I have just switched from a FR610 to a 230 this weekend. Generally very pleased but I cannot see how to get back to the menu screen during a workout so that I can scroll through lap times. Can anyone help? Do I need an extra app and if so any suggestions?
Ah that is a real flaw in a training watch I would say. I'm new to the concept of supplementary apps but I suspect they are not going to be able to alter the basic operating set up.
just so I understand, you want to view past lap splits whilst still doing the activity? I haven't heard of that need before, can you explain what you are trying to do and maybe we can suggest another way of doing it. I assume you have the lap banners coming up so you can get the last lap split at the end of the lap, right? You also have a field called 'Last Lap Pace' so you can review this at any point. Are you looking at them to see how far infront/behind of a target? If so, then you can use other methods to do this.
Hi ChunkyWizard
I'm thinking of use during track sessions eg 12x400m when I might need to check back and see my splits or even count how many I had done. The 610 had a ' view activity in progress' field but maybe that was more of a specialist running watch. Enjoying all the other features though!
The watch tracks individual activities, not manage across a complete training session
Ah that is a real flaw in a training watch I would say.
I, too, would like to know more about your use case from which the requirement for reviewing the full list of completed laps in the middle of a run arises.
I'm new to the concept of supplementary apps but I suspect they are not going to be able to alter the basic operating set up.
One thing to remember is that a running watch – any running watch, or piece of wearable fitness technology for that matter – is not intended to completely replace the need for an app on a more capable device (such as a mobile phone or tablet) for review and analysis of activity data while pausing or resting so that you don't have to bring something larger. Especially in the middle of a monitored/tracked activity (as opposed to a session), a training watch ought to tell the user what he/she needs to know in the moment with respect to current progress and performance against targets.
You can see the time, distance, pace, speed and cadence for the most recently completed lap as data fields on the customisable Run data screens on the FR235, if you want to mentally adjust your targets for the current lap. Of course, you can also see the cumulative time and distance, and overall average pace, speed and cadence up to the moment, including all previously completed laps and the current unfinished lap of the run.
You can see a list of laps (showing the number, distance and duration of each) for completed-and-saved activities, and drill down into each lap if you so desire. A single training session may logically comprise multiple activities, even of the same type, so if you're thinking about running five laps, then taking a rest while you review how you went (or vice versa), and then running another five laps with targets that are adjusted for the results from the first half of your session, you could do the two sets of five laps as separate activities, unless you have a need for the watch to tell you the total distance run and/or the total time spent up to the moment across both halves.
Yes, we as FR235 owners are lucky that one may be able to augment the training session management capabilities with a custom Connect IQ app, but I don't think it's reasonable to expect that as core functionality of a running (or training) watch.
Thanks for the replies. I mainly want to be able to scroll back through my lap splits during a track training session - sorry if I was a bit vague. I bought this as a specific running watch but wonder now if it is more of an activity tracker / leisure watch.
So during your track session are you stopping the watch at the end of an interval but not saving so you get all the intervals in one activity? Or are you keeping the watch running in the rest? Can you give us an example of a workout?
I mainly want to be able to scroll back through my lap splits during a track training session - sorry if I was a bit vague. I bought this as a specific running watch but wonder now if it is more of an activity tracker / leisure watch.
The point I was trying to make is that the FR235 – or any running watch, short of being a user-reprogrammable piece of wearable fitness technology, which some of the the Garmin watches can be with if equipped with the Connect IQ platform, as can Suunto, and of course the Apple Watch and Android Wear – tracks running (and cycling) as activities. It's not just an “activity tracker” in the sense that devices like the Fitbit Charge HR is; it provides a lot of flexibility as well as depth in terms of monitoring what happens on a run, beyond (say) even what the TomTom Runner Cardio, TomTom Spark Cardio and Fitbit Surge can do.
What it isn't designed to do, out-of-the-box, is manage complete training sessions which may consist of multiple logically separate training activities. It'll go so far as allow you to create reasonably complex custom workout activities (with sequences of multiple repetitions of predefined run/walk/rest ‘steps’), and schedule several of them on your training calendar for the same day, and you can see daily totals once all the activities have been completed, saved and synced to Garmin Connect. However, [/review/] and/or analysis of part of a training session is not something the watch expects you to do within one training activity (or workout); it's something you do between disjointed training activities.
ChunkyWizard I might do something like 12x400 m at 5k pace, or 24 laps alternating 10k and marathon pace and sometimes it is useful to scroll back through the splits during the time between sets to check on progress so far. I would usually stop the watch between sets but don't want to keep saving and effectively starting a new workout. Not essential I guess but capability for this was a standard feature in the FR 405 and FR610 and I got used to using it.
ASmugDill I take your point that this watch is something a bit different and I will need to have to alter the way I do things or go back to my old watch. I will feed back to the running shop where I bought it though as I'm sure I am not alone in missing this function.
Regards
Katie
i thought that maybe when paused you might be able to see some metrics, but I just tried and you can't :-( maybe this is something you could get through a ConnectIQ app. Might be worth checking the ConnectIQ store or forum.
