This article covers how to connect your Garmin watch to Runna, how workouts move between apps, and how to get the best experience on race day and in training. If you're already connected and something isn't working, head to our dedicated sync troubleshooting guide.
How the Garmin and Runna Connection Works
Understanding the data flow helps everything else make sense. There are three separate pieces in the chain:
Runna app: creates and schedules your workouts.
Garmin Connect app (on your phone): receives workouts from Runna and relays them to your watch.
Garmin watch: runs the workout, records your activity, and sends it back through Garmin Connect to Runna.
The key thing to know: your Garmin watch and the Garmin Connect app aren't the same thing. A workout can arrive in Garmin Connect but not yet be on your watch (or vice versa) if the Bluetooth sync between them hasn't completed. Most "missing workout" issues come down to this relay step.
Data that flows automatically:
Scheduled workouts: Runna → Garmin Connect → Watch
Completed activities: Watch → Garmin Connect → Runna
What doesn't sync:
Non-running activity types (strength, yoga, etc.) don't transfer or sync between Runna and Garmin in either direction.
Garmin-recorded workouts won't include the "with Runna" title or workout description when uploaded to Strava (a limitation of the Garmin workout file format).
While we can sync activities from Strava back to Runna, we're unable to sync activities through the chain Garmin → Runna → Strava due to data-handling limitations.
How to Connect Your Garmin Watch with Runna
To pair your Garmin watch with Runna:
Open the Runna app and go to your Profile.
Tap Connected Apps.
Select Connect Watch.
Choose Garmin.
Log in with your Garmin Connect credentials when prompted.
Once connected, your Runna workouts will automatically sync to your Garmin Connect profile and all your completed workouts through your Garmin watch syncs back to Runna.
How Workouts Sync to Your Garmin Watch
Free trial users: Only workouts within your trial week will sync.
Runna Premium users: Your next two full weeks of workouts sync to Garmin every Monday.
When you switch Runna plans or make changes, your Garmin workouts update automatically. Completed or skipped workouts are removed from your Garmin Connect calendar.
Quick Sync Check
If workouts don't appear on your watch right away, the relay between Garmin Connect and your watch likely needs a nudge:
Open the Garmin Connect app.
Tap the circular sync icon in the top-right corner.
Wait for the sync to complete, then check your watch.
This will manually re-sync all your latest workouts to your watch, so make sure to refresh this connection after making any changes to your plan too!
If workouts still aren't appearing after a manual sync, see our full sync troubleshooting guide.
How to Manually Re-Sync a Workout to Your Garmin Watch
If you've accidentally skipped a workout on your watch and need to resend it:
Open the Garmin Connect app.
Navigate to More → Training & Planning → Workouts.
Find the workout in the list and tap it to review.
Tap the send to watch icon in the top-right corner.
Refresh the Bluetooth connection between Garmin Connect and your watch so the workout syncs across.
What if I can't find the workout? Open the Runna app and check that the session hasn't been marked as completed or skipped. Workouts marked complete won't be available to resend. If everything looks correct and the workout still isn't appearing, try refreshing your Garmin Connect app and updating Runna to the latest version.
Syncing Garmin to Strava
To automatically send Garmin-recorded activities to Strava, connect the two directly: Garmin Connect app → Settings → Connected Apps → Strava.
We recommend syncing directly from Garmin Connect to Strava rather than routing through Runna. We can sync activities from Strava back to Runna, but we're unable to sync activities through the chain Garmin → Runna → Strava due to data-handling limitations.
Note: Garmin-recorded workouts won't include the "with Runna" title or workout description when they appear in Strava. This is a limitation of the Garmin workout file format, which doesn't allow us to pass that information through.
My Garmin is connected to Strava, will this automatically upload to Runna as well?
It might seem like your Garmin data should flow automatically through Strava into Runna, but this indirect chain (Garmin → Strava → Runna) isn't reliably supported. Runna can't guarantee activities will arrive correctly when they're routed via Strava from a Garmin — some data gets lost or misformatted along the way.
The fix is straightforward: connect your Garmin directly to Runna instead.
Go to Profile → Connected Apps & Devices and connect your Garmin directly to Runna.
Once it's linked directly, Garmin activities will sync to Runna reliably — and Runna will then push them on to Strava via its own connection.
If you've been running the triple-sync setup for a while, disconnect and reconnect both Garmin and Strava from Connected Apps & Devices to give everything a clean reset.
