Product Description

Garmin's wireless foot pod lets you track your running speed, distance and calories burned while on the treadmill or pavement. Just snap the foot pod into a clip on your shoe laces, and it is ready to send data to Forerunner as soon as you start moving. Compatible with the Forerunner 305, 405, and 50.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2202 in Consumer Electronics
• Size: One Size
• Color: Mixed
• Brand: Garmin
• Model: 010-10998-00
• Dimensions: 2.50" h x 2.74" w x 3.00" l, 1.16 pounds

Features

• Automatically Turns on when you Start Moving
• Lets you Track your Running Speed
• Tracks Your Running Distance
• Tracks Calories Burned While on the Treadmill or Pavement

Customer Reviews

Works Flawlessly
I have my Foot Pod paired with my Garmin Forerunner 305 and am very satisfied. The Foot Pod has a plastic bracket that fits under my shoe string, while the Foot Pod fits over my shoe string. It can be a little difficult to get the two pieces to click together, but when they do they form a secure arrangement. I followed the instructions in the Forerunner manual and paired the Foot Pod with the Forerunner on the first try. Once this is done it does not have to be repeated since the Forerunner automatically detects the Foot Pod from then on.

The Foot Pod measures my pace in strides per minute and also measures my distance traveled. I am a little disappointed that the Forerunner allows the distance measured by the Foot Pod to over ride the distance measured by the GPS in the Forerunner. I suspect the distance measured by the GPS is more accurate, but I can not find an option to force the GPS distance to be used while the Foot Pod is in use. Walking the same course results is a measured distance of 3.26 miles using the GPS and 3.30 miles using the Foot Pod, which I feel is good agreement. I did not have to follow the calibration instructions to achieve these results.

Overall I have found the Foot Pod a great addition to my exercise equipment, especially when I am inside and out of range of the GPS satelittes.

Does what it's supposed to do
I recently got a Forerunner 405 and love it. I wanted to work on my cadence, and realized I could do that with this product. Quite simply, I put it on my shoe and can see my cadence at all times, just like my heart rate and speed. I've found it to be a great training tool for my running.

I have not tried using this on a treadmill or anything like that. I exclusively use this for cadence, and if you've been wanting to work on that, this is a great way to do it.

Works great
I recently replaced my Forerunner 305 with the 405cx and decided to replace the original version of the footpod (which I have reviewed on Amazon) with this newer model. I am happy with my decision.

Unlike the original version, this model is smaller, lighter (because it uses a "button" battery rather than an AA battery), and much easier to attach and remove from your sneakers.

However, as a practical matter, I leave it on my sneakers even when I run outdoors because I am not confident that the plastic clips that have to be detached to remove this unit will hold up (i.e. not break) under frequent usage, and if they do, then there is no way to attach the footpod to the laceclip that attaches to your sneakers. But this unit is so small and light compared to the original version (which I also ran with outdoors because it was such a pain to remove it since that required almost completely unlacing my sneakers), that I do not notice it.

The only downside to not removing it when running outside is that unlike the older version, which had an on/off switch, the new footpod is motion-activated, so its battery gets used whenever it is in motion. You can tell when it is activated because a red light will initially flash 3 times. When you initially pair it with your Forerunner, just shake it vigorously a couple of times.

This unit works perfectly with both my 405 cx and 50. With the 405cx I used the GPS calibration method, and with the 50 (which has no GPS) I used manual calibration by running a marked distance on a trail in a local park. Before calibration, I was getting inaccurate readings.


There is no battery indicator, so I keep an extra "button" battery (CR 2032) in my gym bag. The battery has already "died" on me once while I was running on the treadmill.

If you keep this unit on your sneakers when you run outside with a Forerunner that has a GPS, Garmin tech support has told me that if both the GPS and the footpod are activated, the GPS signal will override the footpod, though the battery in the footpod will still be used (however, I still disable the footpod when running outside; on the 405cx that is easily done by going into Accessories).

If you are considering purchasing this unit to use with the Forerunner 50 (which I have reviewed on Amazon), then buy it as part of a package. The unit alone costs about the same as such a package for the Forerunner 50.

Once calibrated, this unit works effortlessly and accurately with my Forerunner 405cx to track my distances and pace when I run on the treadmill. There really is no other way to upload this data onto a computer unless you use the footpod when running indoors on a treadmill. (Note for Mac users: I use a software program called Ascent, which is far superior to Garmin Connect and Garmin Training Center).

I am happy with this unit and recommend it. Once you put it onto your sneakers, pair it with your Forerunner, and calibrate it, there is nothing else to do except let it track your data for you.

Update August 21, 2009: I started removing this from my sneakers when I run outdoors and then reattaching it when I run on the treadmill indoors at the gym. The plastic clips are sturdier than I originally thought, though I handle them very carefully.