I raced!!

25h Annual FLORIDA CHALLENGE TRIATHLON
SUPER SPRINT: 200 yard Swim - 8 mile Bike - 2 mile Run
Saturday, September 26, 2009 - Clermont, Florida USA
>>> Produced by SOMMER SPORTS <<<

With a time of 45:15.68 I was 5th of 49 men and 85 finishers. There weren't age groups, but I would of been 2nd.

Finish Swim Swim Trn1 Trans Bike Bike Bike Cum Cum Trn2 Trans Run Run Pace
Time Plc Time Plc #1 Plc Time Rate Plc Time Plc #2 Plc Time /mile PENALTY
===== ====================== === ===================== ============ ==== ======= ==== ===== ==== ======= ==== ==== ======== ==== ===== ==== ======= ===== =======
5 45:15.68 9 3:35 4 1:25 6 24:08 19.9 5 29:07 3 0:34 12 15:36 7:48

Racing wouldn't be such a big deal, but this has been a crazy and busy year. This is only the third race that I have done this year. My training has been extremely sporadic as I've been marketing Pilster Photography. I guess you could say this is pretty important, because this pays the way for me to go out and race in triathlons. The tougher the economy, the harder it is to market a company (If you need a wedding photographer, or any photographer for that matter, drop us a line!)

On another note, now that I'm shooting weddings it makes it harder to find a free weekend. I am much more careful about signing up for a race in case I book something, so I waited until the last minute to sign up for this race.

With very little training and most of it sporadic, I placed 5th overall in this little super sprint. Overall I'm pretty happy with doing that well. I felt just as exhausted as any other race I've done. I don't know if it's because I pushed myself harder in such a short distance, because I'm out of shape, or some of both.

My swim was a little slower than I wanted, actually everything was slower than I wanted. It was a super sprint and my splits were all slower than a sprint race I ran on a similar course at the beginning of the season. Actually the course at the beginning of the season had more hills. The area that I probably did the best in were my transitions. There was only an 8sec difference between myself and the leader. I think that's the smallest window I've ever had.

There are only a couple sprint races left before the season is over. Hopefully my schedule will let me race in them. Either way my main goal right now is to improve my running and consistency. I am working on taking my running shoes to the pavement 5 days a week. Then I hope to take a break and start to build up for the racing next season. We'll see how that goes.

See the photos here!

Summer Triathlon Coaching

The summer Triathlon class at DeLand's YMCA has started, and guess who the coach is. This is the first year that a class has happened after May. I took over from previous instructor, Kathy, who is an amazing triathlete herself.

The first class started out a little bit rough. Rain was coming down like a waterfall about half an hour before class. It was the first class, so I wasn't sure who was attending and I didn't have any contact information. Two of five students did show up and the third caught up to us later in the program.

Since the roads were wet and lightning could still be seen in the distance I had to improvise. I was planning to do some mid-tempo training on the bike and then intervals on the run. Outside of a bike trainer, I have yet to find a decent stationary bike replacement.

I had my team do a five minute warm-up on the bike and then 10 minutes at about 70% exertion. We then headed over to the treadmill where they did a 1:30 rest and then 400m, then a 1:30 rest, and 400m for 4 times. We then headed back to the bikes for 5 minutes of easy riding. We finished with another set of 4x400.

The original plan was to do a cool-down on the bike, but the sun peaked out of the clouds. We all agreed that we needed some fresh air, so we took the class back outside. We ran an easy 1 mile with some plyometrics mixed in half way.

Overall it was a great workout. They will have swimming on Tuesday and then I will see them again next Thursday. If you are interested, you can still join in, just contact the DeLand YMCA.

No Swim St. Anthony's Triathlon/Duathlon

St. Anthony's Triathlon
1500 Meter Swim/40K Bike/10K Run
April 26, 2009
St. Petersburg, FL
Race Director: Philip LaHaye
Timing and Scoring: Alta Vista Sports
www.altavistasports.com


With a time of 1:55.18 I was 57th of 223 in my age group and 480 of 3556 finishers.

57 480 588 Chad Pilster 32 Deland FL 1:55:18 1:03 34 1:04:41 23.1 1:36 83 47:59 7:44

For the first time in the 26 year history of St. Anthony's the water was too rough to hold the swim. I'm sure some other factors played on it like three years ago there was a death in water that was also as rough. Also a recent report came out citing 13 of 14 deaths over a 2 year period in triathlon were during the swim.

