Current pace instead of step pace during workout

I don't believe is't by design, if I remember correctly, the Fenix 6 had the same issue in the early firmware versions.

I have also noticed this and would like it fixed to be an avg step pace, step pace can’t mean anything else than the avg for that step. This is on the Fenix 7 also. 

Gee! I hope this is not a bug.

I really want to see my current pace, instead of an average. This is essential for HIIT. When I accelerate from a recovery jog to a short distance target pace, I want to know I am on target, so my physical perception of pace improves. With an average, I wouldn't know how fast I am running, I would over compensate either way to adjust while, every 30 seconds, an alert might tell me I am too slow or too fast because the average is lagging.

When I think about it, pace is really a proxy for effort. If I run with power, I have even a better indicator of effort, and it is a better way to achieve a goal "the best I can".

I am still interested in the average run/lap/step pace, but it is after the run, or during longer splits. At that point, the average pace is more a proxy of stamina to me. With the Epix2, I now use current stamina for this aspect during the run.

Note: I also hope native power is coming to the Garmin platform, so I can structure workouts with power instead of pace without having to pay a TrainingPeaks or Stryd subscription for that purpose.

My sense is that even with the superior GPS  tracking of the Epix, current pace just jumps around too much to be of any practical value. The solution of course would be to allow users to choose which type of pace (average or instant) is displayed on the workout screen.

I've done a few paced based workouts recently and I see the pace for the step, not the average pace for the workout. So not sure what others are seeing. Pretty confident that I am correct in this as my pace during a work interval is over a minute/km faster than my pace during the recovery interval and this is reflected in the information on the watch.

krisdavi said:

would like it fixed to be an avg step pace,

No. I would not want to see the average step pace either. Happy to have the paced averaged over say 5s for smoothing but if I'm doing a 1km interval at 5 min/km then I want to know how close I am during the interval. As it stands I get alerts when I'm too fast or too slow for the interval pace. 

It is a good idea to have some options for pace, like we have for cycling power: instant, 3sec average, 10sec average, lap/step average, overall average. That would be OK for data fields. But for targets in workouts, this might be a different story.

I am guessing that would require a lot of changes to have many options for structured workout targets, since it would impact how other platforms integrate with Garmin.

Personally, I would prefer Garmin to work on native power for running  ;-)

I agree. The term step pace can only mean one thing, the average pace for the step. It does not display that however, it displays current pace. Current pace may be useful for some people, but it is not the same thing as step pace. And the alert misalignment with the displayed value is a red flag.

davidhurst said:

the nag screens which warn you are outside your chosen pace are based on your lap/step pace not the instant pace being shown on the workout screen

This is changed in latest beta if I understand it correctly. I've not tested yet myself. Maybe only audio...

• Fixed issue where pace and heart rate audio prompts were only giving averages

Edit: maybe not related to configured workouts at all...

This isn’t fixed in beta 9.22

with my Fenix 5x and 6x and 6S pro, when executing a structured run with pace zones, the workout screen will alert only on STEP PACE. 

currently on the Epix, the pace alerts are on CURRENT PACE - however the defective behaviour is that when the alert is triggered the display shows STEP PACE.

as an example today I ran with a target pace of 4:05-4:15/km for 5km step. At 2.3km my STEP PACE average was 4:07/km - INSIDE THE ZONE. 
i turned and ran up a short hill and in that time my current pace dropped a little. The “too slow” alert triggered within a few seconds of slowing down however my STEP PACE average was still 4:10/km and this is what displayed on my watchface with the blue coloured “too slow” screen.

regardless of people’s opinion of liking current pace over step pace, it is defective behaviour. You can’t tell me I am too slow and then show me a screen with a value that is IN THE ZONE. That’s dumb.

in my 6x this works as I expect it to, and I have run with them at the same time and my Epix alerts when it shouldn’t but the 6x does not.

how do we get someone at Garmin to look at this?