Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS-Enabled Sport Watch (Pink)

• GPS-enabled trainer watch accurately records your distance, time and pace
• High-sensitivity GPS receiver stays locked on satellites, even near tall buildings or under tree cover
• Rechargeable battery provides 8 hours life in training mode, 3 weeks in power save mode
• Upload data to Garmin Connect site to view workout summaries, create goals and more
• Includes heart rate monitor for heart rate-based calorie computation

BACKGROUND:

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I have used a Garmin 405 to track my weekend long runs for about 1.5 years. Previously I owned the Garmin 305. I'm using the 110 with with my 405 chest strap (saved me $50).

SUMMARY:

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The 110 does everything I do with my 405 in a significantly smaller, lighter form factor with a superior GPS chip (in theory, to be proven).

REASONS WHY I LIKE MY NEW 110 BETTER THAN MY OLD 405:

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* It's smaller and less bulky than the 405, looks and feels like a regular watch, and wraps snugly around my smallish wrist.

* I don't have to fiddle around with the temperamental 405 touch-(in)sensitive bezel.

* The displayed numbers for distance/hr/time/pace are bigger on the 110 than the 405, so easier for me to read on the run.

* There are fewer menus to navigate.

* Like the 405, GPS locking and accuracy works just fine, even under trees (more below).

* Like the 405, I can set the auto-lap to increment every 1 mile (other distances available).

* The 110 displays everything I want to track during and after my run.

Elapsed distance (for run), Elapsed time (for run), Current HR, Average pace (for current lap), Last lap pace (displayed automatically for a few seconds after each lap), Average HR (for run), Average pace (for run). Average HR and pace for the entire run are show under "History" at the end of my run.

* To make this tangible, I can glance at the watch to see that so far I've run 2.1 miles in 21 minutes, my current HR is 160, my pace for the current mile (mile 3) is 9:56 and my pace for the last lap (mile 2) was 10:01. At the end of my run, I click through to "History" and see that my average HR for the entire run was 162bpm and my average pace was 9:54 minute miles. For me, currently, all I care about is keeping my HR in the 160-170bpm range (your range will probably be different) while trying to keep my pace under 10:00. In general, I suspect most runners will have the same requirements: Track your current HR to keep it within a target range while attempting to meet or beat a per-mile pace goal.

* The 110 has a longer battery life

* I never used the other 405 features like courses, virtual partner, etc. Ironically, I "customized" the 405 screens to pretty much do what the 110 displays by default (but cannot be changes).

WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT "CURRENT PACE"?

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I guess some runners want to know the pace they are running RIGHT NOW. Think of it as their instantaneous pace kinda like what a car speedometer gives you. Some folks call it "current pace" but that can be confusing when you also have average pace for the current mile, so let's call current pace the "right-now" pace. Unlike the 405, the 110 does not give you your right-now pace. Instead you get your average pace for the current lap. If your auto-lap is set to 1 mile (the default setting) then you'll see your average pace for the current mile. I for one don't need right-now pace. Since I'm trying to hit per-mile pace goals I want to see my average pace for the current mile. If I'm trying to hit a 10:00 pace for the current mile, and I start out too slow, the 110 will tell me my average pace for the current mile is slower, let's say 11:00, and I know I need to run the rest of the mile faster to bring my average pace for the current mile down from 11:00 to my target pace of 10:00. As I speed up, my average pace for the current mile will slowly drop from 11:00 to 10:00. Bottom line: Right-now pace doesn't help me hit per-mile pace goals so I could care less if it's "missing" from the 110. If all you are doing is trying to hit per-mile pace goals (eg run a 10:00 miles) then you'll be just fine with the 110.

ANY GPS ISSUES?

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Not for me. Check out connect dot garmin dot com slash activity slash 44862992 and you'll see my test walk/run. Click to view the map in "Satellite" mode and notice that most of my test walk was under thick tree cover.

Buy Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS-Enabled Sport Watch (Pink) Now

pros-quick satellite fix, very clear display, waterproof, shows the info you need not what you don't, uses buttons instead of bezel controls, uses USB instead of wireless connection.

cons-fairly expensive, GPS loses some accuracy under heavy tree cover.

