Unboxing and Initial Setup
In this video, we will take a look at the Garmin Forerunner 10. The unboxing is simple, you have manuals, cable & watch in the box.
Step 1. Charge the forerunner completely before you start the setup. It will take about 90 min for the battery to be fully charged. You should have enough battery life to use as a watch for up to 5 weeks or after 10 x 30 minute activities. Used continuously, the battery will last up to 5 hours.
Once charged, remove from the charger and do the setup process, choose your language, units, clock and you are done.
You are ready to go outside and go on your first run with the device.
How To Update Firmware
In this video we will look at how to update the firmware on the Garmin Forerunner 10. Firmware corrects any bugs or other issues with the device.
First step is to connect the device to your computer using the USB cable, you will see a new drive on your desktop labeled “garmin”.
Next step is to open Garmin Webupdater, this is a free application that you download from the garmin.com website. It will automatically detect the device and indicate if there is a new firmware available.
Click on the update button and follow the prompts, it will take a minute to download & transfer the update to the device. Unplug the device and let it restart. You should see a message on the device indicating that the update is being applied.
Once done, you can confirm the firmware version by going into SETTINGS | ABOUT
Your First Run
In this video, we will go out for our first run with our Garmin Forerunner 10. Once you get outside, press the START/STOP button. You will see “getting location”, depending on GPS reception this might take a minute.
Once your position has been acquired,the display will be ready for you to start or cancel.
PRESS START?STOP to begin your activity. If you need to stop during your, say at a stop light or crosswalk, you can hit START/STOP. This will give you the choice to RESUME SAVE or DISCARD.
If you save your activity, it will save it and determine your personal record if applicable. The forerunner 10 can only store 7 activities. If you upload to Garmin Connect, you want to get into the habit to upload weekly.
Run Walk Interval Timer
In this video, we show how to use the Run / Walk interval timers on the Garmin Forerunner 10.
First step is to hit the SETTINGS button and go into RUN OPTIONS | RUN WALK | TURN ON. If this is the first time setting this up, you will have to set up the specific timers such as 10 min for run interval and 1 min for the walk interval.
Once done, simply return to the main screen and hit the START / STOP to begin your run. From this point the device will work just like a normal run if you want to stop, save or discard.
You can return to the RUN OPTIONS to turn off or edit the alerts. Otherwise the next time you run, it will display the run / walk intervals before starting.
How To Use Virtual Pacer
In this video we’ll look at the virtual pacer feature on the garmin forerunner 10. This is a handy tool when you are running by yourself and want to have some feedback whether or not you are ahead or behind a specific pace.
To turn on this feature, enter the RUN OPTIONS | VIRTUAL PACER | TURN ON.
The first time entering this, you will need to specify the pace, once done the next time you go for a run you will see a new screen that simply highlights if you are AHEAD or BEHIND pace. You will also see how many seconds the difference is.
To turn off, simply return to the to the same location in the menu and select TURN OFF.
Auto Laps
In this video, we’ll look at the Auto Lap feature on the Garmin Forerunner 10. You can set lap automatically or manually. This is a useful tool when looking at your performance during your activity.
First, we need to get to the RUN OPTIONS | LAPS | AUTO LAP
Depending on the units you select, you will either have the auto lap at every mile or kilometre.
The LAP KEY allows you to use the BACK button when you want to manually mark a lap.
To turn off, simply return to the menu location and TURN OFF.
Auto Pause
In this video, we’ll look at the auto-pause feature. This is useful when you have a lot of obstacles along your route such as lights, crosswalks or anything else that will make you stop during your run. The benefit is that the timer will pause once you stop moving and resume once you start running.
You’ll need to actually be moving so that the GPS can figure out your position. Expect about 20 feet or so for the timer to resume.
History and Personal Records
In this video we will look at our run history & personal records.
The garmin forerunner 10 only has enough memory for 7 activities, so it’s a good idea to upload your data to garmin connect. Hit SETTINGS | HISTORY | RUNS
Hit SETTINGS to toggle between the summary and lap information. You can delete the activity by hitting ENTER and selecting to Discard the activity or not.
Data Fields
In this video we’ll show you how to customized your data fields and training pages on the garmin forerunner 10.
We only have 4 data fields: time, distance, pace & calories. So we really don’t have much flexibility, so our only choice is to choose a number of combination of data fields and set the 2 training pages.
Hit SETTINGS | RUN OPTIONS | DATA FIELDS
How To Reset
In this video, we will look at how to reset your garmin forerunner 10. This will erase all data and restore your device to the factory defaults.
If your device is frozen, hold the ON button for 15 seconds and release.
But to do the factory default reset, turn your device OFF.
1. HOLD down BOTH ENTER & SETTINGS button
2. PRESS & HOLD the ON button
3. Release the ENTER button once you hear the first BEEP
4. Release the SETTINGS button once you hear the second BEEP.
If all goes well you should see the initial setup screens (units, time, language).
Forerunner 10 / Forerunner 610 Compare
We will do a quick compare review of the forerunner 10 vs forerunner 610.
SIZE- the forerunner 10 has 2 sizes, the green/white is a tad smaller than the black version. Thickness is pretty much the same, but the forerunner 10 is lighter than the 610. So as an everyday watch the forerunner 10 can be worn better than the 610.
BATTERY LIFE- as a watch the forerunner 10 will last up to 5 weeks (so says the manual) and you might squeeze maybe two weeks of activities (6-8 runs) but I think both as comparable when using it regularly for running. You still need to charge it weekly as a habit.
ACCURACY – Surprisingly, the forerunner 10 isn’t bad. I had both watches on my wrist while running for a week and the forerunner 10 was displaying about 10-20m less than the forerunner 610. Satellite acquisition is pretty similar, but the forerunner 10 might be a bit faster in certain situation.
DISPLAY – Forerunner 10 has limited data fields, only 4 of them really. So you don’t have a lot of options while the forerunner 610 can be customized and auto scroll, etc… The backlight on the forerunner 10 is not as good and doesn’t have any of the timeout & alert options you will find on the forerunner 610.
HISTORY – Forerunner 10 is limited to 7 activities, while the forerunner 610 can store a number of months on the device. So you have to make it a habit to upload to garmin connect using the forerunner 10
BOTTOM LINE – Forerunner 10 is for people who want to do 10 & 1 interval workouts and doesn’t want any features, this is the one for you.
Forerunner 610 is for people who want to create custom workouts, Heart Rate training and more.