Anyone using a Garmin watch and Garmin's Suggested Daily Workouts

Gredawarha · 30 Sep 2023 at 16:28

Afternoon all.

Got back into running this summer, started off using trusty C25K and an app on my phone. However my trusty but ancient Forerunner 305 no longer worked. After a few weeks I treated myself to a new Forerunner 55. There is an awful lot of power in these new watches compared to my old one and today for the first time I thought I would start using the suggested daily workouts. It asked me to do slow 40 minute run at 135bpm, I found it quite a challenge to run at that pace as I felt like I was almost walking.

So anyone else using the daily workouts? What do you think of them? I guess the more I use the watch, the fitter I get and the better it knows me the more tailored the workouts get?

Gredawarha · 30 Sep 2023 at 16:41

Begbie said:
Haven't used them, but seems like a zone 2 workout which is pretty damn good training. Especially if you've not ran in a while.

Just had a look on Connect, average zone 2.4

Gredawarha · 1 Oct 2023 at 10:39

So todays suggested workout is a recovery run at 115BPM. I don't think I can physically run at that low a bpm, looking at Garmin Connect my typical lunchtime stroll around a local farm is an average 105BPM with a maximum of 118BPM so I think quick walk should allow me to achieve the recommended 115BPM for 28 minutes.

Gredawarha · 1 Oct 2023 at 14:41

Just back and 115BPM was very much a brisk walk, had I tired to run at that pace I would have fallen over my feet.

Gredawarha · 2 Oct 2023 at 17:13

Spleen Sauce said:
The Garmin training plans are excellent, though I’ve found they work best if you use a chest strap for heart rate - the wrist based sensors are decent but some of the higher paced workouts need the HR to be as accurate as possible.

Thanks for that, I am going to dig out my old heart strap as I will wear it at kick boxing tonight.

Gredawarha · 3 Oct 2023 at 17:04

Shadowness said:
Have you done much running with the watch so it can 'learn' your zones etc?

Just totted up what I have done on the watch since purchasing it in late July. I have done 106.17 KM, that's a mixture of C25K at the beginning, looks like I was on Week 3 when I got the watch, then a mixture or slow and faster runs once I had completed C25K and lunchtime strolls of about 30-40 minutes. Also a couple of orienteering sessions with my son but we walk them, we treat them more of family time rather than sprinting between posts.

Gredawarha · 13 Oct 2023 at 18:23

So ten days since I last posted and pretty much been keeping to the daily workouts. Been a little frustrated with the number of recovery runs, apparently due to my previous nights poor sleep. Been running pretty much every day following the suggestion but yesterday it wanted me to do another recovery run, I decided no, I will take a rest with the plan to run today, but not following the daily workout and instead my intention was to run set 5km, using pace with the intention of keeping to 6m/km to achieve a 30 minute 5km and if enough energy in the tank ramp the speed up toward the end to get under 30 minutes. I have never been good at finishing strong.

When I woke this morning I checked my watch, expecting a recovery or base run but no, today it wanted me to run a threshold run, which is all new to me. 10 minutes at 125BPM, a challenge to run that slow, then 19 minutes at 150BPM followed by another 10 at 125BPM. So ditched the plan to run 5km and went with the plan.

Felt pretty good, following the daily workouts so far I've felt that aerobically they are pretty easy, sometimes though I feel a bit tired in the calf muscles in particular. Tuesday this week was a bit painful in the right quad but no issues today.

Gredawarha · 23 Oct 2023 at 09:38

fewfe3 said:
Tried following them for a few weeks when I first got my garmin.
It doesn't give me heart rate targets, just pace targets. Which work out at somewhat easy runs. Which after doing for a while seemed like a good way to train.
The more I kept doing them the longer the runs were becoming, was giving a speed session once a week. Which was a nice change. But just became a bit much.

Still look at the recomended workout before I go for a run, normally am doing the same sort of pace it says, and sometime listen if it says to go further than what I was planning if I have the time.

Not sure which model you have, I have a Forerunner 55 and I can change from pace to heart rate by doing the following:

"Hit Start > Run > Start > Today's Suggestion > Start > Down Twice to Target Type > Start > Select Heart Rate with the Start button"

Whilst I would "race" to a pace the heart rate "training" work well as it takes into account the weather and your route.

Yesterday I decided to ignore my base run suggestion as I wanted to run 5km as quick as I currently can intention was to as best as I can but try and get under 30 minutes. Did a five minute warm up and then went for it. Started a bit quicker than intended well under 5:30m/km so dialed it back (mistake!) before settling into what I thought was a good pace. Was pretty tough and frustratingly finished with a 30:12.

Looking at the data on the computer later that day my pace was almost consistent and it was the just after I started when I was trying to settle into my target pace that I lost most if not all of the time. Oh well never mind there is always next time.

Gredawarha · 5 Nov 2023 at 19:38

Hedge said:
Ive been using them for two months now. It seems to be just base runs 99% of the time right now, so somewhere between 33 and 55 minutes a time but it's been ideal for me as a newbie.

My fitness has definitely improved with them in that time. I like the simplicity of it all and I feel obliged to finish what I start.

Yes, lots of base runs but I gather that is a good thing to progress. Stick with it as it will begin to throw you something different. Since I started using the daily suggestions at the end of September it has been mainly base and recovery runs (apparently I don't sleep well!) but it has thrown me a few Threshold runs and a Temp run.

What I have found really helpful is it gives me structure, about ten years ago when I was last running regularly I would do three runs per week, 5km each run and run as fast as I could, I used to suffer from shin splints big time. I'm running nearly every day now, subject to work and being a dad but I have yet to have any problem with my shins or pretty much anything else. Would a bespoke training plan from a real coach be better, almost certainly but there is something nice simplistic and affordable about waking up in the morning, seeing what run is suggested and then thinking how I can fit it into my day. I can't always fit the runs in, Wednesdays are particularly difficult for me as I go to the office and my son has Taekwondo in the evening and with the ****** winter nights drawing in lunch time runs are my friend but I like this and it is getting me out more.

Gredawarha · 24 Nov 2023 at 08:42

Hedge said:
Since I last posted here I thought I best tell people to make sure to set up heart rate zones correctly. Garmin defaults ones aren't accurate which I think impacts the suggested runs.

I used this site to tweak my ranges

Free Heart Rate Training Zone Calculator

Use MOTTIV's free heart rate training zone calculator to find your individual training zones to use in your endurance swim, bike and run workouts and races.

www.mymottiv.com

Since doing so I've noticed that what were once predominantly zone 4 now tend to be zone 3 runs.

A lot of my early runs were in zone 5 loads according to garmin but I didn't feel max effort back then.

Worth doing if you haven't already done so.

Thanks, I'll take a look.