Marathon Weekend 2022

[SheHulk]

I still have to catch up on previous posts, but I’m looking for some advice and figured this would be the best place to go.

I’m training for the marathon with a @DopeyBadger training plan. I normally run with my Apple Watch, but I’m having battery issues and thinking of upgrading to a Garmin for running only.

- I’m planning on keeping my Apple Watch for regular use. I have one with a cellular plan, and I use it for my Peloton.
- I usually run with my phone, but I do like the option to run without it if possible.
- I use the Nike app, just because I’ve had it the longest so I can compare past data. Is that possible with a Garmin? No big deal if it isn’t, I can switch, but I was just curious.
- I use the run/walk method, so I use the Intervals Pro app to set my intervals. Do Garmins have an option for intervals?
- I use Spotify for music, with specific playlists downloaded to my watch.

Based on the above, and advice/suggestions on which Garmin to buy? Thanks in advance!

I have a cheapy Garmin, like the ForeRunner 45 or something. It's fine for me. I have used it for continuous runs and interval running. You can set whatever intervals you want to run/walk with it. It's pretty bare bones but it's all I need.
I was like you, I used the Nike Run app for many years before switching to a Garmin. I never saw how to merge data on them but I don't know if that's necessary to compare data.
The one downside I've had with this watch is that, when I'm running in the middle of the city, the instantaneous paces it shows me are all over the place. I don't know if GPS signal is better on a better watch. Distance mile to mile is fine, it catches up, but I wish I could rely on the instantaneous pace a little more to adjust my pacing instead of being told I'm running 7:45 min miles, no, wait, 12 min, no, wait, 8:15, etc.
Personally, if it was me, and I already had an Apple Watch for regular use, I'd get a pretty simple running watch because the Apple Watch does so much already.

 

[camaker]

The new Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE has safety features without needing your phone. It also allows for music.

It does, but they are extremely limited compared to the communications options that I already have with the Apple Watch and require another monthly service charge, to boot. Although not an issue for OP, I listen to audiobooks rather than music 95% of the time and there’s not a good, user-friendly solution for getting Audible books onto a Garmin.

I’m looking to upgrade later this year because I’m going to need more battery life than my 935 currently offers and I’ve settled on the 945 instead of the 945 LTE, unless they come out with the long-awaited 955 in the meantime.

 

[Naomeri]

SAFD: I did my stint in a public facing job and I could never go back to it again, so that rules out a lot of Disney World jobs. I enjoy compiling and analyzing data, so maybe I could be part of the team that looks at all the data they collect?

 

[Herding_Cats]

I still have to catch up on previous posts, but I’m looking for some advice and figured this would be the best place to go.

I’m training for the marathon with a @DopeyBadger training plan. I normally run with my Apple Watch, but I’m having battery issues and thinking of upgrading to a Garmin for running only.

- I’m planning on keeping my Apple Watch for regular use. I have one with a cellular plan, and I use it for my Peloton.
- I usually run with my phone, but I do like the option to run without it if possible.
- I use the Nike app, just because I’ve had it the longest so I can compare past data. Is that possible with a Garmin? No big deal if it isn’t, I can switch, but I was just curious.
- I use the run/walk method, so I use the Intervals Pro app to set my intervals. Do Garmins have an option for intervals?
- I use Spotify for music, with specific playlists downloaded to my watch.

Based on the above, and advice/suggestions on which Garmin to buy? Thanks in advance!

So here’s a question. If you’re going to get another Apple Watch, couldn’t you continue to use that for your music, and use a basic garmin for the other stuff? Some of the garmin do have a “music” option (forerunner 245, 645, etc) but you have to have Spotify premium to do that from my understanding.
I started with a forerunner 35 and if you only needed it to do intervals it can do that. It’s a super basic, bare-bones running watch. My teens use them for cross country.

I upgraded this summer to a vivoactive 4s (open box “like new” off Amazon for like $160 I think.) I like it a lot more than my FR35. It has more data screen choices than the 35 (avg lap pace being something I use on almost ALL of my runs now) and has a music option, but I haven’t used it since I’m too cheap to also pay for a streaming subscription. I also think it does a better job of recognizing my actual heart rate and not getting “cadence lock” or whatever it is where you watch sensors end up keying in on your arm swing/body bounce instead of your actual heart rate.

take a good look at battery life for the garmins when you’re using both the gps AND the music. I think we run close to the same pace, and it would be close on having enough battery life for a full if I were to use both the entire race.

attaching pics of the run/walk option for my watch. The values can be changed, and there’s a different screen for “mixed intervals.”

 

[steph0808]

SAFD - I would love to work with animals at AK. My degree is in English, but I always wished I had gone for Zoology.

I would also love to be a skipper for Jungle Cruise. I don't know what I love more - the terrible jokes or the people on the ride who don't understand/don't like them.

