Running/Secondary HR Zones

… if I have custom HR zones specified on my FR 230, Connect will just push the 'secondary' HR zones to my watch and use those for a workout.

What does the legend on the Time in Heart Rate Zones chart in Garmin Connect Mobile tell you?

… when I do a running activity, it just uses my secondary zones. So yesterday I did my run; the 230 showed my HR based on the HRMax zones in the data field (when it should've been %HRR),

What specifically are you talking about?

The HR Zone Gauge data screen is defective, and does not use custom HR zones for the activity type in question even if they have been set up.

The HR Zone data field works fine in terms of correctly using the custom HR zones set up.

and then Connect also used my secondary zones for the "Time in Zone" bar graph on the workout.

Are you talking about the values in the tooltips?

Is it impossible to have running-specific zones based on %HRR and secondary zones and have them be used and display correctly?

See above, and the posts to which I've linked.

Thanks for your reply. I actually found the posts you linked before I posted my question, but it seemed like my issue was slightly different because it was about HR zones for different activity types. Anyway, this is how I had my zones entered before my run on Monday:

What does the legend on the Time in Heart Rate Zones chart in Garmin Connect Mobile tell you?

The Time in HR Zones chart on Connect Mobile uses the secondary zones on a running activity, even when I have running zones set up.

What specifically are you talking about?

The HR Zone Gauge data screen is defective, and does not use custom HR zones for the activity type in question even if they have been set up.

The HR Zone data field works fine in terms of correctly using the custom HR zones set up.

I mean that Garmin doesn't seem to be using my running HR zones and instead uses the secondary zones. I do not generally use the HR zone gauge on my watch, but the HR Zone data field was using the wrong zones; during a running activity, it displayed secondary zones rather than my running HR zones.

Are you talking about the values in the tooltips?

Yes, that is what I am talking about. After a running activity, those values display zones based on my secondary zones, not my running HR zones.

I know it is possible to set HR zones for different activity types, but my Garmin (watch, Connect, mobile) all seem to be using only one HR zone specification. It doesn't matter how many times I reset the zones and add running HR zones, if I have running and secondary zones set up, everything only uses secondary, from the watch and data fields, to the mobile app, to the website.

This started happening on my 235 after the latest update

Starting May 13, after the latest firmware update on my 235, this has happened to me also. Prior to that it functioned as expected. I emailed support; they told me it may be a bad settings file and to delete the folder and resync. I did that, but the problem was still there this morning. I think it is a firmware issue.

I have the same problem. I was using secondary HR Zones for cycling and running HR Zones for Running and it worked perfect until yesterday.

But now my watch Forerunner 230 is using the secondary HR Zones for Running. And on Garmin Connect it shows me that my Running Activity HR is based on Runing HR Zones on the one screen (statistics):
The activity is in average in Zone 1,0.

And in the same activity the HR is based on my Secondary HR Zones on another screen (Time in Zone):
Here it is most of the time in Zone 2.

Yes, I think I only noticed it after I updated to the new firmware; I've had the multiple HR zones set for a while, but it seemed to work just fine until recently.

Perhaps, as an experiment, you can try: set up custom HR zones for Running using %-of-Max (but with Z1=129-142, Z2=143-156, etc.), save and sync, then go for a run and see whether the watch (and the Time in Heart Rate Zones chart in Garmin Connect) will use the custom zones.

Thanks, I'll try this. I suspect it's an issue with the new firmware.

Update: Problem persists. I changed HR zones, got rid of running zones, added them back, etc., and nothing works. If I have running zones set up, my watch and garmin connect do not use them. What's the point of offering them?

Submit a support ticket

I already have one submitted, but if more people submit them they may realize sooner that it's not a one-off issue but is related to the firmware update. I did multiple troubleshooting steps for them and I think they've concluded it is firmware but more data points for them to look at will only be more helpful.