You know you want it.<br><br>
The 205 doesn't have a heart rate monitor. That's what I have. If heart rate training is not important to you, you can save, what, $50 or so.<br><br>
If you like HRT or want to be able to have the device monitor your cadence on a bike, the 305 is the way to go.<br><br>
Some people don't find the pace function useful. I do. I mostly like how it will record distance so that I don't have to be super picky about measuring my routes.<br><br>
The Garmin will reveal that you do not run perfect tangents during races. This is a good thing.<br><br>
The Garmin is a miracle, but not perfect. It will not measure distance perfectly, but I think it's pretty good. In my experience, its readings are consistent. Your "mileage" may vary. I think the improved antenna in the 205/305 models should help.<br><br>
The forerunner will let you send data to Motionbased. This to me is a "nice to have." Other folks get upset because it calculates distances slightly differently from the GPS data than the watch does. This does not trouble me in the slightest, but you should be aware of it. If I wanted to be a surveyor, Garmin and other suppliers have other fine products that are better suited to that task.<br><br>
I had a 201 (the first model out) for many years. I loved it. You should probably buy a new 205/305. If you can find a 201/301 "new in box" you might get to play at a discount.<br><br>
It's a good toy. You will no doubt enjoy it. Give in.<br><br>
Cheers,<br>
Billy