probably a bit of a silly question but..

do you count stops for clambering over stiles, opening gates, crossing roads etc as part of your run? I don't want to cheat but i equally don't want to be fiddling about pausing my Garmin. I know I'm a geek and it doesn't matter, but I love all the technical info, and i like to have an idea of progress.

[misswobble Graduate10]

Garmin has an auto pause setting It’s a boon 😃👍🏃‍♀️

[Hidden in reply to misswobble]

It's probably auto pausing. in fact it must be because it gives me time and moving time. Duh, techno geek here missing the obvious! thanks x

[davelinks Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Depends what Garmin you have, my fr210 doesn't have auto pause..

[Hidden in reply to davelinks]

I have the Fenix 5s (got it cheap on ebay)

[davelinks Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

I got mine for £50 on eBay, bargain at the time...

[ancientrunner Graduate10]

I count them - you're still on the move and it would be far too much faffing .

[Hidden in reply to ancientrunner]

how about the bits where I'm slogging through unrunnable undergrowth or having to walk because it's too steep and slippery to run?

[MarkyD Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

You are traversing ground, from the point that you started your garmin, to the point that you stopped. All calories, steps, kilometers in-between count. It is possible to argue that natural obstacles (swamps, hedges, pastures full of stinging nettles) will affect your pace. But the moral of the story is not to expect to achieve your personal best in a run that requires wading, walking backwards, climbing and prancing.

[Hidden in reply to MarkyD]

That made me chuckle, especially the prancing bit. In which case i will probably hit 5k sooner than I thought.

[davelinks Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

I've never tried running through swamps, hedges or stinging nettles, don't mind some mud but draw the line at those lol..

[Hidden in reply to davelinks]

Dont fancy running through a hedge backwards then? 😉

[davelinks Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Well, sometimes I look like I've gone through a hedge backwards after a run, but generally try to avoid them..😁

[HeleneCorsa Graduate10 in reply to MarkyD]

Prancing ALWAYS counts!

[Hidden in reply to HeleneCorsa]

Im practicing it. My Little Pony has nothing on me 🐎🐎🐎

[davelinks Graduate10 in reply to HeleneCorsa]

What about dancing?😁

[ancientrunner Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

As MarkyD says.

[SaskAlliecat Graduate10]

Early on I used to use auto pause but I don't anymore. I'm out there moving and if I have to stop or slow down for obstacles then so be it. The trail race I'm running in is very challenging with steep hills. Last year I forgot to turn off auto pause and even though I never actually stopped, I was barely moving by the top of the first hill - it paused so my time wasn't accurate which was frustrating. It was that race that made me realize those slower parts of my run are still part of my run. Maybe I'd feel differently if I was having to wait for stop lights but that's not part of my running route.

[Hidden in reply to SaskAlliecat]

Thank you, that’s really helpful. I do have to cross busy roads here, despite it being a small market town. I take on board what you say about slow moving. This happens to me here when it’s very steep, which some of the footpaths ate, though probably not as steep,as you are experiencing.

[Hidden in reply to SaskAlliecat]

Oops, sorry about spectacular typos. The new IOS on my ipad means you can select numbers by pulling down and releasing a letter key, and Im forever dragging as Imtype and getting numbers by mistake 😳

[MarkyD Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Autocorrect: the cause of many smelling pistakes.

[Hidden in reply to MarkyD]

😂

[Millsie-J]

Its your run, you can do whatever you wish😀🏃🏻‍♀️

[Hidden in reply to Millsie-J]

Yes, of course, but I want to get as accurate an idea as possible to track progress 😊😊😊

[Millsie-J in reply to Hidden]

But you can only track like for like. Just decide your approach and then be consistent.

[Richard7 Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

I agree just be consistent. Before Christmas I was recording the whole run including the warm up and cool down. It all counts. But now I want to figure out better how my actual running is doing so have started and finished after and before warm up/cool down instead. If you run the same route or it is insignificant amounts of time then I wouldn’t worry about it as you will still have consistency.

[Hidden in reply to Richard7]

I stopped including the warm up and down walks in week 7 and just used to listen to the run beforehand. I run different routes.

[Millsie-J in reply to Hidden]

As I said, it’s your run, you get to choose.

Happy running Flick😃🏃🏼‍♀️

[Rignold]

Then it depends on what the data you are trying to capture is. If it is solely time spent running, or specific speed/distance then pause your Garmin. If it is time spent in physical exertion then don't you are still doing exercise climbing over stiles and going through gates. Personally I would say don't sweat the small stuff. The difference over a 5k run is going to be so minimal that it is not going to be of statistical significance. If it really concerns you, try both. Do a week of alternate days pausing and not pausing, then compare the data at the end. If you find a major discrepancy then you will know whether it is worth or not.

