Running Pretty and Precisely
My Garmin Forerunner 405 arrived yesterday while I was on the phone with IP. I heard a thump hit the front door and reported that the UPS delivery man had just, uh, delivered something. IP speculated that it was the books he had recently ordered and asked me to investigate. Half-hoping that it wasn’t a zombie that had just thumped my door, I did so. Upon opening the door, I noted that the box was much too small to hold books and relayed this to IP. He was disappointed until I said, “It’s from TigerGPS, ohmygodit’smyForerunner!”
After a moment of disbelief (it has been on constant backorder), IP then declared that I could not open the package until he got home. Keep in mind that this was at 2:30pm; keep in mind that the Red line issues delayed IP for about half an hour.
He eventually did get home and I opened my present. It arrived exactly a month after my birthday. IP wondered aloud as to why he couldn’t seem to get my presents to me on time; even the gym membership was about two months late, he lamented. We then both observed that the Forerunner was late in coming onto my wishlist and was hard to find. Whatever the case, I received my gift the week before I’m scheduled to start marathon training. Woot! When I first opened the gift, I was delighted to see that IP had ordered the green 405 for me. Don’t get me wrong, a black one would’ve been just as cool, but the green’s kind of funky in the world of GPS watches. I am nothing if not a fan of quirky.
So after charging the device, playing around with the touch bezel, loading up the software and registering for its online companion, and trying to get a hang of all things by watching the Garmin training videos, I set the alarm for 6am and hoped to drag my butt out of bed for a morning run. When my head hit the pillow at 11pm, I was out.
Cut to 5:59am. I leap out of bed just in time to stop the alarm from going nuts and scaring the hell out of us. After debating for a millisecond, I put in my contacts and gather my running clothes. After a quick drink of water and some stretching, I pick up my Forerunner, strap it on, and then head outside. The first test was to begin.
Acquiring Satellite Signal: I didn’t even get a message telling me that the signal was being acquired. The icon was there, the Forerunner ready to go. After a few false starts with the bezel, I started jogging.
Distance Tracking: I know that a jog around our block is .6 miles; the Forerunner validated my previous knowledge. The device was keeping track of everything perfectly.
Auto-Pause: Auto-Pause never worked for me during the Forerunner 201 days; it would keep on ticking away happily. The Auto-Pause kicks in on the Forerunner 405 in about two seconds – even a bit of bouncing on my part didn’t get it to start again. The same time elapse occurs when you start running again, but the GPS detects your new position and adjusts the distance accordingly.
Satellite Signal: Upon arrival to the DC area, my Forerunner 201 went nuts; it wouldn’t acquire a signal or, when it would, couldn’t keep the signal, which had me surfing on the web for conspiracy theories (we must not let the liberal Mexican get faster!), regional problems (all that damn spy equipment interference – how do you like the conversations that I have with my mom about guavas, Dubya?), and basic Forerunner 201 problems. Nope, seems like I just had a defective unit and missed the warranty date by a sliver. However, the Forerunner 405 seems to be unaffected by conspiracies, spies, and the 201’s past problems. I haven’t tested it under heavy tree cover, however, so we’ll see. It did keep the signal when I went under the Metro station’s platform, so that says something right there.
Upload: Upon entering the apartment, my computer chirped and the data from my run was immediately uploaded as the USB ANT Stick detected my Forerunner in the area and read the new information. The data loaded onto my software and onto my Garmin Connect online account. A map of my route is also included in the stats, which just makes me squeal with delight — I cannot wait to try this during my business trip and vacation.
All in all, the Forerunner 405 performed splendidly. I still can’t believe I got out of bed and ran this morning; that hasn’t happened in the DC area since November 4, 2006 (I shit you not – I only muster up the motivation while in Michigan). However, there are a few things that the Forerunner 405 cannot control:
- Creepy men being complete assholes and whistling at you like you’re a farm animal. Because I am sick of being polite and deferential (not that I ever was in running mode), I told one guy to go to hell since I had the opportunity. Others will receive the same response – men on East-West Highway, you have been warned.
- DC humidity. While today wasn’t so bad (actually, it was downright pleasant for a summer run), I do know that there will be challenging days ahead of me. Perhaps the cheerful green of my Forerunner 405 will raise my spirits when the humidity’s pushing me down.
- Deer running across East-West Highway, obviously trying to make his/her way back into Rock Creek Park. Run, little guy/gal! At least traffic was light that early in the morning.
An awesome birthday present even if it can’t control everything. I do think it will help with my motivation in training (having all the stats is especially motivating as nothing helped me more with my strength training than IP’s advice to write everything down). So a big hug and kiss to my darling IP, who loves me enough to indulge my gadget-love and wants to see me do well in New York City. I hope that my legs are hurting that day . . . because I am kicking so much ass.
