Do you like the Garmin Coach 5k plan?

Curious which coach you picked, how long you've been following the plan, what you like/dislike.

I just discovered the Garmin Coach 5k plan for beginner and intermediate runners. I consider myself an intermediate runner. I decided to give it a go and entered my target 5k pace for the end of training. I picked Coach McMillan. I'll complete the Benchmark Run (9 minutes) tonight. It looks like al future training session will be developed after this run as they say "Stay Tuned for Details".

I'll update this post as I progress in my training. Please do the same.

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0 JSRUNNER_ over 5 years ago

Markus you should definitely pause for a bit - It is not a good idea to go straight from 2 times a week to 4 times. Has the total miles you are running also doubled? If I were you I would gradually increase your weekly running maybe alternating 3 runs 1 week with two the next. Then add mileage in no more that 10% increments a week. then when you are comfortable make your runs 3 a week for a few weeks. Then increase to 4 one week and 3 the next (redistributing the miles that you are devoting to the 3 runs). It would help to know your original mileage and the pace you typically run vs what your goal is.

0 jamesrussell01 over 5 years ago

Just a quick follow up to my earlier post. If you are new to running then I can say that there can be some real benefits to a coaching plan. I have 1 more week left in my 1st plan and I can tell the difference. I have seen my stamina increase and my total distance from timed run to timed run has improved as well. For my first time ever I saw my training load reach "peaking" status today. I unfortunately have been experiencing "Runners Knee" but it has helped me to correct my stride. The coaching might be primarily mental related to my perceived success but for a big guy who couldnt do 1 lap around the 1/4 mile track to now being able to run 5k non-stop (albeit at a slow mile pace) I probably would not have made it this far without the coaching.

0 JSRUNNER_ over 5 years ago

jamesrussell01 I don't think the benefits of a coaching plan are confined to new runners. Without following a semsible plan it is very difficult for a runner (or any other sport participant) to make progress towards their goals.

0 jamesrussell01 over 5 years ago

JSRUNNER, That is a great point. I have read some other posts pointing to some of the perceived short comings with regard to the coaching plans and more "seasoned" runners. I just wanted to highlight why it has worked for me. From my perspective you get what you give and for me I have got a lot out of it.

0 yjonesyjones over 5 years ago

I don't understand what the workout plan is asking me to do. Why does it say Run - 20:00 min:sec - 1:30 to 2:30 min/mi ? Who runs a mile in 1:30 to 2:30 minutes?ciq.forums.garmin.com/.../1468493.png

0 JSRUNNER_ over 5 years ago

yjonesyjones Mmm... impressive if you can meet that target - I'm not sure what has happened - I think a few errors have crept in recently - I have a long Easy run in my schedule that shows 10 min warmup 40 Mins Easy Pace 8.18 - 8.33 then 10 mins Medium to Hard which also shows 8.18 - 8.33 - this is not a ridiculous value like your s but is still patently wrong - I'm not sure how to report these types of issues - I guess to Garmin Support

0 Rebecca6 over 5 years ago

I have a vivoactive3 Music and started the coach training plan today, however I cannot sync the benchmark workout to my device by clicking the button on the top right corner (an arrow points to a mobile). I have hit that button and sync data to my watch many times.
At last, I synced the workout through calendar page... After clicking the button with the same icon, it asks me to choose a device and then I could click Send to finish syncing. ">dqfanfeedback">dqfanfeedback

Please fix the workout sync function. Thanks.

0 Contrailh over 5 years ago

I did the Garmin Coach 5k plan last fall. My goal was to run a 5k under 25:00 minutes. The Greg McMillan plan worked very well for me even with a short break to allow a hamstring to rest to avoid an injury. (The hill repeats caused some discomfort beyond normal soreness and I took 10 days off to avoid bigger problems.).

I did notice the error that JSRUNNER pointed out above. I did my best to do that whole “long easy run” at the 8:18-8:30/mile pace. I wasn’t able to do it, but ran my fastest 10k in the process. After the run was over I realized the plan only intended the last 10 minutes to be run at that hard pace. It was a typo.

At the end of the plan, I ran a 5k in 22:30. My VO2 max increased from 46 to 49 Over the 15 weeks of training. I’m 51 and relatively new to running. I’m thinking about trying one of the other plans to get back in racing shape after a slow winter. If you are looking for a structured plan, give it a try. It worked for me.

0 AlanSawyer62 over 4 years ago in reply to jose.cboliveira

same problem

0 mdyyz over 4 years ago

I liked the Greg McMillan plan. It was spaced out and gave a few days to complete given runs. I never finished the plan last Fall as weather got worse and my training went indoors on a bike trainer and rowing ergometer and ski trainer. I think any training plan that uses a baseline and target over a period of time will be better than nothing at all or steady state running every time.