Forerunner 245 (software ver 13.00); ConnectIQ for Android (Version 5.1); connect.garmin.com
QUESTION 1: Is there some way I can get the current day training workout to be the 'default' when I start a run on my Forerunner 245 (like it used to do)? (and avoid all the clicking around before every run)
QUESTION 2: Is there a way I can somehow 'force' the Mobile App to have/show the current/active Self-Guided Marathon HR plan the same as the website and watch have? Or maybe it's on the App and I just need assistance in finding it's hiding place?
Background:
Using the Garmin Connect website I adjusted my HR zones and selected a Garmin self-guided intermediate Marathon HR based 16-week training plan. Studied the 16 week plan online and compared it to our running clubs 16 week training plan (which were quite similar/compatible). Saved it. It shows on the website under the Active tab.
Purely as an experiment to learn about the Garmin's capabilities, I experimented last year with (I believe 10k) one of their training plans. It seemed easy at the time to use. Every time I started a run my FR 245 popped up the option to the specific workout from the plan. I would either do it or could override that and simply do my own thing. Things have changed considerably and I seem to now be having a # of issues.
First, when I started a run yesterday and hit the START button - I expected the training plan workout for the day to appear. No such training plan option is present. So I just did a run activity and that was that.
So I get back to my starting point, open up the app on my (Android) phone and THERE IS NO Self-Guided Marathon HR training plan found in the app. Not ACTIVE. Or otherwise. It just doesn't seem to exist within the mobile app period. In fact I cannot find any self-guided training plans on the mobile app - just the 3 Garmin Coach apps up thru 1/2 marathon appear.
OK... I thought maybe I hadn't synced the phone and/or watch since selecting and setting up the Garmin Self-Guided HR Marathon Training Plan on the Connect website. Nope. Both have definitely been synced since then. The HR zones for example were properly updates. And the plan still exists on the Connect website showing Active as I type this.
I did some digging around on my watch and I eventually found the training plan albeit thoroughly hidden within an unacceptably and ridiculously long sequence of button presses to access a given workout.
Forerunner 245 Menu Navigation In order to access my Marathon Training Plan workouts from my watch I have to do the following:
> Start > Run > Up/Options > ...
> Run Settings
> Training (Down) ("Ahah! here it is!...")
> Today's Suggestions
> Rest ("Nope - that's not correct - false alarm, this is definitely not it, just some generic recommended activity..."
> Back
> Back
> Navigation (Down)
> Training Calendar (hmmmm?)
> Date
> Today (Ahah! Now I've actually found it - there's "W01D2 Run Z2..."
Ignoring the false clues of the "Do Workout" menu entry on the watch - that's still 9 button pushes I have to cycle thru every time I want to do a Marathon training plan workout from the Garmin training plan on the FR 245. And this is not at all the way I remember it when I last experimented/played around with a Garmin Training Plan. The last time I tried out a training plan (more to just experiment with the app than to seriously follow the plan at that time) it worked much more easily and streamlined. I simply hit the start button, selected run and there was the workout ready to go each day. No extra button pushes. No clicking around and navigating thru an arcane menu and calendar to find the darn thing - it was just the default every time I started a run. Easy Peezy.
