Garmin Forerunner® 310XT questions-

First, it is very easy to setup. Read the manual once and you will get it...

And you can "race" against previous sessions, or a predetermined pace.

Regarding Power, this watch is ANT+ enabled which means that you can communicate with other ANT+ devices, such as PowerTap or SRM, but it does not measure power on its own, only receiving power data from other devices. The combination PowerTap 310XT is the one I'm actually looking at right now (have a PowerTap already...)

I don't know how the mount works, but I would think that it's very similar to that of the Forerunner 305, and that works ok with any bike as long as you can mount it on the handlebars (or base bar for a tri bike), otherwise you will either need to deal with having it 90deg. or getting somethink like the Profile Design universal computer mount.

http://www.trisports.com/computermount.html

I received mine on Friday and have been playing with it a ton. I used it on the road for a ride, didn't have it set up for riding, but it was fun to beat my virtual partner on something! lol... I then took it kayaking with me and had a blast knowing how far I really went. On Sunday I took it out again for kayaking and swimming, it held up really well under all the climbing in and out of the kayak, rolling, and fun play. On my swim for some stupid reason I took it off and left it in the kayak, I should have given it to my friend so I would know the distance I swam.

Today I figured out how to customize my hr zones and programed them. I'm so excited because I didn't know you could do that. I was bummed researching it because it said that you use the max and min for heart rate training, BUT you can customize it... YAY!!!

I am off for a run, I hope it keeps a better hr than my edge 705. That never picked my hr up.

I have one on order and will write back when I get it.  One thing I did hear is beware because it is quite large on the wrist.  Someone with a small wrist or hand will be intimidated by it's size.

Well I used it on a run and it worked perfect. HR was on perfectly. The Garmin Connect is a fascinating tool. Its a free way to log workouts and to set goals. BT paid customers can upload info. I wish the free ones could.

Its a keeper. Today I am going out for a swim. I plan to try varying ways to see the distance I swim.

If you wear it on your wrist during the swim, it will record neither distance nor heart rate, because it's unable to receive a signal from the GPS satellites or the chest strap. At least that's what Garmin themselves say.

I was thinking have it on my back around my swim suit cross? Some one also said to try it under the cap, that seems like it may be uncomfortable.  Swimming at 9 cst.

I've worn my 301 under the cap many many times.  You don't even notice it's there...it's like having a big lump of hair in your swim cap.  I'd put it in a zippy first.  And turn it on before you put it in the cap...very difficult to figure out which button to push if it's already under your cap.

With the watch on my back it clocks me swimming 2.5 miles, I can not physically swim 2.5 miles in 50 min. Its also funny to see the swimming lines it draws on the map. My swimming is not in a straight line however I don't swim that crazy crooked either.

I'll try putting it in the swim cap as well, however I am a little nervous about that due to it not being secure and my swim cap likes to inch up while swimming.

Does it have a multisport like the 305? To record Transitions?

What's the point of the 310XT for swimming if it does not report HRM or Distance?

since GPS doesn't work under water.... my guess is it was an answer to all the complaints that the 305 was only IP67 rated. I suppose it will at least record your time for the swim?


Who's used the 310 with a powertap? This is the only really useful upgrade I see over the 305, wondering how easy the setup/communication is, and will it read speed and cadence from the hub or do you need the add-ons for that?

Yes.

Swimming with the Forerunner:

http://dcrainmaker.blogspot.com/2007/09/how-to-swim-with-your-garmin-forerunner.html 

Believe it or not, it's not uncomfortable and it actually works.  Noone has actually ever noticed or mentioned that I have mine under my swim caps at races either.

You just have to make sure you hit the right key (lap) to switch between transitions.  I hit the Start/Stop button while it was under my cap one time and messed up my timing.  Once you get it, you get it, though.

Good luck! 

You are correct about the heart rate and the watch is not perfect on the gps signal while swiming but it works very well all things considered.  I used while both open water and lap swimming.  It worked well and i was very pleased.

Overall i would highly recommend this watch.  It is far more than a waterproof 305.  it is an upgrade in all aspects and I am glad I purchased it. 

Today I figured out how to customize my hr zones and programed them. I'm so excited because I didn't know you could do that. I was bummed researching it because it said that you use the max and min for heart rate training, BUT you can customize it... YAY!!!

Finally got mine this week!  Only problem I am having is it wont let me program max heart rate any higher than 199 - won't accept a 2 for first digit.  My max is 223 (yes, that seems high but I've had LT testing done twice).  Didn't have this problem with the 305.  Any suggestions?

How does one determine maxHR through LT testing? Why not just use your LTHR to define your training zones?

I'll second what bear said...if you use your LTHR to define your zones you can then (at least on my 301 and I'm hoping on my 310) you can input "custom zones"....

Sorry typing on my part.   I had zones customized in my 305.  For whatever reason, I haven't been able to get them in on the 310, although it is supposed to allow for that (and vibrate instead of beep)  Will try again tonight.

I programmed mine in there today...so, it works!

And that vibrate thing is WEIRD...my arm vibrates every time I hit the lap button!

jldicarlo obviously just used her Garmin 310XT for the first time.

Waterproof

I was excited to get my 310xt but have been having major problems.

Swimming:
Yep it does not record anything but time for your swim. So the ads showing a guy leaving the water and running and the watch recording everything are false. I have a $20 waterproof watch from Kmart that will give me my time also.

Running and biking it does a decent job of recording your basic workouts. The heartrate monitor records well but the cadence sensor is a little sensitive. It has to be really close tot eh magnets on the pedals and the wheels or it loses a signal.

Where this thing really falls apart is when you use it for more than standard training. Which is what GARMIN touts it is great at, not so.

The interval setting is a waste. on both teh run and the bike all it will show you is the interval # you are on and teh distance travelled in a count down fashion.  It does not show your pace for running or speed and cadence for biking. How are you supposed to know if you are at your proper threshold?

Also, downloads to the computer are very iffy. I have lost as much data as I have captured. Soemhow the watch either won't send certain sessions or just loses or erases them.

GArmin support has been of no help trying to recover this data or explain the interval display issues. In short I wuould wait until they iron out the many bugs this watch has.

I dont think I could disagree more with these comments. I have found the watch to be very useful and not even close to as difficult as you seem to have found it to be. My watch does work ok in the water, but you need to be swimming freestyle for it to work. The training set ups work well if you program them thru the software. You are correct the software is a bit iffy but it works for what you need. I love the fact that you can go long with this watch and get good data from it.I had the 305 and loved it. I was worried that the 310 would be nothing more than a waterproof 305. I was incorrect, it is much more. I am glad I purchased it.

I love my 310XT!

I've been using BT's training log for a while, and was hoping that if I get this, I can download the garmin data directly. Has anyone done this? I would love to see what the data looks like. This is a big reason why I would want to get one of these watches.

Been doing it since the site made it possible, first with my 301 and now with my 305. Check today's training log for HR and lap info from my 8.25-mile run. You can also upload routes from the Garmin devices into the route planner.