Garmin Coach - easy runs for 16 weeks

Sounds correct 

A good base is good.  however after 16wks, you should definitely be doing some workouts at least once a week!  Just something like cruise intervals (2-4x 6-8min at medium hard with 2min recovery jogs) Do you ever check your 'suggested workout' for the day?   Has your training total volume increased ~5-9% per week most weeks?   With maybe a stepback or lighter week every 3-5wks.  ?  

what kind of recovery hours are you seeing on your watch?  

have you updated your weight?

did a real heart rate test with very hard intervals up a long moderate hill?   to update garmin (not just some age based calculator)

is your vo2max continuing to increase?

I would just follow a typical training plan starting off at around the volume you are at now.   you'll want some shorter faster intervals tuesday maybe.. and longer Threshold run on Thursday.   slowly raise long run to 90-110minutes.  once there maybe add some faster miles in the middle-end.   

also run a 5k race or 5k solo time trial (if time trial subtract some time ~20sec or 2% cuz in a race you'll go faster) to enter into a race and training pace calculator to get an updated goal based on fitness now.

Excellent thoughts, thanks Nick. These were my expectations as well, also comparing with other training plans available on the web you do some sort of intervals early on 

Recovery times are typically 18-24 hrs, bit longer after a 80 min run. Training status is  productive, VO2 max increasing etc.. Volume is static or slightly increasing (approx 5% per week) w2w, meaning the easy runs do get 5 min longer or so.

I also have up to date weight, HRmax, LT etc in the watch. Suggested training runs (non coach) offer some more variety indeed. The only odd thing I notice is the difference btw currently predicted HM time @2:10hrs vs the super high "Coach" confidence I will nail 1:50 hrs in the race in 8 weeks. Given on current fitness, I would say a 2:10 hrs HM should be easily doable tmr. I need to see some additional improvements to be able to attempt 1:50, current pace is too slow

Will probably start to add some speed intervals into one of the easy runs and some threshold running into another, just like you suggested. But I am tempted to keep the coach running to see if it adapts at all 

Thanks again! Alex

Same for me here. moost very short runs at realxed pace.  i will follow coach but expect more longer and intenser trainings during the comming weeks.

Just started coach and end for 3-12-2022. HM time 1:56.

After scheduling me another week with 5x 30 min easy runs 7 weeks before the HM :) I now had to adjust my training days down from 5 to 4 as life gets busy. And guess what, my week was adjusted and now includes 2x stride repeats, one easy long and one easy short run... This actually makes more sense.

Interestingly, I had changed training days, time goals and even coaches before in order to force a recalculation of the plan, but that never had an effect on the exclusively easy run schedule.

Garmin also ignored that I want my long run on the weekend and scheduled it for Wednesday instead. But I will do this week now and am curious for next weeks schedule as it materializes ...