Getting Started With A Garmin Forerunner

The Garmin Forerunner GPS-enabled fitness monitors are powerful devices. Their GPS features can be used for land navigation. Many models have a heart rate monitor that can be used to measure the intensity of your workouts. They have robust system configuration menus that let you modify the display fields to suit your individual needs for many types of activities. They have map displays that show your tracklog and waypoints graphically. And you can upload your data to your computer or favorite fitness web site to analyze your performance. Like everything in life there are trade-offs. Powerful systems with many features are hard to master.

I've helped a lot of people learn to us their Garmin Forerunners. There are a few things that I recommend you try as you're getting comfortable with your Forerunner.

1. Learn the basics. See my previous blog post on this subject.


2. Use autolap. Breaking you run into segments allows you to analyze your performance in discrete segments. You don't need to run on a track or go a set distance, you can mark the end of a lap any time by tapping the lap button. It can be very useful to have your Forerunner automatically record a lap at set distances. The auto-lap feature does this for you. It's enabled by default on 310XT. It's disabled by default on a 305. Here's how to enable it.

Power on your 305. Click on mode until you see the menu with "History, Training, Navigation, Settings" menu. Use the down arrow button the the right side to select Training, then press the enter button. Click enter again to select "Training options", then scroll down to select "Auto Lap". Click enter on the first field to select "By Distance" and then use the default of one mile. This will automatically record a lap each mile you run.

2. Use average pace and lap pace on your default display. Instantaneous pace or speed on a GPS is not very useful because the value fluctuates so much. This is because there are always small random errors in the GPS system. The average pace is very accurate because the random errors cancel each other out over time.

Average pace is a great way to see how you're doing relative to your goal for an activity. Say you want to finish a marathon in four hours. You'll need to maintain an average pace of 9:09 per mile. If you have a watch on your wrist you can do the math at each mile marker to see if you're maintaining your pace. The average pace function on your Forerunner does the math for you. By glancing at the average pace display you can tell how well you're doing. You don't need to be at a mile marker and you don't need to do any arithmetic in your head. That's a great reason to have a GPS on your wrist.

Lap pace is also very useful, especially when combined with autolap. By displaying both lap pace and average pace you can not only see how you're doing, you can see how you're doing lately. Late in a marathon the average pace will change slowly if you speed up or slow down. Lap pace tells you how fast you're going in the most recent lap. This tells you how far off of your goal pace you're running since the last lap.

To enable average and lap pace displays select "Settings" from the main menu. Select General and then press the Enter button. Select Data Fields and then hit enter. Select "Main 1" then hit enter. From there select 4 fields and then set the fields to display as "Time", "Average Pace", "Distance", and "Lap Pace".

With this set-up when you head out for a training session or race with a goal in mind, figure out the pace you need to maintain to meet the goal. Your Forerunner will tell you how well you're doing relative to your goal and the lap pace will tell you how you're doing lately (since the most recent autolap every mile).