Good news! Garmin Forerunner 310XT and Garmin Forerunner 405 are now available at the following branches of Watch Republic:
Retail price:
Garmin is offering an exclusive discount promo for 30 lucky readers of The Bull Runner. Get 10% off the following Garmin watches:
Garmin Forerunner 305 w/ Heart Rate Monitor
Regular price: P16,500
Discounted price: P14,850
Savings: P1,650
Garmin Forerunner 405 w/ Heart Rate Monitor
Regular price: P20,500
Discounted price: P18,450
Savings: P2,050
Garmin Forerunner 310XT w/ Heart Rate Monitor
Regular price: P24,500
Discounted price: P22,050
Savings: P2,450
* All units come with 12 months warranty
RULES FOR PROMO:
GARMIN SHOWROOM: 2nd Floor, JG Building, C. Raymundo Ave. Rosario Pasig City.
Guess who’s coming to town by January 2010…Garmin! A local company has just obtained exclusive distributorship of Garmin products—from car GPS devices to…you guessed right…running watches! Finally!
In 2007, before we saw a Garmin on every other runners’ wrist, I had to order my Garmin 305 online. And, only a few months back, I still had to order my Garmin 310XT through a friend. By 1st quarter of 2010, no need to pay shipping fees or beg a friend to hand carry the watch home, Garmin products will be readily available in Metro Manila.
For now, they are definitely bringing in the Garmin Forerunner 310XT and Garmin Forerunner 405. I’m hoping they can bring in the Garmin Forerunner 305, too. Hopefully, they can also have a service center to replace our dead batteries instead of us having to ship them out to Taiwan.
By the 1st Quarter of 2010, the Garmin showroom will be open to the public. For now, they can accept orders for the watches. If you are interested, just comment below and I’ll make sure to forward your email.
I never did get back to you regarding my choice between the Polar RS800CX and the Garmin Forerunner 310XT. Reason being, it took me a full three months to decide on my next running watch purchase. With a purchase this costly, I made sure I did my research comprehensively.
I spent hours upon hours of research on both watches. You name it, I read it: articles on Runner’s World, online reviews and forums. I interviewed (read: harassed) both loyal Polar- and Garmin- users about the pros and cons. I tested the Polar for a week (which was not long enough!) and devoured as much info as I could get my hands on regarding the new Garmin Forerunner 310XT. At the end of most days, I would lie on my bed wanting to pull all my hair out. All the research left me even more confused.
You see, all readings and research led me to discover this one truth: both brands come highly recommended. It was much like choosing between a PC and mac, McDo and Jollibee, or Piolo and Jericho. (Okay, scrap the last example since Marc Nelson wins hands down.) The Polar RS800 has a slight edge as it’s been tested by more athletes compared with the new Garmin 310XT. But, basically, both have their own strengths and weaknesses. It all depends on the user to determine which watch would fit his/her needs more.
After all this research, I devised a rather simple guide to help you determine which watch is for you:
GET A GARMIN if…
– you want GPS-based readings
– you’re not a techy (Garmin is very user-friendly)
– you’re more of a runner than anything else
Choose the GARMIN 310XT ($400) if…
– you swim
– you’re in need of longer battery time (say a marathoner or ultramarathoner)
– money is of no concern. It’s pricey for minor upgrades from the Garmin Forerunner 305
Choose the GARMIN FORERUNNER 405($300 Amazon) if…
– you need a regular watch too
– you don’t mind using bezels (I do!)
Choose the GARMIN FORERUNNER 305 ($165 Amazon)/205 ($154) if…
– you need an simple, affordable, and accurate running watch
* Note: My hubby uses a 405. I don’t like it since I find the bezel too sensitive and the screens are much more complicated than the 305. I would opt to purchase another 305 (in my humble opinion, still the best for Garmin) than the 405.
GET A POLAR RS800 (price ranges depending on the model, P25,000 to P30,000) if…
– you run and swim (it’s waterproof) or you plan to get into triathlon
– you need a regular watch
– you train using heart rate (this is what Polar is known for although Garmin has HRM too)
– you’re not too focused on super accurate distance readings (if you use S3 Stride sensor) although Polar also has a G3 GPS sensor too
– you want to count your cadence
– you’re a techy (very complicated to learn, but worth it)
– you’re all for analyzing a lot of data
– you’re a PC-user (Polar software doesn’t run on mac—grrrrr!—but this was something I felt I could overlook considering all the other features)
– you want a friendly and accomodating local service center (Hi Hitler!)
– you want a watch that will last you over a decade (This was one major reason which led me to switch. Even if the Polar is more expensive than the Garmin, it is still offers more value for money considering it won’t die on me in the next couple of years.)
