Super B****
Last year, I ran a race that I had to run "slowly" under doctor's orders (I was coming back from a sfx and wouldn't have bothered had I not been registered already). I programmed in a 4.25 mile workout into my Garmin and set the pace to alert me if I went faster than that. (It didn't exactly work out, but that's another story.) Apparently, this means that I was only able to see my overall pace, not mile splits (enter: SportTracks). I would have programmed one-mile intervals had I known that beforehand, which is why I'm asking this question now:
I want to use the Virtual Pacer on my 910XT in a race this weekend. Is the resulting data going to do funny things to me the way it did that time?? (Obviously, I've never used the VP before, and yes, ideally I would do that before the race, but I'm brilliant and didn't think of using the VP until now.)
chasing the impossible
because i never shut up ... i blog
levitation specialist
I have a 610 with the VP feature, I have only used it for one race and now for training. Mine can only be set for a certain stated pace/speed per mile for either speed(I use for biking) or pace(running). I can't do a certain distance though(other than choosing km/mile as the measurement). Can you do a certain distance & time(like say 26.2 with a finishing time of 3:45) and it calcs if you are on pace from there(although just using a calculator and figuring mile splits pre race would let you set you pace like I do to get a finishing time of a certain goal).
This might be where your watch is different from mine and yours being Multi sport(tri). But I have to go to:
Menu-Training-Virtual Partner-
and then from there it lets me set the pace per km/m for running and speed per km/m for biking.
When I turn this on, it gives me another seperate screen during my activity(run/bike) in addition to my normal distance/time of day/pace screen. With my 610 being touch sensitive, if I want to see my VP screen, I just tap my screen and it scrolls to the VP screen and I can see how I am doing(ahead or behind and by how much). It can also alert me if I fall behind by either beep or vibrate.
I have a few pre programmed workouts with intervals and paces and varying distances, I haven't had issues with this as far as seeing paces and such, if I just swipe to another screen. The Virtual Pacer and Virtual Racer activate another screen on my watch that usually isn't there on just "start/stop" activities, so just a swipe or tap brings up my other usual screens throughout the workout.
Did you check out DC Rainmaker.com? He has stupid in depth reviews of watches and goes though setups and screens and features. I would look to his site for the best way to use your device for your needs. Plus he has pics, which always help me figure things out better!
Good luck!
You could have set it up as a mile interval step that occurred 4 times followed by a 0.25 mile interval step. That way you would have had all your splits. Garmin views a workout "step" as a lap.
I'm not familiar with Virtual Pacer. There is Virtual Partner that I've never used and Virtual Racer that I've used several times. I find that on the 910xt Virtual Racer does not work for longer runs. I've used it for 5k and it worked fine, but have never gotten it to work for 10 miles. Garmin won't respond to questions about this or when it might be fixed.
Nakedbabytoes -- yep, DC Rainmaker is the first place I look when I have a Garmin question! I can understand how to set it up, but I'm just wondering about what the data will look like afterward.
RVDowning -- it was the 310XT (that 4-miler), but I think they're pretty much the same in this regard. I didn't know that it would view it as one interval because I didn't try it out beforehand. What do you mean when you say it "doesn't work" on longer runs? (I mean, it doesn't matter for my purposes, since this is just four miles, but I'm curious to know.)
I don't like the Garmin Virtual Pacer. I actually tried to use it a couple of times to get myself running slow during training runs but my competitive nature just won't let that little LCD runner guy get ahead.
ETA, the only way I've found to actually run slower is either be dead dog tired or run with slower friends to hold me accountable.
Train smart ... race smarter.
Virtual Me is nothing but a big cheater. All it does is run a flat course and it doesn't have to worry about wind, rain or snow. Personally I refuse to run against virtual me as a pacer. Now if I have run the same course and I don't mind racing against virtual me.
Hopefully that makes some sense.
2014 Goals: (Yeah I suck)
The data from a preplanned workout or route on GC looks the same as any other regular workout I have ran or biked, or at least it didn't appear significantly different. It has been a while since I ran one, PP is right, my Garmin has no idea that this morning my route hadn't been plowed and I had to run through 6" of fresh wet snow in -6 temps. There was no way I was making my interval pace this morning, I was just lucky to make it back ALIVE!!!
Lol!
I hope you get the answers you seek. When it works, it works really well and can keep you on track. But it can only do so much, being a watch and all.
I don't mind Virtual Me being a cheater -- I was thinking of using it during a race at the end of the month to keep from a PR (it's a ten-miler too close to a half for me to try for that), but that will probably be harder! It's just that the whole point of this four-mile race is to run it faster than a certain pace, which I KNOW I can do, but I'd like an extra little kick in the pants to make sure I DO it.
Here is a thread I started abut the issue on the Garmin 910xt forums. I actually also have a 310xt but the 310xt doesn't have this Virtual Racer function, only the Virtual Partner.
I've actually been on the phone with Garmin Support for the last hour. They downloaded one of my 10 mile runs as a course and tried the Virtual Racer function and were able to experience the same problem I had. So at least they realize that there is a problem. They said they hoped they could get back to me in a week or so.
At least this is progress!
I tried the virtual pacer once and that thing took off like a bat out of hell and is probably still running!
I also did not like that it adds yet another screen that comes up when you are running. I definitely would not recommend you try it for the first time during an event though, because it'll frustrate the heck out of you. You can accomplish the same thing by watching the pace screen, and adjusting accordingly.
Garmin customer support, in my experience, can be either totally awesome or completely frustrating. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground.
Wait, can't I keep one screen view and just have the VP running (no pun intended) in the background, so that I only hear/feel the alert if I fall behind? I'm trying to avoid watching my screen like a hawk!
Garmin customer support, in my experience, can be either totally awesome or completely frustrating. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground. Wait, can't I keep one screen view and just have the VP running (no pun intended) in the background, so that I only hear/feel the alert if I fall behind? I'm trying to avoid watching my screen like a hawk!
I believe so, but I just don't remember. I only used it once where it actually worked and it was the day before the Pensacola Marathon, so I didn't pay as much attention to it as I might have otherwise. I just wanted to see it it worked given that I had issues with longer runs.