Tag: garmin

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Runner Safety: Use Garmin LiveTrack to Share Your Activity in Real-Time

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Recently we are hearing more and more stories of harassment, assault and even murder of predominately female runners across the US. It’s so tragic, and has naturally stirred a huge discussion in the running community about what we can and should do to protect ourselves.

It’s no coincidence that companies are launching lots of runner-safety themed solutions, and one area that seems to be getting a huge boost is real-time activity tracking. As most runners know, it’s usually the people you leave behind at home that do most of the worrying.

Let’s look at some of the available offerings…

Strava has beacon, which is now part of it’s Summit safety pack. I have not used beacon, as I use Strava’s free tier, and this feature is a paid extra. I know most people I’ve talked to have not regretted moving to the premium tier of Strava.

Road iD, the guys that brought us the awesome Road iD bracelet, now have an app to help friends and family track you in real time. I have not used this service, but from what I read online it’s free and has a couple of neat features I should mention.

You can have the Road iD app send a stationary alert (if you stop moving for more than 5 minutes), and you can customize your phone’s lock screen with emergency contact information — very nice!

The application I will be focusing on in this post is Garmin Connect’s LiveTrack. This feature is bundled with Garmin Connect, paired with selected Garmin devices (e.g. Forerunner, Fenix, etc.). I have used LiveTrack on every activity for the last year or more, so my wife always knows where I am and how my training is going.

For such an important feature, Garmin doesn’t seem to do a great job at publicizing LiveTrack. I searched online and found a Garmin blog post that gives a brief overview of it — but that’s it.

The very reason I’m putting this post together is because of a recent Twitter thread, where many Garmin users didn’t know this existed.

Fortunately, LiveTrack is really easy to set-up and use and works really well. To find it, open Garmin Connect on your phone and select the “More” menu item. Then click on the LiveTrack link.

Once on the LiveTrack page, you have multiple options. You can choose to start LiveTrack automatically on each activity [1], or manually start it.

By default, the recipient(s) will only be able to view your activity while you are active. If you want the activity to stay accessible after you have finished, you can extend this by 24 hours only.

Recipients can be informed by email and/or Twitter. The Facebook option is currently unavailable, I’m guessing due to some recent Facebook policy changes. I have currently two email recipients, one to my wife and one to me.

I have never used the Twitter option. I guess this would be fun to use for a race event, but I would not broadcast training runs live to Twitter. No way.

When an activity starts (or when you decide to start LiveLink), a link is sent out that will take the user to your live activity page where they can track your position and current activity data.

Providing they know how long you had planned to be out, and a rough idea of your route, this data should help the viewer determine if you’ve ran into trouble or not.

If you have to run alone, always tell someone where you’re going and when you think you’ll be back. If you’re a Garmin user, do check out this great tool and tell others about it. Keep safe out there.

Question: What other tools/technology do you use to stay safe?

[1] I had trouble recently with the automatic start of LiveTrack. After reading online, it appeared the best solution was to remove the app from my phone and re-install. This resolved it for me.

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How to set up Interval Training on your Garmin

I’ve had my Garmin Forerunner 230 for almost 2 years now, and only recently decided to give Interval Training a go. I knew the watch had an Interval Training function, but I’d never used it.

For those unfamiliar with the term, “Interval Training” is a exercise routine that is made up of sections of intense effort, separated by short periods of rest (or recovery). The “recipe” is entirely up to you (or whatever your training plan dictates).

The idea behind Interval Training is to increase your running speed — in fact, some people refer to it as “Speed Training”, but it also helps to improve muscular endurance.

Plans can use either distance (usually meters) or time — or a mixture of both. A fairly common plan looks something like the following:

  • 1-2 mile warm-up run
  • 400 meters x6 / 1 minute rest
  • 1-2 mile cool-down

To follow this, you’d start with a short easy warm-up, run hard for 400 meters, followed by a 1 minutes recovery period. Repeat 6 times before finally cooling down with another easy run.

400 meters (approximately 1/4 mile) happens to be the standard length of a running track. This means you can leave a supply of water and/fuel by the side of the track to use during your training session.

With Garmin, you can set-up Intervals via the Garmin Connect website, or directly on your watch (see images below). The watch then prompts you when to run and when to rest based on the settings you select.

(1) Access the run menu
(2) Enter the menu
(3) Go to “Training”
(4) Select “Intervals”
(5) Configure and/or start Training

 

If you don’t have a watch with this functionality, you can use an app on your phone. The Nike+ app allows you to set up Intervals — check out the “Speed Run” option. The Runkeeper app also has a custom workout option that will support Intervals.

Strava at this time does not support Intervals. I sync my runs with Strava and noticed that it doesn’t even support the splits properly, so I have to refer to Garmin Connect to see my splits for Interval sessions.

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Is Interval Training a regular part of your training schedule? What benefits have you seen from it?

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What is VO2 Max?

From WikiPedia: VO2 max (also maximal oxygen consumption, maximal oxygen uptake, peak oxygen uptake or maximal aerobic capacity) is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption as measured during incremental exercise, most typically on a motorized treadmill. Maximal oxygen consumption reflects the aerobic physical fitness of the individual, and is an important determinant of their endurance capacity during prolonged, sub-maximal exercise. The name is derived from V – volume, O2 – oxygen, max – maximum.

Over the last couple of years, fitness trackers (e.g. Garmin, Jabra and Fitbit) have started to make use of the VO2 Max formula to measure their users’ fitness levels. Previously only available to athletes in a laboratory setting with specialized equipment, these devices can estimate your VO2 Max close to laboratory results.

