Training Status - Unproductive....how to change?

Not sure I understand your reply.  I've already tried high aerobic zone runs and still got Unproductive which is why I figure I would try a slow, easy run.

You need to do more variety in your training - high aerobic, low aerobic, combinations. To really see VO2max changes do intervals with large gaps in intensity ie very hard with a very low recovery effort. 

Don't expect things to change overnight. You need to be consistent in your training with variety of time and intensity FITT principle:

Frequency

Intensity

Type

Time

Thank you for the replies.  I have been varying my workouts quite a bit so I dont think thats the problem.  The message I am seeing is "Your fitness is declining.  Try focusing on rest, nutrition, and stress management to turn things around."

Does this mean that perhaps Garmin thinks I am over training?  My recovery shows "train as usual" so I am not sure whats happening.

I would take training status with a pinch of salt. In a race in a tempo run you may well push your heart rate into the 90% of hr max zone. I run half marathon races at >180bpm average, which the watch will think is unproductive. But I have a Pb of 83 minutes and some people just have a higher tolerance to suffering than others.

Ultimately, all that really matters is that your race times are getting faster. But when you are training, do the hard runs hard and the easy runs easy, and try not to work near your HR Max on 2 consecutive days.

I think Unproductive means your training load is stagnant and/or your fitness, as measured primarily by VO2 Max, is unchanging or decreasing. The latter could be the case if you don't have enough fast paced runs for an accurate VO2 Max estimate, or your body weight has significantly increased, or your max HR isn't set correctly.

I'd begin by looking at your training load over the past 7-10 days, max HR, and weight, and ensuring these are what you think they should be.

nickk said:

The latter could be the case if you don't have enough fast paced runs for an accurate VO2 Max estimate

This is interesting because my VO2 max declined on Sept 2 after I did a 6.4 mile that included 3 sets at threshold pace for 1-2 mins each.  Every since then my VO2 max has not improved even though I continue to add these types of faster paced sessions into my weekly training.

Perhaps someone from Firstbeat, reading the forums, would elaborate further...

But if I remember correctly, Firstbeat VO2 Max calculation looks at your average pace over prolonged continuous segments of the course, if not an average for the entire run. Hence, if you do intervals of relatively short duration, with recovery parts run at a considerably lower pace, you may see lower VO2 Max. Same if you train for a half or a marathon, and majority of your runs are easy and slow. 

Also, since it's still pretty warm out there, temperatures might be your problem too: new heat adaptation kicks in at 72F. Needless to say, Garmin's supplied weather isn't always accurate for a given locale. Then there's also an issue of running in the sun vs shade. Last but not least is humidity that can vary greatly. All this would translate to higher heart rates and lower VO2 Max.

I'd try to take a day or two off, then do a 4-5 mile threshold run over relatively flat course to see if VO2 Max would budge.

You can also try using non-Garmin services like HRV4Training or Runalyze that do VO2 estimates. This way you would at least know if that's the watch showing the data that's off, or something is indeed wrong with your training plan.

Maybe, this paper is helpful for you (page 15+)

www.dcrainmaker.com/.../FirstBeat-GarminFeatures-DCR.pdf