Do you get frustrated by your Smart Watch telling you that your run was UNPRODUCTIVE?

Do you freak out when it shows you have lost a point off your MAX V02?

How about when it tells you to MOVE after you have already put in 15,000 steps for the day?

With advancements in technology, we get more feedback from our watches on our training and body with much of the feedback based off Heart Rate and motion/arm swing. If you wear your watch 24/7 it gets to know you and can spit out some feedback on stress, recovery, sleep, training status, heat adaptation and well maybe more info than we need to know. If your watch doesn’t talk to you now, it’s because you have an older watch or basic model. OR, you simply don’t know what your watch offers or have it muted. If your current watch doesn’t provide this info, your next watch will. Hooray for you! Maybe!

The attached Meme is a true story.  I had a runner who did phenomenal in a 10K race. The next day was a Recovery Run and the Smart Watch message came up, UNPRODUCTIVE. This runner just ran an amazing race and was very pleased and within 24 hours was bummed, and this wasn’t the first time the watch created this frustration.  I like numbers but not to the detriment of a runner’s mental state. The mental part of running is so huge, so I told this runner to mute this feature. It just was not a good fit for her in my view.

If you do not want to deal with these messages then make adjustments in your watch notifications.  You can just focus on paces or plug in your current 5K race time in a Pace Calculator to determine your training paces. OR, just simply focus on effort. However, I do recommend you log your workouts daily with notes for monitoring and progress assessment. This is a responsibility of a runner if looking to get better.

If you like numbers and like to know or are curious about this info and want to take advantage of technology then go for it. It can provide value, show progress, alert you to overtraining, give you suggested workouts and so much more. You will need an accurate max heart rate though. If not interested in finding your max HR then don’t get too serious with the training features.  This communication is not about finding max HR but you need to be fairly accurate and the 220-age formula is not at all accurate. I recommend going back in your run log and looking at your warm temperature races with strong fast finishes to see what some of your max HRs were. OR, run an all out 5K race or time trial with a fast finish and sprint preferably when warmer. This can get you closer to your max HR. You likely still need to add 5 to this. Go online and search for other max HR tests if serious about it. NOTE: a chest HR strap usually offers more consistent and accurate performance vs. wrist HR so consider it if really serious about this. Some of the newer GPS watches are better than previous models. This Max HR will help you with your Zone Training and monitoring and analyzing what these SMART watches tell you. You just plug this max HR number into your APP and you are set.

If you are a runner that simply just wants to see the time, distance, pace and these numbers make your head spin…..then ignore the SMART features or just use them how you see fit or let your coach analyze them. I urge you to not lose sleep over what your watch tells you.

Here is an example. If you have been running for many months or years and you just got back from a great run and feel amazing and your watch states you lost fitness (Max VO2)….do you REALLY FEEL that you lost fitness? You think the watch doesn’t lie. I promise you, you DID NOT lose fitness. It messes with our brains and questions whether we are training correctly. Also, on a side note. Most of us have not built up enough aerobic fitness, base or stamina to even take advantage of our Max VO2 number so if it drops a point after a run, it simply means nothing. Stick to your plan and structure and think of the big picture. AND, you know what? The best way to increase Max VO2 long term is to run more often and run more miles. Many times the watch will tell you to do a speed workout to bump back up your max VO2.  Phooey. Speed is the icing on the cake and not the foundation of how you build your Max V02. Don’t chase workouts to just bump this number as this can get you into trouble.  This running thing is a long journey and should not be a reaction or “overreaction” day to day by what your watch tells you.

Consistency, staying healthy, structured running and race day performance is your best indicator of success and progress over many months and years. Take advantage of all the features of technology only if it is a good fit for you.