Intro
The Garmin Forerunner 201 is a
top-quality tool for runners and an exceptional value. Runners at
all levels will find this GPS unit provides them with a way of
monitoring their pace and tracking their mileage. Yes, there are
some issues with the Forerunner 201 that runners should know about
and that will be described below, but even with these issues, it is
hard to beat the features included in the Forerunner 201 for the
price. Let's start with the good stuff. This is a long review, but
if you want to skip the detail, you can go to
the summary. [top]
What is it?
The Forerunner 201 is a GPS unit that
can determine where it is on this planet by monitoring signals sent
by GPS satellites. Since it knows where it is and can record where
it has been, it can calculate distance and speed. At its heart, that
is all it is. Fortunately, Garmin layers on a lot of functionality
that runners will find useful.
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What do you get?
When you open the box of your 201 you
will find the GPS unit, measuring 3.25" x 1.75" x 0.7",
the AC recharging cradle and cable, a serial port connector, the
manual and quick start guide, a wrist strap, and an extension to the
Velcro band so you can wear the unit around your upper arm.
The GPS unit may seem large for anyone
who has only ever worn a watch before, but given what it does and
given that it is a self-contained unit, it is pretty small. After a
couple runs, you will get used to its size.
The six buttons (power, mode,
reset/lap, enter/start/stop, down, and up) are located on the bottom
of the the Forerunner. This is fine with one exception: the
reset/lap button really should be someplace obvious, and not buried
in between all the other buttons. This is the button that will get
the most use during a run and it would be nice if it were set on the
right side. But then again, the lap button will not get as much use
on the Forerunner as it does with your watch or heart rate monitor.
After all, you can set the GPS to automatically trigger a lap every
mile, half mile, kilometer, or other distance of your choice, so
there is less need to manually push the lap button since the
Forerunner can do it for you.
The LCD display is nice, large, and
clear and the statistics are quite visible, even in the rain. When
using the 201 you toggle between three primary modes: timer, menu,
navigation. The timer mode is where you spend most your time when
running, the menu mode is where you set things up before your run and
review the stats after your run. And the map mode shows you
breadcrumbs of where you have been. Given the small size of the
Forerunner 201 and the fact that the map provides no reference
points, the navigation feature isn't really all that useful as a
training tool, so this review won't spend much time discussing it.
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How do you use it?
When you get your Forerunner you are
going to want to immediately strap it to your wrist and head out for
a run. Well hold on, because you are going to have to wait a bit.
The first thing you will need to do, after getting it out of the
packaging, is to charge it up. That takes a couple hours the first
time around, so plug the thing in and then sit down and read the
manual. You will find it most convenient to plug it in near your PC
so you can also plug the serial cable into your PC.
Once you charge the Forerunner 201 up,
you are now ready to get a satellite lock. Head outside, preferably
someplace wide open where you have an unobstructed view if the sky.
Now turn on your fully charged Forerunner and relax. The Forerunner
needs to figure out where it is by locking onto at least three
satellites. When you first do this it takes a little while: as much
as 15 minutes. You might be tempted to leave the Forerunner outside
and head inside to hydrate, but don't. The Forerunner is going to
ask you some questions and you are going to want to answer them.
After a couple of minutes of
unsuccessfully trying to detect GPS satellites (and the first time it
tries this it is likely to be unsuccessful), the Forerunner will
wonder if something wrong. First it assumes that it is indoors so it
asks you if it is indoors. Answer no! (If you are indoors, bring
the Forerunner outdoors and then answer no. And don't tell your
friends that you tried to get a satellite lock while indoors.) It
then asks you if it has been moved a couple hundred miles. Answer
yes! Now you can head indoors to hydrate, but leave the Forerunner
outside. Get a couple drinks of
water, put on your running shoes, take one last trip to the bathroom,
and then go and get your Forerunner. It is time to run. From now
on, it will only take a minute or two to get a satellite lock: longer
on cloudy days, quicker on clear days. During this time, when you
first turn on your Forerunner, it also tells you how much battery
life is left. You should get about 15 hours of battery life. That
should be enough so that you only need to charge it once a week.
When you turn on your Forerunner, it defaults
to the Timer Mode. We'll discus that later. Before you first use your
Forerunner 201 you will want to personalize some settings. Here are
the settings you can control with your Forerunner: time format (12 or
24 hour clock), time zone, units of measure (statute or metric), your
profile (weight and typical training paces), display settings
(contrast and back light timing), pace
smoothing, and language (14 different languages, including English).
(Of course, you can always just accept the defaults and go for your
run.) You can also set what elements you want displayed on the
custom screen. The 201 comes with a default timer screen (run time,
current pace, and distance) and lap screen (lap pace, lap time, lap
distance), but you can display three variables of your choice on the
custom screen. You get to pick three variables from the Forerunner's
list of 18 variables...variables that include calories burned,
elevation, grade, # laps, max speed, time of day, and others.
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The Garmin Forerunner 201 is available at:
