Fast Running Blog

TOU was awesome!  I felt good the whole race.  Got another BQ. But the rain killed my Garmin!!!  I have had my 305 for over 3 years now but the rainstorm (hailstorm) at TOU finally did it in.  I did the hard and soft resets and I even cleaned the corrosion inside the watch but it was too late.

So I am wondering if there is anybody out there who is about to trade up their 205 or 305 that would be interested in parting with their old watch.  If so I would be very interested to get it off your hands for a reasonable price.  Please send me a PM with the details if you want to sell your watch.  I am also posting this in the Buy/Sell/Trade section of these forums.  Thanks.

Buy a 310XT and never have this problem again (waterproof shell).

That's the plan.  However, I am currently cash constrained so I am looking for an interim solution.  A used 205 or 305 may cover me until I can upgrade to the 310xt.  I was actually thinking of the 610 also but I think the waterproof qualities of the 310xt will sway me that way.  So if anyone has a used one they are willing to sell, let me know.  Thanks.

Yeah, I've owned the 110 and 205.  Both died due to sweat and water leaking into the unit.  This time I spent a big chunk of $ at REI for the 310XT, but REI has the full refund guarantee that I am sure I will use!

This might sound strange, but I've heard that if you put electronic devices in a bag of rice, they will often start working again if they've been exposed to water. It's worked for a lot of people with their cell phones. So that might be worth a try.

Worked with my wife's cell phone after it was thrown into a 4ft deep swimming pool. Give it a shot Jose, your 305 might have another life left in it!

It's in rice right now.  I will check again tomorrow.  Crossing my fingers.

I have the 310XT and it is nice. I had the same thing happen to my 305 at the Saint George Marathon in 2008 during the monsoon! I wish I would have known about the rice trick I might have tried that :) let us know if it works for future referance.

You can also put it in the oven on warm, or up to  200 degrees.  The plastic should be able to handle these temps.  This solution is a bit more extreme than putting it in rice, (especially if the temp. controller in your oven isn't very accurate) but worth a shot if the rice doesn't work.  If you do try the oven, let it pre-heat for a long time, since ovens overshoot the temperature and then dial in the correct value.

Well the rice didn't work and I think it's too late for the oven thing.  I actually opened the Garmin up and one of the connectors to the battery was completely corroded (essentially non-existant).  So, it pains me to say but my Garmin is no more and has indeed given up the Ghost.  Oh well, I bought it refurbished and it lasted me a little over three years, 10 marathons and countless other races, relays, and hikes.  The 305 is a great GPS watch.  I just hope the 310xt is just as good.

Sorry to hear that Jose. I will mourn with you. I love my 305 and have gone through two of them. Best GPS watch I have ever owned. It is truly a sad day when one of them leaves us...  ;D

So my 205 just died as well. I'm the 2nd owner of it. I dropped it off at my local running store and the guy tried to bring it back to life. He was unable to, but said that I could send it in to Garmin and for about $75 they would refurbish it. The owner of the store says the 'refurbished' one will basically be 'like new'. Might want to look into this. In my case I also need a new cord and adapter, so I may buy a new one. Food for thought.

If you are cash-strapped, the solution is to use a $15 watch in combination with the Course Tool or just move near the Provo River Trail which is marked every 330 feet. In fact, I would recommend this solution even if your budget is OK. I am a very strong opponent of the idea that running should ever become an expensive sport, something for the rich or those who do not hesitate to borrow.

Thanks for the info Jeff, I think I will be getting the refurbished one sometime in the next three months (for my B-day or Christmas!).  Actually, the one that died was a refurbished one I bought cheap from eBay and it was true and faithful through thousands of miles for over three years.  So I am a believer in going the refurbished route.

Sasha, I have a actually been using a simple stopwatch (on my wife's Polar HRM) to measure my runs on routes that I know very well up here in Herriman and it has actually been fairly refreshing.  I still miss my Garmin, which allows me to be more spontaneous with my routes, but it has been good not having to worry about my pace every 30 seconds.  I have actually been able to keep up my training and I don't think it has suffered at all.  I totally hear you on your expense comments.  I recently did a triathlon and plan on doing a few others but I have been put off a bit by the total poser attitude that surrounds a lot of that sport.  From the jerseys to the bike shoes everything "triathlon" is ridiculously expensive.  It shouldn't be that way.  But I guess when you have crazy people willing to pay $1,000 for an Ironman registration in Manhattan (and the event sells out in hours) they can charge whatever they want.  Definitely not a sport that anyone can realistically afford.  Seems excessive and unnecessary.