Workout Suggestions With Multiple Events in 1 Weekend

Btw I ended up solving my own question with the Primary/Secondary training event classification in the GCM calendar. Unfortunately, that was already correct and even removing the 5K didn’t seem to suggest longer runs, so I suppose that’s just the plan for now!

This is my concern, I wish we could SEE the real impact, and I wish Daily Suggestions appeared in the Connect calendar (and could view them online - perhaps weeks in advance, albeit well aware they would change on an ongoing basis based on real load etc).

As things stand, I have 11 events added in my Race Calendar, culminating in a marathon I've tagged as 'primary' in October. I've tagged about half the remainder as 'secondary' where I care that I'm actually training reasonably properly for them, in amongst the main goal race of the year.

Just a tad concerned that it's not giving them the proper focus - I have a 30mile Ultra tagged as Secondary that is 8 weeks out - yet I'm being offered just a 1hr11mins long run this weekend - the self-guided Garmin Intermediate Marathon plan would have me running 2hrs40mins about now  It's like its ignoring the Secondary 30miler I have coming up, because of 2 shorter secondary events I have before that...but how do I know?

(prepared to just play it out and see what happens - in REALITY the 30miler is what I'd consider a 'C' - fun event, and don't mind if I'm not ready to actually run/race a 30miler, I'll be walking up every hill etc anyway).

The logic used to optimize the training suggestions based on the number, timing and nature of secondary events is not published. In fact, we only know high level logic for the training plan.

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/blog/fitness/running/how-to-train-for-your-next-race-with-the-garmin-race-widget/

Such an optimization is not easy any way so I wouldn't put too much faith in it.

My recommendation is to tag your top upcoming race as primary. If you consider that a traditional training plan for a marathon is around 16-20 weeks, you can afford to switch your training to your ultra and then back to the marathon.

Also, I would avoid having several secondary races before a primary and instead replace some workouts by the intermediary races, then adding extra recovery time. For example, replace a long run day by a half marathon, and replace the following workout by a recovery run or rest. Another example is to replace a fast workout with a 5k or 10k race. This way you keep the training plan focused on your main primary and maybe a single secondary when the timing of the secondary would still leave you a couple of months before your primary.

If you still want to optimize for everything, you should consult a coach.

How do I even change the priority of an event?

To answer my own question, the rather convoluted route I've found is for each event...

Click on the Goal - Click on Next - Choose the Priority.

So - now I've got my Ultra in 8 weeks as a priority, with no Secondary's in the 3 events that are happening before that.

Then in the six planned races after the Ultra, before the marathon, I've got a Secondary 10k in May, and one in June, with everything else left as No Priority - and I'll switch the October marathon to Primary after I've done the Ultra.

That should hopefully result in better suggestions more aimed at those primary races...especially as I'd ignore/add the suggestions in amongst anyway, pretty much in line with what you've written, & throwing in a bit of pace work in the couple of weeks ahead of a 10k for example.

(And I'll ignore that I've got another Ultra 4 weeks before my Primary marathon - that'll just be a long run weekend where instead of doing the 2.5hrs or whatever is recommended, I'll trundle out for 6 or 7hours wondering why I've entered the horrible hilly boggy 50k monstrosity of a route for the 3rd year in a row!!)

Ta.

3673816 said:

especially as I'd ignore/add the suggestions in amongst anyway, pretty much in line with what you've written

It reads like you are a serious runner, so yes, you can/should use the training plan as a guide to achieve a balanced training and to have a good level of periodization/plasing. For the individual workouts, you might have to adapt the target pace and/or duration. I found they are on the lower range of the target, even if your VO2 Max model is well tuned.

3673816 said:

that'll just be a long run weekend where instead of doing the 2.5hrs or whatever is recommended

That is the best way to incorporate secondary/tertiary events, IMO. Just make sure you account for recovery if you push yourself distance and/or pace-wise.

Let us know how it goes. I anticipate you won't see runs long enough soon enough for your goals.

Ha - too kind. I'm an average middle of the pack runner who likes to do stupid things (often involving entering too many races and not really preparing properly for any of them - but that's ok, I'm not really *that* bothered about performing to my utmost best - I want to do reasonably well of course, but mainly I do it for the joy of simply 'doing it').

Interestingly, after promoting the Ultra to Primary and demoting the interim Secondary's to 'None', with the overnight Suggestions update, this weekends long run is already showing 30mins longer than it was whilst I had a couple of secondary events and then the Secondary event of the Ultra.

It seems like when it was a Secondary, and I had a couple Secondary's before that in a date range that would all have been outside of the real influence of the original Primary in October, that the Daily Suggestions weren't really coming up with enough for a "reasonably well" expectation.

It would be really nice if Garmin expanded a bit more...I'm sure there's lots of folk like me who enter a load of races, target a couple as A races for PB's or whatever, have some "B" races that they know they have to do something more than their usual weekly 'training' for - and other races that they are happy to just pop out in amongst normal 'training' without doing any specific preparation for. Those three scenario's do kind of match the Garmin description of Primary, Secondary and None - but it doesn't seem like it really works effectively as expected.

3673816 said:

This is my concern, I wish we could SEE the real impact, and I wish Daily Suggestions appeared in the Connect calendar (and could view them online - perhaps weeks in advance, albeit well aware they would change on an ongoing basis based on real load etc).

I think it will only create a mess in your calendar, for me possibility to check suggested workouts one week ahead on the watch is good enough. Especially that these suggestions might changes from day to day and depend a lot from your load and other factors.

Maybe so - I guess a better place on Connect web interface would simply be showing the next week (as it stands) of Suggested Workouts at the top of the "Training and Planning" / "Events" screen.

Would also like to see an "Events" screen added to the Mobile app similar to the Web View - as things stand (on Android at least) - you have to find the Events in the Calendar - but then if you click an Event (from the Calendar), you can click on Training and directly change the Training Priority right there - which is a missing button on the Web View - you have to click through a Goal, click Next and then edit the priority!

This Race Calendar & Suggested Workouts stuff is CLOSE to being brilliantly usable. But not quite.

3673816 said:

Maybe so - I guess a better place on Connect web interface would simply be showing the next week (as it stands) of Suggested Workouts at the top of the "Training and Planning" / "Events" screen.

And what you would do with workouts you didn do or which changed?
Should they be deleted automatically, manually? Who should make such decision.
From my point of view it will create huge mess in calendar.

Regarding changing event priority in mobile app, it works fine for me on iOS.
You also could filter what type of data your calendar will show and select only „Events"