So, for those of you who have been following for awhile, or even for those who haven’t…you may or may not know that I have a Garmin.
And if you know that I have one, then you probably also know that I am very in love with it. In fact, even if you didn’t know that I had one, you probably still somehow knew that I love them. Because frankly, I am a little obsessed with their complete awesomeness! 🙂
So, I’ve decided to tell you about the buyer’s procedure.
Now, before you even think about getting one, you should decide if you are really planning on continuing in your running. I waited a year before I got mine. And I think that was a good time to wait, because none of us are made of money and there is NO feeling worse than when you waste money on something you never use. So, before even considering buying one, make sure that you are going to continue running. At the start of something new, you will love or hate it. But as time goes on and you get more used to what you’re doing, you’re feelings will change. So, don’t make any immediate decisions.
Okay, so if you’ve waited awhile, decided for sure that you want one, that you are going to make this commitment, the next thing is to set a limit. The cheapest Garmin is about $130 and the most expensive is about $500. You have to decide if you want to spend the big bucks for a super amazing watch or if you want a cheaper watch with less features. I have a Garmin Forerunner 410 which was $250. I added on a heart rate monitor for $50. I’m pretty sure that for each watch you can add on a heart rate monitor for fifty bucks. Anyways, so my suggestion to you is to set a money limit (probably $200-$300) and then compare all the watches within that money limit. I was willing to spend $250 on mine but then decided to add on the heart rate monitor…although it brought the price up, I have never once regretted adding that on to the purchase.
Okay, I know I just said this, but I am going to reiterate to stress the importance. You must compare the different watches. You want to be fully happy with your watch. Obviously for those with a smaller $$$ limit, the choices will be smaller, but each watch is different. My Garmin Forerunner 410 has some things that the Garmin Forerunner 610 doesn’t. So even though the 610 is the “newest, updated version”, my 410 is pretty awesome too. You have to pick the one that has the most features that you will use. The more use you get out of it, the less money it truly cost.
Now, we are in tight-money times, so unless you have money coming out the wazoo, you should probably save up for this large investment. Putting aside, even $10 a week makes the cost very manageable. I want to remind you that even though they are expensive, this is a great investment. A woman I know has had her Garmin for fifteen years and it still works wonderfully. These are solidly-made technological wonders. They last a long time, so once you buy one, technically you should never have to buy one again. Pretty amazing.
Pick a website to order from which to order your Garmin. I ordered mine from SeeJaneRun. The people were really nice, they messed up my order, but gave me free, fast shipping the second time. You could also order from the Garmin website. I don’t think there was a price difference on those two websites…although there may have been a shipping price difference. You will probably want to search around for a website that would cater best to where you live.
Once you have picked out your Garmin watch and are waiting to save up your money, let this be a motivation for you to run. Knowing that soon enough, you will have your own will help you to run through the rough patches. Also, knowing that soon enough it’s going to show up in your mailbox is pretty darn exciting! 🙂 Well, for me it was. However, DO NOT buy the watch and use it as a motivation to run. You must commit to running first. Because even though my Garmin is awesome to me, a non-runner would not feel the same way. You have to love the sport to love the Garmin.
Then you wait. And wait. And wait. I didn’t like that part. I avidly tracked my shipment every two minutes hours until it finally showed up at my doorstep.
Then comes the fun part. You get to set it up. I found it fairly easy to use as soon as I got it…but for the technologically-needy, there are step-by-step instructions to help you get through it. Unlike lying on your driver’s license, don’t lie about your weight or height on here because that is what determines your calorie burnage (along with your heart rate). Along with weight and height you will also put in your birth date, gender, just general stuff like that. On the computer, you can set goals for yourself and then transfer them to your Garmin, I’ve never done that though.
I know that you will love it. Garmins are made so well. They last forever (as long as you care for them). They are precise. They are sleek. They are unique to each person. They are like a mini-coach. I have never once read a bad review for a Garmin. Also, they come with a USB chip so that you can upload all of your data to the connect.garmin.com website. I upload all of my stuff to there and can then compare my runs, etc. Everything about them is so well-done. I have never regretted buying my Garmin. In fact, my emotions towards it veer to the other extreme (aka I LOVE THIS THING!!!). Another great thing, is that even though technically it’s a running watch, you can use it for other sports, like biking or cross-training. Although I don’t think it’s waterproof, so probably don’t take it swimming. Anyways, it’s amazing.
If you are considering buying an athletic watch, buy a Garmin.
My run today:
Running on Full 