Garmin Forerunner 220 (Product Review)

(while also reviewing what did NOT work for me in the never-ending quest of finding a GPS watch I love...)

I have been using the same watch for the last four years, my "trusty" Garmin Forerunner 405. It's been "mostly fine" - except that the battery life is now about half of what it used to be (it's a miracle if it lasts 5 hours now). I have also noticed that the GPS seems more "off" than it used to be. I know some of that is just the nature of GPS, but I also think it has to do with not getting firmware updates, etc.

Anyway.

Possible replacements for the dying 405

BIA

As you all know, I had backed BIA two years ago. I had hoped to have the ridiculously long battery life for all the ultras that I planned on running (back in 2013). Once the watch finally rolled out, I have to admit that I was disappointed. The initial launch did not include the long battery life, the wristband is VERY uncomfortable (cheap Velcro - scratchy) and the "go stick" is GIGANTIC.

The Go Stick is like 6 times bigger than my iPod shuffle!

 Thoughts on the BIA:

• Maybe if I was a triathlete, this would be a "cooler" watch. It is STUPID easy to set up. There are three options - swim, bike, run. I pretty much only tested the bike function as I could not imagine actually trying to run with all these pieces.
• The Go Stick is GINORMOUS. And apparently, you have to wear on the same side of your body as the watch and it had to face a certain way... all of this spells disaster for me. It's bad enough to have a two-piece unit, but all the "restrictions" made it way more complicated than I wanted to mess with.
• I did not find I got satellite ANY faster than my Garmin. In fact, I had to try a half dozen times to get a signal at my house, even after BIA assured me that the second time attempting to get satellite at a location you have previously used would be faster. I did not get that.
• Not overall sure on accuracy as I used only for very short bike rides. I did not test in the mountains or on a long race. I also did not wear concurrently with my Garmin to see if they matched.
• Also - NO BACK LIGHT?? This does NOT help for when I am running ultras at night... I need to see what is happening!
• I did really like that it synced with MapMyRun and uploaded automatically. That is a neat feature

Anyway, I ended up selling my BIA through a Facebook group and she LOVES it. To each their own!

GARMIN FORERUNNER 210

I was REALLY excited when I found a deal that would get me the Forerunner 210 for about $150. What a DEAL.

Thoughts:

• The price point was great. If only it had worked...
• Right out of the box, I had issues with the watch. I already had my 405 set up to Garmin Connect. The program recognized my new watch, I got it all set up and I took it for a super quick test run. I had a lot of difficulty getting it to actually sync with my computer. I accidentally did a hard reset, but then it synced (finally) and I figured it was fine.
• Related - the charger for this watch is ridiculous. The charger is not very user friendly.
• The fit of the watch is FANTASTIC. Much slimmer fit than my bulky 405. I liked the simplicity of not having the bezel and just having the buttons.
• I wore the watch for my race in Leadville. It took a bit longer than I expected to get signal, but then it seemed to work fine. I liked my initial set up of seeing overall distance pace, current pace and distance. It was much easier to read than my 4:05.
• However... my computer syncing problems were NOT over. I saved my run, when I plugged it in, the computer recognized that there was a new activity. However, EVERY TIME I tried to sync with Garmin Connect, it told me there was an error - the super helpful "fix" - your device failed to sync. I must have spent a half hour trying to get it to work, but to no avail. I tried the reset again, but this time it erased my entire run. I don't have time to mess with something so complicated!
• I'm pretty disappointed this one didn't work, would have been an inexpensive replacement for the 405. I'm guessing I just got a lemon, as obviously other people have this watch and I'm assuming it works fine. Just not for me.
• I returned the watch and got a full refund.

GARMIN FORERUNNER 220

View the specs of the watch from the manufacturer's point of view HERE.

After all my issues with the last watch, I decided to just buy this one at REI since they have essentially a lifetime warranty on their products.

Right out of the box, I can say that I love the charger. They do not include the wall charger, but anything you have that has a USB connection will work if you can't plug into a port on your computer. The watch cradles in and is much more secure while charging than either the 405 or 210.

There are five buttons on the watch, which I find to be a perfect amount and definitely better than the dumb bezel on the 405.

