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Pace alerts - strange fast and slow spikes, especially when lap recording

Former Member
Former Member
Hi, 235 is my first running watch - bought it to help with training towards a marathon. So I don't have huge experience in running generally or with running watches either.

I've found the pace alerts really useful (alert when too fast or too slow) but I find that they're behaving strangely in a couple of ways. (I had a quick look for other threads about this but couldn't see any obvious ones.)

1. abrupt spikes when an autolap is triggered

My pace alert for a long run is: too fast if faster than 5:20/km; too slow if slower than 5:50/km.

Normally I'll trundle along at about 5:25/km - 5:30/km, though sometimes I'll end up running a bit quicker than that without realising it.

When I hit an autolap (set to 1km), it'll record my time for the lap as expected.

However the alerts then usually go a bit nuts - after auto-lap has given me lap-time, I'll then often immediately get an alert saying I'm too fast (say 4:55/km), and immediately then get another one saying I'm too slow (say 6:10/km). This sometimes happens a few times before it settles down.

2. slow alert suddenly triggered when I haven't significantly changed pace

This happened to me twice when I was out yesterday. Again I'd be running along at about 5:30/km or so. Then the watch started to tell me I was running much more slowly, e.g. 6:40/km, 7:10/km.

I paused and then resumed the workout (kept running), and it seemed to settle down and track my pace properly again. As mentioned, this happened twice.

I imagine it's got something to do with how the lap pace is averaged/updated, but I do find it strange/disruptive.

Has anyone else had experience of this? Anything I can do to reduce/minimise this?

Cheers,

Michael
  • (I had a quick look for other threads about this but couldn't see any obvious ones.)

    https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?347075-Pace-Alert-Average-Pace

    My pace alert for a long run is: too fast if faster than 5:20/km; too slow if slower than 5:50/km.
    Are you using a custom workout when doing this?
  • I tried using pace and HR alerts this weekend on my 12mile run... WAS horrible! (8:35high, 9:30 low) Was constantly alerting me high....low.... high.... low.... the entire time (at a steady run). Needless to say I will not be using pace based alerts again... ever. They really need to add some customization fields for pace+HR smoothing, filtering, averaging...etc.

    Has anyone at Garmin field tested this watch? Tried to use the pace alerts functions? I am guessing the intervals type 'workouts' would work just as crappy....oh well. I guess i'll just run by feel i guess as usual. I was hoping to start using them once I kicked into 5k training in May... but i guess i'll just need to watch my watch face.

    Plus since the HR (even with strap w/electrode gel) didn't read properly for the first 10minutes.... that was constant vibrate as well.

    on the upside it was a good battery tester with all the vibrating, held up fine! :)
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 9 years ago
    https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?347075-Pace-Alert-Average-Pace

    Yes I did see that - I had wondered how it was calculated. I commend the scientific approach. Wish I'd thought of it!

    However my specific query was about why
    (1) I might be seeing abrupt high and low spikes in the way that the watch was perceiving my pace, especially at point of autolap (abrupt alerts advising a too fast pace of 4:50, then too slow pace of 6:30, all whilst I'm confident I was still moving at about 5:30 or so), and
    (2) whether anyone else had run into a situation of the watch suddenly getting stuck generating particularly slow pace alerts part way through a lap, again whilst my pace seemed to be consistent and well within the alert parameters (both current pace and average lap pace) - resolved when workout paused for a few seconds and then resumed.

    Are you using a custom workout when doing this?

    With the first issue (abrupt high/low oscillating alerts on autolap), I've noticed it both with custom workouts (where pace alert set) and standard run where a general pace alert has been set/activated.

    With the second issue (watch getting stuck on issuing a slow alert when I'm pretty sure I'm in desired zone), I've only noticed it on standard run (no custom workout engaged).

    Cheers,

    Michael
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 9 years ago
    I tried using pace and HR alerts this weekend on my 12mile run... WAS horrible! (8:35high, 9:30 low) Was constantly alerting me high....low.... high.... low.... the entire time (at a steady run). Needless to say I will not be using pace based alerts again... ever. They really need to add some customization fields for pace+HR smoothing, filtering, averaging...etc.

    To be fair, I've not yet had it happen to me over the course of a whole run - mostly triggered on autolap, and twice on the same run during the middle of lap (but so far this hasn't repeated). So broadly speaking it works, but the exceptions do seem pretty extreme.

    I do feel like I'm not putting the watch to strange/unusual use with my pace alerts though... so I do wonder about how well it's been tested too. I'm really glad that they appear to be working on it and fixing things, and I'd definitely rather have it in its current state than not at all - but it feels like there is still a little bit to do before it's fully working as expected.