This watch is especially good for two kinds of runners: those who run on trails, and can't easily lock in distances (and thus pace); and those who travel, but still want to run outside, rather than on hotel treadmills. In both instances, this watch will give you accurate distance information, as well as pace and heart rate. The other big improvements that I haven't seen mentioned in other reviews are that unlike the 405, it has reverted to button controls, and also to a direct USB cable connection to your computer for uploading run information. Garmin is not advertising these changes, since they are ostensibly steps backward from the 405's bezel controls and wireless connection, but these were the sources of most of the complaints about the 405--especially problems with the bezel once it got wet with sweat or rain. This is no longer an issue.

You have to wonder whether some of the people writing these (one star) reviews actually run--or whether they work for Polar or Timex? The watch gives you distance, time and pace, as well as heart rate information, as you go. For most easy or long runs on trails or the road, this is all you need. On the track, you know the distance, so if you're doing intervals, just use the stopwatch. The only scenario where the lack of 'current pace' could be a problem as far as I can see is in doing tempo runs, if you do do them by time (say 20 minutes easy, 40 minutes tempo, 10 minutes warm down) instead of by distance, as I do them. By time, you could get a situation where your first and last miles of tempo running get mixed in with running at an easy pace, and the pace data would be useless. Still, if you set the autolap function at .25 miles, very little of your run is going to be logged inaccurately (at most the first and last quarter mile in that tempo workout). Similarly, if you happen to be changing pace lot during a run and want immediate feedback, the watch does give you that. So-called current speed on a GPS watch is always somewhat of an estimate anyway, since it is plotting your location between two points, measuring the time it took you, and then doing the math. There's really no such thing as an instantaneous current pace calculation, and if you have your watch set on .25 mile autolap, that's not much more than the distance that would actually be used for a current pace calculation otherwise.

One criticism: although the satellites initially lock onto my watch after an average of 30 seconds and seem to give very accurate distance ad elevation information (the latter on the Garmin Connect website), there is one part of my usual run under heavy tree cover where it seems like the satellites lose me for a tenth of a mile or less, which makes the data for that mile always come out slower than I'm actually running. It makes up the difference on the next mile, which makes that one come out too fast. Both are off by around 15 seconds/mile, and this is a bit annoying. Although I can do the calculation to average the two and see that each time they basically come out even, it seems that Garmin should have come up with an algorithm for the watch's software that would compensate for such discrepancies within the mile where they happen, rather than giving inaccurate information for two consecutive miles.

Bottom line: this watch gives you a lot of useful information, and even more when you download it to the Garmin Connect site. Unlike other Garmin watches, it doesn't give some extra cycling information and the heart rate monitor doesn't work in the pool, so it's really a watch for runners, not triathletes. But for semi-serious to very serious runners, it gives you everything you need, without the bells and whistles--and the headaches--of the 405.

Read Best Reviews of Garmin Forerunner 110 GPS-Enabled Sport Watch (Pink) Here

I'am no marathon runner, just trying to get back to running like back in my cross country/track high school days. It's sooooo easy to use. I bought the 305/405 and immediately returned it because it was entirely too hard to figure out how to use. With the 110 you charge it, create your profile (weight, age, sex) go outside and let it sink with the satellites...then press start. It's that simple. If you get the one with the heart rate monitor, it gives you calories burned, and heart rate. I see people in here griping about something regarding the "pace". I don't know..it displays the pace you are going at, so i'm not too sure what that is all about. You sync it with the garmin website, and it give you greater "in depth" information about your run.

Just remember that this isn't suppose to have all the bells and whistle the other running watches have. This is for just simple use; distance, pace, calories, heart rate, time. This will suffice most people, and definitely extremely user friendly.

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I bought the Garmin Forerunner 110 with Heart Rate Monitor. In a word Fantastic. Very simple to use while you're running. I considered the other models, but some were ridiculously large and had way too many features. I've been coaxed to buying extra features on things in the past, only to learn that 1) they're difficult to take advantage of, or 2) you never use them. Not the case here. As the other reviewer said you open the box, charge it, answer a couple of prompts, and whammo, you're in business. The screen is easy to read when you're running, and the buttons are also easy to operate. The HRM works as well as any Polar I've used. I highly recommend spending extra bucks to get this feature. For me, I now only have to wear the Garmin. Time is automatically set (which is cool) so I use it as my watch. I don't have to wear a separate "watch" for the HRM. And, you can download you're run information to track it, etc... The other reviews complained about the "current pace". Personally, I don't see that as an issue. I run at a pretty steady pace so the average pace works great for me. Maybe it's important for truly competitive athletes who are on strict training regimens, but for the normal guy or gal this unit is more than ample. It is neat to start on a run and not worry about mileage markers and so forth. The days of taking the car out to pre or post measure my runs are done. Bottomline, it's a good unit. I recommend it.

