My New Running Buddy

Normally I do all my runs solo. I really don't have friends nearby who are runner wannabes like myself. I don't even listen to an ipod when I run. I just like taking the time to unplug and clear my head while I take in all the sights and sounds around me.

Which was all fine and good in the beginning. But after I ran my first 5K I realized that I really need to push myself harder. I also wanted to keep better track of my distance and pace.

That's when I decided to bring Gary into the picture.

Gary is my new Garmin Forerunner 305. He is just the coolest running buddy EVER!


I have a few different routes plotted out near my home, depending on how far I want to run/walk that day. Today I decided to take Gary on my normal 3 mile route. Well, it turns out it was more like 3.5 miles! That probably means my 4 mile route is close to 5.

Anyway, there is a wealth of information in this beauty. I plug in a few vital statistics and, in return, it tells me how many calories I've burned, uses GPS to tell me how much ground I've covered, and tracks my heart rate.

Even cooler is the software it comes with. I was easily able to download this evening's walkish run - okay, okay...it wasn't really a run at all. It was more the pace of a Saturday Night Live Travolta strut. But I haven't been for a run in almost two weeks and I just needed to get back in the swing of things. Plus I was distracted by all the blinking lights. Anyway, I was able to download all sorts of cools stats. I can tell you exactly what my heart rate was at mile 2.3 and how high the elevation was at that point. Isn't that cool? Plus it shows me a pretty little map of the route I just took. My inner geek was all sorts of impressed.

The only thing I didn't like about it is the uncomfortable rubber strap it comes with. But I found a Velcro strap they make for it and I promptly ordered it. There is still plenty my new little toy does - but that will require reading the manual - and I'm not sure when I'll get to that. I have a feeling that I'll be figuring out all the features for months to come though.

Also, you might notice the slick little box over on the right-hand side that tracks my mileage. I'll be keeping a running tab of how many miles I cover starting from today. I hope it will keep me on track with the training. I have some ground to make up!

But it should be a lot more fun now that Gary's with me!