5 Garmin suggestions and tips for runners

I feel with regards to expertise, we by no means reap the benefits of each benefit accessible to us. There are particular issues my cellphone does that I by no means use…for instance Siri! I purchased a Garmin Fenix ​​5s*On the London Marathon final yr I'm fairly positive I don't know all the things he can do. However what if a few of these issues had been truly helpful?

On this put up, I'll share with you a number of the options I like most about my watch and the Garmin Join app. Any directions I present right here, and a few options, are based mostly on my Fenix ​​5s, so might fluctuate from watch to observe. Like I mentioned, I purchased this watch myself and this isn’t a sponsored put up, it's simply one thing I hope you discover helpful!

1 Display screen setup

Garmin is extremely versatile within the knowledge and metrics you possibly can configure to show throughout coaching. Personally, I wish to have the identical two screens for all my operating knowledge, and I swap between the 2 screens relying on what kind of playback I'm doing.

My first view is what I'll name the “Complete Playback” display screen. This exhibits me my whole time, distance, pace, and common pace all through my profession. That is very best for any kind of run the place you’re aiming for a comparatively constant tempo all through the run, e.g., race, future, restoration run, and so on.

The second display screen I exploit I name the “Final Lap” display screen. That is comparable however solely offers the above stats for the time and distance that has handed because you auto-lap or manually carried out the exercise. This exhibits me my lap time, lap distance, pace and lap pace. That is finest for operating the place you might have particular goal paces for particular person or group laps, e.g. operating development, intervals, tempo, and so on. The “final lap” knowledge offers me significantly better suggestions on what's taking place after which warm-up miles, recoveries, and so on. aren't thrown away at common tempo.

Word that one of many causes I exploit the common pace and never simply care in regards to the “pace” worth is that it’s not dependable and may fluctuate so much from minute to minute – additionally it is closely influenced by the accuracy of your GPS. I learn a tempo worth of 11:10 one minute and seven:50 the following… solely to return out with a tempo of seven:40 min/mile for the complete mile!

2 Intervals and auto lap

If you happen to're like me, you wish to replace your pace each mile or kilometre. On this case, the auto-lap function is nice – you'll hear a chime in your watch each time you exceed that fastened distance to inform you how a lot time you've taken. Nevertheless, for pace of labor, I simply need my very own Durations To be recorded in laps, not each mile/km. Previously, this meant going into the run settings and turning it off earlier than a run, after which forgetting to show it again on for my subsequent common run! Ergh.

However there’s a hack for that! And I’ve to thank the genius Ian for this… Arrange a exercise kind of “Intervals” and set it to its default setting with auto off. I actually don't know why I didn't consider it myself!

To do that, go to Settings > Actions & apps > + Add > Copy exercise. Then choose On, give it a brand new title, flip off Auto Scroll and select any totally different display screen settings you need. As with the above, I want to have a full setup of the playback display screen and final cycle display screen setup.

3 Use your resting coronary heart fee

What number of of you have a look at your resting coronary heart fee (or RHR) and suppose “Oh, that's good” after which transfer on together with your day? I feel so… RHR is definitely suggestions device as to how I'm coaching on any given day.

The concept is that in case your coronary heart fee rises 5 or extra beats above “regular,” you want extra restoration time. This will both be a full relaxation day (relying on how you’re feeling, and likewise that little factor referred to as “life”) or only a relaxation day with a restoration spherical or some cross coaching.

For instance, my RHR presently averages 52, however truly the day after hitting my 5k PB time it went as much as 56 bpm. Though that was solely 4 beats per minute above common, my physique was additionally feeling very tight, so I took further time to get better and did some stretching that day. The day after my future, my RHR was solely 54, so I felt okay to do a CrossFit and restoration workshop.

Basically, it is best to use your RHR together with different indicators of whether or not and the way exhausting it is best to prepare.

4 Coronary heart fee zones…

I feel it's been an enormous revelation for me and others, that my coronary heart fee zones can change a lot simply by adjusting a couple of settings. I used to be checking my stats after the run and evaluating them to Ian's (which I do know I shouldn't be doing!) and observed that whereas he was in coronary heart fee zones 2, 3 and possibly a bit little bit of 4, I used to be spending most of my cash. of my time in District 5, with out feeling like I used to be working exhausting sufficient to justify it! So I took a fast have a look at the center fee settings.