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i have had this watch for about 3 months now. i have never owned any other type of gps enable watch before this one. however, my father owns the forerunner 305 and my mother has the forerunner 405 so i do still have some experience with those watches as well. in my opinion this is the best watch of the group hands down. the watch literally feels like a standard stopwatch. no extra weight, no extra bulk. the 405 does not quite fit like a normal watch due to the antenna extending down into the wrist strap. this watch is extremely comfortable to wear at all times and very adjustable in size (the holes go around the entire strap). this watch is very basic for runners and thus lacks the extra bells and whistles that the 305 and 405 have such as "ghost" trainers and "breadcrumb" directions. however this watch gives you current pace (more in just a moment), distance, calories, time, heart rate, and chimes at each "lap." for a standard running regimen this watch is more than enough to supplement a good, hard workout.

CURRENT PACE EXPLANATION

-i have noticed a lot of confusion about the idea of this watch lacking current "real-time" pace. However, to be quite honest, "real time" pace on a gps watch is pretty useless. the gps in the watch is NOT hooked up to a satellite CONTINUOUSLY. no gps in the world has this capability. instead, each gps has a certain "ping" time to send and receive a signal from a satellite. more advanced gps systems have quicker "pings" to more closely mimic a continuous connection but the connection is still never actually continuous. on watches that advertise "current pace," the watch is simply showing you the exact speed at which you were going between the last two pings. basically the watch calculates the distance traveled between each ping and then uses the time it took you to go that distance to get a speed. this leaves a lot of room for random spikes and troughs in the data. no human can run at a single speed across a certain distance. the human body simply cannot set itself to "cruise" and go from there. thus a "real time" pace is fairly useless for a runner. let me give an example. if someone were to turn on their forerunner 405 and set it to show current pace and run for 20 seconds at an 8:00min/mi pace, assuming the watch has a ping every 2 seconds or so, the data would look something like this: 6:52, 7:20, 8:15,7:47, 8:30, 6:59, 8:02, 8:10, etc...obviously this data is not really constant with an 8:00min/mi pace however the person may still very well be able to hit EXACTLY an 8:00min mile. What the forerunner 110 does, rather than show the data from EACH ping, is it takes each ping and adds it to a list with every other ping that has been recorded across the time frame and averages them all together. the final number that is shown on your watch will thus be called the "current AVERAGE pace." which in all honesty is MUCH more useful if one is trying to hit a certain pace goal. basically this current average pace can quite accurately depict your mile split well before you've reached the mile marker..if you speed up significantly then the ping data will thus be in a lower range and bring your "average" time down. now some of you might think that this means that the watch only displays a pace that doesnt refresh very often. however, the exact opposite is true. the watch will refresh the current average pace every time another ping comes in..so basically your current average pace could hypothetically move up or down with every single ping. but due to the beauty of the AVERAGE, the watch will not jump around sporadically like in a "current pace" but rather stay around a certain time and gradually move up or down according to your speed. in essence, the "current pace" on a lot of gps watches is really truly useless and most people will never end up using it because it doesnt actually give you any solid data to work off of. because the data is changing so dramatically each second, the data is just plain useless. FYI: some runners may have noticed very random spikes in their "fastest" pace that the garmin software will show after uploading the data. basically, "fastest pace" during your run means that for one single ping during the run you might have run a 5:34min/mile pace for all of 1 second. however, because that pace is still part of the data that is added into the overall time, it still counts as your "fastest pace" for the run even though your average mile pace for the workout was only 8:34...

another nice thing about this watch is that after each run is saved to the history on the watch, it can be accessed to show the average pace over the entire distance rather than just the mile splits. the mile splits for older runs can only be accessed and viewed once the watch is connected to a computer and the data is uploaded.

hope all of this has cleared up any confusion about current average pace for the forerunner 110!