1. This is the light button, as evidenced by the bulb picture.

2. Up toggle button in menus.

3. Down toggle button in menus.

4. Pretty much the most important button on the watch. This is the "stop" "go" and "unlock" button on the watch.

5. The back button to exit menus or to exit run mode to just put you on "watch" mode.

1. Your GPS signal. If it is green, you have signal and you are good to go.

2. Bluetooth - again, if it is green, you are good to go.

3. Heart rate monitor (if applicable) - I no longer use this, but it of course is a function some people like.

I LOVE THIS WATCH. I wanted to wear it multiple times, in various situations, before I actually wrote anything about it. I have tested it on roads and in the mountains, I have worn it a half dozen times, already using a total of about 10 hours.

Thoughts:

• The battery life is supposedly about 10 hours. I ran a 2:20ish half marathon over the weekend and when I put the watch on the charger it had used 23% of the battery, so this seems about right. The battery life overall is probably my only "complaint" about the watch. Any ultra I do longer than a 50k will required my nifty portable charger, but I'm a pro at using that, so it's not a huge deal.
• I have gotten signal on this watch IMMEDIATELY every time I have used it. From my house (which is a dead zone) and in the mountains, at a place I don't even get cell service. MUCH faster than my old 405.
• Like the 210, setting up the watch was SUPER easy, took just a couple of minutes.
• The watch has BLUETOOTH. Now, if you are as technologically dumb as me, you're like, uh, what does that mean? Well, all this time, I never knew that there was a free app for Garmin connect. You can remain logged in and see all the runs/activities you have ever uploaded. Well, with BLUETOOTH, this watch syncs AUTOMATICALLY WITH YOUR IPHONE. I can't even get over how cool this is. As soon as I complete and save a run on my watch, I turn on my iPhone, open the app, it syncs with my app, and before I am even in my car, Garmin Connect has my run right there. I can even edit (add comments, name the run, etc), right from my phone. THIS IS BEYOND COOL. I can see my mile splits, max/min elevation, pace, MAP, etc. ALL FROM MY PHONE RIGHT AFTER I AM DONE.

My favorite thing to look at when I'm done is elevation - now I don't have to wait!

• Related to the Bluetooth, you can apparently send invites to friends so they can "live track" you. I don't know exactly how this works since I haven't tried that option yet.
• I have my watch set up for distance on the top, elapsed time in the middle, and "lap" time on the bottom. The lap time will reset, of course, every time I start a new mile. Not sure yet if I like that as my third "screen" yet or not.
• The watch has a vibrate function. One of the most annoying parts of getting the GPS signal is heading to the start line, realizing your watch has gone into power save mode and you have to start all over. This watch gives you 30 seconds notice before going into power save mode, beeping AND vibrating every 10 seconds.
• Related - on the lap splits, the watch also beeps and vibrates. Even if I am not listening to music, there are times when I don't hear the watch, so that is nice if you don't want to be a slave to your watch by seeing how/where you are on your run.
• The watch actually fits FLUSH against my arm. I think that the face itself is larger than the 405, but it fits so much better and is way more comfortable in my opinion. 
• I find the numbers very easy to read. I have not tried using it night yet, so not sure how great the light is, but I bet it's good.
• My biggest concern was knowing if/when/how I was connected to GPS. The 405 you either left GPS on all the time (which is a big battery drainer) or you had to manually go in and see if it was connecting and you it TOLD you it was looking for signal. The 220 just "does it." So simple.

I could not be more pleased with this watch. The investment was a bit more than I wanted to spend - the version with no heart rate monitor is $250, but I only had to shell out a bit more money than what I was able to sell my BIA for and I'm totally pleased with my investment.

Week in Review (May 13 - May 19)

Tuesday - Six pack burn out video and upper body tabata video. The upper body video takes a LONG time, but I think it is my favorite out of all the ones I have tried.
Wednesday - I had moved my speed work this week so that I would NOT be running right after eating, but due to a dinner reschedule, I had tempo run on a full stomach. Goal - 1 easy, 5 at tempo (10:05), 1 easy. I was pressed for time since I had to get home to watch Hannah, and my stomach hurt a bit. This, shockingly, did not go well. Actual - 11:28, 10:25, 10:33, 10:17 and .75 @ 9:57 for only 4.75 miles total. I hate hate hate hate hate tempo runs SO MUCH.
Thursday - I took the day off from work since it was FIELD DAY!! I took a billion pictures (because it lasted 3.5 hours).

After the kids were done, L and I had a kids-free "early birthday" lunch at Chili's and shared some mini cheesecakes. After dinner, did one of my favorite leg videos - drop it like a squat. Got the kids to join in for the first half or so, that was fun.