How to Start a Workout on Your Garmin Watch
Depending on your Garmin model, there are a few ways to start your Runna workout:
Option 1: From the Run Activity
Select Run from the activity list.
Tap Workouts.
Choose Do Workout.
Option 2: From Scheduled Workouts
Select Run from the activity list.
Tap Workouts.
Choose Scheduled.
Select Do Workout.
Option 3: From the Training Calendar
Open Menu on your watch.
Select Training.
Tap Training Calendar.
Choose Today's workout.
Select Do Workout.
Once started, your watch will guide you through each step. When you finish and save, the activity syncs back to Runna automatically.
Recommended Garmin Settings
A few Garmin settings make a big difference when running structured Runna workouts.
Match the units of measurement (mi vs km) in Garmin and Runna
Your Garmin workout appears in the same units (miles or kilometers) as your Runna plan. For the smoothest experience, make sure your Garmin account matches Runna.
Turn OFF auto lap
By default, Garmin watches create a new lap every 1 km or 1 mile. For structured Runna workouts with longer intervals (e.g., 2 km repeats), this splits laps mid-interval and makes your pace data harder to read. We recommend turning auto lap off for Runna workouts. You can always turn it back on for casual runs or races.
Turn OFF auto pause
Auto pause stops your workout timer when your watch detects you've stopped moving. During Runna interval workouts, this can pause your recovery countdown if you're walking slowly. We recommend turning auto pause off and manually pausing if you need to stop briefly (e.g., at traffic lights).
Turn ON audio prompts
If you connect headphones to a compatible Garmin watch, audio prompts let you hear pace cues without looking at your wrist. To enable audio prompts in Garmin:
Open the Garmin Connect app.
Go to More → Garmin Devices.
Select your watch.
Tap Audio Prompts.
Enable Workout Alerts, Activity Alerts, Lap Alerts, and Pace/Speed Alerts.
Not all Garmin devices support audio prompts, even those that support music. Check your device's compatibility in Garmin's support documentation.
How to Get Runna Audio Cues While Recording on a Garmin Watch
If you start the workout on your Garmin, you’ll be able to see your pace and distance live on your watch, but you’d hear Garmin’s own alerts rather than Runna’s coach audio in your headphones (if you have Audio Prompts turned on in your Garmin). Unfortunately we cannot send Runna audio cues to Garmin.
If you’d like to hear Runna’s audio cues while recording on a Garmin, here's what we recommend:
Start your Runna workout on your Garmin watch as normal.
Also start the workout in the Runna app on your phone.
Connect your headphones to your phone — that's where Runna's audio will play from.
Keep your phone with you during the run.
Since both devices will record the workout separately, it can sometimes lead to slightly different pace/distance readings or duplicate activities afterwards. If this happens, the best option is to discard one of those recordings.
What to Expect (and What the Garmin Connection Can't Do)
The Garmin integration sends Runna workouts to your watch and brings completed activities back to Runna. Here's what to keep in mind:
Only running workouts sync. Strength, yoga, and other activity types don't transfer between Runna and Garmin in either direction. You can use Calendar Sync to keep track of all your training in one place.
Heart rate data syncs from your Garmin to Runna automatically as long as your Garmin watch recorded it, the Garmin connection was set up in Runna before the run, the activity synced successfully and you have enabled the relevant Health data permissions.
Pace and distance may differ slightly when a run comes back to Runna from Garmin. Garmin uses its own GPS hardware and algorithms, so small differences between what you see on your watch and what Runna displays are normal. This doesn't mean anything is broken.
The watch experience is guided, not identical to the app. Your watch displays intervals, targets, and progress, but some app features (like the detailed post-run breakdown) live in the Runna app only.
How to Record a Treadmill Workout with Your Garmin Watch?
Since your Garmin watch can't accurately measure pace or distance indoors, we recommend recording treadmill runs from the Runna app on your phone.
If you also want health metrics like heart rate, cadence, and calories, start a treadmill run on both the Runna app and your Garmin at the same time — Runna will merge both recordings automatically once both activities are saved.
For full step-by-step instructions, check Recording a Treadmill Workout with Your Compatible Smartwatch.
Supported Watches
All watches that support Garmin Coach will work with Runna, though not all models support audio cues or every feature.
For the most up-to-date list, check Garmin's website.
FAQs
Why am I not hearing audio cues during my workout on my Garmin watch?
When you run a workout on Garmin, the watch controls audio prompts, not Runna. What you hear may differ from the Runna app experience.