 

[Grabnar]

SAFD: Behind the Seeds tour guide/botany researcher for LwtL pavilion.

I did Chemistry in school but plant biology has always fascinated me.

 

[Carol_]

what job at Walt Disney World would you most enjoy?

Rhinoceros caretaker. I freaking love those things.

 

[Livelovedance]

Yes, you do have to give them your medals, and bib if you want that framed. For spinners you tell them which side you want out.



Here you go. Picture quality isn’t great because I can’t fully block the sun in that room so there is a reflection of my iPad in them. I picked the matting color too.

Edit: loaded them as thumbnails so those who weren’t interested could skim past faster.

I LOVE these! Thank you for sharing! I'm going to have to take a trip to Art of Disney and see what they have to offer.

I love love love my Garmin fenix 5S and yes, it does intervals. I think that's a feature on just about all Garmin models. The Forerunner 245 is specifically made for music, but some of the other models allow you to put music on the device itself, too. I believe the Nike app is one of the options you can add, but not 100% sure of that.

I like the fenix because it's a little smaller (I'm a petite female) and doesn't look like a running watch (it's white and rose gold) so I can wear it all the time.

Thank you! I looked briefly at the watch descriptions on their website but I didn't see anything about intervals. I thought they had to have them, but I don't know enough about Garmins to know for sure. I need to take a look at the music options...

I can answer a couple of your questions and make a couple of suggestions. First, are you willing to wear 2 watches while running? I use a Garmin 935 for run tracking and an Apple Watch with cellular for safety contact and music/audiobooks, allowing me to run without my phone. That has been very freeing for me. It would also let you continue to use the Apple Watch for Spotify, widening your available choices of Garmins.

Garmin uses its own app, Garmin Connect, for historical run data. I know it’s easy to port that data over to Strava automatically, but I don’t know if you can do the same for Nike.

Run/walk intervals are actually easier to do on Garmins than on Apple Watch, in my opinion. They’re called Alerts on Garmin rather than intervals (that term is used for another type of training) and they’re built right in. Turn the option to use them on, they can be set to what you want, and they automatically start every time you start a run. No need for a separate app.

As far as models go, I’m a big fan of the Forerunner series. The Forerunner 245 would be a great starting point. I’m sure others can chime in about some of the other Garmin series’ like the Vivoactive.

This was great, thank you! I probably could run with two watches, but my Apple Watch battery is going, so I didn't want to have to rely on it. I'm going to keep that in mind though, because if I can get it fixed that'll make a difference in my Garmin options. I love that the alerts are built right in. That would help with all of the app juggling I do to start and end each run! I started looking at the Forerunners but I'll check out some of the others as well.

The new Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE has safety features without needing your phone. It also allows for music.

It does, but they are extremely limited compared to the communications options that I already have with the Apple Watch and require another monthly service charge, to boot. Although not an issue for OP, I listen to audiobooks rather than music 95% of the time and there’s not a good, user-friendly solution for getting Audible books onto a Garmin.

I’m looking to upgrade later this year because I’m going to need more battery life than my 935 currently offers and I’ve settled on the 945 instead of the 945 LTE, unless they come out with the long-awaited 955 in the meantime.

Good to know! I do like my current watch, and I don't want to pay an extra monthly fee, so I'd probably be looking for a cheaper option.

I have a cheapy Garmin, like the ForeRunner 45 or something. It's fine for me. I have used it for continuous runs and interval running. You can set whatever intervals you want to run/walk with it. It's pretty bare bones but it's all I need.
I was like you, I used the Nike Run app for many years before switching to a Garmin. I never saw how to merge data on them but I don't know if that's necessary to compare data.
The one downside I've had with this watch is that, when I'm running in the middle of the city, the instantaneous paces it shows me are all over the place. I don't know if GPS signal is better on a better watch. Distance mile to mile is fine, it catches up, but I wish I could rely on the instantaneous pace a little more to adjust my pacing instead of being told I'm running 7:45 min miles, no, wait, 12 min, no, wait, 8:15, etc.
Personally, if it was me, and I already had an Apple Watch for regular use, I'd get a pretty simple running watch because the Apple Watch does so much already.

That's what I'm thinking as well. I don't need to have too many features, because I'm planning on using my Apple Watch for every day use. I don't need it as my smartwatch, just a watch to track my runs with much better battery life. Having your watch die during a run is so frustrating...

So here’s a question. If you’re going to get another Apple Watch, couldn’t you continue to use that for your music, and use a basic garmin for the other stuff? Some of the garmin do have a “music” option (forerunner 245, 645, etc) but you have to have Spotify premium to do that from my understanding.
I started with a forerunner 35 and if you only needed it to do intervals it can do that. It’s a super basic, bare-bones running watch. My teens use them for cross country.

