Garmin Forerunner 405

The Garmin Forerunner series of wrist-worn personal trainers is among the most feature filled training units on the market today, combining heart rate monitored capabilities with Garmin's famous GPS technology. The Forerunner 405 has most of the features of the Forerunner 305, along with a few unique ones, in the form of a more attractive sports watch that can be worn even when you are not working out.

Garmin became famous as a manufacturer of GPS receivers and navigation devices, so it stands to reason that the Forerunner series would have a number of unique features taking advantage of their GPS capabilities. Included among these is the incredibly useful Virtual Partner feature, allowing you to observe a runner on the graphical display of the watch, whose pace you will attempt to match. You can easily adjust the pace of the virtual partner by clicking down and dragging on the face of the watch, which doubles as a large, easily reached button.

Using the free Garmin Training Center software, you can easily transfer the data collected by the Forerunner 405 onto your computer. From there, you can either generate graphs of your performance for further analysis, or overlay your route on satellite photos to share with your friends. The unique feature of the Forerunner 405 is that the data transfer takes place wirelessly through an included USB dongle; simply walk within a few meters of your computer, and the data collected from your workout will be downloaded to the computer automatically; no docking cradle necessary.

Using a wireless chest strap, the Forerunner 405 allows you to maximize the benefit of your workouts by setting and maintaining target heart rates. The workout can further be broken down into intervals of lighter work, harder work, and rest, each with their own target heart rates. The Forerunner 405 will alert you every step of the way if you are too far over or under the target rate for that interval.

The Forerunner 405 is also compatible with the Garmin Foot Pad and Cadence Sensor, allowing you to continue tracking your speeds and distances when running or cycling indoors, or when GPS signal is lost. these accessories are not included, and must be purchased separately.

Garmin Forerunner 405 Summary:

• Has most of the features found in the Garmin 305, in a much smaller and more attractive sports watch form factor
• Able to sync data wirelessly with a computer using the included USB dongle
• Virtual Partner software gives a visual representation of how you are performing against a pace that you define
• Can track heart rate across multiple intervals during a workout, for periods of lighter and heavier work
• Internal GPS unit; requires no extra hardware for GPS capability
• Compatible with Garmin Foot Pad (running) or Cadence Sensor (cycling), allowing data to be collected even when GPS signal is lost

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