Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor

I bought this for my marathon running wife...She absolutely loves it!...She is technologically dense and I am pleasantly surprised at how much she has used it and how little help she has needed

I got the Garmin 305 with HR monitor for my runner wife. Although we had seen pictures and knew measurements, we were surprised by how massive the unit is on a wrist. She had a problem with the HR monitor working only for 15sec and then quitting, but we did a quick winter test run (Chicago sux Dec-Mar for outdoor running) to test it and had no problems with HR timing or downloading to the PC once we returned. The path taken was shown OK, but I thought it would at least put it into on a Google map or Mapquest map to get some reference points, but it has not so far. Also, takes a long time to aquire satellites and must be outside to do it - waiting outside in the cold for the Garmin is not my idea of fun.

Great product. stylish and functional. bought for my granddaughter, who runs track and cross-country and she loves it.

The Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver with Heart Rate Monitor is doing everything I need it to do. I use it primarily for interval training, 5 minute run and 1 minute walk. The large numbers are easy to read, even with my old eyes. When I compare the distance traveled with other folks who have the same model there seems to be very good consistency, 0.01 or 0.02 mile variation over a 10 mile course. The unit is big, but does not feel heavy.
The heart rate monitor strap conformed well to my chest. I'd had problems previously with a Nike strap.
The unit is complex and I definitely had to read, and re-read the manual.

I'm a novice/intermediate runner and The Garmin Forerunner 305 has ventured out with me on 50-75 miles so far and I've only started to experience the full array of features. The screen is easy to read and buttons are easily accessible when on the road.
My normal running routes are just now getting fully programmed but I am excited to run using the 'running buddy' programs.
I did the Thunder Road 1/2 marathon in Charlotte with it and having an accurate reading of my pace helped me beat my previous 1/2 by nearly 10 minutes.
The internet connectivity when using a site like [...] is great as well to be able to see your route mapped (and not having to remember each and every turn you made along the way).

My only drawback has been the battery life. It says it will last about 10 hours, but it tends to be about 3, 1 hour runs and its gone. The battery indicator isn't the easiest thing to find and I have had it die on two runs so far when it was apparently low.
The size isn't bad for me, but I could see it being too bulky for some smaller guys and women.

Overall I really enjoy it and the price I got here on Amazon made it even better.