In saying all that, it’s not a value I have often checked. Garmin is only able to calculate/estimate it when I wear my heart rate monitor during training sessions, and that is not often. I think I will start wearing it more frequently to provide a wider data-set for analysis.

The reason I’m posting about VO2 now, is because I wore my heart rate monitor last week for a run and noticed an improvement in my VO2 score. I pulled up the Garmin app and compared my VO2 scores over the last 12 months. It was really rewarding to see such an improvement.

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And this graph below is always encouraging as well, another year and I should be very close to goal weight. Slow and steady is the way to do it.

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My Running Apps

There’s so many good apps out there for running these days, and every runner has their favorite. These are the apps I use on an almost daily basis.

Garmin Connect

If I’m running, my Garmin Forerunner watch is recording it. Garmin Connect is the app that my watch syncs with to upload my run data. You can use Connect on your phone, or the slightly more featured web version.

Connect gives me the most details about my run, and various reports to help me track progress over the month, year, and so on. It also tracks my steps, weight, and sleep patterns.

The social networking side of Garmin Connect seems to be a bit of an after-thought though, which is the why I sync my runs with a couple of other applications.

Strava

I’m quite new to Strava, but I love it. It has, by far, the best social networking features. It’s easy to follow friends on there and comment on their activities.

I like how Strava will group runners together who ran with you, on your feed. It also analyses your route and lets you know if you’ve ran it faster or slower than before.

While Garmin has an implementation of Segments, it feels like Strava has done a better job of this and is probably one of the Strava’s greatest strengths. You are able to see how you compare to the rest of the Strava universe on certain sections of your routes – for example – I was able to tell I was the only Strava user to have attempted those hills in Boone this year!

Nike+ Run Club

My first love. The Nike+ Run App was the first app I used when I began running. I have a lot of connections on there so I don’t want to give it up just yet.

Nike have a great online running community as well, and their app developers provide the best and fastest support in my experience.

They also have cool sharing options complete with stickers, to post your runs to Nike itself, or facebook, Instagram, etc.

So, I have my Garmin Connect app automatically sync my runs to both Nike+ and Strava and everything seems to work seamlessly together without issue.

 

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What gear do I need to start running?

The beauty of running is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get started. There is however, one area you shouldn’t skimp on, and that is shoes. Everything else mentioned here is optional.

Shoes

I’m not saying you can’t get a good deal on shoes, but until you know what you’re doing I highly recommend you visit a good local running store to get your first pair fitted. They will examine how you run and find you a pair of shoes that suit your running style.

When I first started running, I know this. I ran in an old pair of Asics Gels that I picked up in Rack Room Shoes. Got a deal, sure, but my knees suffered for it. It was because of that experience I decided to visit a specialized running store. I’m a neutral runner, and my first pair of fitted shoes were Brooks Launch. They cost around $100.

Another mistake people make is not changing their shoes frequently enough. The support in the shoe will start to break down and leave you prone to injury. It is recommended that you change your shoes every 350-500 miles.

I stuck with Brooks for my second pair, picking up the latest Launch model, Launch 3. Such a good shoe.

Again, I was glad to have them fitted because I had to actually buy a size bigger in this updated model. If I had simply ordered online I may have run into trouble.

Today, my current shoes (approaching end of life now) are Hoka One One Clifton 3‘s. These cost a little more (but so worth it). Around $130-140 at most running stores.

When you start out running for the first time, your shoes will last you for a long time. It should go without saying — make sure you wear a good pair of running/technical socks.

I’m running 100+ miles per month now so I’m having to change shoes every 3-4 months.

GPS Watch

I use a Garmin Forerunner 230. I used to use my phone (+ Nike Running Club app) to track my runs, but it annoyed me to have to carry it on my arm. I liked the idea of using a GPS watch instead so that I could leave my phone at home sometimes. The watch also allows me to track my heart rate when I wear the chest strap.

The Forerunner 235 model comes with a built in wrist heart rate monitor, but I opted for the separate strap monitor as the Forerunner 230 has much better battery life. I only train with heart rate monitor periodically to check if my VO2 Max has improved (more on that another time).

Phone

Yes, I still bring my phone on most runs — particularly the longer ones. I’ve been known to call my wife to come get me if I’m beat. She’s good to me like that. Plus, I like to take a photo or two to post my run stats to Instagram.

Belt

I usually wear a hydration belt (without the bottles), to carry my phone, car/house key, identification, gel packs, etc. I still struggle to find the perfect hydration solution for me. I hated the water slushing about on my waist as I ran, which is why I never carry the bottles.

Hydration Pack

With the weather starting to heat up quick, I did recently buy a hydration backpack from Camden Gear. I’ve been on a couple of runs with it, and I don’t particularly like running with it either, but it’s been the best solution so far. With the summer heat in North Carolina it may actually be a necessity on the longer runs.

Visibility

Most of my weekday runs are in the dark, and on the road. It’s important to be as visible as possible for the incoming traffic. I wear a bright led flashing light attached to my belt. It’s the bare-minimum I think, and I know there’s much room for improvement here.

Missed Anything?

Have I missed any gear you could not run without?

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Runner Safety: Setting up Privacy Locations in Strava and Garmin Connect

If you’re a Strava and/or Garmin Connect user, you may like to share your route information with friends & family. However, it’s possible that this information is also seen by complete strangers.

As most of my routes will begin and end at my home, I was happy to see that Strava supported Privacy locations, where you can mask an area of your route maps automatically — e.g. your home or office.

Just last week, Garmin also implemented the feature. I have now set this up on Strava and Garmin Connect. Check out the screenshots below on how to set this up under your own profiles. I couldn’t see a way of doing this via the phone apps, so for both platforms I had to use the desktop websites.

Strava

Garmin Connect