Go to Settings > Person Profile > Coronary heart Price and examine Max HR and LTHR (Lactate Threshold).

Now, there's a extremely tough system to determine your max HR, which Garmin may have as a default. However in lots of instances it’s inaccurate. For instance, a typical age of 220 – would give me a max HR of 188, however I commonly hit highs of 185 in coaching! In my view, one of the simplest ways to verify your zones are wholesome is to do some form of most coronary heart fee check… though please ensure you are match and nicely to do that, and/or converse to your GP if essential! I discovered my most HR by doing a 5k race and going utterly flat on the finish of it after which including 5 bpm.

Upon getting the Max HR, you possibly can join it to the watch. For LTHR, that is normally about 90% of your most coronary heart fee, so now it’s also possible to calculate that. Lastly, make certain your zones are “based mostly on” % Max HR and you’re good to go! These two numbers mixed will make your zones extra correct for you. I now spend far more time in Zones 3 and 4, though not as a lot as Ian spends in Zone 2! Nevertheless, the shot above is from my 5k PB, the place I spent most of it within the pink – an indication that I used to be working to the restrict!

5 Teaching Standing – Are you productive?

Garmin's good “Coaching Standing” function is one I notably like. If you happen to observe a selected plan, you can be set as much as obtain a number of states that Garmin acknowledges at totally different phases of the plan. For me, who doesn't observe a selected plan, this can be a good indicator of what my coaching schedule is doing to my health and race readiness.

Principally, there are 7 totally different states, plus a “no state” state, which suggests you haven't recorded sufficient knowledge for Garmin to find out the impact of your coaching. The instances are:

• Productive
• upkeep
• Peak
• Transgression
• restoration
• unproductive
• Inhibition

Under the abstract standing, you will notice two particular person indicators – “Match” and “Load”. One relies on Vo2 max, and the opposite relies on the quantity and energy of the periods you may have been doing. You'll see arrows beneath every indicator: ⬆️, ➡️, or ⬇️.

In case your health is on the rise and your load is flat or excessive, you’re productive. In case your load decreases and your health decreases, you cease coaching. But when your load rises an excessive amount of, you’ll attain overshoot.

You have to to measure your progress and restoration nicely (i.e. taper) so that you just attain your “peak” part proper earlier than you need to race! I hope to proceed within the manufacturing or upkeep phases till every week or two earlier than Brighton, at which level I hope the taper will arrive simply in time for me to see that magical peak state. After getting by each Brighton and London, I'll fortunately sit in restoration mode for some time!

To study extra about every case, see This support page.

6 Dynamics pod

Bonus tip, partly as a result of this product requires an extra buy… Dynamic pod operation*It was truly an added bonus after I purchased the watch, and I'm actually glad I used it. Principally, it's an exterior accelerometer that you just placed on the again of your shorts/pants and it measures a variety of various things. The info it offers you is floor contact time (the period of time you spend together with your toes on the bottom), floor contact stability (left to proper foot), vertical ratio (distance traveled up and down versus distance traveled ahead), and vertical oscillation (distance traveled up and down). It additionally gives you with shade coding in comparison with elite and common athletes.

This will seem to be so much to soak up, but it surely's unimaginable for supplying you with suggestions in your operating kind, and it's additionally actually fascinating to see throughout longer runs or in races, for instance, as a result of you possibly can see the place you're getting drained or if you happen to're getting higher. One leg over the opposite because of muscle tightness. I lately found (by chance) which you can truly see these items on the go in your watch and never simply retrospectively on the app. This may be nice if you’re testing operating exercises or activation workout routines that you just hope will enhance your operating kind as a part of your warm-up.

If you happen to like a bit nerd, the Dynamics Pod is for you!

Your suggestions?

So I've shared my monitor setup, how one can program your exercise kind into intervals to keep away from auto lap manipulation, what coronary heart fee knowledge could be gleaned from, how one can know in case your coaching is productive and your operating type is efficient. If you happen to had been to deal with any new elements of your watch on your subsequent tour, what would they be? Did you study one thing new from this put up?

This put up isn’t sponsored or endorsed by Garmin in any method. The entire merchandise on this put up I bought myself. Nevertheless, this put up accommodates affiliate hyperlinks (marked with *). If you buy merchandise by these hyperlinks, I’ll earn a small quantity of fee, which helps fund the upkeep of my web site!