Review of the Garmin Coach 5k Training Program

After completing the Garmin Coach Half Marathon training program this Spring I decided to see how the 5k training compared! Since I have a compatible Garmin watch the program was free. The runDisney Virtual 5K series was the perfect motivation to keep me training during the hot summer months. Read on for my review of the Garmin Coach 5k Training Program!

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Choose Your Goals and Garmin Coach

Just like in the Half Marathon program, everything is run through the Garmin app on your phone. When you click the Garmin Coach icon, it first makes you choose a few things to get it set up. You must pick when you want to race and with what coach. You also fill in some basic information about your running habits and goal pace. There is an option if you want to run with a time goal, run/walk, or just complete a race. This is fantastic for anyone just starting out up to the competitive athlete! I ended up choosing a fairly competitive goal for myself.  

This time around I wanted to try a different coach. I am still not 100% sure what the difference is between the coaches. Jeff Galloway was an option, and I know he is popular with the run/walk community. I wanted more workouts than he had to offer, so I ended up going with Amy Parkerson-Mitchell. She is a physical therapist and running expert. Each coach has a short video you can watch to get a better idea of what they have to offer.

Next, you choose when you want to race. There is a list of races you can choose from in your area, or you can choose a date for your race. Due to COVID, the ability to choose your own race date is crucial since most in-person races are canceled.

Garmin Coach 5k Workouts

The plan I chose had 4 workouts a week. Since I run 5 days a week, I was still able to run the extra day, just with no time or pace goals through the program. Like the Half Marathon program, the first workout is a benchmark run. This way they can see where you are with your running. From there the customized plan will create personalized workouts for you. There were speed workouts, hill runs, long and easy runs, and time trials.

Overall the workouts were fantastic and challenging. Like I mentioned in my review of the Half program, they sometimes assume you are MUCH faster than you are. Perhaps with the 5k program, this makes sense. They are pushing you to run as fast as you can so you can reach your 5k goal pace during your race. Personally, I have rarely run in the 6-minute mile range (even when I was at my fittest!), so reaching those pace goals during a few of my workouts was NEVER going to happen. But, it did motivate me to run faster than I might typically push myself.

The 5k program that I did had A LOT of time trials. A time trial is a set distance where you run as fast as you can for said distance. Typically they are 1 or 2 miles long, but the Garmin coach ones were much shorter. I don’t know about you, but a time trial is a big deal in my book. When I was running with my run group in Austin, the time trial was never something we looked forward to. During the Garmin 5k program there were short time trials sprinkled in throughout the months of training. I wasn’t a fan of this method, although I assume it is used to see where you are with your fitness compared to your goal. In fact, the training schedule would halt until you completed that time trial. It’s a decent way of keeping tabs on your progress, though not super fun. At least they were short distances!

Extra Garmin Coach Material

Garmin Coach provides tips from your coach throughout the program. I love this feature! It’s helpful for new runners and even I learned some great tips from Coach Amy. There are videos and articles about nutrition, cross-training, and race day performance…. You name it! They are great little tidbits of information and an excellent resource for runners!   

5k Race Day!

So, I never made it to my planned race day. Since I was doing the three 5ks for the runDisney virtual race, I knew I would be running more than one 5k. Originally I had planned on finishing the program at the end of August, but life happened. I could (and probably SHOULD) have moved my race date in the app. It’s easy to do, just like moving any of your workouts, everything is adjustable to your schedule. But, I decided to run my last 5k right before we moved, thus essentially cutting my training for the 5k short.

In hindsight, I probably could have reached my time goal, I improved with each 5k I ran! In my last 5k, I ran about 30 seconds short of my time goal, and I’m pretty proud of that! I haven’t been running as fast as I used to, and it felt great to get some speedy miles in for those 5ks!

Is the Garmin Coach 5k Training Program Good?

I ended up canceling my 5k program early since I had finished my races and needed to settle into my new surroundings after moving. Honestly, I love the Garmin Coach program. It provides great, free (if you have a compatible watch) motivation to run faster and reach your goals. As I mentioned in the Half Marathon program review, it doesn’t take a lot to get me motivated. Having a goal race, and having my watch tell me when to work out is all I need to keep pushing. For some folks, this may not be enough. You need to decide for yourself if the Garmin Coach is right for you. BUT, if you have the program available for free on your watch already, give it a shot! It’s a fun way to stay connected to your fitness goals and a really handy Garmin feature. I only wish that they had a marathon program! I’m so ready to start running some long distances again! =)

Happy Running! Don’t forget to read the Garmin Coach Half Marathon Training Review! Or check out my Garmin Coach 10k Training Program Review!

Also, if you need some tips on how to have an AMAZING Virtual Race Experience, check THIS post out!           

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