Garmin really really doesn’t like rain!! 💦💦💦🤦‍♀️

[cheekychipmunks]

Today I ran my 3rd run of the week, getting back in the swing of things after a week’s break. It happened to be a speed run on my HM plan so I was thrilled it was raining! I picked my (not) PR course as it’s basically flat, so off I trotted on the 5 minute warmup. 🏃‍♀️

I’d had dodgy HR stats due to a loose watch strap on Monday, fixed the issue for yesterday’s run and figured today’s would be ok too. Oh nooooo. Not at all. Garmin was buzzing up a storm and I glanced down to see I’d accomplished a Floors goal already. Really? I thought I’d summited the hill prior to starting running. Maybe not? (Of course I had ……) Anyway, that continued for the duration of the run, as well as the HR stats going through the roof (for me). 🙄

So my stats for the run were an elevation gain of 227m with me running in Zone 5 for 92% of the it. Seriously, I’d keel over if that was the case! Normally the elevation gain is about 2m for that particular run by the way! 😂

Anyone have any tips (apart from wearing sleeves) to help with these wet weather glitches? I guess it doesn’t matter as long as the pace and distance are ok (they are). Oh, and just for extra laughs, the Strava graph shows that I’m mostly descending! 🙄🤦‍♀️😂

Apart from that I really enjoyed my intervals today. I’m a changed chipmunk! 😂

[David_G Metric Marathon]

Well done cheekychipmunks but it’s a shame about the tech failure! It’s so annoying when that happens ☹️ I love intervals (when I’m fully fit) as it gives so much variety. Until I did them on the NRC app I didn’t even realise I had ‘gears’!😳🤣

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to David_G]

Hahaha me neither David! It also helps being told approximately how fast I should be running and I want to please the coaches! I had no desire to make Mrs JogRunSprint lady proud of me! 😅

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Mrs JRS needs some charm lessons; sounds like a dalek to me. It worked though. I had Garmin problems on holiday. I put it down to sun cream and/or sweat. I just cleaned off the sensors and my wrist with a spirit based wipe and the problem quickly disappeared.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

Ahh interesting Beachcomber66 . I do always try to make sure my wrist and sensors are dry before setting off, but when it’s raining ….. 🤷‍♀️

And I’ve never had such wild elevation stats before ….. what’s that all about? 😅

We should pack Mrs JRS off to charm school, that’s for sure!

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

That’s a serious looking run Munks! Technology 🙄 it’s great when it works.

I’ve never had wet weather glitches with my Garmin so can’t help. Although for other problems in the past I’ve found Garmin customer service very responsive and that’s my first place to go.

Maybe cling film over the face???? Then again, maybe not 🤔

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

Good idea to contact Garmin customer service IP. I noticed a weird elevation stat a few runs ago too but thought nothing of it. 🙄

Today’s was utterly bonkers as it’s the only flat part of the common and I use it specifically for speed runs and (not) PR!

I’ve heard of people having issues when their wrists get wet or sweaty and they make the sensor wet, but this elevation thing is new to me. I’ll contact Garmin and have a grumble. If I was my dad I’d be able to wangle a new Garmin in the process (he was good at getting freebies!! ❤️)

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Is it within a guarantee period?

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

No, it’s about 2.5 years old, although very low mileage (I pinched it off Mr Cheeky who never used it!) I’m going to wear it as well as my Forerunner 235 next time out and see if their stats match. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[UpTheStanley Half Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

That way does madness lie ...... 😀

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to UpTheStanley]

Yes I agree UTS! I’ve just finished my run wearing both watches. I felt like a numpty, and the experiment was broadly useless anyway because it’s dry today! 🙄 However, the Forerunner measured 4.87k and the Vivoactive 5.02k. What? 😳

I’m sticking to one from now on because my brain is 🤯!

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

Not over your face obviously 🤣🤣

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

Well I could try that ……. 😅🤣😂

[sparky66 Half Marathon in reply to Irishprincess]

🤣

[SkiMonday Ultramarathon]

Hi CC!

I use a HR chest strap when I'm running; it works fine and there aren't any problems with getting an optical reading then.

As for height, is your watch one of the flashy ones with a built in altimeter? Mine's a basic one with no altimeter so Strava works out the height using route data and a terrain map. If your watch does have an altimeter, I think they work off air pressure so if the pressure was changing, that could explain it (that's a guess, by the way).

I find that the optical sensor on mine can become clogged up if I've been wearing sun tan lotion so I've started a habit of washing it with soap and water when I'm in the shower.

