Garmin Forerunner GPS watches

I've been using the Garmin Forerunner 205 since May of 2007, and the Forerunner 201 before that, since March of 2004. I'd probably still regularly be using the 201 if it hadn't been lost for a while -- it is now found again, and I do sometimes use it still if the 205 isn't at hand.

I really enjoy these devices. Before I had them, I'd find myself running the same few routes over and over again. I like to know how far I've run, and if I just ran some random route, I'd have no convenient way of knowing the distance. There are ways; one of my favorites is the USATF Running Routes web site. This lets you plot your route on a map, and calculates your distance.

Now I can just put on the watch and go where the road takes me, and no matter where I run, it'll keep track. It really changed the way I run.

It comes with some software called Garmin Training Center, which I had always found to be a bit of a disappointment. The mapping function was really rudimentary, especially considering it was a Garmin product. They're a GPS company known for mapping, and the maps it would draw for local runs were laughably crude. It would only show three roads in the entire town, and then a line showing my run in relation to those roads.

I rarely run outside in the winter, so I haven't been using the watch lately. Thus, I also haven't been checking for new versions of Training Center. I'm happy to report that Garmin has improved the application. I've spent only a few minutes looking it over so far, but I can already tell they've put in some good work.

It was much harder than it should be to actually get the new version. The link to the current version on Garmin's web site is broken, and they don't link to prior versions. I took a few guesses on the web address where I might find an older version, and found v3.01. I downloaded and installed that, then used its built-in update feature to get 3.04. Not cool, Garmin!

Anyway, the mapping feature in v3 isn't all that much better, but there's an option to view any saved route on Google Earth. That's a lot of fun.

However, a locally-installed software application isn't my preference. I'd rather have this stuff live on the Internet, and, sure enough, Garmin has a solution for that as well. There's a web site called Garmin Connect that lets you upload your data from your watch. You do have to have a browser plugin installed locally for the actual upload, but the data is stored "in the cloud" and I can view it anywhere. I can also upload from either my desktop or laptop computer and have the data all go to the same place. Nice.

There's also a way to import the data into dailymile,  a sort of Facebook-meets-running-log, which I've only just started to explore. I may have more to say about that later.

This stuff makes my running life a little easier, and a lot more fun. I'm a computer nerd as well as a runner, so you can imagine that I really love these electronic running gizmos.