They made it a bike and then run. You start at the end of the swim and run to your bike with whatever gear you want (Helmet, glasses, shoes, etc) and then run it out of transition.

I am not a strong runner, and it has been a rough and inconsistent training season up to this point. When you take out the swim my chances of being competitive for the top spots drop significantly.

There were a few positives this weekend.

Even though my times were very close to the previous year I felt strong. I don't remember feeling this strong last year, and maybe some of it comes from experience.

I had a chance to see the pros come out of the water. Usually I would be in the water at the same time that they are, but instead we waited by the end of the swim. It was the first time I've been able to watch the pros except when I pass them in the opposite direction on the course.

I had a chance to work on sprinting to my bike. Usually when I get out of the water I'm dizzy and it takes me a while to figure out if I'm even running straight. Without this, I was able to get my legs moving in the hundred yard dash mode. The scary thing is that I had my helmet and glasses on (I nixed the shoes because I felt I could run faster without them), and some of the pros who did swim had a faster transition time than me. I wish I had a chance to watch how they do this, but with 6000 people crammed into a tiny area, there was a wall between where I was standing to watch them come out of the water and the transition area.

Maybe I'll do 200m interval days where I sprint to my bike and throw on my shoes and then sprint another 200m with my bike.

My good friend Sara McLarty rocked the pro womens' field! She was first out of the water (no surprise), fastest on the bike, and then lost first by a measly 23 seconds and second by 6 seconds during a sprint finish. I saw her when I started my run and she was in second place, and I thought she had it. I can't wait to see her pull off a few upsets this year!

I qualified for the USAT Regional Championships by being within the top 33% of my age group. (I was at 25%) Although I am unsure if it will count since there was no swim.

Once I was on the bike it only took me a little bit to recover from the sprint, but I started moving pretty good. My bike time was 18 seconds slower than last year, but I would guess the wind was gusting up to 25mph. I don't know if I can attribute this to no swim before the bike, but I definitely would of been faster with no wind and that's a good thing.

During the ride I did a lot of passing. The roads were nice and open, most of the time, so passing was easy. About half way in I got a tail. Someone decided to draft off of me. Whenever he saw a USAT official, he would go wide like he was getting ready to pass, but rarely did. When he was in front he offered to let me jump on, but I dropped the three bike lengths back until I had the energy to pass him. He sat back there for a good 20 minutes until someone actually passed me. He jumped on their tail. This must of burned him out, because he dropped off of him and he didn't jump back onto my tail for the rest of the race.

My transition went much smoother than last year. I was off my bike without falling and into the transition area. I was a little sloppy through transition, so once again this is an area to work on. Maybe I'll set up a transition area by the TV and work on it while watching a movie.

Once I got out to the run I was feeling good. I held back my pace a little bit, because I knew I had 6 miles to go. At a couple points I thought about pushing my pace, but my legs would feel like they were starting to cramp in both the quads and the hamstring. I found a pace where I didn't have issues with this, but at some points I had to slow down more than I wanted to. I took my hydration, Gatorade and my nutrition and I still cramped up.

This has happened to me in almost every Olympic distance race I've run in. I was thinking it was the swim because I had trouble repeating it in training, but I was able to repeat it with the run and the bike. I believe that it may be my road bike setup. Now that I know I can mimick it with bricks I am going to try and train better for it.

Overall it was a good training day anda it told me that I am probably just a little bit ahead of where I was last year. I would probably be more upset with this if my training had been more consistent. Now I need to pick a couple more races to focus on this year, keep my training more consistent and do better!

April 5, 2009, 26th Annual Great Clermont Triathlon - Race Wrap-Up

PHOTOS

26TH ANNUAL GREAT CLERMONT TRIATHLON SPRINT -
Swim .75K * Bike 22K * Run 5K
April 5, 2009 -
Clermont, Florida
By SOMMER SPORTS

1:13:37 made me 1st in the 30-34 Age Group of 10, 8th of 76 men and 8th of 110 people

Finish Swim Swim Trn1 Trans Bike Bike Bike Cum Cum Trn2 Trans Run Run Pace Place Name Age City/State Time Plc Time Plc #1 Plc Time Rate Plc Time Plc #2 Plc Time /mile
1 CHAD PILSTER 32 DELAND FL 1:13:37 1 12:11 3 2:38 1 34:51 22.7 1 49:39 2 0:57 3 23:01 7:25

Triathlon season has officially started and it started out on a pretty good note. I started training a little later this season than I had planned for and some of that showed, but otherwise I had a pretty good race.

