Questions runners ask about Apple Watch
Straight answers to the questions runners ask about training with an Apple Watch: VO2 max, training load, routes and overtraining.
Does Apple Watch have a training status like Garmin?
Not under that name. Apple Watch has Training Load, which tells you whether your last week was more or less than usual, but no label such as Productive or Detraining. Here is what it offers and how to get a status.
How can I tell if I'm overtraining?
No single number tells you. Look for several signs together: training load well above what you are used to, a raised resting heart rate, a lower HRV, and runs that feel harder than they should.
How do I analyze my Apple Watch runs?
In three places. The Fitness app shows each run in detail, the Health app shows long-term trends such as VO2 max and resting heart rate, and an app that reads Apple Health shows what your runs add up to.
How do I compare runs on the same route with Apple Watch?
Apple Watch has Race Route, which lets you race your last or best time on a route you have run before. To look back at every run on a route, you need an app. Here is how both work.
How does Apple Watch set my heart rate zones, and can I change them?
Apple Watch gives you five heart rate zones, calculated automatically from your maximum heart rate and your health data. You can replace them with your own. Here is how, and why your zones may look different in Kiiro.
What do I lose switching from Garmin to Apple Watch, and how do I get it back?
Mostly the training analysis. Apple Watch records the same data as a Garmin, often with no extra sensors, but it does not pull it together into a verdict. Here is what changes, feature by feature.
What does Training Load mean on Apple Watch?
Apple Watch Training Load compares your last 7 days of workouts with the previous 28 and labels the result from Well Below to Well Above. Here is how to read it and what to do about it.
What is a good cadence, ground contact time and vertical oscillation?
There is no single good value. All three depend on how fast you run, your height and your build. Here are typical ranges for recreational runners and how to use the numbers from your Apple Watch.
What is a good cardio recovery on Apple Watch?
Cardio recovery is how much your heart rate drops after you stop exercising. A bigger drop generally means a fitter heart, and your own trend matters more than any single number.
What is a good HRV on Apple Watch?
There is no single good number. HRV differs widely between people and falls with age. What matters is your own baseline and whether you are above or below it.
What is running power on Apple Watch, and what is a good number?
Running power is the work you are doing when you run, in watts. There is no universal good number, because it depends on your weight and speed. Its real use is pacing, since it reacts instantly where heart rate lags.
Why is my Apple Watch heart rate too high at the start of a run?
Usually it is the sensor, not your heart. In the first minutes of a run the optical sensor can pick up the rhythm of your steps instead of your pulse, especially with cold skin or a loose band.
Why is my resting heart rate going up?
For a runner the usual causes are fatigue from training, a cold coming on, poor sleep, alcohol, heat or stress. A beat or two is noise. Several beats above your normal for several days is worth acting on.
Why is my VO2 max lower on Apple Watch than on Garmin?
Because they are two different estimates, and Apple's tends to read low. Neither watch measures oxygen. Both infer VO2 max from heart rate and pace, with different methods and different workouts.
Why is my VO2 max not updating on Apple Watch?
Apple Watch only estimates VO2 max during outdoor walks, runs and hikes on fairly flat ground, with good GPS and heart-rate signal and enough effort. Here is what to check.
Finally understand your training.
Free on the App Store. Syncs with Apple Health in seconds.