[Hidden in reply to Rignold]

I'm trying to track time spent running really. I know i can walk because i do it lots

[Rignold in reply to Hidden]

then try it and see. My gut feeling would be that the time it takes you to pause and unpause your watch every time you open a gate etc as compared to how long it would take if you didn't, and the very real possibility that the Garmin may not unpause sometimes, resulting in the heartbreak of a whole lost run or a siginificant error in the middle, would not merit the few seconds over the course of a 30 minute plus run. I would consider that 'statistical noise'. But the only way to find out is to test it.

[Sandraj39 Graduate10]

I just let my Garmin tick away...if you're on trails and going through gates etc, it does all mean you end up with what looks like a slower run but the pay-off is how much faster you are when you are back on the roads! And the strength/balance it all helps to build.🙂

[Hidden in reply to Sandraj39]

Thank you, that’s really helpful. Ive realised it will be slower anyway: heavier going, shoes (even though mine are good on roads and lignter and more responsive than many trail shoes) are goin to be less sprightly, although not by much. My best pace was still 6.09min/km, which is what it would be on road.....but probably was on the road LOL.

[mrrun Graduate10]

Unless your primary target is the next Olympics, it shouldn't really matter.

Once, galloping gently, l stopped at some traffic lights and thought if I should consider the time delay as an obstacle to my Personal Best (wow) target but, thankfully, the music in my cans was too good and helped me get away from those thoughts.

I think you should just let go and run, whatever the times.

[Hidden in reply to mrrun]

I did all that in my youth, now I enjoy the technology. I actually want to know if Ive run 30 minutes or 28. it gives me goals, which keeps me motivated. When the summer comes, and I have (hopefully) more stamina and can go a bit further, away from streets and traffic, then I will relax more into just running. At the moment I have the sense of wanting to work towards consolidation and improvement. I would imagine motivation and goals are part of what makes people post plans to work towards and quest weeks etc. It helps things tick along. Some days I do just go out and run and not worry (one of the very liberating effects of graduating from c25k) but other days I want to work on extending myself.

[mrrun Graduate10]

Of course, l understand, please don't take me seriously! I also consolidated my 5K runs and enjoyed the process, managed to get my PB to just under 26min without getting rid of my lungs which begged to leave my body (I'm an ex smoker, 53), and was immensely proud but then every other run became 'the next target''.

I must say, I'm careful about all that business and aim not to push it too far, but at one point l lost the sight of joy and focused on just 'improvement'.

Thankfully, l tweaked the music, relaxed, and got back to my easy 5k, 10k and the road to half marathon with no set time frame or speed target. Simply running!

[Hidden in reply to mrrun]

Yes, i understand all that 😊 I too dont want to get into the trap of improvement for its own sake - but Im not a competitive person so it isnt likely. One reason I think Im motivated to improve is the thought of running out of Chipping Norton to some of the beautiful villages round here in the long summer evenings. I dont drive and my partner is a workaholic and just wants to watch sport at weeknds and not do more driving (he commutes to and from work), so I really want to up my stamina and not be so defeated by the hilliness and get out there and explore. The other reason is age and having had cancer last year has instilled a slight sense of urgency, though I come from a long lived family so in reality probably have plenty of time.

[Sandyscroll Graduate10]

I compare runs like for like only if I want to check for improvement. It means running some routes over and over, or just comparing segments so I can swap segments in and out. Weather then becomes the main factor to affect times (like during the snow and ice recently). Some of my routes are steep and climb for miles, others much less so, but all routes lead up. I only compare like with like, mud with mud, gradient with gradient, elevation with elevation etc. Time of day plays a part for me too. After work I'm rubbish! I just try to relax and enjoy because that's as good as it's gonna get!

I've grown to really love the hills. I keep my cadence high, shorten my strides and just keep going, slow and steady. If it's too tough, just slow down more. After a few goes you'll naturally start to knock the seconds off. Have fun!

[Gabby08 Graduate10]

Depending on which Garmin you have, you can select the speed at which autopause sets in - so I have mine set to pause only if I’m at a complete standstill. If I’m still moving, no matter how slowly, it’s still going. I’ve only started using autopause since I joined a club as we stop at certain meet-up points and it was making my data look weird!

[Hidden in reply to Gabby08]

I have the fenix 5s.im going for an explore right now