Our Score: 5 out of 5

Price: £199.99

Review by therunninged

PROS

1. Very easy to use, ideal for technophobes.
2. Excellent options for doing intervals.
3. Good size and packed with functions.

CONS

1. Sometimes connecting to computer is temperamental.
2. Be nice if it came in more colours.
3. Menu navigation menus if you go wrong you have to start again!

DETAILS & FEATURES

• This GPS-enabled running sports-watch accurately records how far, how fast and how hard you work.
• Upload to Garmin Connect, the website with free data analysis and sharing from your PC or Mac, then see the route you travelled on a map, view a summary of your workout data, create goals and more.
• For runners who want more training capabilities, Forerunner 210 lets you create customised interval sessions and see your pace for each one.
• If you’re using 210 with the footpod* you can work out your cadence, or steps per minute, when you upload your data to Garmin Connect. The footpod uses advanced accelerometer technology, and collects and sends precise data about your movements, cadence (steps per minute), gathering distance and speed data that is 98 percent accurate for most users.
• It also works with certain indoor fitness equipment so you can track and store data from a treadmill run or indoor cycling workout.
• A soft strap heart rate monitor tracks and displays heart rate in beats per minute. It has five heart rate zones, and you can customise to your exact zones. You can also set up heart rate alerts to notify you when you are above or below your targets.
• Forerunner 210 provides heart rate-based calorie computation so you can more accurately track calories burned.
• HotFix satellite prediction means it locks onto satellites quickly. It also has a high-sensitivity GPS receiver to stay locked onto satellites, even near tall buildings or under tree cover.
• Available in black or dark grey with teal.
• Included with some models, sold separately on others.

User Review by Julia Armstrong

The Forerunner 210 is classified as suitable for Intermediate runners by Garmin and is one of nine Forerunners currently on the market. I’ve had this watch almost two years and find it hard to find fault with it. It’s such an essential part of my running routine and schedule, I cannot imagine training without it.

If you just want the basics, you’ve got the basics, and it’s so easy to use. As Garmin says: ‘it’s a GPS-enabled running sports-watch accurately records how far, how fast and how hard you work.’

Garmin Connect, the website with free data analysis and sharing is an excellent resource. I print out speed sessions and compare them over training blocks to see how I’ve improved. I also love to analyse race data, and see where I went well – and where things went wrong.

The customised interval sessions are fantastic. You can set sessions for time, distance and adjust the recovery you need. The bleep is clearly audible even on a windy seafront, and it’s reassuring to know you don’t need a track for distance, and the recovery you set will be correct (no issue about trying to include the seconds for restarting a stop watch).

As I train only outdoors I didn’t test with the footpod but it’s great for gym users to have the option to measure progress on the treadmill as well as outdoors.

The heart rate monitor is comfortable to wear and for anyone serious about training, or for those who need to be aware how the ticker is responding, it’s vital. And it’s so useful to have both pace and heart rate measured. See our article on heart rate monitoring for more on how to get the most out of it.

Garmin is the best of all the models I’ve tested when it comes to fixing onto satellites and as the technology has improved over the years, locking on gets easier. There’s still some standing around waiting for lock-on, but it’s very short and not a major issue.

My biggest gripe with both the 110 and 210 has been the sometimes hit and miss link up between the computer and the Garmin. A bit of fiddling with the clasp and watch and you get it. But I hope they can improve on this, and that’s why I’ve scored 4.5 instead of six out of five!

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