Help Me With My Homework: Tell Me About Your Garmin
I have recently returned to school, where I get to do fantastic things, like choose an object and figure out how to make it better. My choice? The Garmin 910xt.
I also raced IMWI this week and am a leetle behind on homework. 
And you, wise ENers, can help, by talking about you! Tell me about your GPS watch, Garmin or otherwise.
1. What watch do you have? And why did you choose it?
2. How do you use it for swimming? biking? running?
3. Do you use it to race? If so, what is your race setup? Which screens? Do you use any other computers (ie Joule, Garmin Edge).
4. What do you love about your watch?
5. What are your watch frustrations?
6. Do you wear it as a watch when you are not training/racing?
7. Do you have a story about when your watch greatly helped you be a better athlete?
8. Do you have story about when it may have gotten in the way?
9. If you could change something about your watch, what would it be?
Bonus prize: post any pictures of your watch setup/ racing bike setup. Any pictures -- and answes will only be used in my product design class.
Extra bonus prize: anybody have a broken Garmin I can take apart for the next phase?
Comments
1. What watch do you have? And why did you choose it?
Currently with 310 (had 305 x2)
It's a Garmin
20 battery life
2. How do you use it for swimming? biking? running? On my wrist
Yes - for time, gps data
Yes - time, nutrition reminder, interval reminder, gps data
Yes - time, pace, HR, gps data
3. Do you use it to race? If so, what is your race setup? Which screens? Do you use any other computers (ie Joule, Garmin Edge).
Yes
Swim - Time, Dist
BIke - Time, Ave speed, Speed -- time alert @ 15 for nutrition and Joule intervals (15 or 30)
Run - 1) HR, Ave pace, lap pace 2) Time, Ave pace, dist -- auto lap @ mile, dist alert @ 0.5 mile
Use Joule for bike metrics - Watts, IF, Cadence, Speed
4. What do you love about your watch?
Great tool
5. What are your watch frustrations?
ANT+ data transfer - no control or access to when data begins to download.
Would prefer 'On Demand' downloads and access to data storage
6. Do you wear it as a watch when you are not training/racing? NO
7. Do you have a story about when your watch greatly helped you be a better athlete?
Love the instant feedback on current status
8. Do you have story about when it may have gotten in the way?
A little tight to get wetsuit over it on swim exit
9. If you could change something about your watch, what would it be?
On Demand data download and access to onboard data storage
1. What watch do you have? And why did you choose it? Garmin 305, “best” available at my price point at the time.
2. How do you use it for swimming? biking? running? Running only
3. Do you use it to race? If so, what is your race setup? Which screens? Do you use any other computers (ie Joule, Garmin Edge). Yes during racing. Current setup: 1 screen, 4 data feeds: Top Left: Overall Time, Top Right: Current Pace, Bottom Right: Lap Distance, bottom left: Lap Time. (note: I may tweak this for future races based on current EN pacing/HR thread) I use a Garmin 500 for the bike, Finis Swim-sense for swim training.
4. What do you love about your watch? You can’t hide from pace, it is what it is. Gives me a number to aim for.
5. What are your watch frustrations? Audible alarm doesn’t work consistently. It’s a bit big (although I knew this when I bought it).
6. Do you wear it as a watch when you are not training/racing? Never
7. Do you have a story about when your watch greatly helped you be a better athlete? Nothing specific, but it did change my entire outlook on training (for the better). I was a HR based athlete prior to pace and I’ve gotten much better (r.e. faster) now that I train with pace.
8. Do you have story about when it may have gotten in the way? No
9. If you could change something about your watch, what would it be? Smaller, sleeker, lighter, faster… (carbon aero-tastic).
4) Never use audible beeps but always use vibrate for all alerts (mile, half mile, 15 minutes, etc)
I'll keep you all posted on my collected data and proposals, too. =-)
1. What watch do you have? And why did you choose it?
Garmin Forerunner 205. Wanted an upgrade from my Nike+ wristband, and it was relatively inexpensive. Also didnt really see the need for HR.
2. How do you use it for swimming? biking? running?
Just running.