Friday - NADA. The other B was in town, so I met her after work at a brewery in Cap Hill for a few beers. No picture, because I suck.
Saturday - Redline Erie half marathon. (According to my plan, I should have been running 8 miles @ 10:37 and official results have my 13.1 @ 10:47, so I guess not too terrible). Met up with Jessa and her son for lunch at Old Chicago, then we took the kids to see Mr. Peabody and Sherman, which was cute.
Sunday - Took an extra rest day... because it was my BIRTHDAY. I had sort of thought about running Colfax marathon, but INSTEAD, I met up with some friends from work and L at Waffle Brothers (the most delicious waffle place EVER) which was ON the marathon course at mile 24. I've never really watched a marathon, but wow, people don't look happy that late in the game. It was a hot day and I think I wouldn't have had a great time. So, instead, eating. The rest of the day was spent shopping (I got a cute dress at LOFT for $9.88) and more eating. Low-key and boring birthday.

My dad actually ordered me an ice cream cake. So cute.

Monday - After dinner A and I went for our first evening bike ride of the year and then 10 minute abs and an upper body workout. I have done the upper body one before and I just don't like it as much as the one that is only 10 minutes longer. I'll have to remember that for next time.

Weekly Miles Run - 17.85 (4.75 treadmill, 13.1 race)
Weekly Cross - I did lots of walking I didn't log, 2 mile bike ride with A
Minutes of Strength - 166

Weekly Loss - Negligible.

• So my game plan for my birthday was to have all my favorite foods, just in moderation. I had a very slight loss from last week and got to eat everything I wanted, so I guess that is a win.
• For REAL, I am going to  make a better effort to #noteatallthethings. I just love food so much :(

Everything Else 

• Mostly nothing. 
• My BIA finally came. Bet you never thought you would see the day. Me neither. Review will come in a few weeks, after I have had a chance to use it.

• I ordered a new hydration system for training this summer. My vest is "OK" - it is comfortable and all, but cleaning it is a giant pain in the ass. So, I picked up the double hydra quiver pack from Orange Mud - review on this will also come in a few weeks. I have a link at the top of my blog if you want to check them out!

• I did, however, set up my online dating stuff again. It's now been a year, so maybe I'm ready? The creepers are still out of course, and I'm appalled at the things men say in a first contact message. No dates lined up yet, but I'm talking to a couple of people.
• Work is the same, we are FINALLY having a "work flow" meeting today to go over what everyone is supposed to be doing since the communication here is so poor. Can't wait. 

Westminster Trail Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, April 20 (Easter)
Westminster, CO
Half Marathon #104
Colorado Half #40
Weather - SUNNY, warm

Since there are never races on Easter, we had to run the Westminster Trail half marathon, even though we had just run Beat the Heat the day before. Last year, there were issues with permits, weather or something, and the race ended up being rescheduled to the day of the Rock n' Roll. Needless to say, they probably didn't REALIZE it was Easter Sunday when the race was scheduled, and I'll bet it falls on a different day next year.

I've run a few races put on by the Endurance Race Series, and for the most part, they are pretty good. In the past, my biggest complaint has been shirts that are not gender specific. Imagine my surprise this race, when they ARE. Of course, the ladies shirt was long sleeve instead of short sleeves, but beggars can't be choosers!

The course is on Big Dry Creek, a place I have run many times. My dad was walking the 10k (up until an hour before the race, he was undecided on if he wanted to the half marathon or not, and decided to stick with 10k). We arrived about 45 minutes early, which was plenty of time to use the bathrooms twice.

It was SUNNY AND WARM. There were 4 aid stations on the out and back course, so I imagined we would have at least 7 stops, depending on where the last station was place. (7, if you were wondering, the last one was at the turnaround).

I was NOT looking forward to this race. I was still tired from my "active" week, and the hilly course at Beat the Heat had only made my legs MORE tired. Loose goals were to beat my time from yesterday and to beat a girl I recognized from yesterday's race.

I felt ok the first mile. Big Dry Creek is "mostly flat" with a few "hills" when you're coming out from an underpass. I had a fleeting hope of running the whole course. That lasted about 18 minutes. I was tired, struggling, and rather than push myself a few miles in, I took walk breaks. LOTS OF THEM.

Only section that resembles "single track"

And, as usual, the mountains look pretty

I knew I was tired going into it. I knew my legs weren't really going to cooperate. I was actually surprised at HOW little they were going to cooperate. You know what they say, once you walk, you can't stop! I walked almost every mile, and for longer than I should have. It was hot, I was tired, it was a nice day for a jog/walk though :D

The course was pretty much the same was the Redline Westminster course, and I'm sure the turnaround was at the same point. Then, of course, I started thinking about how miserable I was during that race, and wondered if I would even be able to beat THAT time.

