There are few things worse when running a long distance race than to find out you have run a personal record (PR) type pace for the first mile out of the blocks. In essence you have allowed your pre-race adrenaline build up get the better of you. The irony with pacing (w/out a pacing device) is you have to run a mile first, look at your watch to see your elapsed time, and then determine your pace.
Reason being is most courses are not marked in intervals less than one mile. Your first report card of a race at mile marker one may take anywhere from six to twelve minutes to obtain the results. Case in point. Years ago I ran a 7:30 split for the first mile of a 5K (3.1 mile) race. For me, it was a great split. Unfortunately I ran out of gas somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd mile. I had exhausted the majority of my 'fuel tank' in the first mile.
The Garmin Forerunner 305 uses GPS technology to give you instantaneous feedback of your current pace at any time on the course. It also includes a heart rate monitor and chest strap.
The most compelling or attractive feature of this watch is the ability to record several metrics such as your heart's BPM, distance traveled, pace and a few others onto your PC with the included software. The software which comes with the device is not impressive. Software which is much more capable (and free) can be found at http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks.
Now you can log your workouts, analyze them, and even view graphs of your progress. It's great for answering questions like how many miles did I run last month or can I pick up my pace appreciably because I have a fair amount of clearance on my BPM rate during my runs ?
It also has the ability to save running routes you typically run throughout town to enable you to maintain personal records for each saved route.
The best price I could find was at BuyDig.com for $174.87.
Note: Went for a 17 mile bike ride this past sunny Saturday Apr 18th.
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