3. Do you use it to race? If so, what is your race setup? Which screens? Do you use any other computers (ie Joule, Garmin Edge).
Mostly for running races. I have a screen that displays lap pace, lap distance, and lap time. That's really all I look at, and I set my watch to auto-lap every mile, so I get a very good feel for keeping myself in a "box". I just don't like using my watch during a [short course] tri because of the added mental stress that I'm running more slowly (I know that already, and I don't need a watch to make it any harder on myself!). I have a Edge 500 on my bike.
4. What do you love about your watch?
Big display. Easy to start and stop. Lots of different data that can be displayed and has customizable screens.
5. What are your watch frustrations?
Can take a while to get a good GPS signal.
6. Do you wear it as a watch when you are not training/racing?
No way.
7. Do you have a story about when your watch greatly helped you be a better athlete?
I really enjoy looking at my splits from doing intervals, and seeing my progress as I get a little faster doing mile repeats every week. Really keeps me motivated and accountable!
8. Do you have story about when it may have gotten in the way?
My watch ran out of power just when I was about to go out for a tempo run, and I ended up postponing a run just because I didn't want to miss out on logging data. Not a problem with the watch, just my personality as a data geek!
9. If you could change something about your watch, what would it be?
Maybe make the design a bit smaller. I've always thought the Forerunner was a bit clunky and large.
1. What watch do you have? And why did you choose it?
Garmin FR310xt, I lost my FR305 and I wanted a watch i could swim in too.
2. How do you use it for swimming? biking? running?
I use it for OWS, not in pools. I don't use it on the bike unless I forget to bring my Edge 705. I use it for Pace, Time, Distance and HR when Running.
3. Do you use it to race? If so, what is your race setup? Which screens? Do you use any other computers (ie Joule, Garmin Edge).
Yes, I love it for racing. I don't look at the screen when I swim. I use the Edge when I bike so, I don't use that either. On the run, I have Time, Diastance and currect pace on the first screen. Second screen is HR graph, + HR and current pace. Third is lap time, lap distancre and lap pace.
4. What do you love about your watch?
It generally always does what I need it to. It's pretty accurate.
5. What are your watch frustrations?
When it can't lock om to GPS sats quickly. When strap/band comes out of the holder. When the power button get knocked in transport and I have a dead watch right before a race.
6. Do you wear it as a watch when you are not training/racing?
No, that dayglow orange color stands quite a bit, and the battery life as a standard watch wouldn't allow for day to day use.
7. Do you have a story about when your watch greatly helped you be a better athlete?
One day before I joined EN i started correlating "magic paces" and better running results, the watch helped with that.
8. Do you have story about when it may have gotten in the way?
There are quite a few race photos of me looking at my watch or pressing a button.
9. If you could change something about your watch, what would it be?
How about a built-in espresso dispenser with a steaming wand option? A smaller footprint would be nice. I think if it got the training peaks IF/TSS/NP stuff that would be cool, but I'm going to probably have to spring for the 910xt to get that.
Anson -- what did you like about your Nike plus band?
Had a 310 xt - it died and I was able to replace it w/ a new 910xt
2. How do you use it for swimming? biking? running?
All 3
3. Do you use it to race? If so, what is your race setup? Which screens? Do you use any other computers (ie Joule, Garmin Edge).
Yes - swim is just elapsed time w/ alert vibration set to go off every 30 mins. I use a 500 edge on the bike, so the features of the 910 used are elapsed time, HR and alert vibration set to go off every 30 mins to remind me to eat/drink/take S-Caps. Run is set up w/ elapsed time, time of day, HR and pace per mile w/ a distance vibration alert going off every mile.
4. What do you love about your watch?
Honestly - the vibtration alert is AMAZING!! When riding, I don't always hear the 50 alert - more often than not, I feel the vibration alert. The profile is great - very low for all of the features and functions. Geez - I remember the original HR moniotrs that were significantly larger than the current 910 - and "back in the day" yuou only had HR!
5. What are your watch frustrations?
None - really > I love it!
