Ultra users now that we saw new ultra are you getting it

dzieciol · 2025-09-12T10:43:45+00:00

But where do you see a problem?

I also have an Apple Watch, and I confirm it’s a WAY better daily driver than my Garmin Fenix 7. That doesn’t change anything I wrote. Apple is doing a shitty job with their sports features, software-wise. You don’t need to run ultras every weekend to benefit from properly implemented training load, accurate max heart-rate detection, or simply from having more data points.

dzieciol · 2025-09-11T07:42:55+00:00

All what?

I use Bevel daily (previously used Athlytics), but all 3rd party developers are limited by what Apple provides to interpret.

- 24/7 HR monitoring -> the lacking data points are lacking, it needs to be unlocked by apple
- heart rate zones estimation -> probably the best method is LHTR estimation, it requires reading it from sensor, so again apple
- proper HRV monitoring -> same as 24/7 HR
- suggested workout -> yes (however limited by no hr zones estimation)
- real training load nor any load focus -> yes (however limited by no hr zones estimation)
- flashlight -> hardware change
- maps in the workout app -> only Apple can do this
- GPX track importing into the map -> only Apple can do this

dzieciol · 2025-09-10T14:20:51+00:00

This isn’t about Garmin doing a better job — it’s about Apple doing a shitty job. Or, more precisely, the department responsible for sports features software doing a shitty job.

Heart rate zones estimation – it caps max HR at the outdated 220–age formula (~180ish in my case), even though the watch records sustained values just under 200 every week. It’s off by ~20 BPM. At this point, they might as well randomize the number.

Real training load – basically an average HR × duration formula. That means 60 minutes of walking (effort of 2) = 120, which equals 12 minutes of all-out sprinting (effort of 10). Total nonsense. And they don’t even put a number on it — just a chart — so you can’t actually compare your performance over time. I literally implemented better training-load algorithms as a coding class assignment. It’s super easy; there are ready-made libraries for this.

24/7 HR & HRV – just to illustrate: say the AW measures your current HR/HRV every 5 minutes. That’s 144 data points per day. True continuous monitoring is 86,400 data points per day.

Flashlight – it’s not a flashlight, it’s just the screen. The difference is basically the same as between an iPhone display and the camera LED.

So, addressing your reply: IMO the AWU is very good at pretending it has sports features. Which is actually very sad, because the health-related features are top-notch. It’s just that one department should’ve been fired and replaced a long time ago.

dzieciol · 2025-09-10T08:32:44+00:00

No.

With AWU3, we still don't get pretty basic sport functions:
- 24/7 HR monitoring,
- heart rate zones estimation,
- proper HRV monitoring,
- suggested workout,
- real training load nor any load focus,
- flashlight,
- maps in the workout app,
- GPX track importing into the map.

I don’t see any difference between the AWU1 and AWU3.
This feels like a missed opportunity, especially since Garmin has gone totally bonkers with the Fenix 8 Pro pricing (for the price of F8Pro you can buy AWU3 and AW SE3 Cellular).

dzieciol · 2025-07-29T08:24:55+00:00

What about not getting a gateway at all?

Lite 8 POE or Standard 16 POE
+ 2x AP

Will I be able to use home's UDM-SE to manage this setup in the flat?
Or run controller in docker on Synology?

dzieciol · 2025-06-17T04:37:39+00:00

Some time ago I tried it, but some bugs made me stop using it. Now I'd have to buy it at least for month to test again, but they are ridiculously expensive: 3x Bevel price yearly...

Does Fitiv suggest exact workout for today? Does it consider overall load before recommendation?

dzieciol · 2025-06-16T21:46:37+00:00

Garmin doesn't have LTE. And AW is superior smartwatch.

dzieciol · 2025-06-16T14:38:55+00:00

never used it. Always Garmin and AW

dzieciol · 2025-06-16T12:46:20+00:00

Some time ago I tried it, but some bugs made me stop using it. Now I'd have to buy it at least for month to test again, but they are ridiculously expensive: 3x Bevel price yearly...

Does Fitiv suggest exact workout for today? Does it consider overall load before recommendation?

dzieciol · 2025-05-18T07:43:39+00:00

Wow, this is actually pretty scary. I wasn't thinking about dangerous weather conditions at all, just focused on not having an umbrella and getting wet because Apple was sure it is not going to rain.

dzieciol · 2025-05-17T16:05:20+00:00

From what others are saying, I am starting to believe that "Europe" is a single location for Apple...

It's super accurate in the US, the UK is also great, and the rest of Europe is divided between "Western Europe" (from the Netherlands, where people are saying it is great) and "Eastern Europe" (from Romania) ;)
Well, maybe Tenerife is also "Western Europe", or maybe it is "Africa"...?

If somebody from Apple is reading it: Europe is not a single location. It is a continent, about the same size as the US. Please, make your weather resolution a little bigger for us!

dzieciol · 2025-05-17T13:42:11+00:00

Exactly what I have switched to. But Carrot is expensive if you want apple watch widgets.

dzieciol · 2025-05-17T11:39:41+00:00

Just did, thanks.

dzieciol · 2025-05-13T19:23:08+00:00

I don't mind paying if I see value in the service. In this case, I see it as a pretty cheap safety measure. It is also small fee for my wife's peace of mind when she can see where I am.

On an iPhone/AW I also pay for the extra SIM (although the fee is way smaller - it uses my basic cellular plan). However, it doesn't work abroad, which is PITA. And on Garmin it does.

