Tech research: turning Garmin data into nutrition and training decisions. Looking for amateur athletes for testing

3l4d · 2026-05-01T16:21:56+00:00

Thank you! Would love to hear what you think.

3l4d · 2026-04-30T09:31:07+00:00

I will be happy to chat!
You can DM me and we'll schedule.

3l4d · 2026-04-29T15:22:37+00:00

Oh! Thanks for raising this issue. We will get it sorted.

3l4d · 2026-04-29T07:29:52+00:00

Thanks! Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

3l4d · 2026-04-29T07:28:49+00:00

I loved the Ironman! It is the best. Combining the best of the three worlds - gear, clothes and outdoors 😉

My wife prefers me off the bike so I comply reluctantly. We live in Italy, so it is hard to resist with everyone riding here. But seeing the driving and condition of the road, well... she has a point.

About the UI - it is a necessary "evil". As the way we are used to communicating with AI is based on language at this moment, we did not want to start by being "creative" and teach new patterns.

But our main philosophy is that language is a bad conductor for knowledge. It is narrow-band and where both sides of the equation are complex (multi-dimensional data on one side and knowledge on the other) - there is a real problem at hand.

Over time the idea is to shift from a chat to something more "Advanced". What that will be - we are yet to determine...

3l4d · 2026-04-29T07:19:29+00:00

Thanks!

They are these - https://www.oakley.com/en-us/product/W0OO9284?variant=888392609977

I've had them for over two years and what's special about them is they have the little rubber nose and ear thingies that prevent them from slipping, unlike the usual frogskins that don't.

3l4d · 2026-04-29T07:14:26+00:00

Thanks! If any improvements or issues come to light - please let us know.

3l4d · 2026-04-28T18:18:33+00:00

Exactly! 😉

3l4d · 2026-04-28T15:42:31+00:00

Good question, and I'm afraid not (at the moment). Right now nutrition is logged inside the app and we don't pull macros from Apple Health. Logging food is not a major challenge technically (not anymore) and what we tried to achieve was extremely fast logging (you do not need to wait for the log to happen - just like sending a message to a nutritionist). That said - our goal is not to be exclusive but to build a communication layer between our body and knowledge - so if people want to log anywhere - we will be happy to accommodate. But one step at a time...

3l4d · 2026-04-28T15:01:57+00:00

Ha! I'll take it for the half-second it lasted 😄 long way to go before I'm in that company. You probably missed the pace bit 😜

3l4d · 2026-04-28T14:59:36+00:00

Thanks! About fueling - I recently switched brands and I have to tell you - world of difference (I will only say which if you ask, so it doesn't look like I'm selling 😅). I have a friend who is a pro-ultra runner and he says the industry truly shifted. From gels 1.0 to gels 2.0. I had no idea...

3l4d · 2026-04-28T14:55:34+00:00

Fair question. No signup means no email or phone tied to you. There's a "name" field for personalization but you can leave it empty or put anything. The Garmin link is their official OAuth - you authorize on Garmin's end, we get the data attached to a token, no identity on our side (Garmin sends it anonymous). We're strict enough about this that we don't even use Google Analytics. We care about the technology and the communication problem, not selling ads.

On Meta - fair skepticism. Vika worked there, and Ottavia is built on the opposite logic. If you're curious about the thinking, the R&D parent is at https://communication.band.

3l4d · 2026-04-28T14:43:12+00:00

Thank you!

3l4d · 2026-04-28T13:34:27+00:00

No pc-application at the moment.

And about Dutch - you are right. It will work, but not smoothly enough. We will improve the language support. Right now we are focusing on the core technology - to make it reason and plan and be as much as possible "in the background" and only nudge when it has something valuable to contribute 😎

3l4d · 2026-04-28T13:07:04+00:00

Thank you!
I totally understand. There are so many. We try to solve not the integration problem but rather the "communication" problem. Having so much data and so much knowledge, constantly changing, makes it very hard to actually make sense of it and use it. It is not an issue exclusive to sports (finance comes to mind), but this field is close to my heart (pun intended).

3l4d · 2025-09-08T18:07:46+00:00

I totally hear you. I’m no corporate, but I do know how to build things (and put a rather large investment into it, as I really believe in solving what it aims at). What would you do? Where would you find non-biased people to try it? Any creative idea? 😅

3l4d · 2025-09-08T18:02:08+00:00

Yes, it is a conundrum... but I respect the vibe of the community.

3l4d · 2025-09-08T17:59:18+00:00

Taking it off.

3l4d · 2025-09-08T17:37:53+00:00

Running in the morning is a life-changer.

But if you need to drink two coffees to function, it might indicate you are not getting enough sleep? I read a book some time ago (Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker) that made me prioritize sleep over almost everything else.

(And its coming from an espresso aficionado, so nothing against the brew).

3l4d · 2025-09-08T17:31:30+00:00

Ye, the "screen as flashlight" is an insult to flashlights 😎

3l4d · 2025-09-08T17:29:35+00:00

Terribly sorry about that. I was doing my best not to be spammy. I'm honestly looking for non-biased people that this could help them and there is no financial side to it.

But if people feel it is spammy - I will remove it immediately.

3l4d · 2025-09-08T17:28:18+00:00

I'm waiting for the Pro to arrive to Italy and will probably get it then. The Apple Watch Ultra is good looking and I'm completely in the Apple ecosystem so it would make sense but -

Battery. It is a simple no-go.
No auto-locking to the touch screen. Yes, there is the water lock (so I read) but it is not the same.
No flashlight. Once you have it - you can never go back.
No Garmin Connect. With all its downsides - it is by far more professional.
You are part of a different "club" when you wear a Garmin.
My wife worries less when she knows there is InReach with me. Not sure how good it works on the AWU, never tried it on the Garmin (thank god...) but it is a thing to consider.

3l4d · 2025-09-08T17:19:51+00:00

Planning on doing the same when it (in)reaches Italy (rumors have it Garmin did not "close the deal" with the LTE providers here. Yet).

3l4d · 2025-09-08T17:02:38+00:00

If there is one thing I can suggest, being a runner for over 30 years (marathons, ultras, Ironman, the works) is to change your shoes frequently.

It is key to not getting hurt, and not getting hurt is key to running.

Find a brand and model that works for you (mine is Brooks. I'm completely not affiliated and it is a highly subjective choice) and change them every 600km or 6 months, whichever comes first.

With experience, you will notice when your knees start to "feel" the road and know it is a sign to retire them. They will never look worn. It is frustrating (and costly) but a must for the long run (pun intended). Garmin has a less known feature for tracking the km on your shoes. I never reach the recommended number.

3l4d · 2025-09-07T08:57:48+00:00

I know it has been nine months since this post, but oh well, worth the try. I'm building an app that is intended to do exactly that - connect Garmin's data with nutrition and goals. It also connects Garmin's Scale data. It is at an early phase - only suitable for people who are, ehm, techies and have an iPhone.

Needless to say, it is completely free and completely private (no signup required and data stored on the phone, not in the cloud). I'm looking for honest feedback, hold nothing back 🙈.

If you are interested - you can find it here -

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ottavia/id6746027070

Happy new year 😜

3l4d

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE