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Product Description: Fat or fit - this is for you! Whether you are a triathlete in training or just want to see tangible results, the Forerunner 301 sets the pace with innovative features: Easy to use ? no calibration required. Just turn it on and go Customize your Forerunner 301 to get the most out of your training - Auto Pause pauses and resumes training timer based on a specified speed so you never have to start or stop the timer / Auto Lap records lap data when you reach a specified distance so you never have to punch the lap button / AutoLearn feature learns user's heart rate zones, adjusting them as fitness levels improve / Virtual Partner lets you train against a specified time, distance or pace goals / AutoScroll cycles through data pages during a workout Included Training Center software lets you create custom workouts with templates from the experts at TrainingPeaks.com. The software also allows you to store and analyze data using interactive graphs that chart your speed, elevation, pace or heart rate data. Your course is overlaid on a map so you can pinpoint specific areas and see how elevation and other factors affect your performance. Garmin has also formed a partnership with MotionBased.com to provide Forerunner 301 users with unique internet-based performance analysis and mapping tools for GPS and heart-rate information Display - 1.44? x 0.92? (W x H); 100 x 64 pixels on FSTN display with LCD backlighting / Physical size - 3.3? x 1.7? x 0.7? (W x H x D). Battery Life - Up to 14 hours (typical use); rechargeable lithium ion. Waterproof - IEC 60529 IPX7 standards (submersible in one meter of water for up to 30 mins.) 5000 lap memory (up to 2 years worth of lap data) organized into days or weeks. Heart rate, pace, time distance, interval workout & advanced custom workout alertsAmazon.com Product Description: The Garmin Forerunner 301 is the next exciting addition to the Forerunner lineup. Take your workouts to the next level with all the great GPS features found in the Forerunner 201, plus the added capability of a continuous heart rate monitor. Knowing your heart rate while exercising lets you measure your exercise intensity and performance, giving you a powerful training tool. The Forerunner 301 training profiles can be customized for running, cycling, and other sports. For those interested in losing weight, improving fitness, reaching peak athletic performance, or just improving health to reduce heart-related problems, the Forerunner 301 delivers. 
The Forerunner 301 offers a wide variety of training features that can help you train at any level you choose. | 
Included Training Center software allows you to store and analyze data using interactive graphs. View larger. | The easy-to-use, two-piece system consists of the wrist unit and a digital heart rate transmitter that you wear around your chest. The transmitter is coded that so there is no interference from other heart rate monitor users nearby. The 301 unit continuously monitors heart rate, speed, distance, pace, and calories burned. A heart rate zone chart, included with the manual, helps you target specific heart rate zones for optimal training. The unit's built-in alerts help you maintain those heart rate zones. For those who don't want to fuss with the charts, there's an AutoLearn feature that allows the unit to learn your maximum heart rate and set zones accordingly. Pace, time, distance, interval workout, and advanced custom workout alerts are also included. Meanwhile, the AutoPause feature pauses and resumes the training timer based on a specified speed. Finally, the AutoLap feature records lap data when you reach a specified distance. Don't worry about running out of room for your lap data; the unit boasts a 5,000-lap memory. Like the Forerunner 201, the 301 also doubles as a basic navigator. You can mark your starting point as a specific location, see your current position on the plotter display, and follow an electronic breadcrumb trail back to your starting point. The built-in GPS receiver provides highly accurate data, and there's no calibration required. Just turn it on and go. The unit's USB data port means that connecting the unit to your computer is easier than ever. The USB connection offers fast and reliable data transmission to any USB-equipped PC. And because analyzing workout data is an important tool in reaching one's fitness goals, the 301 comes with Garmin Training Center software, which allows you to download workout data to your PC for detailed analysis. View data for each workout, including your heart rate, time, distance, speed, path traveled, and altitude. You can also track data for multiple sports and multiple users, and you can overlay workout data onto a map. The unit is compatible with MotionBased and TrainingPeaks, which are popular third-party training software packages. With up to 14 hours of battery life, the 301's rechargeable lithium-ion battery is designed for extended use. It's also rugged and waterproof for up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. The unit ships with a 1-year warranty. 
Get heart rate and other vital data at a glance. | 
Customize your workouts with programmable intervals. | 
Set up exercise profiles for different types of sports. | 
A built in Virtual partner runs alongside you, graphically displaying your goal pace/speed. |
What's in the Box
The Forerunner 301 wrist unit, the digital coded heart rate monitor, the Training Center CD-ROM, an expandable wristband, an A/C charger, a PC/USB interface cable, an owner's manual, and a quick start guide.