The first race off was the Olympic distance. Since we were kicked out of transition when their race started I had to bring my wetsuit with me. This made it tough to warm-up my run, so I spent my warm-up focusing on my swim, doing some in water running and stretching. It's not the same thing as if you could get on a bike or put on your running shoes, but sometimes you have to make do.

The start went off great, I was up towards the front of the pack and kept a decent line through most of the race. It took me about the first half of the swim to get into a rhythm though, and once I was there things went smoothly. First-triathlon-of-the-season problems didn't arise until I was in transition. My wetsuit came off quickly, but getting my Rudy Project glasses and helmet on weren't as smooth as I would of liked. Then as I pulled my bike away I noticed something dragging. My wetsuit had caught on my bike and I had to back-up about 10 yards to put it back in my area.

Once I was on the bike I cruised. The course was pretty decently marked and slight hills at the beginning gave me a chance to catch my breath after the swim. There was two significant climbs, and I powered up them both with relative ease.

There wasn't any particular thing wrong with my transition off the bike, but it just didnt' feel smooth. I think I may work on transitions when I have a few extra minutes to spare during the day. If I can make my transitions smoother, I think I can bring 30sec-1min off my time.

Finally we came into the run. I felt like I was moving at a decent pace, but I definitely am not where I was last year at this time. This could be a good thing too. I think I had peaked a little bit too early last year. This year my goal is to peak at St. Anthony's in St. Petersburg in a few weeks and then go strong until the middle of my season when I hope to take a little bit of a break.

I have to say that I was a little irritated that the Sprint Distance race was looked on like the red-headed stepchild. We were kicked out of transition as soon as the Olympic race started (Which is understandable and I am used to) and then we weren't given awards until after the Olympic awards. This made for a VERY long day for a very short race.

Last years 25th anniversary event was one of my favorites of the entire season and I was looking forward to coming back, but after the way the event was run I don't know if I'm going to race any more Sommer Sports races. The race was great, but the event had it's issues. Some other things of note is that I found that there was a HUGE shortage of volunteers. Water stations that had 3-4 volunteers only had one. They ran out of filled goodie bags! The BBQ was one guy on one grill having trouble keeping up with the line of 20+ athletes. I also overheard a lot of chatter about how this may be the way these races are heading.

Hopefully this is just a recession blip, but I'm interested in hearing from others.

On to St. Anthony's!

Rudy Project is having another awesome sale!

My Rudy Project gear does everything I need it to plus more. They are a great sponsor. A few months ago they were having a sale where they were practically giving everything away and it seems like that sale is back. When you buy a pair of glasses for $199 + 19 for s&h, you get $250 worth of other gear. If you are in the market, check them out at http://www.e-rudy.com

b-cleaning - Tri Bike Fit

Outside of paying someone else to fit you, you can try setting up your bike to yourself. When I bookmarked this page, I think I was looking for an inexpensive way to fit myself to my bike.

One question that I had was that this page is titled "Tri Bike Fit" and I have a road bike, will following these instructions help me better fit on my road bike for a triathlon? This page got WAY more complex than I was ready for. Many fitters will also tell you that there is a mix between numbers and each person's body.

I think I still am going to get a professional fitting, but it doesn't hurt to have this information nearby.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/bikefit.html

Filed in "Fitness/triathlon -> Gear Maintnence"

b-cleaning - Bike Maintnence

Unless you have the money to take your bike to the shop every month, you better learn how to take care of it. You should be doing some regular once a week if you are riding often and want your bike to last you a good long time!

I found this site buried in my unsorted bookmarks. It has a great step by step guide with graphics of the different parts. I probably need to go back and actually look through it a little better myself!

http://www.trinewbies.com/BikeClean/Welcome.asp

Put in my "Fitness/Triathlon -> Gear Maintnence" folder

Things I've learned - Transitioning quick

If you aren't moving in a forward direction, then you are losing
time. A transition is not free time.

After locating and setting up my transition area I will walk to the
entrance, and sometimes all the way to the exit of the water, at the
coral. I then walk through it as if I was transitioning. I look for
visual clues to locate my spot. I have also been known to bring
little orange flags (That you can find at the hardware store), but I
haven't had a bike position that's been so hard to find that I felt I
needed them. I run through my bike transition in my head to make sure
that all of my gear is properly laid out. I then walk to where I will
exit and repeat the walk through and mental task into the run.