I upgraded this summer to a vivoactive 4s (open box “like new” off Amazon for like $160 I think.) I like it a lot more than my FR35. It has more data screen choices than the 35 (avg lap pace being something I use on almost ALL of my runs now) and has a music option, but I haven’t used it since I’m too cheap to also pay for a streaming subscription. I also think it does a better job of recognizing my actual heart rate and not getting “cadence lock” or whatever it is where you watch sensors end up keying in on your arm swing/body bounce instead of your actual heart rate.

take a good look at battery life for the garmins when you’re using both the gps AND the music. I think we run close to the same pace, and it would be close on having enough battery life for a full if I were to use both the entire race.

attaching pics of the run/walk option for my watch. The values can be changed, and there’s a different screen for “mixed intervals.”
View attachment 604248View attachment 604249View attachment 604258

I don't think I'm going to get another Apple Watch. I think I still have Apple Care so I might try to have them look at it and fix the battery problem, but other than the battery life I'm pretty content with it. Today I went for a run and was out for an hour and 20 minutes, and my watch battery went from 100% to 25%. On Thursday my watch died during my run. As the mileage increases I know my Apple Watch in its current state won't last.

Thanks for the photos and info on the vivoactive, and the battery life screen shot! I hadn't looked into that series yet, but I will now. I usually don't run with music during a race, but knowing I'd have enough battery to last through a race is definitely important (after having my watch die on training runs more than once... )

 

[Kerry1957]

Based on the above, and advice/suggestions on which Garmin to buy? Thanks in advance!

I have a Garmin Vivoactive 3 music and really like it. It is different from most of the other Garmins in that there is only one button and you swipe for most of the functions. I believe the newer Vivoactive 4 has two buttons but still has swipe functions.

I have had no issues swiping a very wet watch with very wet fingers. I used to stream the Garmin music to my AfterShokz headphones, but now I stream music directly from my "ipod" (an old Apple 4 phone) to my hearing aids, as Garmin does not stream to hearing aids yet. It is pretty easy to download music playlists from your Apple device (computer, phone, or ipad) to your Garmin without using any paid streaming source.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I can confirm that the vivoactive 4 has 2 buttons and a touchscreen. Top button for start/stop and bottom button for lap.

also the 4s (s is for small) was attractive to me because I have tiny wrists and some of the forerunners are pretty big.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I’d want to work in the gardens. There’s so many plants on display and growing food for restaurants and the AK animals. I loved watching the holiday specials and see how the topiaries and garden displays are put together.

 

[1lilspark]

SAFD definitely jungle cruise skipper or member of the first order on rise

 

[Baloo in MI]

SAFD:
I would love to be a tour guide in MK. Paid to walk around the park, talk to people about Disney and experience their surprises and joy. That sounds fun!

 

[Barca33Runner]

member of the first order on rise

This might be the one front facing position I’d be suited for. I have pretty severe resting bleep face and if I get exasperated some frank sarcasm would be appropriately in character.

 

[SarahDisney]

SAFD: Something that I don't have to deal with guests. Maybe costuming, since I do like sewing.

If we're talking something in line with my actual career, I'd love to work on My Disney Experience, see if maybe I could make it actually work.

 

[FFigawi]

If we're talking something in line with my actual career, I'd love to work on My Disney Experience, see if maybe I could make it actually work.

We'd all love you to do this too

 

[jmasgat]

SAFD: Despite all the other "magic" that could happen at other parks, I think I would join the contingent looking after animals at AK. Something about people.......

This might be the one front facing position I’d be suited for. I have pretty severe resting bleep face and if I get exasperated some frank sarcasm would be appropriately in character.

You are my kinda guy.

 

[Jason Bryer]

SAFD: Monorail Pilot (I still have this idea I may try to do that in retirement).

As far as watches, I cannot recommend the Apple Watch more. I have been using it since the first version (skipped a few along the way) and currently have the series 6 (the latest until tomorrow I think) and it has been extremely accurate. The races I have done have been accurate to the 1/10th of a mile. I did a 15k yesterday and my watch said 9.3 miles as I cross the finish line. It's light, and with the option of changing bands you can find one you like. I am a big fan of the Nike bands (with the small holes) as it is very breathable.

 

[Herding_Cats]

SAFD: I really don't think I could work at WDW. I just couldn't. Providing guest service to people on really expensive vacations just would not work for me because: people. I waited tables for 5 years and I know that the inflated expectations of people would be too much for me to smile about. Plus, summer is way too hot.



Still working through the will we/won't we rental car stuff for the trip. Can anyone give me a ballpark cost for Uber/Lyft from MCO? For 2 adults and 1 child in a carseat (which we will be bringing) if that matters. I'm comparing airport car rentals to Springs-area hotel rental desks and there's a chance to potentially save a couple hundred dollars.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

SAFD: Skipping anything related to my actual education. Would love to launch fireworks. Not creative enough to design shows, but, at least in my imagination, somebody has to push the "button" right? I wouldn't turn down a position piloting a monorail either.