New techie toy

After a day of deliberation and research, I decided to make a purchase today.

I bought a Garmin Forerunner 301.

I have wanted a GPS speed & distance system for years. I remember oggling at the Timex GPS system when it first came out but know I'd never afford it. I guess I wasn't thinking about the fact that technology decreases in price as soon as a new and improved model is released. Which is what happened here.

The GF301, which tracks speed, distance, heart rate, and elevation was replaced by the GF305 earlier this month. Much to my advantage! Unwilling to fork over $430 CAD for the 305, the 301 seemed like a steal for $230 CAD.

Mind you, it's not perfect. The Polar S625X surpasses the 301's HRM capabilities- but not enough for me to consider spending an additonal $100 on the Polar.

There has been debate over which is more accurate- GPS technology or Foot Pod inertial technology. I can't see myself being comfortable with wearing the foot pod, so again, GPS won out here.

I may be spending a lot more time running once I get this gadget. It's a runner's dream. I think it also appeals to us scientific runners- the analytical type. I am super excited to be able to monitor all this stuff, excited beyond words. Like, I can figure out from my time and heart rate which type of fuel source I am burning. I can design interval runs customized to my own heart rate. There are even sample work outs that come with the computer software!

Did I mention it comes with computer software? Yep, well you can read the website for a full list of what it comes with.

I can't wait to run with it!