Garmin virtual pacer advice

[Curlygurly2]

When we set our virtual pacer on a Garmin watch, we get various messages - ahead of pace, on pace, and behind pace. What does this mean? If it says I'm on pace does that mean at this exact moment, or over the duration of this run?

[MarkyD Graduate10]

Hiya CG, the Garmin virtual pacer is checking your instantaneous pace (I think over the last 10 seconds). So if you are On Pace it means ‘right now’. It is not working out an average for the run up to now.

I’ve tried it a few times & it just annoyed me, but I can see the benefit.

[Curlygurly2 Graduate10 in reply to MarkyD]

Thank you Marky, I thought that might be it, so not much use really unless you can keep up a certain steady pace. It's a bit hilly here, I was hoping it might tell me where I was over the whole run, so behind as I went up hill, but made up time as I went down. Now I come to think of it, I think one of the data fields that we can set is average pace, far more useful, I'll switch the virtual pacer off.

[MarkyD Graduate10 in reply to Curlygurly2]

You came to the same conclusion (and workaround) as I did. I have just pace and average pace displayed on the second 'running screen'. Average pace is the most useful.

I can see that the virtual pacer is helpful when training on an oval track, but out in the world (with hills and crossing roads and different surfaces) my instantaneous pace is always variable.

[UpTheStanley Graduate10]

The instantaneous pace is the least accurate info my Garmin provides. It often jumps by more than 30 secs/k when I’m running steadily on level ground.

[Oldfloss Administrator 60minGraduate]

Its the , right now, message. I have mine displayed on my 2nd running screen...

Like MarkyD I find average pace more helpful...