Garmin Challenges and Badges

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Replies

  • frankwbrown
    frankwbrown Posts: 14,258 Member

    Congratulations! I won't be doing the 10k this month, but I've done a few in the past. And for me, it always involves a little walking, and even when jogging I'm still pretty slow. But I finish, and IMO that's the point. Most of the challenges, I think, are meant as a personal challenge and not a competition with others.

    Oops! That's an ambiguous statement. To clarify: most of the Garmin challenges are there so you can challenge yourself personally. But the (personal) challenges you and others create are exactly opposite: they're meant as a friendly competition with others.

  • frankwbrown
    frankwbrown Posts: 14,258 Member

    I just earned my April Step Month badge today, so that's it for me this month, except…

    There are two challenges that kind of go hand in hand:

    • 10K a Day - Get 10,000 steps/day for 30 consecutive days (This badge is REPEATABLE: you can earn it 250 times)
    • <month> Step Month - Get 300,000 steps during <month>

    Of the two challenges, the 10K a Day challenge is the toughest, because you have to hit at least 10,000 steps every day for 30 days, as opposed to, say, 11k steps/day for six days a week and one day a week at only 4k steps.

    For any month other than February, if you start a 10K a Day challenge on the first of the month, earning that badge will guarantee a win for the Step Month badge as well. If fact, you may hit 300,000 steps with days to spare. When that happens, it's a great opportunity to take a break from the 10k/day pace. Whenever I earn the 10K a Day badge, I usually take the next 3-4 days aiming for just ~5k steps/day before starting on the next round of 10K a Day.

    So although I've finished my April Step Month challenge, I still have five days to go on my current (23rd) 10K a Day challenge, so I'll have to wait until May 1st before taking a break.

  • frankwbrown
    frankwbrown Posts: 14,258 Member

    I was surprised this morning to see the May challenges have already "dropped". Those don't usually show up until the last day or two of the preceding month. I always check https://blog.garminbadges.com/ because the challenges always show up there before I see them in Garmin Connect. But to my surprise today, I see them already in Connect! I'm wondering if that's because I am doing the Connect+ trial.

    In any case it's great timing: having finished my last April challenge, I'm "jonesing" for more. lol

    Check Garmin Connect and/or https://blog.garminbadges.com/2025/04/may-2025-challenges-and-badges.html for your next challenges.

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,580 Member

    I don't think I'll manage to get the running badges in May because I'll be traveling three times. And will start June with yet another, somewhat longer trip.

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,580 Member

    Got the 80.5km running badge today. I now know that I won't get the 300km level 2 badge because I'll be away a substantially amount of time in May and June. But that's ok. Then I'll try again for the third quarter. Even though it interferes with my summer vacation. basically: I might never get it 🤣

  • megd44
    megd44 Posts: 609 Member

    I was also pleased to see the May challenges this morning. And I didn't do the Connect+ trial @frankwbrown. Especially because I will be traveling on May 1, so I'll try to pick them earlier. Will all be walking because I can do that on my couple of planned trips.

  • p8m6bwghh9
    p8m6bwghh9 Posts: 841 Member

    IMG_1607.png

    I didn’t realize getting the podium badge would end up getting me into the 85K step challenge, not sure how long that will last. I won’t complete the April Warrior but hopefully will get May Warrior.

  • DaffyGirl88
    DaffyGirl88 Posts: 5,526 Member

    Good morning and Happy May Day!! We've a clean slate today so I wanted to wish everyone good luck on all of their May (or longer term) challenges. ☺️

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,580 Member

    Got a few badges in April

    300k steps
    80.5km running
    4h strength training
    Active April
    April weekend 10k run
    April weekend 5k run
    April swim 1000m
    Step into april 100k steps

    image.png

    May will look quite a bit different because I'll be traveling 3 times.

  • p8m6bwghh9
    p8m6bwghh9 Posts: 841 Member

    Travel can be it’s own kind of challenge even if you don’t get a badge for it!

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,580 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48590509#Comment_48590509

    Oh yes, I plan to walk through a whole country! 😎 Ok, it's a European microstate, but still 😂

  • Interbeing
    Interbeing Posts: 159 Member

    Question for Garmin Connect users. I have been tracking my V02 max through the Garmin app and am running at 42 ml/kg/min.

    Does anyone know how accurate the Garmin app is is in regards to V02 Max? There doesn't seem to be any difference between the cycling V02 max and overall V02 max either.

    Image 5-1-25 at 9.00 AM.jpeg

    BTW, I have been doing HIIT on hills with my bike regularly, and have moved up from 37 ml/kg/min twelve weeks ago. It's been a great and fast workout, and improved my power substantially.

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,580 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48590573#Comment_48590573

    For me it's totally shite. I had two actual exercise tests, and in both cases VO2 max in Garmin was about 10ml/kg/min higher than the tested numbers. For running I find runalyze quite realistic. Unless you do short runs as it gets artificially inflated from HR not being at working level for a higher percentage of the run: it basically goes through the roof then. But garmin does as well.

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 7,194 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48590581#Comment_48590581

    I have no comparison with an official VO2max test, but I also have the same experience of Garmin seemingly estimating high versus Runalyze. Garmin has me at 46 ('superior') and Runalyze at just under 36. I'm not a natural athlete, so 46 is very optimistic.

    I should specify that I rarely run outside, so my Garmin VO2max is based on hikes mostly.

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,580 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48590627#Comment_48590627

    I run outside, thus that's what my data is based on. No idea about cycling as I only use the bike when I have to run an arrant that's a bit too far for walking :D

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,580 Member

    Ok, got the first 37 minutes on the May Gains badge.

