Forums >Gears and Wears>Using a Garmin at the Track?
What's the best way to do this? I'm assuming I would turn the auto-lap feature off and just hit the lap button myself. Any other suggestions?
Also, I think there are three exercise modes - Running, Cycling and Other. Is it possible for me to set up the "Other" as my track workouts mode? If that's the case, can I run to the track in Running mode, switch to Other mode for the intervals and then switch back to Running mode for the cooldown jog back?
Yes, turning off auto-lap is the way to go on a track. I've found that my 305 is very accurate on a track, but not as accurate as the markings themselves, I'm sure. You don't really need separate activities for this... if you want the warm up/cool down logged separately, simply stop and reset the watch before switching activities and log them appropriately later.
I personally just set up a separate screen (screen 3) to be set up for a track workout. The fields I use are
LAP TIME
----------------------------------------------------
LAP PACE | TIME
------------------------------------- 5K - 18:25 - 3/19/11 10K - 39:38 - 12/13/09 1/2 - 1:29:38 - 5/30/10 Full - 3:45:40 - 5/27/07
Yes, turning off auto-lap is the way to go on a track. I've found that my 305 is very accurate on a track, but not as accurate as the markings themselves, I'm sure. You don't really need separate activities for this... if you want the warm up/cool down logged separately, simply stop and reset the watch before switching activities and log them appropriately later. I personally just set up a separate screen (screen 3) to be set up for a track workout. The fields I use are LAP TIME ---------------------------------------------------- LAP PACE | TIME
I've used my 305 at the track in races only because I want the HR data. But in the future I'll just use my Ironman watch as looking at the HR data has become boring. For races I used this screen setup and of course manually lapped the watch:
LAST LAP TIME
MTA - funny thing is, at this morning's track 5K, I never once looked at the silly thing, just hit the lap button and kept motoring trying to run an even effort without knowing my pace.
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I normally use my Garmin everywhere and hate running without it. However, I do not use it on the track. There is just no need and it will be slightly off due the tight curves and general inaccuracies due to GPS.
I do use it when I can't get to the track and do intervals on the road.
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I normally use my Garmin everywhere and hate running without it. However, I do not use it on the track. There is just no need and it will be slightly off due the tight curves and general inaccuracies due to GPS. I do use it when I can't get to the track and do intervals on the road.
Plus One.
Any cheap Casio with a stopwatch function will do at the track. The GPS isn't accurate enough in that environment if you're serious about getting your interval times right.
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I personally just set up a separate screen (screen 3) to be set up for a track workout. The fields I use are LAP TIME ---------------------------------------------------- LAP PACE | TIME
If you're running short intervals, lap pace is useless. It doesn't converge on a stable value until at least 0.2mi (because the GPS distance error is a signifcant fraction if you've only travelled a short distance). So if you're running 200s or 400s, you won't get anything of value from the pace. If you're running 800s, you might as well just look at your 400 split.
I've never used my Forerunner on the track. I imagine I will at some point, just to record the workout. The field you really need to have is LAST LAP, so you can see your interval time during the subsequent recovery.
I could also see using some sort of advanced repeat interval workout with inderterminate work intervals and specfic recovery time intervals (i.e. 12x400m with 1 min recovery, only you wouldn't specify 400m, just the 1 minute).
But in all honesty, the more I think about it, the more I'd rather use my Timex.
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Fair enough, but my Garmin is my only sports watch. You're probably right about the lap pace; I pretty much just have it in there as a filler and use the thing as a stopwatch. I gauge my distance by the track markings.
I guess I'll be the one who disagrees with the above posters, but I should say that I've only started doing track workouts a couple of weeks ago. I created an advanced workout in training center that has me doing quarter-mile intervals with 2-minute recoveries. I like to jog during my recoveries, and when my two minutes are up, I am in a different part of the track than where I started, so I guess it is just easier for me to let the watch tell me when to start/stop and count the number of intervals I've done. Maybe I'm just lazy...but I figure I should actually use the device since I paid quite a bit for it. It seems pretty accurate to me, but I'm sure it isn't perfect.
Here is a view of the map from my interval workout:
http://www.runningahead.com/logs/b40d1bab4169480aaf0c24db0bb39097/workouts/c1304404ab054a6f8dce83db8b254987/map
You can see that it is definitely not the most accurate way of measuring your intervals...makes me think I should probably just use the markings on the track.
I guess I'll be the one who disagrees with the above posters, but I should say that I've only started doing track workouts a couple of weeks ago. I created an advanced workout in training center that has me doing quarter-mile intervals with 2-minute recoveries. I like to jog during my recoveries, and when my two minutes are up, I am in a different part of the track than where I started, so I guess it is just easier for me to let the watch tell me when to start/stop and count the number of intervals I've done. Maybe I'm just lazy...but I figure I should actually use the device since I paid quite a bit for it. It seems pretty accurate to me, but I'm sure it isn't perfect. Here is a view of the map from my interval workout: http://www.runningahead.com/logs/b40d1bab4169480aaf0c24db0bb39097/workouts/c1304404ab054a6f8dce83db8b254987/map You can see that it is definitely not the most accurate way of measuring your intervals...makes me think I should probably just use the markings on the track.
These kind of workouts are right up the Garmin's alley. I use the Garmin for my quality days just as you do - only I run these on a long bike path. If I were at the track, I don't need the GPS but I still use it as a watch and it also keeps track of overall mileage as I always do some long warmup off the track, then a long cooldown off the track. The only downside to using the Garmin is that it's a little bigger than a Timex Ironman - big deal!
Your track is really messed up there! Did you run all the laps on the track or were you in the infield for some of them? For reference here's a link to the map from a 5K race on the track I ran this past Saturday:
Check out the elevation - this is one hilly track!!
This was more or less in line what I was saying earlier. Except that I wouldn't set them up as 400m intervals in the Garmin, I'd do them simply as steps of no specific time or distance, followed by a 2min recovery. Hit the Start button to start the interval, hit the lap button when you complete the lap, let the Garmin handle the 2 min recovery. The advanced workout would look something like this:
The issue here is that if I'm on a track, I'm very keen on starting or stopping at the start-finish line, or at least at the 200m start. I don't like the idea of starting a 400m interval at some random place on the track. That's why I usually do distance based recovery rather than time when on the track. (i.e. 12x400m with 200m recovery jogs).
Of course, the great thing about the Garmin is that you can do these kind of workouts anywhere, track or not.
Thanks everyone!
I like using the HR monitor on the Garmin - so that is why a Casio/Timex stopwatch won't do. I have an old Polar watch - but it doesn't save lap info (I had one that did save lap info, but it went haywire which is when I switched to Garmin...)
A Saucy Wench
I dont see a need to preprogram it. I do distance intervals and recovery because like Jeff I dont like to start in the middle of the track somewhere. I need a landmark. I just hit lap at the beginning and end of each interval
MTA Besides, my track usually has lanes 1-4 blocked off so I am usually doing some other random distance. I dont use the garmin, I use the track calculator to come up with the distance. Garmin is more innacurate going in tight circles than any other time.
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Yeah, I'd only pre-program if I was doing time-based recovery. But in that case, I would have a long enough recovery time so that my jog would place me near the start line or the 200m start with plenty of time to spare.