Forerunner 405: Perfect for Mother's Day - or Win One for Yourself

With its release at the Boston Marathon and arrival at running stores, the Forerunner 405 has raced to the top of wish lists everywhere. And today only (May 7), you can win a free Forerunner 405 from Women's Health magazine. Click here for details and to enter the Women's Health contest.

And with Mother's Day coming up this weekend, Shape magazine says the Forerunner 405 is the perfect gift for active moms. "Speedy moms who still sign up for marathons, races or triathlons, one after the next, can better track their mileage, times and trails with the Garmin Forerunner 405," explains Shape's gift guide. "Near buildings or under trees, no matter where she strides, this gadget will track your mom's distance, elevation, calories burned, pace, and more." Click here for Shape's complete Mothers Day Gift Guide.

Fred, the GPS guru at about.com, just posted his review of the Forerunner 405: "With the 405, Garmin has crammed all the sophisticated GPS technology you need into a reasonably slim and compact sports watch."

He also appreciates the convenience of Garmin Connect and wireless data transfer.

"When you're back home," Fred writes, "simply bring your Forerunner 405 within nine feet of your computer, and it will automatically and wirelessly transfer your workout data to your PC and upload it to Garmin Connect, where you can analyze and archive your runs. This is a great convenience and an excellent way to keep a detailed training log without writing a thing."

And adding to the excitement over the Forerunner 405, its popular predecessor - Forerunner 305 - is being praised on personal blogs for its powerful features.

"Nurse Jenn" declares: "I think that this is the day that will change the trajectory of my training forevermore .... the day that I received my very own Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS!!!" Jenn was impressed at the Forerunner's ease of use and accuracy. "When you get home you can download your run and see it on a map and it is incredibly accurate, even showing the spot where you went back into the middle of the street to avoid a particularly nasty looking dog for example."

At EnduranceBuzz.com, David is jazzed about his new purchase: "A running buddy of mine and his wife have used the 205 for probably over a year now and have been completely satisfied. They are both marathoners so they have put their units (they each have one) through the miles and now say they would not be without them. That coming from anti-running-gadget runners. With recommendations like this, my usual hours of research before a purchase were nearly eliminated."

David does a lot of heart-rate training, so he chose the 305 for its heart-rate monitor. His first impressions? "Being able to observe my pace and distance virtually real-time for the 5.50 mile run was extremely nice. Once I customize the display a bit, I have a feeling my appreciation for this unit will only increase."