Garmin Forerunner 301 Wrist-Mounted GPS Fitness Computer with Heart Rate Monitor Features:
- Product Type - GPS
- -Training data---Can display training time, pace, distance, lap pace, lap time, lap distance, average and best pace, elevation and calories
- -Lap History---Automatically records up to 5000 laps by day or week stores approximately two years of data. Download histories to your PC using associated software (201 and 301)
- Training assistant
- -AutoPause---Automatically pauses the training timer when you slow down below a specified resting pace, timer resumes when you start running again
Customer Reviews:
- It's great, when it works. And if it works, it's great. But when it doesn't it's not so great: I own two of these and have used them for over two years constantly. I have a real love-hate relationship with the 301. I love it when it's working properly which is most of the time. But just when I least expect it, it goes haywire. It shows my heart rate jumping up to 200 beats a minute for a few seconds. That's just enough time to throw off any average heart rate calculation I was trying to save. And the Garmin Training Center software that comes with the unit has no editing capability so there is no way to go in and fix those spikes.
When working indoors at the gym,if I walk too close to the vending machines or the electrical service panel, the whole unit has a brain freeze and wipes out all the data for that particular session, even though the display fakes me out by continuing to act like it's working. But when I get home and plug it in to use the Training Center software, the display graph gives me a dead man's flat line all the way across. The whole point of wearing this thing is to record my heart rate and other data to use later for comparisons.
Also it is a common gripe among owners that the altitude recording function is consistently screwy. I can leave my house at one elevation, go for a long run, come home, and find that according to my Garmin 301 my house has either dropped 50 ft in altitude, or gained 50 or more ft. Also, I bought the Google Earth upgrade to overlay the Garmin GPS data on their maps and while it is fairly accurate, it sometimes wildly goes off course on the map even though I was going on a straight route.
But all these things aside, it's still useful to my daily and weekly training and I put up with the quirky things it does and just move on.
Tip: Sometimes the heart rate receiver in the unit will lose the signal from the chest strap for no apparent reason. You'll see the whole screen go blank or just freeze up. Be prepared. Be sure to read your manual in advance and know how to re-set the HR monitor to find your chest strap's signal. It can save you a lot of cussing when you get home and find you've lost all your HR data.
Last thing: Customer Service at Garmin. They ... uh, ... how can I put this delicately? They suck.
Should you upgrade to the 305? I hear the 305 has the same guts as the 301 with a few added bells and whistles and guess what? People are complaining about the same problems they are having with the 301s. So until Garmin decides to really change the guts and the software of their Forerunners, you might as well get the 301. - Unreliable - Buy something else: This unit seemed to work OK for 6 months, then became very unreliable.
When resetting the data the distance would inexplicably jump ahead, thus rendering all data inaccurate. Customer support was not helpful, so I would recommend trying another brand and model.
- Very frustrated with the heart rate monitor: I bought this unit two or three years ago and until recently used it very little. I had to take a break from running for a while. In any case, I think the GPS is very good. I previously had a Timex GPS (with the separate unit on the upper arm). The Garmin is more compact, loses signal less frequently and acquires the signal quicker. I love the ability to program workouts. I also like Garmin's software that tracks workout and even maps the routes you've run.
However, the heart rate monitor is causing me no end of frustration. I have tried changing batteries, using different liquids on the elctrodes, repositioning the strap, etc... But, nothing makes for a consistent signal. This really adversely impacts my enjoyment of the unit. My bottom of line Polar heart monitor works much, much better in this respect. - great product: Product works great!.
Pros;
Respectable GPS signal, easy interface, good interactive training programs,
motionbased website tracks your activity.
Cons:
Weak GPS signal in wooded areas, large bezel.
Makes running more enjoyable.
If your mission based and like to track your work. Get this! - Great GPS Watch!: The Garmin Forerunner 301 is a great product! I've used it about 1 dozen times since getting it as a Christmas present (picked it out myself!) It tracks speed, distance, heart rate, elevation, grade, time & maps your route out. It's fun to plug it into the laptop after a workout & see lap times, averages, elevation changes (up & down around 200 feet in Northwest Austin), fastest speed, etc. I hit 19.6 mph in a short sprint the other day! Not bad for a 41 y.o.
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