So, what did I buy? Introducing my new toy…
The Polar RS800CX Pro Team Edition
The Polar RS800CX PTE is Polar’s newest and limited edition watch in the market. It differs from the other Polar RS800 watches—Polar RS800CX Run, Polar RS800CX Bike, Polar RS800CX Multi, Polar RS800—in that it is shiny, not matte, and it comes with complete bike accessories. I opted for the PTE, well, because it looked irresistibly handsome, and I thought I’ll eventually use it on my bike anyway (when I do get serious with my cycling). I then purchased the Polar S3 sensor (P8,795) for running.
– Everything else that came with the watch –
– Polar S3 Stride sensor –
Although the purchase was quite pricey (that’s why I shut my eyes the entire time and ran my worries away in Ultra right after), I took comfort in the fact (or my rationalization) that, in the long run, choosing a Polar offered better value for money as the watch will be used more often (even when I’m not running) and for a longer period of time.
I’ll be taking my new toy out for a spin tomorrow morning. I’m hoping I made the right decision with the big switch. Goodbye Garmin, Hello Polar!
Click here and here for more info about the Polar RS 800.
POLAR is available at:
Sports Resources Inc.
143 Pasig Blvd.
1600 Pasig City
671-9765/ 671-1563/ 671-9768 to 69
Runnr
Bonifacio High Street
It was an impromptu decision via text. Saturday night, Photographer Ben and I agreed that we would meet up at the Market! Market! Power Mile Run the following day. “Game!,” “Tara!,” “See you there!” With so many exclamation marks, it was evident we were excited about the next day’s race.
Turns out, it was all talk from my end. I woke up at 5:15 am and nonchalantly texted Ben “Sorry, woke up late. Missed the race.” He must’ve been at the starting line already, I thought.
Hubby and I decided to proceed with our run. We arrived at Bonifacio High Street at 7 a.m. and started at 7:20. It took me quite a while to get all geared up for my road test: Polar on the left wrist, Garmin on the right, Polar S3 footpod on the right foot, and heart monitor on the chest.
– How to get a good tricep workout during a run –
We first ran one small loop around BHS, 1.14km according to my 305 and the hubby’s 405, so I calibrated my Polar accordingly. I used to dread calibrating, but it was fairly easy with just a few buttons to push. The Polar’s screen, compared with the Garmin 305’s, was more difficult to read at a glance but it wasn’t a big issue for me. The main problem was my inability to shut down the beeping sound that came every second! Was it a pacer or my heart rate? I had no idea, but I knew I couldn’t bare to run with the annoying sound! My solution: the ipod to shield my ears.
We ran outside of Bonifacio High Street towards the course of the Market! Market! race. It was a surprise to see small groups of Market! Market! runners (or more like walkers, at that time) who were still on their way to the finish. We took the same route behind S&R passing by the Lexus showroom and climbing up through British School. When we hit 5k, we turned around and followed the same way back in hopes of completing a full 10k.
The pace of both the Garmin and Polar were significantly different throughout the run. One reason is that my Garmin reads the average lap pace, not current pace, which was highly recommended in the Garmin forum I browsed through before. (Next run I’ll have it on current pace to compare with Polar.) The Polar gave me what I believed to be accurate pace readings based on my effort. Unfortunately, I failed to put the kilometer readings in the Polar’s screen (again, I couldn’t figure it out!) so I couldn’t compare distances throughout the run.
As for my run, wow, I was feeling awesome. I hadn’t had a run that good in…I don’t even remember anymore. No niggling aches nor pains anywhere in my body. I felt so good I considered doing a 12k instead of the planned 10k.
Shortly after the hubby and I passed our 6km mark, however, the heat got to us; it was excruciatingly hot. I couldn’t imagine how Botak Marathoners survived that kind of heat. By the time we hit Market! Market!, hubby took a detour and ran under the shade of Serendra towards the car. I went ahead, stubbornly resisting the idea of stopping as a strong and pain-free run was such a rare occurrence for me. My goal was to finish just 5 miles, the distance I should’ve run at the Mkt! Mkt! race.
I ended at exactly 7.98k according to Polar, 8.01k according to Garmin. Due to the heat, my face was sunburnt and, despite my shrimp-like appearance, I exclaimed to hubby “This was one of the best runs I’ve had in months!”
We had breakfast at Pancakes where I couldn’t stop raving about my perfect run in between bites of my mushroom omelette. In the middle of the meal, I got a text from Ben. Turns out he had just woken up and overslept as well! So much for the Market! Market! Race.
Congrats to Francis Macatulad for finishing 5th overall and 1st in his age group for the 5 mile race at Market! Market! Power Mile!
