A bit of kit I love. It has lain in the bedside cabinet for the last three months, although we have been together for over two years, reminisces Cian Blake.

Our columnist Cian Blake

Eaten bread is soon forgotten and there are few more poignant sights than a once-useful gadget layered with dust. I didn’t think it would end like this when I strapped it on the first time, and watched the little line scamper across the screen and lock on to satellites hundreds of miles over my head.

Despite its clunky display, and 1980s calculator watch feel, the Garmin is one of the best pieces of running gear I ever used. Sick of driving a route and counting miles before running it, or printing out internet maps and sticking them in your pocket?

So was I.

I needed a machine that would do that for me, and measure my heart rate, and work in the rain, and take abuse. And I got it in the shape of a Forerunner 305.

It’s intuitive to use, but repays a thorough scan of the manual. First time set-up was effortless, despite numerous internet forums warning of lack of signal and endless scanning time. Type in distance, units, auto lap and off you go. The heart rate monitor connected without a hitch and was accurate to a couple of beats.

Probably won’t do Sonia, but okay for lapping Cappagh Park or double-checking that hilly loop you thought was ten miles but were never quite sure.

There are bucket loads of extras. Three screens with four displays each tell you all you need to know about how you’re faring: current lap, best lap, average lap, and endless permutations thereof. If that suits you, there’s a software package with the Garmin to transfer the statistics to your computer and produce coloured graphs of heart rates and pace per mile.

This, then, becomes your training diary with plenty of boxes to record weather, injuries, and general musings. Information overload is easily achieved, and there comes a point where the stripped down allure of placing one foot in front of the other is smothered in digits.

And therein lies the greatness of the Garmin – it does the flashy interval training with heart rate alerts and calories consumed, but at heart it’s a rock solid mile counter working as well in Hyde Park, Central Park or Salthill Prom.

Point and press wherever you are in the world. If you throw the Asics in your carry on baggage (just in case) when you fly, and if you have an old pair of runners and shorts in the car boot (also just in case), this is the machine for you.