I may be a little paranoid, but after this walk-through things have
gone really smooth during my races.

Make sure I have my goggles, cap (Wetsuit if I'm using one) and have
removed any unneeded items (shoes, shirt, etc) and head to the water.
If I'm wearing a wetsuit, I may pack some gels on me. I've also seen
people wear their race number under their wetsuit.

Exit the water, remove cap and goggles, (SKIP - if you don't have a
wetsuit) pull down the zipper on the wetsuit as I'm SPRINTING to your
bike. Remove both arms from the wetsuit. Get to my transition area,
throw my goggles onto the towel and just remove my feet from the legs
(Make sure you practice this before the race. Also if you put Body
Glide on your legs, this goes a lot easier.) (END OF SKIP) Rudy Project glasses
on, Rudy Project Syton helmet on, then grab my bike and go. Remember if you get on your
bike without your helmet strapped, it's a disqualification. Put my
shoes on while I'm moving.

End the bike, take my shoes off before I get off the bike, pedal
barefoot, and then dismount in the dismount area. As I run back to my
spot I unstrap my Garmin GPS, so that I can use it for running. Once
I get back to my spot and rack my bike I remove my helmet. Sometimes
I take my glasses off and sometimes I don't depending on the weather.
I slip my feet into my shoes. Before I leave the transition area I
grab my race number and Honey Stinger hat to put on while I'm moving.

Any questions? Hope this helps.

I wish I could of read a step by step account like this before my first race.

Things I've Learned - Setting up your transition area

Setting up a transition area can almost be considered an art and a
science. The goal is to spend the least amount of time there, but
have everything available to you that you might need or are required
to have.

There may be ways to tweak my transition area, but after examining
the pros transition areas when I raced at St. Anthony's and racing
for two years, I think I have a pretty good system for the Olympic
and Sprint races. I am always willing to change if if there is
something that might make me faster.

In reality there are only a few things that you NEED in your
transition area. A bike, helmet, running shoes and race number.
Anything beyond this is just to make your race more comfortable, but
it may slow you down.

The first thing I do after finding my spot is to rack my bike. I then
lay down a towel in front of it. I used to use a bucket to wash my
feet. Unless I was running through sand it really didn't do much
because I would continue running in my bare feet before I mounted my
bike.

My shoes are clipped onto my bike and I usually use rubberbands to
keep them from dragging on the ground.

I place my Rudy Project Syton helmet upside down and rest it on my
aero bars. I make sure that it's in a position so I can just flip it
onto my head and buckle it. I rest my Rudy Project Horus glasses with
the glasses facing into the helmet.

I check to make sure that my Garmin Forerunner is set for triathlon
mode. It sits on my bike. I already prefilled my water bottles.

My race number is attached to the bike seat post. I think this is the
most out of the way spot. It's also where I've seen the pros put
their numbers.

On my towel I put my running shoes down. I put some body glide on the outside
of them and also on some spots in them where I've been known to get
blisters. I flip the tongue up and make sure there is a good opening.
I have used three different type of quick lace shoelaces and have yet
to find one that I like better than the others, but I would
definitely recommend these. I lay my race number attached to a race
belt and a Honey Stinger hat above the shoes.

A couple extra things that I put in my transition area. I leave an
extra towel to wipe something off if need be. A few extra Honey Stinger
gel packets, in case I drop some on the bike. Water Bottles
with Gatorade and Water. I usually have an extra pair of shoes in a
backpack nearby (Just in case). I read a story about a pro who showed
up at his transition area to find his shoes missing. I'm not sure if
it would be within the rules to reach into my backpack though.

My next post will be a quick one on the actual transition

Faster Things - A time trial bike

My first road bike was a Jamis Ventura Race. It's a great bike and two years later I still race on it. I would like the option of a time trial bike though. I have yet to compete on one and I'm interested in how much of a performance difference it will make.

The Xenith 2 was released last year as Jamis tries to solidify itself into the tri and time trial market. It is a gorgeous bike.

I am also looking at some other affordable time trial bikes. Orbea, QR, Blue. Any suggestions? What competes well under $2k?

Things I've learned - Make a list!

When you have to get up at 4am to go to a race your brain is not functioning and you are bound to forget something. After the first year of racing I made a list of everything that I might need at a race and at what point I can pack those things. I just go down this list and put a mark by anything that's packed.

This also allows me to sleep better the night before, without worrying if I forgot something.

