I used the virtual racer option in the Garmin watch and set the pace to 5:30 per km today. My aim was to shave a minute off last weeks Parkrun of 29 mins and if I managed to keep to 5:30 pace then it would have been 1:30 off the time.
We had about a dozen new runners this week and it turns out they are all very fast. I didn't aim to start very fast but they dragged me along and I ran the first km in 5mins. I then settled into my target pace, I ran the 4th km a bit slower at 5:45 because my legs were feeling a bit heavy and I pushed myself to run the final km at 5:30 again. Last week I kicked on at the end but I didn't have the energy this week. Hopefully as I improve my fitness I will be able to kick on at the end of 5km.
Update:
My official time has come through at 26:51. The difference is due to my Garmin measuring the distance at 4.95km. This has happened both times ive used my Garmin at Barking Parkrun. Once I finish and get my barcode scanned I jog another 50m to get the Garmin up to 5km.
Good work! That's a great time. Really liking the idea of that virtual racer on the Garmin. Just out of interest, what model do you have? I'm looking to replace my Garmin 110.
I have the 610 and am still learning how to use all the functions. The virtual racer is very easy, all you do is input the average pace and it shows you how far ahead/behind you are by distance and time. I built up a 30 second lead early on and when I noticed the lead dropped to 15 seconds it gave me the kick I needed to speed up again.
I have an interval session tomorrow and I have created a workout for it on the watch. I assume you can do that on the 110 as well.
No, the 110 is very basic in that it gives you distance, *average* pace, calories and time elapsed. There's no *current pace* (which is why I wanted a watch), nor is there any workouts etc.
It's good for people who just want to track their runs but I'm a bit more geeky & stat-hungry than that so looking for a bit more. The 610 looks decent (just looking on Amazon) and I like that feature set so might grab one in the coming months. The virtual racer will come in handy with my upcoming HM training.
My pleasure. The workouts option is very good. I found a HM training plan online and then re-created it on Garmin Connects website, which then transferred it to the watch. I am training using heart rate zones.
It is a bit pricy but like you I like my stats and spend a good 30 mins after each run having a look at the stats and analysing what went well and not so well.
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My first Parkrun - Harcourt Hill, Oxford
