A Garmin doesn't last forever

My current Garmin

I've posted many pics of my running partner, my Garmin Forerunner 205, which I also refer to as Garmie.
Lately, I've been getting a low battery warning after an hour and a half or so.  So far, she hasn't died during a run.  My longest run was Saturday at 2 hrs and 27 mins.  My runs are going to keep getting longer and then, of course, the marathon is going to require around 4 hours and 30 minutes. My suspicion is that the battery is wearing out.
Tonight was my lucky night, I guess!  I didn't know that a Garmin rep would be at running group tonight!  I got to ask her about my shortening battery life and she confirmed what I was wondering - that it is a sign that the battery is wearing out.  It hasn't even been three years since I got her.  The rep said the average life is 4 years.  I got this one in October, 2010.  My first Garmin, a Forerunner 201, lasted 6 years.

My first Garmin, the 201

The Garmin rep had all the current models with her and I got to try them on and push all the buttons.  The one thing that I really want to be able to do is to change the lap distance like I do when I'm pacing.  99.9% of the time all I want is mile splits.  When I pace, I change it to quarter mile splits.  I would not be able to do that with the Garmin 10 which is too bad because it comes in pink!  I think I am going to go with the Garmin 210; it's so much smaller and thinner than the one I have now.  The buttons are in different places but they are the same buttons that my 205 has so I know what each does; I just have to learn the different placement.  The Garmin model that is the latest version of my current one is the 910XT.  It's just like the one I have now except much thinner.  It's also very expensive.


Soooo, within the next couple weeks or so, I expect to be making an unexpected purchase that I didn't think I'd have to make for at least another year or two. 

Runner Nerd
sad about Garmie

sad sad day

After nearly 6 years of faithful service I am very sad to report that my Garmin Forerunner 201 has quit.  Garmie has been there with me on most of my runs keeping track of the time, distance and mile splits for me.  She hung in there with me for 3 hours 25 minutes on Saturday and I never even got a chance to upload that run to Garmin Connect. 
I am going to miss her.  I don't want a new one; I just want that one.  :(

A very sad Runner Nerd

Garmy is ALIVE!!!!!!

Ok, I really had a scare today!!  After work I went to the park to run, changed my clothes, turned on Garmy, got signal, cleared my last run, started her and off we went running!  When I looked down when I was nearing 2 miles out there was nothing on the screen.  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!   I know that when I ran yesterday there was 7 hours battery left and I only ran 30 minutes.  It was raining but I have worn that thing in the rain many times.  I've run 2 twenty mile runs in rain, one of them it poured the whole entire 3 hrs, 20 mins I was running and it worked fine.  The only thing I could think was that maybe I didn't turn it off yesterday after I ran.  I thought I did.  I remember looking at it and thinking that I didn't even want to look at my splits.  I ran 3 miles yesterday and I was stiff and really never got going very fast.  It took me 30 minutes. I remember taking it off and looking at it and deciding not to look at the mile splits and I thought I turned it off.  I had no idea how long it was on before it went off today. 
I put it on the charger when I got home and it flashed "battery charging in progress" as usual so I was hopeful.  I just checked it and it said "battery charging complete" so I took it off and turned it on and it worked!!!  It was on for .76 mile.  I must not have turned it off yesterday and it must have had a little something in there to turn on for a few minutes today.  I am very happy that Garmy is alive and well!!!!!!  I don't remember when I got it but I've had it for a long time.  It's the 201; the black rectangular shaped style.  
So, now that I got that out of the way- it was chilly but pretty nice during the morning and early afternoon while I was working and I couldn't wait to get out of work and go running.  As soon as I was done and was leaving (2:30) it started raining and it felt colder.  figures.  I had serious thoughts of not going running but I decided to drive over to the park and maybe it would stop raining but it didn't.  I changed my clothes and took off.  I'm glad I ran, I really am but I can't say it was fun.  There were a lot of ducks out today, they were out of the water on the trail (paved trail).  They were making a lot of noise too so I am assuming that the girl ducks have laid their eggs.  (I don't really know that but the way they started making a lot of noise as I would approach makes me think that.)  They were being very brave today and not moving of to the side of the pavement.  So, the ducks added some entertainment and made it bearable!  I was close enough to them today to see that the water beads up on their feathers.  I saw several other runners out there too and that always motivates me.  I like seeing others doing the same thing.  I wasn't the only nutty person out in the rain getting soaked!  I was soaked when I finished.  It wasn't a hard or pouring rain, just a light steady rain.  Maybe I felt more soaked than I was because it was chilly and the rain drops were cold.  I don't know.  I am glad that I grabbed some dry clothes this morning and put them in my backpack.  I got in the car, turned it on and the heat on high and got in the back seat and changed into my dry clothes.  It felt so good but I was still freezing. 
As I was walking back in the parking lot from the trail a car was pulling in to park right next to mine. The whole entire parking lot had very few cars in it and mine was the only one on the entire side I was parked on but this dude pulls right up next to me.  I figured he was going to go for a walk or something.  NO.  He gets out and begins doing something with his windshield wipers.  So, I am standing in my open door and he is behind me fiddling with the wiper and I start the car and then proceed to climb in the back door and change my clothes (yes, everything!)  The back windows are tinted but he probably could have looked in through the front window.  I don't think he did, he was really busy with those wipers.  He was still fiddling with them when I climbed into the front seat!  I have no clue if he was aware that there was a woman stripping in the car right next to where he was standing!  (I'm convinced that tinted windows were invented for changing clothes in the car!)
I was cold all the way home even though I had the heat on.  My HOT shower felt sooooo good! 

Well, I am tired.  My brain has had enough school work for tonight.  I have lots more of it to do tomorrow.

Runner Nerd
happy that Garmy is alive