Garmin - Forerunner 205 GPS Navigator & Personal Trainer Review

Garmin makes some of the best GPS untis out there.  They made the waist/ arm mounted one for Timex's Bodylink system.  This was great, easy to use, and accurate.  It had separate componenets, however, and the GPS fel off my arm once...I began having problems with it after that.  Step in, teh Garmin Forerunner 205.

 This is one piece, in the form of a large wrist watch.  Sounds bad, but it is not THAT big.  I wouldn't wear it as a watch (really a SECONDARY function of the unit), but it looks fine for training or hiking. Unless you're really vain.  It's size does not affect it's comfort negatively.  They designed it well for long periods of wear.   The screen is large and easy to read in most modes.  SOme difficulty reading finer lines if I am trying to run at the same time.  The data it can display while tracking your run is perfectly fine though.

 There are plenty of functions, most of which I do not even use!  Primarily, I use it to track my (very nearly ) EXACT distance run, time run, pace run each mile or overall average.  Much of this is easily read from the watch after a run.  A GREAT feature is the software provided for your PC (Mac, too??) displays your route on a map, street names and all.  Sorry, no trails on there for us trail runners.  It breaks down, graphically elevation, paceand distance data, as they relate to one another. Garmin list other features on their website:

No heart rate monitor, unless you ante up another $100 or so.  It would have been nice, but I have made due without it.   I've had the unit for nearly a yer and a half.  This has served me well, as RARELY has ever lost its sattelite signals, even in heavy tree cover.

If you are serious about your training, happen to be a technophile (or not, it's not hard to use), or a dataphile, then this is the tool for you!