek design and sport watch feel vs. the 305's feeling of wearing a computer monitor on your wrist.

At the end of the day the choice is yours, but my recommendation - track your data, analyze your performance metrics, and don't hesitate to ask one of the coaches for help in guiding your strategies to improve.

Happy Training......

Eric E.