Finally, switching it off and on might help. on mine, that's done by holding in the power/backlight button for a few minutes (it's generally so reliable that I don't switch it off very often so I had to look that up awhile ago).

Glad you enjoyed your run.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to SkiMonday]

Hi SM, no I’m pretty sure it doesn’t have an altimeter - it’s a Vivoactive 3 and nearly 3 years old (although hardly worn before I pinched it off Mr Cheeky!) It had a wobble with elevation a few runs ago, which I disregarded as a blip - but today’s was so far off I couldn’t ignore it! The pressure thing sounds feasible, as the weather was on the change. Maybe you have a point there!

I understand the HR stats issue as it makes sense for it to be affected by the sensor getting wet.

I’m going to be radical and wear both my watches on my next run. My Forerunner 235 has been sidelined, but it’ll be interesting to see if the stats are the same! (And I’ll look like a total geek!!)

[JonathanP 10 Miles]

Very annoying Cheeky! Mind you, last week when it was just drizzling, I was apparently in zone 5 for 100% of the run!😲

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to JonathanP]

Crikey Jonathan, that would have been hard going! 😂

[sparky66 Half Marathon]

Ooh I'm quite glad to see your post, 'watching'

I have been worried on heavy rain run days on wether my Garmin would keep my stats safe 🙄

Glad you had good interval runs 😀👏

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to sparky66]

Fortunately the most important stats - time and distance - are fine sparky. I’m going to try wearing my other Garmin on my next run as well, and see if they register the same. If not, the Vivoactive 3 can go straight back to its rightful owner (my husband!)

[sparky66 Half Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

🤣I only have the forerunner 220 , I like it, it's been faithful, doesn't record much other than time and distance.. I recon if my heart rate is too high.. I'd know all about it 🤣

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to sparky66]

Rather like my Forerunner 235 - great at running stats but not so good with walking and yoga, both of which I do a lot.

Still, if it ends up being more accurate I’ll go back to it.

I agree about the HR - mine’s naturally low, so if it rose as high as my watch said today, I’d be in trouble! 😅

[Deals1 Metric Marathon]

Hi. A good run tho all the same I'd say. Mmm I don't know. I'm currently constantly fiddling with my garmin. 😂 So no advice really... Sorry. I do know a while back when I contacted garmin as I started getting rash on my wrist they advised my strap was too tight and not high enough up my wrist. But youll know this. These things are sent to try us

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Deals1]

I thought I had it nailed with the tightness and placement of the watch Deals, but today’s the first time I’ve run in this particular watch in the rain. I’ll try my Forerunner as well next time out and see if they agree with each other. 🤷‍♀️

[Deals1 Metric Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Good idea

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Deals1]

I used to get this as I wear mine 24/7 i clean it daily and to deal with this issue I often swap wrists to give the other time off

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

I must admit to not cleaning mine with anything other than a damp kitchen towel ….. should I be using something stronger maybe GoGo_JoJo ? 🤔

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Really hard to say. I have previously used baby wipes on mine but mostly I just use ordinary liquid soap and sometimes a soft nail brush to get into the grooves. Occasionally I take the strap off and scrub that thoroughly. If you're wearing it every day and like me, often out in grubby environments it really does hold some grime! 🙈

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Yikes you’re probably right. I do wear mine 24/7, except when it’s charging, and it’s no doubt grim. 😳😖

[HeavyFoot Half Marathon]

The only weather issue I have with Garmin is it not latching on to GPS during cloudy weather. After a few minutes I give up, start anyway and let it catch up.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to HeavyFoot]

My Vivoactive locks on very quickly to GPS, but the Forerunner takes longer no matter what the weather. I wore both watches out on a walk this morning and the stats were all similar, except the calorie counts which were way different (203 vs 76). I’ll do the same with a run tomorrow. Today was dry however ….. 🤷‍♀️

[TailChaser Marathon]

Don’t get sweaty either cheeky!

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to TailChaser]

Oh yes I’d forgotten about that TC! Just need to make sure all my runs are done on sunny cool days then! 🙄🙄😂

[TailChaser Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Yup. Just like all us Garmin wearers do…*cough*…😁

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to TailChaser]

Said none of us ever! 😂

[Deals1 Metric Marathon]

I'm just back from a run and my 💓 rate was all over the place. I do clean mine gently with a toothbrush and a bit liquid anti bac soap.

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Deals1]

I’m going to clean mine too, just to be sure Deals1 . It must be pretty grim the amount I wear it! 😖