Interval training often includes workouts with specific time or distance at specific cadence but it seems that forerunner35 surprisingly does not allow this basic configuration!!! Did I miss anything?
Yes, you have missed something. You are referring to Workouts in Garmin parlance but your device doesn't have support for them. You just have the simple Interval on device option.
FYI, when I look at Workouts in Garmin Connect, I can create steps with:
- Duration: Time, Distance, Lap Button Press, Calories and Heart Rate (above/below) - Intensity Target: Pace, Speed, Cadence, HR Zone
For each workout step, the Duration type is mandatory (and you only get one), while the Intensity Target is optional (still only one). Each step can have different Duration or Intensity Target types compared to the other steps.
I don't have a 235 ( I have a 935), but I don't have any reason to think that any of these options are device-specific. For what it's worth, both the 235 and 935 manuals have the same text about workout steps based on time, distance and calories (without mentioning the other duration types), and neglect to mention intensity targets.
This video for creating a custom workout on 230/235 shows the workout builder (which is a slightly older version, but pretty much the same), with the exact same options for Duration and Intensity Target (the GC account is linked with a Fenix and a 230): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vgmq...=youtu.be&t=65
I guess the only way to know for sure that a workout with time and cadence works on 235 is to try it yourself or ask someone if they have/could try it (maybe in the forums), but my educated guess is that it'd work fine.
did not find anything in workouts that would allow running at a specific cadence during a given time.
And that sends you to Garmin Connect to create a workout where, as noted above the ability to create a workout step based around cadence in spm (strides per minute) exists.
Now, all that remains is for you to create a workout, send it to your device and see what happens.
I’m just reading between the lines here, but I don’t think he owns an FR235. Maybe he would consider buying one if he was sure it has that feature he wants....
If my guess is correct, then reading the manual or trying it himself can help but it won’t resolve the question 100% since he cannot actually send a workout to a device he doesn’t own and verify that the specific workout he wants is supported. Who knows if GC will even present the workouts feature for someone who owns an FR35? I don’t think Golf will show up if you don’t have a device that supports it, for example (but I could be misremembering).
My other guess is that all the workout options found in GC's workout builder should work on all workout-supported devices (provided the specific sport/activity is supported) but I can’t be sure of that. I guess one exception would be cycling power for devices that don’t support that. So I guess you could say that obviously the metric in question has to be supported on the device as well.
Since the 235 supports workouts, and obviously supports time, distance and cadence as metrics, I’d say it would be a reasonable guess that time, distance and cadence are also supported in workouts for 235, since they’re right there in the workout builder.
Just my two cents, but I don’t think this (or any other) question is “out of bounds” for a forum. Nobody has to answer if they don’t want to and what seems to obvious to an enthusiast might not seem obvious to a noob or casual user.
Furthermore, what seems obvious to “power users” is not always true. E.g. “Will VO2Max be updated by an IQ app?” and “Can you transfer activities from one watch to another?”. I saw these questions promptly answered with a very confident “Probably not. Why would you even expect that?” and “Absolutely not” when the real answer to both was actually “yes”.
We’ve all made assumptions and jumped to conclusions about things not necessarily covered in the manual so it’s great that there’s a forum where ppl can ask these kinds of questions in a non-judgmental environment.
Right, I don't have a 235 but only a 35 and it seems that even a so basic functionality is not available on a 35. I started creating an account on Garmin Connect just to figure out how it works, I managed to create a training with workouts but as I was looking for transferring it to my forerunner, I discovered that this was not possible directly but needs a additional software and an additional device (a smartphone for instance), right? Moreover Garmin Express requires a very recent version of OS X and my 2 years old Mac Book Pro is already too old for them. Fortunately it is still time to send back my forerunner and try a more serious company.
Well, as discussed, the FR35 doesn't support programmed workouts from Garmin Connect, period. It has nothing to do with having a smartphone or not. They obv want you to buy the more expensive watch, and I can understand that.
With Garmin there are 3 ways to transfer workouts (and sync activities, settings, etc.), assuming your watch supports them: 1) Sync with Garmin express via USB (PC/Mac). This “direct” syncing is possible on every watch, as long as you have Garmin Express installed. 2) sync with Bluetooth (Garmin Connect mobile on a smartphone) 3) Sync via WiFi (most low to mid range watches lack support for wifi)
For you, option 1) sounds like the only choice, but you still need a better watch, like the 235, for complex workouts.
I don’t own a Mac, although I do own an iPhone and iPad, and I’d say that unfortunately, seems to me the general philosophy is you need the latest version of the OS/apps otherwise you’re SOL. Look at how Apple is dropping support for 32-bit apps on all platforms. Backwards compatibility in either direction doesn’t seem to be a high priority, unlike Windows (which wouldn’t even have much reason to exist without support for old apps). Keeping this philosophy in mind, doesn’t surprise me that vendors wouldn’t try too hard to support older versions of OS X.
Having said that, you can try one of the old versions of Garmin express at this page. The page for the most recent version there claims to require 10.4 and higher. https://garmin-express.en.uptodown.com/mac/old
As far Garmin is concerned, I’d say that if you want a serious running watch with a solid ecosystem and support by all the third party training sites/social media (eg Strava), Garmin is the best choice right now, warts and all. Just looking at fun runners, to people trying to get faster, to sub elites, if they’re running with a GPS watch, it’s probably a Garmin. Of course it’s probably largely because everyone else has one, but that doesn’t really change the reality that Garmin has the market share for now. Other people might run with a Timex or nothing at all. I’ve never met anyone who ran with any other brand of running watch, not even an Apple Watch (which is considered a joke by serious runners.)
The 235 in particular is a solid watch, and probably the most popular Garmin for runners right now. Yeah it’s a bit more expensive, but you can run with it for the next five years or more. I know people still rocking a 210, and the 235 is miles ahead of it. With support for apps on the 235, if you’re missing any must-have features such as navigation, there’s usually an app that’ll fill the gap.
I just got a 35 and am learning how to use it. Can someone please tell me if there is a way to lock the screen on heart rate? I have to constantly push the button for HR because it keeps going back to the time screen! Any help would be greatly appreciated! THANKS!
