I have owned two Garmin Forerunner 305’s; one Garmin Forerunner 405; and now the latest Garmin Forerunner 910XT. It’s safe to say I’m a Garmin fan. Prior to my first Garmin I was a simple Timex girl, calculating pace and distance in my head, and I’m proud to say, I was pretty dang good at it. When I received my first Garmin as a gift I thought it big, bulky and provided way more information than I would ever want or need. By the third run with it I was hooked and couldn’t imagine how I managed a run BG (before Garmin)!

I did love the 305. It was easy to use, easy to read, and everyone in the run club seemed to have one so it was easy to exchange tips. The only negative was that it was big and bulky. Then someone got the newer 405 – it was slimmer and sleek, and you just had to touch the outside of it and looked oh so cool! So I got one and my husband got my 305. The 405 was a lot easier to wear, didn’t feel nearly as bulky, and it did look good but it wasn’t as easy to use or read as the 305; it only displayed three data fields as opposed to four; and easily went a little haywire if you didn’t lock the bezel. So I went back to my trusty 305 and my husband got the new 405 (he was happy).

Years past and my 305(s) had fallen apart or got ran over so I was using the 405 again until I began training for my first 70.3 triathlon. The newer Garmin Forerunner 610 Touchscreen was the improvement from the 405 but I had a friend who had one and although she loves it, said the touchscreen can be hard to work with sweaty fingers and I really wanted something I could swim in as well. That’s when my husband splurged on, or spoiled me with, the new 910XT. LOVE at first use! It has the same easy to read screen and buttons as the 305 only smaller, with all the bells and whistles for multi-sport, including SWIM; for either open water or pool! It has a 20 hour battery life (awesome), finds a signal very quickly, and has more features than I have had the chance to use but am looking forward to trying. I have found it to be extremely accurate, functions well and very easy to use. I would very strongly recommend this watch to any triathlete or ultra-distance runner (due to the long battery life). Heck, it got me through my first 70.3 in a hair under six hours – I think I’ll be a fan for many years to come!