Recently I started seeing a message on my Garmin after trainings, like for example today:

Unfortunately, this is not documented in the latest version of the manual. A little bit of poking around in the Garmin forums showed me that I’m not the first person to wonder what this might be exactly.

What I’ve been able to extract from the forums (and will verify the next time I run): the first number is the heart rate two minutes after the end of the workout, the second number is the rate at which the heart rate dropped. I’m not sure if it is “bpm reduction per minute” or “bpm reduction since end of workout”, i.e., two minutes. And if it’s really two minutes.

Anyway, it’s supposed to be a measure of fitness, but it’s not the best feature if Garmin a) doesn’t document it, b) doesn’t store it in Garmin Connect or Training Center and c) doesn’t care to answer corresponding requests in their forums. Boo, Garmin.

I will watch closely next time I run and, of course, share my insights with the world. And maybe the Garmin forums, but they’re quite full of know-it-alls already ;)

Update: Yes, it’s the heart rate drop in the first two minutes after pushing the “Stop” button at the end of a workout. Or actually, just after pushing the “Stop” button, you can always continue your workout. To dismiss the message, just push “Enter”.