Personalized Marathon Training Plan Guide
Preparing for a marathon requires a systematic training plan. RunBox AI coach creates a customized 16-20 week marathon training plan based on your fitness level, goal time, and available training time.
Why Choose an AI-Customized Marathon Training Plan?
- Personalized Assessment: Based on your running experience and fitness condition
- Smart Adjustments: Training intensity optimizes automatically with progress
- Scientific Pacing: Based on your target finish time
- Injury Prevention: Reasonable intensity progression to avoid injuries
huawei watch gt2's beijing marathon debut
The highly anticipated Huawei Watch GT2 was released at just the right time, when pre-orders were needed on platforms like Huawei Mall and Taobao. Before the Beijing Marathon, I went to the Huawei Experience Store in Beijing's Shuangjing and got my hands on an in-stock unit.
First, a glamour shot.
I have previously worn several sports watches, including those from Ezon and Garmin. Currently, in the sports watch market, brands like Garmin and Suunto hold a dominant position. A basic functional sports watch costs at least 2000 yuan, with some models reaching up to 5000 yuan, making them quite unaffordable for the average wage earner.
Now, the Huawei Watch GT2 is here, priced at only 1499 yuan, but its functionality is not inferior to that of big-name sports watches like Garmin and Suunto. At the on-site sharing session, I listened to a detailed explanation of its features by a professional instructor and communicated closely with the R&D engineers, which gave me a deeper understanding of this watch.
The instructor particularly explained the heart rate system of this watch. Based on different heart rates, it calculates the wearer's exercise zones (anaerobic, aerobic, etc.).
Heart rate can now be directly monitored and displayed, but is it just about looking at a number? One crucial aspect of heart rate is that its intensity during exercise represents your current exercise efficiency!
Some people run tirelessly every day and won't rest until they've run a half marathon each week, yet their full marathon performance doesn't seem to improve much. Others appear to run casually, yet their race results are not much worse than yours. This is the difference in efficiency. Now, the Huawei Watch GT2 comes with a training assistant, which understands you better than a personal coach. After selecting a training course, such as aerobic endurance run or lactate threshold run (a total of 13 different training courses), it monitors your current heart rate and guides you on whether to increase or decrease it. This change in heart rate also determines changes in stride frequency and length. So, for running, effort alone may not lead to improvement; scientific training is more efficient. Owning the Huawei Watch GT2 is the shortcut to scientific training!
Alright, now let's talk about its performance during the Beijing Marathon.
(Official Beijing Marathon photo, wearing two watches during the race)
As a frequent runner, battery life and durability are important to me. Having worn the V3 for over a year, I am well aware of its battery life: it needs charging after 8 hours of GPS use and can last about 5 days without GPS. So, I fully charged it before the race and put it in shutdown mode until the race began.
I had just received the Huawei Watch GT2, fully charged it the night before the race, and wore it to sleep. The race started at 7:30 AM. Since it was my first time using its GPS, I started the GPS search 15 minutes early to avoid any issues. Despite concerns about the initial GPS lock taking a long time, this watch locked on faster than my Garmin V3, which was very satisfying.
The battery was at 97% when I started, and the GPS was on for 4 hours and 40 minutes. After the race, I was busy showing off my medal, collecting my race pack, and taking photos with friends, so I forgot to check the battery. Around 4 PM, I remembered and took a screenshot; the battery was at 76%. So, with the Huawei Watch GT2, running a 100-kilometer trail race shouldn't be a problem!
Now, let's describe the race conditions:
Route
On the left is Huawei, on the right is Garmin. Both watches started and ended almost simultaneously, with the same running time. In terms of distance, Huawei recorded 42.60 kilometers, while Garmin recorded 43.85 kilometers. On a 42.195-kilometer course, a 500-meter deviation is acceptable since the exact shortest path isn't always followed. However, Garmin's extra 1.7 kilometers seems excessive, so in terms of distance accuracy, the Huawei Watch GT2 is spot on.
Second comparison: Heart rate
Heart rate comparison
Average heart rate: Huawei: 141, Garmin: 144
Many people place great importance on heart rate, using it as a reference to improve their potential. However, this is something near-professional athletes do. For regular running enthusiasts, these values are just for reference. Even an ECG at a hospital provides results that are only for reference and don't guarantee anything. The difference in values here is not a serious issue. Looking at the heart rate trend charts, both watches show similar trends with minor differences, so both results are acceptable. This round is a tie between Huawei and Garmin.
One commendable feature of the Huawei Watch GT2 is that it directly provides a heart rate zone chart. You can see which type of exercise state you are in, such as fat-burning, aerobic, or anaerobic. After each run, you can better summarize and plan your next training session, allowing for gradual improvement.
Heart rate
Like Garmin, the heart rate can be viewed in more detail. You can check your status at a specific exercise period or point and compare it with cadence and altitude simultaneously. The advantage of Huawei is that you can drag to a specific time period, while Garmin requires a long press. For example, in this chart, at 2 hours and 30 minutes into the exercise, the current heart rate is 159 bpm, cadence is 179 steps/min, and pace is 5:57 min/km. With Garmin, the data disappears as soon as you release your finger after adjusting to the same time, which is very inconvenient.
Third comparison: Cadence and altitude
Overall, the cadence data on Huawei's interface is clearer and more intuitive, while Garmin requires you to squint to see the small dots. Like with heart rate, Huawei allows you to click on any time period to view, whereas Garmin requires a long press, which is inconvenient.
As for altitude, the difference is significant. Huawei shows an overall undulating pattern, while Garmin shows a continuous downhill. Many runners who have experienced the Beijing Marathon know that a continuous downhill reading is incorrect. Comparing it with the official altitude chart of the Beijing Marathon, Huawei Watch GT2's data is more accurate, making Huawei the winner in this round.
Official altitude chart
Another impressive feature is that the Huawei Watch GT2 provides clear Mandarin voice reminders and alerts for each kilometer and when the heart rate is too high or too low, making it easier to understand your current status. In contrast, Garmin and other watches only offer vibration alerts.
Finally, a comparison of the main data pages. Personally, I prefer Huawei's interface. Garmin's dark interface always feels uncomfortable.
The above only describes the running state of the Huawei Watch GT2. Besides running, it also supports 15 sports modes, including cycling, swimming, hiking, trail running, triathlon, treadmill, and more, adapting to every aspect of your lifestyle!
In addition to sports, it also integrates functions like music playback, blood oxygen monitoring, and a compass, making it not just a sports watch but also a very cool accessory for everyday wear!
Summary:
In the sports watch field, long dominated by brands like Garmin and Suunto, many small brands like Huami offer competitively priced watches, but their performance often confirms the saying 'you get what you pay for.'
This comparison between the Huawei Watch GT2 and Garmin V3 clearly shows that the Huawei Watch GT2's software and hardware functionalities are on par with the established Garmin V3. Moreover, it is priced at half the cost! With its excellent quality, accurate data, affordable price, and thoughtful personal training features, the Huawei Watch GT2 reminds me of how the Honor brand phones once broke through the market. In the sports watch field, it is sure to break their monopoly and become a source of national pride.
Start Your Marathon Training Journey
With RunBox app, you'll get:
- GPT-4o powered personalized training plans
- Daily training guidance and feedback
- Nutrition and recovery advice
- Real-time progress tracking
Download RunBox now and let our AI coach create your personalized marathon training plan!
