Treadmills and Intervals

When running intervals on treadmills, my watch does not accurately capture speed, distance, pace. How can I update this data?

For instance

Warm up at 8:40/mi for 10 mins shows I ran like 14:00/mi and distance is off.

Run 1 at 7:00/mi for 5 mins shows I ran like 12:00/mi and distance is off.

Recovery 1 at 10:40/mi for 2 mins shows I ran like 20:00/mi and distance is off.

All the other data is generally good. But this is the critical data for training and tracking.

Is there a solution?

  • Calibrate the Treadmill activity (Calibrating the Pace and Distance Feature on a Compatible HRM | Garmin Customer Support). You may need to do it regularly. And avoid holding on the handlebars! If you do, the watch has no chance to detect you correct cadence, and hence cannot estimate the pace & distance. Always let your arms swinging naturally and consistently - their motion has a great impact on the pace / distance estimation.

    You can also consider using an advanced HRM strap, like the HRM-Pro, HRM-FIT or HRM 600 (in Open Mode) - the pace and distance estimates are then more accurate, and less influenced by the arms swinging (though, I'd still recommend avoiding to hold on the handlebars)