The Garmin Coach Experiment (So Far)

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the Garmin Coach training algorithm.

Sunday: up-tempo long run.
Monday: recovery run — fair enough after Sunday.
Tuesday: threshold workout — a pleasant surprise since those are pretty rare.
Wednesday: 5+ mile base run — normal enough.
Thursday: recovery run — I felt good, but sure, an easy day never hurts.
Friday: recovery run again?

That would’ve been my third recovery run in one week, compared to just one in all of August (and about one a week in July when I was barely getting back into shape). Now, yes, it was my seventh straight day of running, but if the point is rest, why not just suggest a rest day instead of stacking recovery runs? The logic escapes me. I’ve been sleeping decently (well, no worse than usual) and my training load hasn’t been anything crazy.

So, I ignored the watch and ran my own base run instead — 45 minutes, kept it easy for the first three miles (aside from the hill in mile two that always spikes the HR), then gradually picked it up through miles four and five. I ended with 5.36 miles at 8:23 pace and a 142 HR. It felt good overall, though my legs definitely felt a bit flat toward the end. The HR was lower than I’d been averaging earlier this year, but still probably higher than it should be on an easy day. And yet… I can’t help myself. No matter how much I rationalize, I’m still chasing that slightly faster average pace, even when it’s probably counterproductive. 

That said, the Garmin Coach algorithm has been a net positive. I followed it religiously in July and saw my best progress in years. I mostly stuck with it through August and kept improving — faster paces, better fitness, better consistency. Lately I’ve been skipping or tweaking the daily suggestions, but I still plan to follow it (mostly) for the next couple months. The biggest benefit is how it reins me in, which lets me build mileage without burning out.  When I'm honest with myself, I feel that I likely benefit more from 55 minutes at 8:45 pace than 45 minutes at 8:23.

Eventually, I’ll be back on the treadmill (seems like late October is always the tipping point). At that stage, it’ll be easier to keep my effort under control anyway. If I’m fit enough by spring, I may ditch the algorithm all together and go back to running my own way.  For now, I can't argue with the results, and thus the great Garmin coach experiment continues.