A Runner I Am Not
I spend a lot of time at the gym, working out and lifting weights several times a week, but cardio and running have always been the bane of my existence. I never quite understood how or why anyone would enjoy running. Why subject yourself to that?
However, for the past couple of months, I’ve been using the Pixel Watch 3 and the Fitbit app to do just that. Despite my better judgment, I decided it was time to change my routine, spending nearly every morning running to see how I could improve the duration and distance of my runs. To help with this, I’ve been utilizing the AI-powered daily run recommendations in the Fitbit app.
I was curious to see whether these recommendations were genuinely helpful or just another glorified AI feature with no real rhyme or reason to its suggestions. It turns out this could actually be a fantastic tool for beginners like me, making the couch-to-5K journey a little less daunting.
Getting Started
It’s important to note that daily AI run recommendations are only available to Fitbit Premium subscribers. If you buy a new Pixel Watch, you likely receive a free trial, so you might want to check on that if you’re not already a subscriber.
After subscribing, AI-run recommendations should start appearing in the Coach tab. You can always change your preferences by tapping the “See all” button next to Today’s run, then tapping the three-dot menu in the top corner. Here, you can disable daily run workouts, adjust your running level or focus, and change your distance days to concentrate on longer runs.
Slow and Steady
I was initially nervous about starting a running “plan.” My previous experience with a Garmin plan was a bit too intense, and I couldn’t keep up, so I approached this cautiously.
It’s important to note that this isn’t a running “plan,” per se, so I couldn’t see ahead at what my runs would look like. Instead, the Fitbit app takes my previous workout data as well as my target load to surface a new recommendation for me each day.
While having a viewable workout plan would be nice, I like that the workouts feel perfectly tailored to me and my capabilities. When I started, I could only comfortably run about a mile before tiring and having to stop. Based on what Fitbit knows about me and my goals, it started me off with very easy runs.
These runs vary daily and typically alternate between an easy run and a tempo run. The easy runs keep me at a relatively moderate heart rate, while tempo runs push me into a more vigorous heart rate zone. Run durations also vary: from shorter 18-minute runs to longer 40-minute ones.
Even the shorter runs challenged me, as I previously averaged about 10 minutes before calling it quits. However, this was a manageable challenge thanks to a target heart rate range that I had to maintain. This helped me regulate my breathing and reminded me that I don’t have to run as fast as I can all the time—I can keep a steady pace to go longer.
Fitbit also mixes things up by varying the intervals from day to day. Sometimes I do a single continuous run for a set period; other days, the run is broken up—starting slower and gradually pushing me to run faster, or maintaining a faster pace for short periods with even shorter rest intervals. This variation helped me pace myself while building endurance and mileage.
One of the best features is the “Customize run” button at the bottom of each recommendation. You can remove warm-ups and cool-downs, delete or move intervals around, add intervals, and even edit the intensity of each interval. That said, I rarely needed to customize anything, usually just following each recommendation as it was.
Since starting a couple of months ago, I’ve progressed from barely running a mile to comfortably running two to three miles per day.
Where Google Can Improve
While each recommended run explains why it will benefit you before starting, I wish there was a built-in AI summary for post-run evaluations. You can view and compare charts, as well as form analysis, to assess running efficiency, but having a simple, easy-to-understand summary would help me figure out where and how to improve.
You can share post-run data with Gemini, but the experience isn’t very seamless, and Gemini’s responses tend to be quite general.
Another area for improvement is the Pixel Watch interface. Run suggestions do not currently appear directly on the watch. Right now, you tap the Start run button in the Fitbit smartphone app, and it sends the run to the Pixel Watch 3, where you can hit Start. But AI run recommendations themselves aren’t viewable within the Fitbit Wear OS app on the watch.
This seems like a missed opportunity. For example, Garmin watches like the Venu 4 include daily workout suggestions in the Morning Report, whether or not you have a plan in place. This feature could greatly enhance the Pixel Watch’s “Morning Brief,” which currently feels underwhelming.
I’m Excited About What’s to Come
Running is now part of my daily routine, alongside weightlifting. Fitbit’s Coach tab surfaces various workouts based on my daily readiness and workout preferences, but it’s essentially a collection of video workouts without much rhyme or reason to the specific recommendations.
That’s why I’m excited about the upcoming Personal Health Coach, which promises to use AI to provide more dynamic fitness recommendations. You will be able to converse with the AI for suggestions, and it appears that it will take all your data into consideration to deliver truly personalized fitness guidance.
While the Pixel Watch may not yet be the ideal fitness watch for me, the upcoming Health Coach could build on Google’s excellent AI, helping it become the fitness watch to beat.
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## FAQ
**How can I access Fitbit’s AI run recommendations?**
To receive daily run recommendations, you must be subscribed to Fitbit Premium.
**Can users customize the AI run recommendations?**
Yes. If you don’t like the suggested run, you can choose from a list of other suggested runs or customize the daily recommended run by tapping the “Customize run” button at the bottom. You can also customize preferences such as your running level, personal goals, and long run days.
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*Ready to start your running journey? The Fitbit app and Pixel Watch 3 may be just the tools you need to take that first step—and keep moving forward.*
https://www.androidcentral.com/wearables/google-pixel-watch/pixel-watch-fitbit-ai-daily-run-recommendations-helped-me-run-better