WORKOUT – Ran outside and on treadmill 14.55 miles/2 hrs 2 mins

This run was stupid.  I planned to do at least 20 so I got up early, got all my crap together and drove to Dana Point Harbor. 

I even put a Cytomax sports drink sample in my bottle.  I’m ready to go!

Within .5 mile I was bored and wanted to quit. 

Overlooking the harbor.  It was pretty misty and foggy at 7am.

So I ran for an hour there, did some lovely hills, and then went to the most boring place in the world to run, the treadmill at the gym.  And ran for an hour there.  Still didn’t get anywhere near 20.  blarch.

One of the hills that I ran up and down.  It was steep, like Whole Foods prices-steep.

These houses on the hill overlook the harbor.

So I gave up running here to go run at the gym… and I don’t even know why.  I just wasn’t feeling it, I guess.

Go to Live, Love, Run, Pray for her first giveaway which benefits Team in Training!!  Go now, but come back!

The Garmin- To buy or not to buy?

JMJ and Diana asked about running watches specifically the garmin.  Casi also asked about what running gear is necessary for a half marathon, and a garmin would definitely be on my list.  My original review of the garmi 405 is HERE.  If you have ADD and want the Cliff notes version: the Nike Ipod+ thing bites.  I thought the garm was really hard to get used to and for what I used it for, I probably should have saved the money and got the 305.

Present Day: I would almost rather run without a sports bra than without my garmin…. and I’m no Kate Hudson.  Since buying it in February, I have not ran once without it.  I love it and would encourage everyone, except people I don’t like, to buy one.  Here’s why:

1. I’ve NEVER had it lose a signal or not pick up one. 

Ok I take that back.  Sometimes when we shalk (shop while walking) the dog it will lose the signal when you get in the back of a big store like TJ Maxx.  I haven’t ran a race yet where the course goes through a large clothing store so this isn’t a problem.  Other than that, it’s never given me signal problems.  One complaint I hear with the 305 is that it sometimes doesn’t pick up the signal at races, training runs, or where ever.

2. It’s obviously cuter and smaller than the older versions.

3.  You can use it for a lot of different activities besides running. 

It has biking and cross training settings as well.  Besides running, I use mine occasionally walking the dog just to see how far we’ve gone. When we were hunting in North Dakota last month, I wore my garmin every day to see how miles we hiked.  35 in four days!  35 miles hiked!  Try that on for size, Dean Karnazes.

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I didn’t buy the heart rate monitor, and I don’t use ALOT of the functions on the 405.  You can wirelessly sync it up online, check out all your runs, and go to town making pie charts or whatever people do.   I don’t do that because I only like pie, not charts.  I use mine for 3 things:

a. Time – to see how long I’ve run

b. GPS distance – to see how far I’ve run

c. Pace – to see what pace I’m running

Those are the 3 numbers on the face of the watch, and that is all I use it for.  Yes, it’s expensive.  No, I don’t use it to it’s full capacity.  Yes, the touch screen bezel thing is weird and takes alot of time getting used to.

 BUT if I had to do it all over again, I would buy it for even more money.  Honestly.  If I bought anything for running besides a good pair of individually fitted shoes (to prevent injuries), I’d buy a garmin 405.  I sometimes run without music but I never run without my garmin.

This was the first running watch I bought and first expensive running purchase.  Because I’ve never used the 305 or 205, I can’t really comment on them.  But to me, the GPS is why you buy the watch.  You know it’s going to accurately tell your distance so if it can’t find a GPS signal, it’s somewhat pointless.  At least that’s the way I see it.

Nicole got a 405 and loves it.

Any other readers want to share garmin love or hate? 

Note:  There is a new Garmin 405CX out.  I talked to a Road Runner Sports employee who said there wasn’t much of a difference between the 405 and newer CX, although the new color is pretty….

“Also new is the Forerunner 405CX, an update to the company’s popular (and rather less offensive looking) Forerunner 405, adding “increased accuracy” in calculation of calories burned and comfort improvements to boot.”

from here

Steals and Deals:

The cheapest I found online for a NEW, not refurbished, 405 is $299 at Road Runner Sports.  Use the code CX19M327 for 10% off and free shipping.  Or google “Road Runner Sports promo code” to see if there’s any newer or better promo’s out there.

For a 305, you can buy one at Amazon for about $158.  Definitely cheaper.

You can get a refurbished and recertified 405 for about $232 online HERE.