Timeless
I’ve run with Garmin GPS watches for 17 years. The Forerunner 205 came out in 2006 and it was one of the first watches that was self-contained – no foot pod needed. Everything was in the watch. I ran with two of these (not sure why I had two since they both still work) for seven years and then I bought a 220 and then three years later a 235, which looked about the same as the 220 but was said to have better satellite connectivity. Both were less gaudy than the 205s and could double as an attractive everyday wristwatch.
In any event, over these 17 years I’ve run about 3,500 days and 350 races and it was a rare day I didn’t use my watch to check pace and distance. In fact, I remember the one race, a 10K, I ran without my Garmin. I had left it at home and felt a bit lost. With my Garmin I’ve felt “at home” in my running — somewhat in control of, or at least aware of, how I was doing. This was especially important in races when I knew, mile-by-mile, if I was holding pace. These watches served as something of a personal coach, who might have been yelling out my pace from the sidelines.
So, it was disconcerting when I was running the New Year’s Eve 5M fun run in Burlington and my 235 blanked out just before mile two. Now, I had had this happen regularly in the past several years with the 220, a result, I suspected, of a declining battery. Even with full charge, the 220 would not last more than five miles in GPS mode. And in the cold, much less. The 235, on the other hand, would hold charge up through a half marathon, even in colder weather, though I usually wore it under my sleeve on colder days. For this particular run, I wore it on top of the sleeve so I could monitor pace. And it pooped out!
Yesterday I called Garmin customer service, hoping to find out how I might replace the batteries in both the 220 and 235. They informed me batteries typically lasted between seven and 10 years and replacing them was not an option, that doing so would break the manufacturer’s seal and render it non-waterproof. What they said was if I returned the watch to them, they would give me a 20% discount on a Forerunner 245, which would have cost $240 with the discount. But I didn’t need a new watch – I just needed the 220 and 235 to hold charge in all weather conditions. “Sorry” was their reply. I said I would send them both watches – would that give me a 40% discount? “Sorry” was the reply to that. So, I searched the Internet, found a 245 for $200 that didn’t involve returning a watch. Meanwhile, I’ll wear the 235 under my sleeve and expect it will hold up fine until the 245 arrives.
Something about this doesn’t seem right. I will now have five Garmin watches, three of which can be used as an everyday watch and all in warm weather for shorter runs. Couldn’t Garmin build their watches such that their technicians could open them up, install a new battery, and ensure a good seal? Had I asked that, I expect “sorry” would have, once again, been their reply.
Every so often I charge up the 205s, I call them my retro watches, and use them for a run. They work pretty well, though they look like a device employed to track someone under house arrest. I’ll probably do the same with the 220 and 235. Maybe by doing this I can extend the life of the 245 beyond 10 years. And maybe by then, Garmin will design their watches so the batteries can be replaced. Is that too much to ask?