As the years go on, I have started to find that there are a lot of things that I REALLY don't need and there are still a few things that I will add to the list. One example is you don't want a wetsuit laying on the seat of your car, so bring a plastic bag.

I also am a Boy Scout, I live by the motto to "Be Prepared" and if it can go wrong it will, so I tend to try and bring extras of EVERYTHING that would prevent me from competing in a race due to equipment failure. Most of the time this stuff just stays in the car, but it's good to know it's there.

I also have created lists for different situations. One situation is when there will be an overnight stay before the triathlon. Here's my list.....

Things to pack the night/day(s) before the race
FOR THE SWIM
2 pairs of goggles
towels - 2 large, Chamois, 1 small
bucket for water to dip feet
extra swim suit
WETSUIT
Body Glide (Or pam)

plastic garbage bags (To put the suit in after the race)

FOR THE BIKE

pump up tire
check to make sure seat is tight
check to make sure aerobars are tight (bring screw)
extra cleats

Rudy Project Syton aero helmet

Rudy Project Zuma helmet (In case something happens to my aero helmet)

Rudy Project Zyon glasses

Bike
bike shoes
3 extra tubes

(Bring repair kit)

tire pump
cycle gloves
lock
bike lights (Rear and front)

rubberbands (To attach shoes to the bike)

cold weather bag (Leg warmers, arm warmers, gloves, hat)

FOR THE RUN
3 pairs of race socks
number belt
extra running shirt
2 pairs of shoes
hat

GENERAL/OTHER/PRE-POST RACE

headlamp (It's dark when you get to most races)

scissors (Never know what you might need to cut)

tape, gaffer tape

Change of clothes - shorts, underwear, socks, shoes, shirt, sandals (For after the race)

extra Honeystinger energy bars/Gels

Honeystinger Honeystinger Bars

extra bananas
GPS - Forerunner
GPS - Ique
Heart Rate Band (Bring +1)

Orange flag (To mark where your bike is at a big race)

MP3 player
cell phone
rain jacket
sweatshirt
first aid kit
race info
Camera - Both cameras, extra batteries, cards, both lenses
video camera
Sharpie
pins for race number
pen and paper


NIGHT BEFORE/Day Before -
Put bike on Car, Check air pressure, cover seat and gears, strap down, flip pedal up, bungie cords, protection over brake
take pack and lock off of bike
Charge IPOD
Charge GPS
Pack gear into bag
5 water bottles. 2 with gatorade, 1 gallon of water
Two water bottles with Gatorade
Put in fridge

Change wedding ring (I bought a cheap ring that I am not worried about coming off my finger during the middle of a race or other excercise)

DAY OF (SET OUT NIGHT BEFORE)
tri shorts
tri jersey
Put on Sunscreen, lip balm

Eat powerbar/cereal (Up to one hour before)

Banana
go to bathroom
get bottles out of fridge
grab garmin
cell phone
emergency cash/wallet, license, USAT license, credit card
Sweat pants

Leave at 5:20am (I always set the time, so I don't have to think about it)

Hope this helps!

Things on my XMas Tri Wish List - Bike Trainer

I know, I'm in Florida, you can ride here all the time... Even though it may be a warm 40 in the winter, compared to -32 up north, that's still way to cold to ride. There are going to be days that I (want) need to get a ride in and it is just too cold or too dark (I really don't trust Florida drivers if I don't have to, and especially in the dark)

I haven't decided which trainer I want, although Steve over at Plan B uses one for his fittings, which he said is relatively cheap, quality and has a power meter.

You might start seeing cheap as a common word in my vocabulary. It is, but I am willing to spend a little extra money if it will make a major difference in quality.

If anyone wants to recommend some bike trainer's that fit into the cheap, power meter, and quality categories. I'm listening!

I heard good things about the CycleOps Fluid"

Things on my Xmas Tri wish list - Bike Fitting at Plan B

I've ridden my bike in almost the same position for 2 years. It's a road bike, but I wonder if I have it setup in the best triathlon position.

Getting your bike properly fitted is one of the top 10 things you can do to add speed for very little.

I took my wife to Plan B Cycling for her birthday to get fitted on a bike we got her six months earlier for Christmas. She went from pain in her back to wanting to ride every day.

I don't have any pain (Except for my cramping), but I feel like I could be a little more aerodynamic.

Steve will look at everything and make little adjustments to see the power increase or decrease. This is one gift I will probably get for myself if someone else doesn't get it first.

Next years goals - Swim faster!

