This morning I set the alarm on my new Garmin to wake me up at 6 a.m. to go out for a run. That was a little optimistic. I fumbled to turn off the alarm and I guess I ended up hitting snooze because the darn thing went of 2 more times. I guess it really wanted to go running. Although I still have yet to figure out how to turn it off (there was some small writing on the screen telling me what button would be the off and which one was the snooze, but it was too early to pay attention to that), I was happy to have an alarm. It always bothered me that my 305 couldn't do many of the things a $20 Timex Ironman could do. Still the Alarm features are a little lacking; it only offers the options of "once" or "daily." My Ironman could have different alarms for different days, but then again, it didn't know how when the sunrise was (Garmin does...It is one of the Display options).
I went out on a 6 mile run today with the Virtual Partner dialed down to an 8:40 pace. While on the run, I could tell that the initial love blindness was starting to wear off and I started to have a few quibbles with the 405. For one thing, that gee-wiz bezel didn't want to pay attention to my sweaty fingers. It took a few taps before it would change screens near the end of my run when the sweat was pouring down. I also noticed that the map or "bead crumb" trail that was on my 305, was missing from the new 405. While this wasn't something I used everyday it did save me many of time when I left my hotel room for a run, wondering through a town only to need the map to get back. The 405 did retain the "Back to Start" feature (which I didn't use) that will probably accomplish the same thing, just a little less elegantly. 
I also spent a little time annoyed that when used as a watch, that cool Time, Date and Day of the Week view reverts to just the time to save battery. But as my runners high set in and I once again beat my Virtual Partner, I realized these are small annoyances.
I got home and again my workout uploaded without me having to do a thing. Of course I forgot to turn the GPS off again, but that is my problem. I sat down to think about how I was going to configure my training screens. I had spent a lot of time making sure I had just the right items displayed on my 305, in a clear order, and without any frivolous information. I realized that for now, I didn't need to add any new screens. I had already swapped the current pace out for lap pace and the default screens seemed to meet my needs. You see on my 305, a few of the things that I considered essential, are already on the 405. I used to have to use up a precious display just to give me the time so I could find out if I would make it home in time for a conference call. But the 405 is a watch, so I could just tap and hold the bezel to get "Time/Date." I also no longer need to devote a corner to GPS accuracy to let me know why it seems to go wonky. I can just tap and hold GPS, not to mention the 405's GPS seems a little more stable. 
I used to have a whole training screen devoted to the heart rate monitor...Well Garmin has already taken care of that. When the HRM is detected a new screen pops up to help you keep track...I even added the nifty graph for a little eye candy while I run. You see, these Garmin Guys really seemed to have thought this one out. They may have cut a few options, but I think they have made a much more consumer friendly watch in the process.
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