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1 Comment Written by Kate on February 18, 2009 – 6:46 pm

GPS models are no longer only made only for travelling by vehicle - they are also very helpful for athletic training for running. The Garmin Forerunner 405 has technologically advanced features that are excellent for runners. When in use, the Forerunner 405 monitors your time, distance, and pace. With these features, runners have an easier time monitoring their status for each workout. If yesterday’s was better, what was the difference?

Additionally the Forerunner 405 also tracks calories used and heart rate. So, lets say I was running 8 minute miles yesterday with a heart rate of 150 but today I was running 8 minute miles with a heart rate of 170. I might think about the differences in my diet, weather, clothing, rest, and any other variable factors that might be affecting me. Without the Forerunner 405 tracking feature, I could potentially increase my time not realizing it due to difference in diet or not allowing myself enough rest.

With the Forerunner 405, you do not have to worry about finding the time to upload your workouts to your computer because they are automatically synced using wireless ANT+ technology. After you sync your workouts, you can use the Garmin Connect or Garmin Training Center software to share you workouts with other people. You can also send workouts to your Forerunner 405 to try. Another great option with the Garmin Forerunner 405 is racing yourself! You can upload a previous run to your Garmin Forerunner 405 and race against your previous pace! This is a great option especially when training for events like marathons and Ironmans (or 5Ks, whatever you athletic ability might be).

The Forerunner 405 wireless feature is also great if you have friends who also have the Garmin Forerunner 405. This is because you can transfer workouts and information back and forth directly to each other’s Forerunner 405’s.Let’s say a friend of yours ran ten miles this morning and you are doing it in the evening. She could transfer her workout results to your Garmin Forerunner 405 and you can track yourself against it. This is great for runners out there who enjoy friendly competition amongst each other.

Want to wear your Forerunner 405 as an every day watch in addition to training? No problem, the Garmin Forerunner 405 works great as a regular watch and comes in two different colors: green and black. If you can’t run outside for some reason, the Garmin Forerunner 405 is also helpful when you run inside on treadmills. You can purchase an optional footpod that tracks your distance and pace on your Garmin Forerunner 405. Although the treadmill more than likely also tracks this information, tracking it on your Garmin Forerunner 405 allows you to still wirelessly sync your workouts unlike the treadmill’s monitoring system.

Worried about the affect of buildings and trees on the tracking abilities of the Garmin Forerunner 405? No worries, the Garming Forerunner 405 actually has a high sensitive GPS Receiver that keeps a strong signal no matter where you are.

Cons of the Garmin Forerunner 405

If you want the Foot Pod or the Heart rate monitor, you are paying extra. A lot extra. The foot pod is around $119 and the heart rate monitor is around $60. Ouch! If you want to make any changes to your workout while running, the touch screen is really sensitive and might do something you don’t want it too. Plus sometimes the screen acts weird if its wet. (So if its raining out and you are running, don’t count on it working superbly.)

Pros of the Garmin Forerunner 405

It is water resistant (so it won’t die if you get it wet) and it automatically syncs your workout data wirelessly. Plus the battery is Lithium Ion and is rechargeable, so you can use it daily and not worry about the battery - expect to be able to use it for around 8 hours on one charge which should be fine for a few workouts. This is overall a technologically complex runner’s watch that can be really useful with all of the data the Garmin Forerunner 405 tracks and wirelessly syncs to your computer. What do you think? Leave a Comment!

	Garmin Forerunner 405
Physical & Performance
Unit dimensions, WxHxD:	1.88″ x 2.78″ x 0.646″ (4.8 x 7.1 x 1.6 cm)
Display size, WxH:	1.06″ (2.7 cm) diameter
Display resolution, WxH:	124 x 95 pixels
Weight:	2.11 oz (60 g)
Battery:	rechargeable lithium-ion
Battery life:	2 weeks in power save mode; 8 hours in training mode
Waterproof:	yes (IPX7)
High-sensitivity receiver:	yes
RoHS version available:	yes
Maps & Memory
Basemap:	no
Preloaded maps:	no
Ability to add maps:	no
Lap History	1000
Waypoints/favorites/locations:	100
Features
Heart rate monitor:	yes (some versions)
Bike speed/cadence sensor:	yes (optional)
Foot pod:	yes (optional)
Automatic sync (automatically transfers data to your computer):	yes
Garmin Connect™ compatible (online community where you analyze, categorize and share data):	yes
Garmin Training Center® software compatible:	yes
Virtual Partner® (train against a digital person):	yes
Courses (compete against previous workouts):	yes
Auto Pause® (pauses and resumes timer based on speed):	yes
Auto Lap® (automatically starts a new lap):	yes
Auto Scroll (cycles through data pages during workout):	yes
Multi-sport (changes sport mode with a press of a button):	no
Advanced workouts (create custom, goal-oriented workouts):	yes
Simple workouts (input time, distance and calorie goals):	yes
Pace alert (triggers alarm if you vary from preset pace):	yes (for advanced workouts only)
Time/distance alert (triggers alarm when you reach goal):	yes (for advanced workouts only)
Interval training (set up exercise and rest intervals):	yes
Customizable screen(s):	yes
Barometric altimeter:	no
Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units):	yes
Power meter compatible (displays power data from compatible 3rd party ANT+™-enabled power meters):	no
Sport watch:	yes