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Suggested workouts unrealistic

TedW
10 days ago

I have been trying to follow the suggested runs on my 965 but today, I will no longer pay any attention to them.  I stopped running for 9 months because of an injury but Garmin doesn’t pay attention my lack of training during that time.  Nor does Garmin take into account my age.  Garmin continues to suggest runs based on my previous training (before the injury) and ignores my current condition and my increased age.  The suggestions are too aggressive and could potentially cause me to re-injure myself.  I need a way to “re-initialize” my run training but I see nothing in Garmin Connect that allows me to do that.  If anyone has a workaround for this problem, please let me know

Another issue are the suggested workouts for cycling.  These suggestions are completely unworkable because they expect a cyclist to keep to a narrow power range, which is impossible for someone who lives in a city, where one must turn corners or slow down at traffic crossings or, in my case, go up one of many hills (causing my power output to go up too high for Garmin).  To do these workouts, one needs a long, flat, straight track with no obstacles.  In other words, impossible.

  • 0 10 days ago

    Ted,  

    1st... Just to get it out of the way, your 9mo of age older have zero impact on your workouts.  

    2nd... If you were off from training due to injury, yes you will have to manage your injury and rehab on your own.  Garmin doesn't have a rehab from injury plan.  Your workout paces are based on your Vo2max, if that hasn't updated since your injury, then paces will be off.  I wouldn't follow a plan from them at the moment if you are rehabbing, just slowly build up your base fitness again, let muscles/joints adjust to the new load.  Slowly add more days and more time out running.  Your suggested workouts will become more realistic as you let your watch update your training load and vo2max.

    Cycling training: yes structured workouts outside can be more difficult.  Kind of just have to use the workouts as you can, find good routes that allow a certain distance, find a hill that works for a certain length of hard effort.   If there is a hill on your route that is way to steep that doesn't allow you to downshift to maintain 80-100rpm... then avoid that hill or get out of saddle and slow pedal!  It is fine to go super slow up a hill... i tell my wife that often!  Use your brakes if needed to maintain power around a corner...  swap out a 3min vo2max interval for 30sec hard / 30sec easy intervals if in tricky conditions (easy to find 30sec section!) but get similar/same results.  Many people use structured workouts for indoors, then doing more sustained sweetspot or zone2 for outside.  Or just do easy with some occasional 10-20sec sprints, etc.  If you live in a city... you will need to find some long paths that work well, or bike out of city as your warmup then start workout on more rural roads.

  • +1 10 days ago
    TedW said:
     I stopped running for 9 months because of an injury but Garmin doesn’t pay attention my lack of training during that time.

    Did you pause your training status during this time?

    Pause Your Training Status

    https://www.garmin.com/en-US/blog/fitness/pause-your-training-status/#:~:text=You%20can%20pause%20training%20status%20from%20your%20compatible,may%20have%20to%20first%20select%20Show%20to%20expand. 

  • 0 9 days ago in reply to bluefish

    Yes, I did pause training, even though I continued to cycle and lift weights.

  • 0 9 days ago in reply to NickMN

    Yes, my VO2max went down and pausing training kept it town because no cycling VO2max was recorded.  My age does have something to do with my inability to keep up with the suggested workouts because I had to lower my maximum HR this year.  The problem was not only the length of suggested runs but that Garmin started suggesting things like a Tempo run followed the next day by a Threshold run, with no rest in between.  Then it scheduled a base run followed by an anaerobic (sprints) followed by a long base run, with no rest days in between.  I’m 72 years old, recovering from a serious achilles pull, and Garmin treats me like I’m 10 to 20 years younger!  Your advice is exactly what I plan to do - start slow and rebuild up my base fitness.  And do more hiking hills when running doesn’t feel possible.

    As for cycling, I’m not limited by the injury and I think I have a better way to increase my fitness by doing a lot of hill climbing, where the power levels always exceed the Garmin suggested ranges.  I live 1-1/2 miles from an extinct volcano, so have no problem finding hills.