This is the fourth article in a series on using the Garmin Connect website. We are continuing to learn what we can see in our Activity Dashboard.

We are in the “Reports” section, and looking specifically at the “Running” stats.

Activity Calories

This is in graph form, and shows you how many calories you burned by moving. You can see that you can see up to 1 years worth.

Average Heart Rate

Remember, this is telling you what your average heart rate is for a run, not your RHR (Resting Heart Rate) or your max. You can hover over any of the blue circles to see the average for a particular run,

or see the average for the week, month, 6 months or a year.

Average Pace

Just like with the heart rate, you can see your average for a particular run, or over a specific timeframe.

I am doing Run/Walks at the moment due to an injury unfortunately (not running related), and you can see that reflected in the runs this past week. As I progress, I should be able to track how my pace is improving over time.

Average Run Cadence, Average Speed, Average Stride Length

For all of these “averages” reports, they are set up the same way as the first three I’ve shown you.

One note about speed vs. pace, pace is showing you your average minutes per mile. Speed is showing you your average miles per hour.

Average Vertical Ratio

In order to see your Average Vertical Ratio, you need to have a Garmin Pod attached to your waistband at the back.

Your vertical ratio means what your bouncing up and down measurement is (in cm) divided by your stride length. You will then get a percentage.

As you can see from the photo, I don’t use my pod very often. I had to go to the 6 months tab to find the last time I used it!

In running, you want to move forward. So when you are bouncing up and down, you are consuming energy that would be better used to propel you forward.

In general, we as runners want a lower number. I’ve seen that less than 10% is what we are after, but I admit I didn’t look too hard into it. Another topic for another day.

If you aren’t experiencing injuries or not progressing, it’s not something in my opinion that you should be too concerned with. But, if you are interested in what the pod shows, you can go to the Garmin website for an explanation.

GCT Balance

GCT stands for Ground Contact Time. It is showing your symmetry. Are you balanced? Does your left foot and your right foot hit the ground for the same length of time?

You can see here, mine is not 50/50.

This is another metric that you have to have the pod for, and I don’t wear that on most runs, so I don’t have a good idea of whether this changes from time to time. I had to switch to the 6 months tab to find an example.

I’m linking you to this YouTube video which is from Garmin and talks about the different metrics you can see with the pod (or if you have a garmin watch that has these dynamics built in).

Ground Contact Time (GCT)

This is related to the GCT Balance metric, explained above.

GCT measures each step, and how many milliseconds your foot is on the ground.

Garmin says that the GCT for elites tends to be shorter, and all experienced runners have a number under 300 ms. This indicates (again, according to Garmin) that runners who have a GCT under 300 are picking up their feet quickly and are not over-striding. So this number may be important to you if you want to get a sense for possible over-striding, which can lead to injury and slower running.

Lactate Threshold

My watch does not appear to have this available on it, and you also need the heart rate chest strap for the watches that are compatible (I tried to find a list of compatible watches but…good luck with that. Garmin kept telling me “Select Garmin Devices”).

Those that are compatible will have you do a guided run to calculate what your lactate threshold is.

Realize that this is an estimate, and will not be 100% accurate.

I’m going to do a post about lactate threshold in a few weeks, but check out the Garmin video about how they figure it out and what you can do with it.

Max Heart Rate

Your max heart rate average is shown here, with the line indicating your average and then in the 6 month section that I’m showing and in the 1 Year tab it shows the average by month.

If you click on the the 7 Days or 4 Weeks tabs, it shows it by day (usually that means by run).

You can use this data to adjust your max heart rate (see this post on where to customize that) so the watch knows if you are training aerobically, at threshold, easy, etc. You definitely want the watch to have your real max heart rate to work your zones off of, so the data and the ranges its showing are more accurate.

Race Predictor

This metric should be used with caveats. Depending on whether you are more endurance oriented or more speed oriented, you may run races faster or slower than predicted.

My data definitely shows my in season, off season, starting back to more specified training linearly, though, so while its not (again) 100% accurate, it is following a formula that matches pretty closely with what I would consider my own running fitness for racing.

