As an extremely keen runner who has followed a structured training plan set by a coach for seven years, it’s fair to say I’m not the target audience for Garmin’s new Quick Workout feature.
The feature was introduced with the Garmin Forerunner 70 and Garmin Forerunner 170 sports watches, and offers runners an easy way to mix up the training they do without following a plan.
To use the tool, you simply choose how hard you want to work that day and for how long, and it sets you a target run to follow and guides you through each step.
I’m currently testing both of the new Forerunners to see how they compare to the best running watches available, and I gave the Quick Workout feature a try one lunchtime when I had an easy run on my plan.
Here’s how to use the feature, and what I learned from testing it.
How to use Garmin’s Quick Workout Feature
The Quick Workout is designed to make life easier for you and it is very simple to use.
- Start a run
- Scroll down to Training
- Select Quick Workout
- Choose the intensity level: Easy, Moderate, Hard, Very Hard
- Choose the duration: 30, 45, or 60 minutes
- Check the workout and hit ‘Do Workout’
- Start your run when GPS is locked on
Once you start a run you’ll get a special data screen that shows the step of the workout you’re on along with a guideline to help you hit the target pace set.
The sessions are a mix of base, tempo, threshold and sprint intervals
From what I can tell so far, the four intensity levels available in Quick Workouts each relate to common types of run you’d find on a training plan.
Easy workouts are base training, Moderate are tempo runs, set at around my marathon pace, Hard runs push you to threshold pace — the pace you could sustain for around an hour — and Very Hard runs involve short sprint intervals.
It’s a good mix of runs, and if you include a variety of the above in your week, you’ll no doubt get fitter, but I’d be wary of doing more than one or two workouts above the Easy level each week to avoid pushing yourself too hard.
The targets are set based on ideal conditions
When I looked through the various options for the Quick Workouts, I noticed that the pace targets were pretty tough for me, and are based on what I’d consider ideal conditions — so running on flat roads in good weather when I was well-rested.
That’s very rarely the case during a normal training week, I find, when you’re tired and often have to run on suboptimal roads near your house in whatever weather there is.
Even on the easy run I chose, the target pace of 4:20/km (6:58/mile) was too fast to be an easy run, because I was on a hilly route and tired from staying up too late watching my soccer team lose a crucial match.
I dropped the pace to 4:40/km (7:31/mile) to make sure I was actually doing an easy run, and I think that kind of adjustment can be important to get the most from the Quick Workout tool.
You need to consider your terrain and condition
I’m an experienced runner and know my paces and what different effort levels feel like, but if you’re a beginner jumping in with the feature, which is aimed at more casual runners, you do need to be careful to make sure you’re working at the right level.
If you’re running on trails or a hilly route, dealing with wind and rain, or just coming off a bad night’s sleep, you might find the paces set too fast, and it’s important to then adapt by slowing down so you don’t overdo it.
In general, I find that runners are bad at following workouts blindly, then blaming themselves if they can’t do it, but remember these are just guideline goals and the aim is simply to get you working at a certain effort level, so keep easy runs easy and maintain a controlled effort on tempo and threshold runs.
If you keep that in mind, the new feature can be a fantastic tool for mixing up your runs and improving your fitness in different ways without needing to follow a full training plan.
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