Garmin301/305 Data - What do you do with yours? - Gear

Grey Pilgrim

29/03/2006 at 20:25

All you Garmin 301/305 users, after your training session you rush to your computer, plug in and Wow! Fabulous graphs and lots of data... but what do you do with it? The supplied Training Centre software has its limitations! How do you get round them?

Heckenhocker

29/03/2006 at 20:45

errm, I don't use Training Centre and all the extra data....but my hubby has just asked for my Garmin so he can upload a recent run onto Google Earth!

Fishy

29/03/2006 at 21:25

sporttracks - much more useful than the Garmin software! Google it and you get the website for the (free) download.

Grey Pilgrim

29/03/2006 at 22:31

HH. The mapping looks cool, but how does it help me run faster?
Fishy. Sporttracks does appear to fill in some of the gaps in Garmin TC, the "athlete" history pages seem part of the answer. Currently I have to retype the data into an Excel spreadsheet in order to get the overview of my training that I find most useful. This give me the ability to add my own data as well. TC allows you to compare any session with any other, but only one at a time. Sporttracks weekly and monthly views are good but not graphicly displayed.

stephen365

29/03/2006 at 22:40

I use the Virtual Partner on my 201 to race against - that'll certainly make you run quicker, as long as you set a challenging time.

Grey Pilgrim

29/03/2006 at 22:49

Stephen. The VP is useful but it would be easy to over do it. I think its best use would be to set the target and race it once a month, same targets on the same course, to see if you are getting faster. It could be good for Tempo/Threshold runs where a steady pace might be desirable.

old balance

03/04/2006 at 17:32

I want a watch that tells me what speed I'm going while I'm running. I don't need to know my heart rate,(the straps give me friction burns!) I don't need to know how far I've gone, I clock new routes in the car. I don't need to know where I am, looking at a map before I go does that..... I hardly need to know anything! Any suggestions for a watch/speedometer?

Grey Pilgrim

03/04/2006 at 18:18

Hi Teresa
My Garmin 301 will tell me my pace while I am running although several seconds behind, so sudden accelerations do not track well on screen, but show up on the graph after the data is uploaded. For steady pace work then great. Works off road where you cannot clock a route by car, but then the garmin also measures the distance run. With one you can always see how far you have run how long for and how fast. The new 205 I think it is does the same without the HRM. Hope this helps!

Tom Bombadil

06/04/2006 at 14:25

GP - it's mostly 'noise' i.e. a distraction from running, but it makes a good HRM and that can be used in conjunction with distance measure to setup some good training sessions. This is the one that I've found most beneficial :-

800m VO2Max Intervals -
Step 1:
10 minute 'Warm-up' target: <65% Max HR (Zone 1)

Step 2:
800 metres (0.5 mile) 'Interval' target: pace < 5:30 mile

Step 3:
'Recovery' target: HR returns to 65%

Goto Step 2.

You can set this up in the Advanced Workout menu. Use the software of the menu afterwards to see what time you're managing for 800m and to see whether the recoveries are getting quicker.

Tom Bombadil

06/04/2006 at 14:29

Forgot to mention that the pace of 5:30 can be changed to a suitable one for yourself - you're aiming here to average 98% max HR, so the pace needs to be very hard but just maintainable over the distance. It might be easier to start with 400m intervals, if you've not done any previously.

Beanz52

06/04/2006 at 14:42

I use it for interval type training to bleep at the change of pace - and with the HRM

I do copy the key data into a spreadsheet and use colours for different kinds of runs, pbs etc

and I use sporttracks

and memory map ....

I just like data I guess!

But what I have been meaning to ask is about the capacity of the 301 - I seem to remeber reading somewhere (but canot find it) that it hasa capacity of 1000(?) laps - but what happens then - does it stop saving or wipe out the past

and if I wipe the history from the garmin it will not wipe out from the TC or sport tracks will it?

Just don't want it to conk out mid FLM!

Grey Pilgrim

06/04/2006 at 15:43

Tom
I use my 301 mainly as a HRM. It's great for setting up intervals and threshold runs using time and heart rate zones eg 6x 3.5mins keeping heart rate in zone 5 recovery finish when HR is down to 105bpm. This would be close to your 800s session and works in woodland surroundings where the satelite tracking for distance is not so good.
Beanz
Once you have uploaded data to TC then you can wipe it from the wrist unit and it stays on your PC. You might want to back it up by using File/History Export. Then you won't have to worry about capapcity. Do worry about battery life, it drains when not being used, it only takes a few days to drain completely. So charge it up fully the night before FLM. Don't forget to set it up well away from the start to avoid crosstalk.

Heckenhocker

07/04/2006 at 20:05

Grey - has your 301 always drained battery when not in use? Mine holds it's charge really well - didn't use it for 5 weeks (skiing and ill) and it still had the 9 hours battery life left from the previous use.

Grey Pilgrim

08/04/2006 at 11:35

HH
Don't know! Lost power half way through a session and made sure it has been charged ever since. But I did see it reported as a problem elswhere. May be it is only a problem in random units. The battery life indication on starting the unit appears to be fairly accurate though.

Mattw4de

09/04/2006 at 16:43

If you get Motionbased loaded to your PC you get a better quality of mapping & some fancy graphs where you can analyse your speed, distance, heart raet etc, Also exports straight to their server so if your PC crashes you have not lost your work outs, ALternativeley use Sportsim, same sort of thing, good on screen maps with overlayering of similar runs that can be played at the same time. I Use all three & it does help you to pace yourself as you get to know the routes & can scan through your worksout to see what you were doing at those points. If you want to be fancy Export to Google Earth to get a full on satelitte map. I had a 301 which worked on all programms & have had a 205 for a month know & its just the same. You should be able to set your Virtual Partner on a past run also, not sure how this works or even if i can programme the unit to do it.

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