6. Do you wear it as a watch when you are not training/racing?
No - it is not conducive to doing so - I wear a traditional sports watch
7. Do you have a story about when your watch greatly helped you be a better athlete?
Regularly! It helps me to stay on pace and remain focused.
8. Do you have story about when it may have gotten in the way?
Never!
9. If you could change something about your watch, what would it be?
I would make the vibration alert stronger - not much, but with more oomph
1. What watch do you have? And why did you choose it?
910. Wanted swim function
2. How do you use it for swimming? biking? running?
OWS for approx distance.
Biking- not any more. New PT is only Joule compatible and that can do everything. Just have 910 as back up. Like last week when 1 hr into ride, Joule read "mem full"
Run- pace, distance
3. Do you use it to race? If so, what is your race setup? Which screens? Do you use any other computers (ie Joule, Garmin Edge).
Yes- swim I just look at time elapsed, bike displays current watts, but I look at Joule 99% of time, run- pace and distance
4. What do you love about your watch?
Strap it on and go- any sport, any time.
5. What are your watch frustrations?
This time of year, I have the display on "keep on" for back light. So I can see it when running in dark. But EVERY run start in dark, I have to muck with brightness to get it to work.
Sometimes auto pause comes on when running/biking through trees area.
6. Do you wear it as a watch when you are not training/racing?
No
7. Do you have a story about when your watch greatly helped you be a better athlete?
Yes- in half marathon- it keeps me on pace to hit my goal.
8. Do you have story about when it may have gotten in the way?
No
9. If you could change something about your watch, what would it be?
Have the option to download when desired v automatic. Pain cave is below living room. Computer is in living room. If I do intervals in basement, hit stop to refill bottles, it will start the download. This is annoying.
2. How do you use it for swimming? biking? running? Bike and Run, OWS (under the cap) for distance
3. Do you use it to race? If so, what is your race setup? Which screens? Do you use any other computers (ie Joule, Garmin Edge).
Yes, Multisport mode.
Swim -- Distance/Time
Bike -- HR, Speed, Distance, Time (Power & Cadence is wired on LYC)
Run -- HR, Pace, Distance, Time
4. What do you love about your watch? Configurability. Simplicity.
5. What are your watch frustrations? Size is bulky, GPS acquisition time is long, GPS sometime does funky stuff. Want infinite repeat count down timers.
6. Do you wear it as a watch when you are not training/racing? NO
7. Do you have a story about when your watch greatly helped you be a better athlete? Having Run pacing in training is phenomenal.
8. Do you have story about when it may have gotten in the way? This could actually answer either 7 or 8.
Did a trail run 10k this spring and had set a specific time goal, was relying on the pace function to hit my goal as there were no mile markers on the course. Of course the GPS locked up just as the start gun went off. No pace. Force me to run by RPE and HR the whole race, probably actually ran harder than I would have otherwise (ignorance is bliss) and finished only 20s slower than my goal.
9. If you could change something about your watch, what would it be? Slimmer profile. GPS caching to speed acquisition times. Give me repeat alarms and timers.
I am now trying to beg a broken Garmin from someone.
2. How do you use it for swimming? biking? running? Running - for speed and distance, biking to make maps and determine elevation profiles.
3. Do you use it to race? If so, what is your race setup? Which screens? Do you use any other computers (ie Joule, Garmin Edge). I use it to run when I race, not to bike. I have it set up to show me pace, time and run against a "training buddy" that is running at my goal pace. I use the powertap on my bike to race the bike portion.
4. What do you love about your watch? I love that it makes maps and will tell me when I am on target for my speed.
5. What are your watch frustrations? The beezel (sp?) it is very touchy, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt and when it rains it just changes screens over and over.
6. Do you wear it as a watch when you are not training/racing? No it is huge.
7. Do you have a story about when your watch greatly helped you be a better athlete? No good story, but it has definatly helped me to learn what different pace zones feel like.
8. Do you have story about when it may have gotten in the way?
9. If you could change something about your watch, what would it be? I would make it lady sized for tiny hands/wrists, it looks like I took my Daddy's watch. I would also make it waterproof so that I could wear it during the swim. Longer battery life, it can only go about 6 hours without needing to be recharged.