Total Activity Time

Again showing the 6 months out tab, you can choose a month and show how many minutes you ran that month.

Interesting to see the ups and downs, and I can see where I’ve been gone and not running or whatever.

What is also interesting, is my race prediction time was the highest the months I ran the most…speaks to the adage that to get better at running, you need to run!

Total Ascent

This tells you how many feet you ascended during the month for 6 months/1 Year or durning individual runs under the 7 Days or 4 Weeks tabs.

If you live in a very hilly area (or not at all), I can see you using this for trying to get in some work if you were going to run Boston or something in Colorado and wanted to track how much you were ascending and then descending (by default if you ran back down).

From what I can tell, this metric is very important for cyclists. Most of what I could find on using it was for them.

Total Distance

I mean, yeah, should be self explanatory. Same configuration…total per month for the last 2 tabs, total per run for the first 2.

Training Effect

This one is a bit different in that it only shows you max 4 weeks out, and its per run.

The numbers measure the impact of your run and how that applies to aerobic or anaerobic fitness. It is based off of your profile, training, heart rate, how long you are running and intensity.

So for example, if you go out for an easy run with no speedwork, your aerobic number will be influenced, but you will most likely have “0” as your anaerobic number.

Garmin uses a number system to tell you if a run has had no effect or is highly impacting.

If you want to see the (Garmin) full explanation, they have a page on the website, or click the small circle with the question mark.

Training Status

Training status is what a lot of us track and want to see and can get a bit obsessed about the numbers.

Again, unless you run in a lab with some pretty sophisticated equipment, all of this is an estimate based on an algorithm.

Hold these numbers and what this stuff shows you loosely and don’t let any of it discourage you if say your VO2 max goes down, or your watch is telling you that you are detraining.

Garmin uses your training load (duration and intensity) to find your 7 day load number. You get a score based on what’s called EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption).

EPOC does a lot physiologically for you after your run and during your recovery. If you like to “geek out” on running, you can refer to a blog post from NASM all about what this is.

Categories:

If you’ve had your Garmin for awhile, you have probably seen the categories they put each run into:

Overreaching- high load, need a rest

Peaking- ideal race condition

Productive- fitness moving in the right direction

Maintaining- just what it sounds like (if you want to get a “Productive” you will need to do some different workouts or increase volume

Recovery- recovering

The dreaded Unproductive- fitness is decreasing

Detraining- running much less than usual and fitness is low

VO2Max

Please do not consider this number golden! It is estimated. If you are truly interested in your VO2Max number, you need to go to a lab.

That being said, I do pay some attention to the metric just to see if it is going up or down.

The watch tells you if you are Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent or Superior based on this number.

I used to be able to see the number on my watch after a run, but maybe through an update or something that number is no longer there and I have to look at it either on this website or find it on the app.

Vertical Oscillation

This is another metric that needs the Garmin HRM or the pod.

As you have been able to see, I haven’t worn it since December, but my average vertical oscillation was 7cm.

This number represents the amount the torso moves (or bounces) with each step. The lower the number, the less stress is thought to be impacting the lower body.

It’s an interesting number, but one that I don’t know I would be too concerned about amongst all the other things we think about with our training!

I could be wrong, and I’m sure some of the more science loving runners think I am, but obviously the little amount of time I remember to run with the pod tells you that these things are not my top priority when running!

VO2Max

This is just the same number as in the Status, just on its own.

If you haven’t done too much research into VO2Max, it’s the maximum volume of oxygen you can consume per minute per kilogram or body weight at max performance (Garmin website definition).

Basically, the higher the number the more aerobically fit you are. Again, though, this is based on an estimate and could be referred to, but not obsessed with.

Progress Summary

This gives you a snapshot of the total of everything and the average and max of everything.

Long list, so take a look for yourself if you want to see it all!

You can also customize it and filter this information, so have fun!

Ok, so that is the conclusion of what Garmin Reports can tell you about your running!

I’ll be doing another dive into what the website can do shortly, so if you aren’t signed up for my newsletter head (newsletter sign up) and put in the comment section you want the newsletter.