Garmin 610

Garmin 610

I always scoffed at GPS watch people. It just seemed like pretentious overkill for anyone who runs recreationally. Well, let me tell you - I knew nothing.

This watch is like having a trainer with you. It has a touchscreen, which I admit, I thought was crazy on a watch. But it works quite well. I never have to tap twice, and I've never ended up on a screen I didn't want. It's not even the largest watch out there. This is the side view:

It's not a bad profile for a GPS watch. I particularly like the band, which is quite soft and pliable almost right up to the watch face. My wrist is about 5.5" around, so I do fasten it quite near the end. But once it's on, I don't really notice it.

Until it vibrates.
That's right, you can choose a beep, or vibrate mode. It's the best thing ever if you run with music or when you wear long sleeves, which I find tends to muffle the beeps.

Imminently customizable, you can program one screen, or up to four. I have mine set to show time, HR, pace and distance. You can race against the little animated man, or go through a pre-planned workout. It comes with an ANT stick that allows you to upload your data to Garmin Connect. The site lays all your information out quite nicely, and has options to set goals and analyze different aspects of your run.

Early editions of the 610 had problems with the band pins falling out, corrosion on the back plate, and HRM twitchiness. All of those kinks seem to have been ironed out in the latest release waves.

Now we get to the unpleasant part where we have to talk about the money.
No, this watch is not cheap. In fact, I didn't tell my non-running friends about my purchase because embarrassed to have spent so much money ($395) on a watch. They just wouldn't understand. I found the cheapest price was at MEC, and I liked that if I tried it out and didn't like it (or just had buyers' remorse), they'd take it right back, NQA.

Of course, I'd never give it up now. I've become a more efficient runner. If you can justify spending the money, you won't be disappointed.

Toe Caps

I'm not going to kid you, the following is gross.
You know all those times you wear sandals and feel obliged to explain "Yeah, I'm a runner..."? Because other people have ten toenails and you do not? Remember?
Thing of the past, my little gazelles!

Toe caps are the best. I love them. I had tried everything - different socks, different shoes, different sizes of shoes, lacing techniques - yet every summer when my mileage really started to inch up, some rogue toenails would take the ball and go home.

Toe caps are little silicone... toe-sized condoms, really. (You were warned.) They come in packages of four and are easy-peasy to use. They're thin enough that once they're on, I honestly don't feel them. But they're thick enough to negate the necessity of cutting the toes out of my shoes. Because that was an option, believe me.

They retail for between $12-14, which may seem like a lot. They last a long time, they're washable and so, so worth it. They do tend to stretch out a bit, so I just make sure that I always put the same ones on my big toes and everybody's happy. I wish I'd found these a long time ago.

Favourite Running Things & Hated Items

Welcome, Gazelles!

This blog is a testament to my declining mental powers, and I say that only semi in jest. I wanted to keep track of all the neat stuff I've come across to speed up my runs, or just make them more enjoyable. Also to itemize the things that did not work for me and that I should never buy, ever again.

So here you are - benefit from my mistakes and accidental scores. If you're curious about anything not on this blog, just ask! Just because I haven't included it here doesn't mean I haven't tried it. For clarity: everything I review on this blog, I have purchased myself. With my own pennies. For me.