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:
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.
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