The clouds finally came out with about a half mile to go, and I somehow managed to run into the finish. DEAD. I came *thisclose* to just walking across the line. Good to know I haven't quite gotten to THAT point yet.

Bib # 2085
Official Time - 2:21:39
Official Pace - 10:49
Overall Place - 77/103
Gender Place - 38/58
Division Place - 7/15 (woo hoo! top half AGAIN!)
Mile 1 - 10:00
Mile 2 - 10:56
Mile 3 - 11:30
Mile 4 - 10:45
Mile 5 - 11:18
Mile 6 - 10:47
Mile 7 - 11:06
Mile 8 - 11:07
Mile 9 - 11:29
Mile 10 - 11:36
Mile 11 - 11:17
Mile 12 - 11:30
Mile 12.77 - 10:48

As you can see, my Garmin measured the course VERY short again. And again, my sister's Garmin and her mapmyrun measured just fine. So clearly, the course was not actually over a quarter mile short, it's just my watch really sucks, and it sure would be nice if my Bia watch would show up one day...... (/rant)

I didn't see any water at the finish, but L insists it was there. (Speaking of, she ran yet another sub 2. MACHINE). There wasn't much left in terms of food and drink, but I did grab a bag of pop chips since I was STARVING.

Thoughts:

• Three distances, with staggered starts. There are never a ton of people at these races, so congestion isn't usually an issue, but the staggered starts are nice.
• The races are priced competitively, usually around $60, and they don't jack up the price a ton right before. HOWEVER, they have been known to offer better prices and discounts the week of the event (better than early bird), if they don't have a lot of participants, which I find annoying.
• Plenty of aid stations, all were well stocked with water and electrolytes. There were no gels on the course, but at the back three aid stations they had bananas and cookies.
• Related: they offer a free race entry if you volunteer at one of their events! I was hoping to be able to do that, but the only one I'm not running is too far away, and on a Saturday, the same day of A's fun run at school. Next year.
• Nice medals (not sure if they were for all distances or just the half).
• FINALLY, gender specific shirts!!! This is huge for me, and I really appreciate it!
• Calling this race a "trail" is a big misleading. The first mile is paved, and then it is "un-paved" - more dirt and loose gravel. Certainly don't need trail shoes and is VERY non-technical.
• Overall, a good event, I would recommend and probably run again.
• Unrelated to the race itself? HOW AM I GOING TO SURVIVE WHEN SUMMER GETS HERE? I think it was 54 degrees when we finished, and I was salty and sweaty and it FELT like it was in the 70's or 80's. What.

Get Bia - What's new on the horizon of GPS watches

After a few complaints about how much I'm NOT liking my Garmin right now, I was linked up to a VERY cool new product that *crossyourfingers* will be out on the market in the next year. I'll do my best to relay the awesome-ness of this product.

BIA: A GPS SPORTS WATCH (FOR WOMEN)

I'll show the pictures first:

Looks pretty cool, right? I love that you can customize it! Here are some general specs about the product:

Bia is targeted at women but guys are scooping it up too. Here’s why:

• Safety system for peace of mind on solo workouts
• Quick-connect GPS; no more time wasted “finding satellites” even in the city or on a cloudy day.
• Data to your online training log; no more time wasted “sync’ing”
• iPod-like ease of use; just one button and a touchscreen
• Water resistance to 100M; full GPS tracking when you swim (if you accidentally wash it - no worries, you won't break it!!!)

To save the best for last... my absolute favorite feature???

How long does the battery last?

The watch uses a standard coin cell battery that you'll need to replace every year or so. The GPS Go Stick gets about 17 hours of workout tracking between charges. It comes with a USB charging cable.

17 hours?????? Yes. Please. I really hate that my Garmin cannot last longer than 5.5-6.5 hours. Ultra training and races are pretty hard to analyze when the last parts of the run (the slowest) can't be analyzed because the stupid battery in your overpriced watch is dead...

So if you are anything like me, the second you read the specs on this, you were asking... where can I get this and how much does it cost? Well, unfortunately, it is not YET on the market. They are raising money through Kickstarter to produce it... with a deadline of July 13 to hit their funding goal of $400,000. As of today, they are about 1/3 of the way there, with just over a week to go.

Check them out HERE and to pledge your support for this amazing product - I know I will be!