Garmin Watch Marathon Set Up

Keeping yourself on track/pace during a race can be made MUCH easier with the use of a Garmin device. Below are a few settings I use to help me meet my goal! Many of these settings require you run with your phone during the race so keep that in mind.

Virtual Partner – I wrote about this previously but this setting will allow you to set a goal pace and see if you are in front or behind that pace during your race. It will NOT beep at you (which I like) but it is an easy screen to review to see how you are doing overall.
Auto Lap – This is a function in your Run Settings on the watch. Your watch will alert you (beep or vibrate depending how you set it up) at every lap. I set mine to 1 mile laps for running because that is the time I am most concerned with.
Lap Screen – Most Garmin come with a default screen that displays lap distance, time, and pace. This is a great screen to look at so you can stay present in that lap (mile). If you concentrate too much on current pace you will go crazy if your race is hilly. Making sure each mile is on pace is a nice way to chunk up the race.
Phone Notifications – Yes, this is a super cool feature of the newer Garmin devices, having your notifications come up on your watch. TURN THIS OFF ON RACE DAY! It can be super distracting and it can hide your important alerts regarding laps and pace. This is found on the watch under Settings–>Phone–>Smart Notifications–>During Activity
Audio Prompts – If you have headphones either paired to your watch (this only works for the newer 645 Music I believe) or paired/connected to your phone, Garmin Connect Mobile can give you audio alerts. I turn on the Lap Alert and the Pace or Speed Alert for the Average Pace or Speed and I set it to go off every 10 minutes.This is set up under the Activity Options–> Audio Prompts–>Pace or Speed Alerts for your device in Garmin Connect Mobile.
LiveTrack – This feature uses your phone to live update a web page with your activity. Your family/friends to track your activity. Works great for people who are trying to see you course! This is set up in Garmin Connect Mobile, More–>LiveTrack.