Tuesday, December 23, 2008

A Better Running Experience with Garmin's Forerunner

By Joseph Aaron

If you happen to be a professional athlete, you will always certainly wish to get the Garmin Forerunner GPS 201 watch. It has a wide range of functions to offer. It comes with a GPS sensor, an electronic map, exercise session variation and reversal capabilities, calorie tracker, lap info and data, performance archives, auto stopwatch with auto-lap and auto pause functions, lap timer, pace alert, distance alert, free Training Center software, a flexible wristwatch strap, and an A/C desktop charger with a serial port.

The GPS 201 is perfect for a professional as well as a more casual athlete. It mainly works to help you manage the rate and tracking aspects. This unit offers plenty of plus points, but its worst drawback is that it does not work predictably. This is the only reason it is hard to consider it perfect. Its dimensions of 3.3 ? 1.7 ? 0.7 make it appear more bulky than a normal fitness watch; actually it is lighter than it looks, weighing in at only 2.8 ounces. The watch is waterproof and therefore may be worn by swimmers or by athletes in rainy or damp weather conditions.

The GPS 201 can store a lap record history of as many as 5000 laps and offers many more options that you are able to tinker with to match up with your own needs and specific requirements. A very important feature the watch offers is the Training Center Software. This is an apt tool for you to use to store your workout details and can also help you see ways in which they would vary along your path, particularly if there are elevations. The Virtual Partner feature makes it easy for you to set goals that you want to reach. You just have to compare your current performance with that of your friend.

The GPS function of this 201 model is disliked by a number of buyers because the signal can be fickle sometimes. In addition to that, they also tend to find fault with the discrepancies in functions such as altitude and pace readings. This unit does not have a heart rate monitor. Today, when many of the computer interfaces can work with a USB, this unit is behind the times with a serial port facility.

The wristband of the Forerunner 201 GPS Fitness Watch is of flexible dimensions, enabling you to flaunt the watch by wearing it on your wrist or your bicep as you wish. Its LCD display screen is a joy to read in well-lit conditions as well as in darkness. The rechargeable lithium alloy battery lasts for 14 hours before losing power. It appears to be quite alright for runners, but may not work as well for bicycling, etc.

Overall, the Garmin Forerunner GPS 201 is a watch with a lot of benefits. The training Center software and the Virtual partner features warrant special mention. Ultimately, its patchy GPS signaling is its only flaw. - 15266

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