  • Interbeing
    Interbeing Posts: 159 Member

    @yirara @Lietchi Thanks for the feedback, like so many of these digital estimations, it all depends on how the data is aquired and the algorithms used. I will use it as a way to trend progress, but not rely on the actual numbers produced.

  • frankwbrown
    frankwbrown Posts: 14,258 Member

    Regarding VO2max, I would have thought the activity wouldn't matter, that it's a measure of the capacity of your heart/lungs to deliver oxygen. But the VO₂ Max help blurb in Connect says:
    "VO₂ Max and cycling VO₂ Max values may differ because the muscles used for each activity have different oxygen requirements. Your body adapts to consume oxygen differently for each exercise and may be more or less optimized for each."

    My VO2max is always around 34. But since I've not done much running or cycling (which I think Garmin's algorithms rely on mostly), I don't imagine my score is all that accurate.

  • frankwbrown
    frankwbrown Posts: 14,258 Member

    Here's my April badges:

    • Active April
    • Step Into April
    • April Step Month
    • April Swim Week
    • April Swim
    • April Gains
    • April Warrior
    • April Time to Walk
    • April Photo Share
    • April Likes
    • April Steps Podium

    Here's what I got of the Connect+ badges:

    • April Calorie Burn
    • Intense April
    • April Battery Booster
    • Low Stress April
    • April Heart Walks
    • April Meditations
    • April Intense Cardio

    No cycling or running badges at all, not even the weekend 5k running badge.
    But May will be different — I'm going for all the cycling badges. Started today with an 11 mile ride.

  • frankwbrown
    frankwbrown Posts: 14,258 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48590515#Comment_48590515

    Andorra, Luxemburg, Liechtenstein, Monaco,…?

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,580 Member
    edited May 2
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48591434#Comment_48591434

    San Marino 😂 Something like Åland might have been a bit strenuous, and Liechtenstein is very steep. Going to Monaco tomorrow actually, for my collection 🤣

  • frankwbrown
    frankwbrown Posts: 14,258 Member
    edited May 6

    I earned this badge this morning, ironically by doing a meditation activity.

    Move With Strong — Record an activity during May 5th, 2025 to May 31st, 2025

    image.png
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,580 Member

    i traveled all of yesterday and don’t think it counts for anything.

  • frankwbrown
    frankwbrown Posts: 14,258 Member

    I looked it up: the Move With Strong is an activity badge for Taiwan. Some people temporarily change the location setting in their account in order to earn these regional badges. That seems a bit silly to me. Having a Garmin Connect+ subscription (as I still do) puts you in a "global region" so you earn these badges regardless of the country it is for. This seems equally silly to me, but it might appeal to those who seek every badge they can possibly get. Doing that I think misses the point, but to each his own.

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 10,580 Member

    That's indeed silly.

    I walked a lot on Saturday and Sunday, but only tracked a part of this because I was hopping in and out of museums, hiding from rain on Sunday or just sitting in a park on Saturday. Was in southern France. Well, the steps still tracked obviously, but I will again not get the 'walk 50 or so km' badge.

  • frankwbrown
    frankwbrown Posts: 14,258 Member

    @DaffyGirl88 I can't imagine what riding with that many other people would be like. Well, that's not true. I'm imagining something akin to "running with the bulls".

  • frankwbrown
    frankwbrown Posts: 14,258 Member

    One of my goals is to complete a certain number of "intensity minutes" per week. (Garmin tracks moderate and vigorous intensity minutes to provide a daily intensity minutes score. The vigorous intensity minutes are counted twice in this score.)

    Now, I'm trying several challenges that specify reaching a certain number of minutes in zone 3 or in zones 2 & 3. So, I've started watching my HR more to try staying in zone 3. My zone 3 is 120 to 140 bpm.

    I'm trying to ascertain what the HR range is for moderate vs vigorous intensity. Looking at the data for some recent activities, I've concluded only this:

    • walking on 5/5 indicates that moderate begins in the upper range of zone 1
    • aquafit on 5/3 contradicts this, suggesting that moderate begins somewhere in zone 2, i.e. the low end of zone 2 is below moderate
    • walking on 5/6 indicates vigorous begins somewhere in zone 3, i.e. the low end of zone 3 is only moderate
    • presumably, all of zones 4 & 5 are counted as vigorous
    • both cycling activities show that total intensity minutes can exceed total activity time, indicating that intensity minutes continue even during paused activity, whereas zone minutes are only when active (see total vs elapsed time)

    So, I'm not sure what to make of this, unless there are different zone ranges at play here. This could be the case. I'll have to take a look. I know my watch supports setting different zones for running, cycling and swimming.

    image.png
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 36,786 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48599299#Comment_48599299

    Just as another wrinkle in the intensity minute calculation, speaking here as a Vivoactive 4 user since I know the devices can differ:

    Yesterday, I needed to edit/trim length of a rowing activity because I forgot to stop the workout when we got out of the barge, and therefore had included some walking around carrying oars, stretching, and a few hundred meters driving my car. 😆

    It was around 40' and low intensity, about 1/3 zone 2 (12:27) and the remainder below. I got zero intensity minutes yesterday. I'm not sure whether it was trimming the end time that did it, or something else . . . but I'm sure I've gotten intensity minutes in the past from workouts of similar duration/intensity that weren't trimmed.

    Since I don't have Connect+ so can't join those challenges, and am already at 119 intensity minutes this week just from Monday, this doesn't bother me . . . but it does make me think some subtle things may influence the intensity minutes algorithm.

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