Garmin Forerunner 405 Review: An Honest Opinion from an Amateur Runner

Ok, this Garmin Forerunner 405 was a birthday present from Mrs Happy.  I'd never had anything like this before.  I've updated this post on November 1st, 2010 to give you my honest review of the Garmin Forerunner 405 after over a year and a half of use. 

Here's my official opinion.  I love this Garmin 405.   It's one heck of a piece of technology to carry around.  it has multiple functions from which to track from mileage to calories to pace to average pace to altitude to heart rate.  The list goes on and on.For an amateur runner, the Garmin Forerunner 405 has every thing you need and probably a lot more.  I got mine with the heart rate monitor belt.  I used to wear it every time.  But the battery died and I just haven't had a chance to replace it in a few months.  

I don't miss the heart rate function much though.  What I did find out was that my heart rate guides my need to adjust my pace.  Even without the heart rate monitor, I know when to slow down just based on the knowledge I gained while wearing it.  

My over all review is that this is an excellent watch to track progress with your jogging or running skill. My only complaint is with the battery life.  The battery drains quickly.  It seems to need recharging every day or two or you'll find the battery dead on your next run.  The battery life seems to get worse the more months you use it.  But you can improve the battery performance between charges by turning off the GPS locater when you're not using the watch.

I especially love the ease for which you can download your information from the Garmin Forerunner 405 watch into the computer to track, either online or with a desk top application.  I love the Google maps that will track and outline your run with real time flash data applications. 

It's just awesome.  So my overall review of the Garmin Forerunner 405 is a 9.5/10.  My only complaint is the battery life.  I'm sure that will get better with time.