Break a Sweat: Run Without Burning Out

Fighting the burn and pushing past it shows that you’re mentally and physically fit, but you need training strategies that will get you to the finish line feeling your strongest best. Look no further than the Garmin fēnix® 3. When paired with a heart rate monitor, it indicates how your body is performing so you can run more efficiently. This fashion-forward device looks ruggedly stylish no matter if you’re at the office or on the trail, so your stats are always available – whether you’re sneaking in a lunchtime tempo session or completing a weekend trek in the mountains.

Stress Less, Run Better

What you eat, how you sleep and the way you manage life’s punches all affect your running. Heart rate variability is a measure of this cumulative stress. Your heart beats with intervals of varying length when you’re well rested and training optimally. A heart rate variability that resembles the consistency of a metronome indicates you’re overwhelmed and ready for some self-care.

The fēnix® 3 measures your stress score according to heart rate variability on a scale from one to 100, with one being low stress and 100 extremely high. Pushing yourself too much and too often with inadequate sleep and poor nutrition raises your stress score and negatively impacts your running. So make it a habit to eat healthy, wholesome meals; squeeze in consistent shuteye – at least seven to eight hours a day – and find healthy ways to combat stress, including meditation and yoga. You’ll not only have an easier time hitting the speeds you seek, but you’ll also do your mind and body good.

Know Your Threshold

Your lactate threshold is a measure of when lactate – a byproduct of the chemical process that generates energy for exercise – overwhelms your system. When you run intensely, your body has a harder time keeping up with lactate production; you’ll know you’ve reached your threshold when you just can’t run another step. The fēnix® 3 helps you find your threshold so you can push just under it to sustain an intense run for a longer period of time. See how your threshold performance compares with the wider Garmin community on Facebook or let them know about your accomplishments on Twitter.

Mix the Hard With the Easy

You always want to run your best, but a few easy training days per week can help you accomplish your goal. If you alternate hard runs, such as threshold intervals, with low-intensity sessions, you’ll decrease the overall stress on your body and have the energy to really push on high-intensity days.

Use the smartwatch’s performance condition indicator to tell you if you’ve picked the right day for a quality run, or if you’d benefit from another easy day. You want those hard days to start out at +5, which indicates that you’re well-rested and ready for a high-intensity run. The fēnix® 3 performance condition indicator analyzes your pace, heart rate and heart rate variability to evaluate how you’re doing during your run. It also tells you when you’re starting to fade – especially at the end of a long run.

See the Bigger Picture

The fēnix® 3 isn’t just for running. It’s a multi-sport watch that will monitor other workouts and take into account how they affect your runs, including skiing and open-water swims. All these features and more can help you maximize your overall fitness routine – without burning out.

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