Product
Garmin Forerunner 310XT
Promise
An indispensable training tool for multiple sports
Performance
What better way to begin testing this product than the Garmin Downhill Challenge at the BRITS Winter Festival this year?
The high-sensitivity GPS receiver was clocking contestants charging down the steepest pistes in Laax this season, including myself, at a heart-pounding 104kph (64mph) on a snowboard, while the fastest time recorded was by pro rider James Woods at 124kmph.
Initially without a manual to hand, the Forerunner 310XT is fairly intuitive. Simple glove-friendly buttons are what they say they are, with no tricky combinations required other than to lock the device.
Chunky without being intrusive on your sport of choice, the Forerunner is all about setting training goals and beating them. With every second of your journey logged with position, time, distance and speed you can compare and contrast your progress using Garmin Connect, syncing and storing your workout data wirelessly to your computer and even sharing your results with the online community.
There are no maps in the unit itself but your position is easily accessed to correlate with a good old fashioned map grid. The display itself is clear showing you the vital need to know info, time and maximum speed. Of course, once you sync to Garmin Connect the world of maps and graphs are an analyst’s dream, making tracking your goals, viewing your training logs and monitoring your progress simple and effective.
The Forerunner is waterproof to 50 metres and typically has a battery life of 20hrs, making it the ideal candidate for dozens of training sessions wherever and whatever they are. It easily categorises multiple sports in one workout and can even log your transition time so you get a true indication of your performance.
Alerting you with a vibration and/or tone when you start and stop your laps and when you set an alert for lapsed time or distance, you will know exactly when you have covered your required training goals.
It wouldn’t be for the hardcore without a few extra options. The heart rate monitor, bike speed/cadence sensor and even the foot pod (all sold separately) expand your data collection to further enhance your progression and push yourself that bit further in the right areas.
Verdict
Little more intrusive than a bulky wrist watch, Garmin’s Forerunner 310XT is the ultimate answer to upping your training with winning in mind. Even if you’re not a serious athlete, getting an accurate measure of where you are and upping your game with this fun bit of kit is a great motivator.