SWIM FASTER!

Of course I can get faster at everything, but it doesn't hurt to focus on this one.

There are a few things I can do to make this happen.

* Go to the masters swim program more (Or get masters level swimmers to train closer to DeLand with me)

* Actually develop a training schedule instead of just hammering with the masters group

* Have my stroke technique videotaped in Port Orange. They do this great program where they videotape you and analyze what you are doing

* Swim straight in open water

Next years goals - Not cramp up in the Olympic

I need to get through my cramping in the run. 3 Olympic distance races, 3 times that I cramped up during the run.

I have a few suspicions about what it might be.

* Not getting enough nutrition on the bike. Not downing enough HoneyStinger gels

* Pushing myself too hard on the bike

* Not being at the top fitness level I could be at.

What I have tried -

* Drinking more fluids

* High cadence at the end of the bike

Next years goals - Place in an Olympic Distance

I am going to place in an Olympic distance. I have yet to place in my age group at one of these.

I was only a few seconds from medaling at the AFACTri (They had 5 places in the AG), I'm assuming this just wasn't my season.

I really need to work on the endurance of my run and holding onto a faster pace.

Next years goals - Get an overall

I am going to get my first overall!!!

I have been in the top 10 long enough. I was in the top 4 at one race this year, although it was so small there was only one overall place.

I am going to get a top 3 in one of my races next year. I don't know which one, but I feel it coming.

FINALLY! A Masters Swim Program in DeLand!!!

I just received this awesome news from Kathy! (kathytris@bellsouth.net)

I am looking forward to joining the Master's Class!

And if Kathy needs it, helping out with the Tri-Training!

Master's Swim Class

Nadine, DeLand YMCA Aquatics Coordinator, has set up a Master's swim class beginning in December. The monthly cost is $55 for members. There will be a morning and evening session available to you. The morning session is on Tuesday & Thursday from 7:45 - 8:45 a.m., and the evening session is on Tuesday and Wednesday from 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Triathlon Training

I will be starting my triathlon clinic at the beginning of the year. There is a possibility of having an evening session as well as the usual morning session. The evening session would begin somewhere between 5:00-5:30 p.m. (M,W, or Th) and the start time for the morning session between 8:00-9:00 a.m. (Tu or W) If you are interested, please let me know what day & time would be best for you. At this time, I do not know the day or time for tri swim training, but I will keep you posted.

Please give me feedback as to your level of interest in these programs and any other suggestions that you feel would make the programs beneficial to you.

Please feel free to forward this e-mail to those you know may be interested in finding out more about these programs. Thank you for your time.

Kathy Schwerdfeger

Next Years Goals - Become a certified spin instructor

After just falling short of quite of a few of my goals, I hope to achieve them next year. I also am setting some new goals.

I am looking heavily into getting certified as a Spinning instructor. This will also put me in position to become a fully certified trainer. I also am interested in becoming a USAT 1 coach.

There are very few coaches in the area and triathlon seems to be springing up left and right. I love to see new people trying this sport out and I enjoy giving back.

Things on my XMas Tri Wish List - New Garmin Forerunner

As I said before, my Garmin Forerunner has been indispensable. The
new ones (305 and 405) have only become smaller. The 305 is only a
little more expensive than a new 301 right now and there is an
upcoming sale on it at Costco. This will make it almost the same
price.

The biggest advantage that I see to upgrading is the size (and having a working heart rate monitor again). These new ones are small enough that I don't see them getting in the way during the swim. The 301 is large enough that I had attempted to swim with it, but found it cumbersome. All of these Forerunner's are water resistant.I have not had a chance to play with the 305 or the 405, but in looking at the specs here are the biggest differences that I have seen.

The 405 is smaller and newer.

The 305 allows you to do multi-sport with the press of a button. This means that each time you switch to a different sport you can do so by pressing a button. This is great during races because there is no break in your timing. If you press the button at the right times you can even have your transitions. I use this feature whenever I race with my 301 and I love it. I would hope that the 405 has some way to do multi-sport and I'm very weary to buying one until I find this out. This would definitely send me back to the 305 or waiting for a newer model.

The 405 allows you to send your data to your computer via wireless.

The 405 is not compatible with the mac. This was a problem with the 301, so I can live with it, but actually having a compatible Forerunner would be nice, especially with so few other differences.

I am going to need a heart rate monitor for the new season, so I'm probably not looking at waiting for the next model. And with the great price on the 305, there very well may be one under my tree this year.