Ode to My Garmin F305

A big THANK YOU to my Garmin Forerunner 305. Thank you for keeping me informed. Thank you for keeping me entertained. And most of all thank you for keeping me motivated.

After 20,000+ miles of Mtn Bike rides and countless miles hiking, SUP’ing, Wake Boarding and Wake Surfing and even tracking our miles on a houseboat on Lake Roosevelt my Garmin Forerunner 305 finally died.

We've been to a lot of places and done a lot of things. Surfing, Mtn. Biking, Wake Boarding, Hiking, Touring, Wake Surfing, Running, Walking and probably a few things I've forgotten.

We've been together for going on 10 years. Lots of hard impacts, G-shocks and jumping off cliffs and into cold and hot water. My Garmin took it all in and let me know where I’d been … and how high my heart rate went when the going got intense.

It’s been a great ride, and run, and swim, and surf, and SUP, and so much more.

My Garmin has been to a lot of places …

• South Africa - Riding the Witwatersrand with Rudolf
• The Big Island, Hawaii --- running along where the Ironman happened (it's a pre-run for something on my Bucket List)
• Barcelona, Spain – to train for the Seattle Half-Marathon
• New York City - Running in Central Park (one of my favorite places to run)
• Washington, DC - Running, walking, touring the Smithsonian and The Mall
• Lake Roosevelt - Wake Boarding and Wake Surfing, House boating and S’more making
• Lake Sammamish - Stand Up Paddle boarding and wake surfing
• Lake Washington - water skiing, jet skiing, boating and swimming
• Florida – Miami, Orlando, Clearwater, Tampa and to Key West too
• Texas - SUP'ing with the SUPATX guys (notably Jeff Berres) on Lady Bird Lake in Austin (aka Town Lake)
• Boston - Running along the Charles … past MIT, Harvard and Fenway
• Mt. Batchelor – Skiing and Snowboarding
• Toronto - over several trips I’ve covered a few miles on land and a few miles on the water too.
• Palo Alto - Running thru the suburban streets (with me going very slowing with Adriaan … who runs VERY fast) as we prepared to meet with SAP.
• Cannon Beach - Kite boarding on 4th of July weekend

My Open Offer to Garmin

I will Run, Swim, Paddle, Ride and Surf test for YOU!

If anyone at Garmin is reading this or anyone that works with Garmin sees this … please feel free to drop me a note and a device you'd like me to test. I’ll be happy to run, swim, ride and generally put it through its paces. I’ll report back just to you or to a broad audience. You decide.

My preference would be for a Garmin Forerunner 310XT

• Why this blatant request?
  • I want to continue doing multiple sports and have a heart rate monitor too.
  • My Garmin Forerunner 305 was great and worked well for many years.
  • The 310XT seems to be the closest replacement.
  • However, I’m open to try other Garmin devices … perhaps sport specific devices.
  • You send ‘em I’ll test ‘em.

Thanks again to my trusty Garmin F305. You made a lot of rides, runs and swims a lot more interesting.

This is how I’ll remember my old Garmin Forerunner 305. Dusty and ready for a ride.

 

Garmin --- contact me here: jeff_shuey@hotmail.com or via any social media channels below. Thanks in advance for anything you can do. Oh, if you want my old one back to see what happens after thousands of miles of use … let me know.

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Remember --- Ride Hard, Ride the Hazards, Have Fun!

Open Offer to You

If you are interested in riding let me know. I’ve made this offer before and YES a few people have taken me up on it. If you live in the Seattle area or are visiting and want to get out for a Mountain Bike ride – ping me. I ride every chance I get – rain, sun, or snow.

See Tweet-A-Ride, Run or Swim and Why I like living and riding in the PNW for more details.