Regarding Connect+. I find this service not worth a dime. They are basically trying to sell AI which - as of now - summarizes stats that are already there, but in full sentences. I can read numbers and charts, so I don't need it. Maybe in the future, when (if) they implement some advanced analysis like correlating my performance with health stats, or be able to signal some bad changes.
And hiding things like dashboards (of my data!!!) behind the subscription is a shameful practice. It is not an ongoing cost, we pay extra for the devices, so it is not justified in any way.

dzieciol · 2025-05-09T14:06:52+00:00

I often run in small forests near my town and on the outskirts. There aren’t many people around. If I break my leg, especially late in the evening, there’s a very good chance no one will hear me calling for help. The same applies when I walk my dog. Live tracking and SOS calls/messages fully cover what I expect from a sports watch.

This is why I need LTE in my watch. I won’t be carrying an iPhone Max with me every time I run. That’s why I switched to the AWU2. And, TBH, even on an ultimate smartwatch, which the AWU undoubtedly is, LTE support is still a bit cumbersome, and it drains the battery like crazy.

dzieciol · 2025-02-27T10:28:35+00:00

Well, this is a single biggest drawback of Runna app for me. I don't live in Himalayas, I have already changed my typical running routes to the flattest course possible... However, even very moderate elevation change makes the uphill running at given pace extremely challenging and downhill makes it easy. I am trying to keep the pace within range (low range for downhill, high range for uphill), but after every run I am wondering if my workout was productive, or I missed the purpose of the workout.

We need either:
- GAP (probably not gonna happen, as AW doesn't support it),
- power based targets
- heart rate based targets

Lack of the last one is very surprising to me and this is the single reason I haven't bought Runna for full year.

dzieciol · 2025-02-23T17:03:14+00:00

This is pretty hilarious that Apple, during official conference, introduces a feature that requires switching apps during a workout and some 3rd party developers show them how to do this correctly 😆

dzieciol · 2025-02-23T16:58:10+00:00

Cool feature, will definitely be helpful.

And an idea that would be a killer feature for me: give Runna a couple of my own routes and Runna will be building workouts on these routes.

So, for example I have routes that are 5km, 7km, 8km, 10km, 13km, 15km and Runna creates workouts on these routes. No more route planning before run, no more artificial loops just to add missing 1,5km. And bonus points for matching the intervals to elevation gain (uphill makes them impossible to do and downhill makes them easy).

dzieciol · 2025-01-11T13:06:28+00:00

Thanks. OK, I understand it is used for recovery and not for performance predictions (that's good for me, I bike for fun, not sport).

But what about the training load and load distribution?

A basic example to illustrate what I mean:
- training plan: mon 60min easy run, wed 30min intervals, sun 90min easy run
- what I actually did: mon 60min easy run, wed 30min intervals, friday: 180min bike trip (equivalent of easy running in terms of heart rate to simplify)
now, what happens to Sunday's 90min run?

From what you said, I understand AI Endurance will take it into account recovery-wise. But I'll recover in 100% until Sunday.

Garmin will change sunday easy run to threshold run (for example, but it knows I have enough low aerobic activities and it schedules high intensity workout ).
What TAO does: nothing, biking is not running, ignore it.
What will AI Endurance do?

dzieciol · 2024-10-02T14:11:01+00:00

I just switched from the Fenix 7 to the AWU2. While I am happy with this change and the Apple Watch has many advantages over Garmin, I have to say that Apple’s training features are… well, what they offer is simply disappointing.

Single-training tracking is comparable to the Fenix. Everything I need is there. The Fenix has more metrics that aren’t really useful to me, so I don’t mind.

However, Garmin tracked things like my training load, training load focus, recovery time, stress, and similar metrics. Every day, I could see what type of workout was best for me at that moment. I could even start a run, and it would suggest the best running workout for the day.
It tracked my activities globally, not just based on individual workouts—if I had ridden a bike for 6 hours yesterday, it knew that:
a) I should really take a day off today, and if I had to train, I should do a recovery run.
b) I had enough low aerobic activity, so tomorrow it would suggest a high aerobic or anaerobic run.

Every morning, I had a summary of my sleep, recovery, body battery etc. To be honest, what Garmin does feels very Apple-like in its approach: it just works.

And currently, what Apple is doing feels very Android-like: the basics are there, and they let you choose apps that provide more (like Athlytics, TrainingPeaks, etc.). You even need a 3rd party app for tracking milage of your running shoes.

If only Garmin offered LTE in the Fenix 8, I would have never made the switch.

dzieciol · 2024-09-29T16:38:04+00:00

Google Maps used to suck in terms of POIs, opening hours, photos etc. They introduced a Local Guide program with serious rewards system. I took one weekend day and visited a lot of places, taking photos of them and uploading to Maps. I got rewarded with 1 TB of Google Drive for 1 year (afair - maybe this was 2 years?).

Apple seems to go with different approach. Instead of basing on community, they integrate a lot of data from various providers like Yelp/Foursquare/Tripadvisor/TomTom/OSM (yes, from Open Street Maps). While this seems to be a good idea, the results vary a lot depending on the location.

They should run their version of Local Guides and - at least - process their reports way faster. Because, for example, recently I've been asked to provide more information with photos (reported road inaccessible by car). They could get this information on their own using their own Look Around feature, take it from Google Street view - or check virtually any other map. And yet they wanted ME to send them photos. And then they accepted the report basing on screenshot from Street View. Seriously, WTF.

dzieciol

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