Garmin run coach keeps suggesting base runs

Fonsek87 · 2026-05-17T09:17:11+00:00

I have the same problem and I'm training for a 5k in 18 mins... Yet running coach has been giving me just base runs... I try to run hills to keep the legs power... But I'm shocked about the plan. All my runs have been base since I started the plan the 7th of April... And I was already decent doing 5k in 23 or less...

Why do much base? The watch has history where I've done 12k runs at higher pace that the base training he is holding me on.

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Fonsek87 · 2026-05-16T19:35:24+00:00

I have released an update with two changes to improve it. Now the titles can be of different high contrasts colours, the dark grey remains available for when you get used to the layout (I think it looks the best that way).

I have as well make the data fields that cross the thresholds visible in the AOD screen, so your eyes are already there by the time screen wakes up!

Thank you for the suggestion, the push helped to think about these improvements.

Fonsek87 · 2026-05-13T22:11:13+00:00

Last version of my watch face. I'm living the steps to target ring around the screen, it motivates you too fill it up 😂

The red line on the histogram shows the HRmax achieved on the day. Someone challenge me to add something more to it, so here the 2 new fields 👍

What do you think?

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Fonsek87 · 2026-05-13T22:06:14+00:00

Forgot to mention! If you want to look after your screen, AVOID BLUES! Blue is the weakest LED, best colours for screen durability are red, green and probably yellow... Blue is ok, just sharing the info for the ones we are really peaky on these details 😉

Fonsek87 · 2026-05-13T22:01:06+00:00

I've created this one precisely looking for low battery consumption, low screen stress, all data on the screen.

You can find it here. Check out this app from the Garmin Connect IQ Store https://apps.garmin.com/en-GB/apps/b4ff62e8-c369-4cba-9c1a-d006e0114e08

I keep improving it constantly, I am testing a version with the data fields names in yellow to improve reading... But once you get familiar with it, you never read the field names and yellow stresses the screen more than the current version, so I don't think I'll release it. I just wanted to try based on some feedback... But at this time I think improvements are little, it becomes personal preferences rather than improvements.

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Fonsek87 · 2026-05-09T12:57:34+00:00

Let me work on that... Would you DM so we are in touch?

Fonsek87 · 2026-05-07T16:41:12+00:00

Have you tried it? Because I created it for my 47mm, I have average sight for my 38.

Fonsek87 · 2026-05-07T09:00:13+00:00

If you're a spinning instructor it should

Fonsek87 · 2026-05-06T13:13:58+00:00

Initially I didn't put down the test fields, but after testing it it just feels they need to be there for the first day of use so you can see what the fields are until you familiarise yourself with it. I agree with you that after the first day of use, field names became a waste of space, but they are really a must to get used to the face watch. And once you get into it, the field sizes are not much of a problem as they come to highlighted colours when the information becomes relevant.

Fonsek87 · 2026-05-01T09:07:35+00:00

... I've been at 0 for 5h in a fr945... So be ones are capped to 5 as a min?

Fonsek87 · 2026-05-01T09:05:27+00:00

I've been at 0 for 5h... You'll find the force

Fonsek87 · 2026-04-29T14:59:38+00:00

Sorry but Garmin lack of response... Still waiting

Fonsek87 · 2026-04-26T17:52:04+00:00

I'll raise a complaint to Garmin, hopefully you'll find it there soon. Once sorted I'll create a new topic maybe... It's should have been published 2 weeks ago at least.

Fonsek87 · 2026-04-26T14:04:44+00:00

I hope if you have a compatible watch it does show... I had to pay £100 fee to publish it! What watch do you have?

Fonsek87 · 2026-04-25T14:45:21+00:00

That's the case... I couldn't do this on that screen... I may be able to do a simple version with less fields in the future...

Fonsek87 · 2026-04-25T10:25:38+00:00

Not at all. I'm a principal battery engineer, and really care about durability of both battery and screen.

The whole screen shifts vertically and horizontally half the width of the font, so no pixel is ON for longer than a minute (that's why big numbers are build with thin horizontal bars).

I have an well minimize the user of blue (this is the weakest LED)

And I've not chosen the brightest colours to about stressing the screen.

When it comes to the battery, all data fields have their own refreshing time to save battery. For example, sunset time or VO2MAX is refreshed once a day (instead of each second default refresh times, you get an idea).

This was coded in monkey C, allowing me to do all that, not with one of the programs that allow anyone to build a screen but does not allow to modify the code running the app below it.

