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Personal Records question

Former Member over 8 years ago

I'm new to the Garmin platform with my Vivoactive HR that I got at the end of December. I've been using this device to track my runs since I've begun training for a half marathon. I'm confused by the behavior I've seen with the Personal Records in Garmin Connect.

Through my first week of training, I established personal records and broke the records for fastest 1 mile, fastest 5K, and farthest distance. I figured this was just an automatic tracking feature, but as my distances have increased each week, and I've had a few faster times, the system is no longer registering that I've broken a record.

The first 5K record time was established at around 39 minutes on a GPS tracked jog that was 3.55 miles (5.71 kilometers) back on January 1. Then on January 8, I did an indoor run that was 3.81 miles (6.13 kilometers). After uploading my activity, Garmin Connect asked me if I'd like to update my personal record 5K with the 33:48 time recorded on that run activity, so I did. Since then, I know I've hit the 5K mark under 33 minutes on at least one of my runs, but Connect never recognized a new personal record.

If I try to manually set a PR on that activity, it asks if I want to replace the 33:48 time with 50:04. That was the total time of that activity that it took me to run 4.35 miles (7 kilometers). It doesn't seem to be able to recognize what time I hit the 5K mark.

I've increased my farthest distance on my long runs almost every weekend in the first month that I owned the Vivoactive HR. The system never recognizes these personal records. I always have to manually set those as a personal record from the activity page in Garmin Connect. Is the Personal Records tracking feature unreliable, or do I need to do something to make it work again how it was the first two weeks I owned this device?

0 ASmugDill over 8 years ago

I figured this was just an automatic tracking feature,

It is.

Then on January 8, I did an indoor run that was 3.81 miles (6.13 kilometers). After uploading my activity, Garmin Connect asked me if I'd like to update my personal record 5K with the 33:48 time recorded on that run activity,

Was 33:48 the time in which you completed the entire run distance of 6.13km, or just a 5.0km stretch inside it? Did you vívoactive‑HR tell you you achieved a new personal record, before you synced the device and uploaded the activity to Garmin Connect?

so I did. Since then, I know I've hit the 5K mark under 33 minutes on at least one of my runs, but Connect never recognized a new personal record.

There are three ways in which Garmin Connect will recognise a new personal record for running:

Automatically, when informed by a Garmin wearable device that is capable of detecting and recording new personal records (upon completing and saving a tracked running activity), using the best time(s) for one or more predetermined distances within the total distance that was run
Automatically, when the user uploads a running activity for which the total distance matches (closely enough) one of the predetermined distances, and either the total time for the activity is less than the current personal record for that distance or no personal record for it exists
Manually, when you select an activity to ‘Set as PR’, at which point you will have have to select which personal record (i.e. for which predetermined distance) to overwrite using the total time for the activity

If I try to manually set a PR on that activity, it asks if I want to replace the 33:48 time with 50:04. That was the total time of that activity that it took me to run 4.35 miles (7 kilometres).

That is as expected.

It doesn't seem to be able to recognize what time I hit the 5K mark.

Garmin Connect is not designed to do that. Only selected Garmin wearable device models can do that, in the process of tracking a run and saving the activity record for it (before it is ever uploaded to Garmin Connect).

I've increased my farthest distance on my long runs almost every weekend in the first month that I owned the Vivoactive HR. The system never recognizes these personal records.

Have you reached 10km, which is the next longest predetermined distance for personal records?

Is the Personal Records tracking feature unreliable,

In my experience, it is reliable for how it is designed to work.

or do I need to do something to make it work again how it was the first two weeks I owned this device?

If your vívoactive‑HR is capable of detecting personal records – and, while I don't have one of those to test, the in-depth review by the respected reviewer DCRainmaker indicates that it is capable of such – then perhaps you ought to check the personal records on your VAHR. If they somehow got messed up (which I've inadvertently done before on my Forerunner‑235, by activating the Run profile on a bus ride), then you may not be able to beat them easily.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

Thank you for your assistance. I did find a list of records in the VAHR settings. I'm still a bit confused by the behavior of how Connect is handling these records that are stored in the device, but it did recognize a new record on my run last night.

Was 33:48 the time in which you completed the entire run distance of 6.13km, or just a 5.0km stretch inside it? Did you vívoactive‑HR tell you you achieved a new personal record, before you synced the device and uploaded the activity to Garmin Connect?

The 33:48 record for 5K was just for the 5K stretch of 6.13 kilometers (45:41 total time on the activity). I did not see a notification that a new personal record had been established on the VAHR, but I have not been in the habit of reviewing activities after they are saved.

Currently, the records listed in my VAHR settings are as follows:

1 mile 9:07.56 Jan 1
5K 32:37.9 Jan 23
Longest Run 4.72 mi Jan 30

When I checked Connect this morning, I have a new record asking to be confirmed for a 6:02.3 minute 1K. I previously had no record stored for this distance.

It looks like the only discrepancy now is the 5K record. Connect still shows it is from January 8 with a time of 33:48. As referenced above, the VAHR has a faster time listed for the 5K record. Hopefully, I'll beat that time soon and it will update correctly.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

I thought this was starting to work like I expected, but I noticed a few days ago that some of my personal records were no longer showing up in Garmin Connect on the Personal Records page. Tonight, I set a personal record for 5K and 10K distances as well as my farthest run. When I first opened connect after syncing my activity, it even asked me to confirm the new records. When I went to the activity, there was a little trophy icon indicating there was a record, but when I went back to the personal records page, the only record showing was my 1 mile record from January 7. The Vivoactive HR still shows the records, but I can't figure out why Garmin Connect keeps losing track of the personal records.