Finished the run regardless! Thumbs up!!
GARMIN FORERUNNER 610
One month ago, I took my Garmin Forerunner 405 to REI and upgraded to the new 610. I've had my 405 for 3 years, and it has been the best running partner, especially when I started half-marathons last year keeping me on pace mile after mile. All but the band of the watch held up great, but, like all of you, I love new gear, so why not trade up?
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| Forerunner 405 |
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| Forerunner 610 |
The 610 looks great! I wear it when running or just going out. The touch bezel of the 405 has been replaced with a shiny new touchscreen that responds to slight pressure. Users navigate by tapping and swiping through menus. This resolves issues many users had with the bezel of the 405 going nutty when in contact with sweat or rain. Literally getting a feel for the 610's touchscreen takes time, but after a few runs, it's gotten quite easy to navigate with. Changes to settings can be done on the run without great difficulty. I still prefer to stop running first when making adjustments to avoid running into any people, trees, or falling into the lake. The screen is said to work well with gloves, but, it being summer right now, I'll have to wait and see. Vibration alerts are another added feature to the 610. Not only can you set it to beep, but the watch will also vibrate at any customized time, distance, calories, heart rate, or cadence. The vibration alert option is good if you want to shut off the beep or if you listen to music. The Virtual Partner function is still available allowing you to race against yourself, other users on Garmin Connect, or assist in reaching your race goals. Interval workouts can also still be programmed into the 610 -- something I didn't know was available on the 405, but I'm looking forward to trying it next week. With so many available functions, users likely won't utilize them all, but at least there's something for most everyone. Satellite acquisition is noticeably quicker compared to the 405; however, running in the city amidst tall buildings still throws the 610's GPS off. The 610 still isn't recommended for swimming use, so triathletes will still have to look to the Forerunner 310XT or other GPS enabled watches to track their swims and to use during races.
Overall, I really like this watch. Having a GPS for training and racing is a wonderful tool, and from my experience, Garmin makes a great product. The Garmin Forerunneer 610 retails for $349.99, or $399.99 with a heart rate monitor.
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