Review of Garmin Forerunner 210

Review of Garmin Forerunner 210

By Fran Swallow

June 2011

I was pleased to be approached by Camp 4 to review this piece of running kit. This watch describes itself as a “GPS enabled sports watchwith premium heart rate monitor” This translated for anyone less techy than me (if that’s possible) as basically a watch that records time, distance,speed, heart rate and route of a run. All this information can then be downloaded so the runner can review the data.

Personally, I take a “less is more” approach to kit, so I have to admit it’s been quite a challenge to keep using this, I started out thinking this wouldn’t add anything to my runs/ training. But I have been pleasantly surprised by my experiences, below are a few observations that may be useful in deciding if this kit will be useful for your running style

Appearance/ size /weight:

Very small and neat, particularly impressive given the size of its predecessors. Wearing it felt very much like a slightly large watch.(See image below to compare with a standard running watch)

It was very unobtrusive to wear, however I was particularly conscious to avoid scratching it when clambering up any rocks (as a test model) but that would be something to be aware of. It claims to be waterproof, (1m for up to 30 mins)some degree of waterproof-ness is kind of essential in our Cheshire climate; I don’t know how it would respond to several hours of steady rain that many of us are familiar with on a regular basis. I’ve read another review that claimed to use it in a pool, which I wouldn’t be brave enough to do given it’s cost!

Ease of use/ getting started:

The pack contains a clear easy to follow quick start manual, it was straight forward to configure to my specifications and choose miles/ km. A bit more troublesome was actually being “found” by the satellites before starting a run, this could take a couple of minutes, which is fine if alone, a bit more challenging if running with a group! Garmin claims that this watch has “hot fix” ie it is found by satellites much more quickly, but this has been several minutes at times in my experience, I can’t compare it with other watches. Running peers also seem to struggle “being found”at various times with their own gadgets, seemsto be a perennial problem, possibly made worse in more remote locations??.

Garmin offers an optional footpod (at additional cost approx £50) for use if there is difficulty locking onto satellites, when running indoors for example which gives instant feedback without the need for GPS.

Using it during a run:

I am not a speed freak, concentrating on more or less seconds per mile bores me. However (and this surprised me) I did enjoy using the current pace reading (can be set per km/ mile) and found it a useful incentive to keep a constant speed. It also made me realise that I can underestimate my speed,which was useful feedback. It is also possible to view average speed of a run. The watch flashes up split times with each km or mile and then continues to count which is a nice feature.However I never found out how to also just tell the time during a run (as well as everything else!)

The heart rate monitor was easy to fit and comfortable, (bra strap height worked fine, I’ve not included a picture, too much information!) I didn’t pay much attention to the readings, I tend to take more notice of physiological feedback as a measure of how hard I’m working. However I can see that a more numerical approach would be useful for example if doing hill reps and using heart rate recovery as an indicator of fitness level. The watch can also be programmed to sound an alert if HR goes above below a certain level, useful if you need concrete feedback to do a particularly consistent recovery run.

Given that you are putting in personal demographics and the distance and pace is being recorded, unsurprisingly this nifty device will also calorie count, which I guess could be useful if you need an extra prompt when to eat in an endurance event. Personally I didn’t use this feature, not even as an excuse to eat more chocolate! I think listening to your body, and working on experience is far better feedback re what to eat and when during a significant event. (Anything a couple of hours and longer)

Battery life/ recharging:

The watch has a very neat recharging unit which clips onto the connections on its side.Through lack of organisation I didn’t have it fully charged before every run and a couple of times it did let me down. It takes about an hour to fully charge. I didn’t test how long the charge would lastfor on one run, older models can last about 8 hours, so I hope that this newer model would achieve at least this length of time.

The devise can also be charged just with the USB cable and your computer, useful if you are downloading information at the same time.

Downloading Information:

Uploading to Garmin connect, the online service for looking at your activities was easy, I just plugged in and clicked the Garmin connect shortcut. I’d already got an account on our home pc but these are easy to set up.

I uploaded my activities one is shown here with the kind of information available.

It was also very easy to export the file and upload into memory map (we already had this) to view the route on an OS map allowing me to look at more detail of the route.

As a runner who admits to poor navigation and equally poor memory of off road routes, I found this feature particularly interesting as a potential way of reminding me where I had been and helping me to learn ways around my local area and plan future runs.

Interestingly some of the older Garmin watches produce a little route picture on their brick like screen which can be useful to follow if lost, it could also be used to race yourself around the previous route. This new watch doesn’t have that feature which is a shame.

Value for money:

Camp 4 are retailing this model at £229.99 which caused me quite a sharp intake of breath. (Remember though, I am into “less is more”) That said, despite my preconceptions, this watch has ticked quite a few useful boxes for me, I urge prospective buyers to consider how many of the many features would be useful to them before making this investment. I admit this type of kit is not for everyone, but It might be useful to think about what feedback could help to improve your running, and could this gadget help to do this?

Concluding thoughts....

Buy this gadget if:

• You already keep a training diary and would like electronic assistance to beef up your data.
• Feedback on pace, distance, route, elevation, heart rate, calories burned will be useful in reviewing your training/ improving your runs and planning what to do next.
• The routes downloaded will help in your navigation, and thinking about your next run
• You’ve a fair amount of spare cash to treat yourself (or a generous close friend...)

Don’t buy it if:

• Spending time getting waiting to be “found” by the satellites will drive you potty
• You will forget to charge the gizmo, or download the data
• The great outdoorsis more important than numbers, who worries about pace then the views are great??
• You are already a route whizz and know every local footpath backwards

Thanks to Camp 4 for the opportunity to try this watch, I hope my review has made you think about what your next running gear purchase will be.