I ran my first marathon in 3:44 minutes using the Garmin Coach training plan on the Forerunner 255. Here’s my honest review, including what worked and what didn’t.
If you’re:
- Training for your first marathon
- Want structure without overthinking your plan;
Garmin Coach is a strong option. As an experienced, but admittedly ‘lazy’ runner, I needed something that would keep me disciplined and introduce proper training phases. Garmin helped introduce new workouts, such as threshold workouts and tapering.
What I Liked About the Garmin Marathon Plan
Adaptive and Personalized Training
It’s dynamic. You input your goal time and pace, how long you have to train, and what days of the week you want to run. From there, it builds a structured plan with phases like:
- Base/Build
- Peak
- Taper
The plan also adjusts based on:
- Your performance
- missed workouts
- Recovery metrics
For a first-time marathoner and busy full-time student, this makes training seamless, guided, and low-stress.
Built-in Accountability
One of the biggest advantages was how little you have to think about it. Each day, I just had to open my watch and see my workouts for the week. Had I planned each week for myself, I don’t think I would have been as consistent.
Strength training
The plan programmed guided strength training (option for body weight/weighted) each week, which I found to be a huge perk.
What I Didn’t Like
Long run mileage was too low
Most traditional plans build up to 20-21 miles (32-34 km). Garmin capped my longest run at 15 miles (about 24km), which felt insufficient for the marathon. I planned my own 20-mile run in about 3 weeks.
Overly Conservative Adjustments
The dynamic feature is also a downside. Sometimes Garmin used a poor sleep score and recommended that I take a rest day or an easy run. In my personal opinion, I’d rather get the mileage in.
Final Verdict
I recommend Garmin Coach for first-time marathon runners who want to save time or feel too busy to make a plan on their own. It truly made training seamless and manageable with school and travel (I’m studying abroad, and every week is packed with movement). However, this doesn’t mean you can skip out on other research. Always listen to your body, adjust accordingly, and don’t follow the plan on its own.
Check out how I prepared for my run on our Instagram