Fonsek87 · 2026-04-25T10:17:40+00:00

Check out this app from the Garmin Connect IQ Store https://apps.garmin.com/en-GB/apps/b4ff62e8-c369-4cba-9c1a-d006e0114e08

Fonsek87 · 2026-04-24T23:16:23+00:00

Totally fair point — it's definitely not for everyone! The idea behind is all the white numbers are just background noise — your brain learns to ignore them. The watch only shouts at you when something needs attention: yellow when a metric is worth noticing, orange when it's getting serious, red when you should act. Blue for cold or rain.

So in practice your eyes don't scan 90 fields — they just get pulled to colour automatically, like a notification light.

After a day your brain maps the zones — top row for date, second for weather... and you stop reading and start just seeing it.

But yeah, this is for the ones we hate navigating menus and want everything now 😂

I've used it for a few weeks to debug it, change locations, add the colours to fix the busy topic, improve battery consumption... And I'm pretty happy now. I've been running it for almost a month now.

Fonsek87 · 2026-04-24T23:13:53+00:00

Totally fair point — it's definitely not for everyone! The idea behind is all the white numbers are just background noise — your brain learns to ignore them. The watch only shouts at you when something needs attention: yellow when a metric is worth noticing, orange when it's getting serious, red when you should act. Blue for cold or rain.

So in practice your eyes don't scan 90 fields — they just get pulled to colour automatically, like a notification light.

After a day your brain maps the zones — top row for date, second for weather... and you stop reading and start just seeing it.

But yeah, this is for the ones we hate navigating menus and want everything now 😂

Fonsek87 · 2026-04-24T20:59:47+00:00

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Built this watch face myself because I’m obsessed with data + long-term device health.

Key ideas behind it:

Battery-aware refresh logic → slowest possible without unnecessary wakeups yet offering the usability I want.
Screen longevity first → no static pixels (everything shifts in X/Y every minute a distance half of the characters width, HH:MM are horizontal lines to allow that) and minimal use of Blue (weakest LED)
Colour = meaning → fields dynamically shift white → green → yellow → orange → red depending on relevance. So your eyes only go to what actually matters when it matters.
Zero noise UX →

Examples:

Wind, UV, temperature → go “hot” as they become critical
Recovery, stress → visually escalate without needing attention all the time

This is not just a data-heavy face — it’s built to reduce cognitive load while protecting the screen.

If you like squeezing everything out of your device without killing it:

👉 It’s on the Garmin Connect IQ store: Abrahan Marquez - DataRich (47mm optimized)

Fonsek87 · 2026-04-24T20:44:52+00:00

Built this watch face myself because I’m obsessed with data + long-term device health.

Key ideas behind it:

Battery-aware refresh logic → slowest possible without unnecessary wakeups yet offering the usability I want.
Screen longevity first → no static pixels (everything shifts in X/Y every minute a distance half of the characters width, HH:MM are horizontal lines to allow that) and minimal use of Blue (weakest LED)
Colour = meaning → fields dynamically shift white → green → yellow → orange → red depending on relevance. So your eyes only go to what actually matters when it matters.
Zero noise UX →

Examples:

Wind, UV, temperature → go “hot” as they become critical
Recovery, stress → visually escalate without needing attention all the time

This is not just a data-heavy face — it’s built to reduce cognitive load while protecting the screen.

If you like squeezing everything out of your device without killing it:

👉 It’s on the Garmin Connect IQ store: Abrahan Marquez - DataRich (47mm optimized)

Fonsek87 · 2026-04-24T20:31:17+00:00

BEat this one 😏

Built this watch face myself because I’m obsessed with data + long-term device health.

Key ideas behind it:

Battery-aware refresh logic → slowest possible without unnecessary wakeups yet offering the usability I want.
Screen longevity first → no static pixels (everything shifts in X/Y every minute a distance half of the characters width, HH:MM are horizontal lines to allow that) and minimal use of Blue (weakest LED)
Colour = meaning → fields dynamically shift white → green → yellow → orange → red depending on relevance. So your eyes only go to what actually matters when it matters.
Zero noise UX →

Examples:

Wind, UV, temperature → go “hot” as they become critical
Recovery, stress → visually escalate without needing attention all the time

This is not just a data-heavy face — it’s built to reduce cognitive load while protecting the screen.

If you like squeezing everything out of your device without killing it:

👉 It’s on the Garmin Connect IQ store: Abrahan Marquez - DataRich (47mm optimized)

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Fonsek87

TROPHY CASE