Your model may not support spoken audio. Many non-"Music" models only provide vibrations and on-screen alerts. Even with headphones connected to your watch, spoken prompts may not be available.
Headphones connected to your phone instead. Spoken prompts may play through the Garmin Connect app on your phone, but the app must stay running in the background.
If your watch is compatible, make sure you've enabled audio prompts in Garmin Connect: Go to More in the Garmin Connect App → Garmin Devices → Select your watch → Tap Audio Prompts → Enable Workout Alerts, Activity Alerts, Lap Alerts, and Pace/Speed Alerts.
Why do my splits look wrong in a workout recorded on my Garmin watch?
This is almost always caused by auto lap being turned on on your Garmin Watch. Auto lap creates laps at fixed distances that cut across your Runna structured workout steps (warm-up, intervals, recovery). The result: Garmin's laps don't match your planned segments, and splits look inaccurate.
Turn off auto lap for structured Runna workouts.
Why do I have to press "Lap" or "Next" to advance on my Garmin watch?
If your watch doesn't automatically move you to the next steps and is waiting for a manual press to move between steps, one of these settings is usually the reason:
Open Warm-Up (in Runna): Your warm-up has no fixed end, so the watch waits for you to advance. Turn this off in Runna App → Settings → Workout Settings → Open Warm-Up.
Intervals/Tempo on Track (in Runna): Designed for track sessions where you control when each rep starts. Turn this off in Runna App → Settings → Workout Settings → Intervals/Tempo on Track.
Auto Lap (on Garmin): Can interfere with structured workouts. Turn it off on your Garmin.
For hill workouts, manual lap presses may be expected by design.
Why didn't my Garmin run link to the planned workout in Runna?
This usually happens when you recorded a free run on your Garmin watch instead of starting the specific Runna workout that was sent. The activity may still sync into Runna, but it won't automatically attach to the planned session. To fix this:
Open the planned workout in your Runna app from the Plan tab.
Select Link Activity.
Choose the correct Garmin activity from your Activities tab.
My Garmin GPS data looks off, what can I do?
Runna displays activity data exactly as your Garmin watch records it. Common causes of GPS inaccuracy include:
Poor satellite signal: Tall buildings, tree cover, tunnels, or heavy cloud reduce accuracy.
Starting before GPS locks: Always wait until your watch confirms a strong signal before pressing start.
GPS mode: For best accuracy, select All Systems (or GPS + Galileo / GPS + GLONASS) in your watch's activity settings rather than GPS-only.
Wrong activity profile: Recording an outdoor run in treadmill mode (or vice versa) will produce incorrect data.
If your activity has already saved with bad GPS data, you won't be able to edit the distance in Runna. The workaround is to delete the activity and add a Manual Activity with the correct details (and link that manual activity to a planned run, if needed).
My Garmin shows a different distance than the app, what should I do?
A small difference in distance between your Garmin and Runna is normal — they process GPS data slightly differently.
If the gap is larger, common causes include:
You started a run on both your Garmin watch and the Runna app at the same time: The two devices capture separate GPS data that may show different distances. For outdoor runs, we recommend starting your Runna workout on your Garmin watch only — the completed activity will sync back to Runna automatically.
GPS accuracy issues: Poor satellite signal, starting before your watch has locked onto satellites, GPS mode set to GPS-only rather than All Systems, or an incorrect activity profile can all affect recorded distance.
If your activity has already saved with bad GPS data, you won't be able to edit the distance in Runna. The workaround is to delete the activity and add a Manual Activity with the correct details (linking it to a planned run if needed).
Why isn't my heart rate data showing in Runna after my Garmin run?
Garmin Heart rate data not appearing, not syncing, or showing as missing in Runna is usually down to one of these:
The Garmin connection wasn't set up before the run. Runna can only pull heart rate data from activities recorded after the Garmin connection was established. Runs recorded before connecting won't include HR data.
Your Garmin didn't record heart rate. If HR wasn't captured on the watch (e.g. the sensor wasn't against your wrist, or the activity type didn't track it), Runna has nothing to display.
The activity hasn't fully synced yet. Check that the run has synced from your Garmin watch to Garmin Connect, and from Garmin Connect to Runna. Open the Garmin Connect app and tap the sync icon in the top right if needed.
Health data permissions. Make sure Runna has permission to access health data in your phone settings.
Still Having Issues?
If the tips above don't resolve things, head to our dedicated troubleshooting guide: I'm having issues syncing Runna with my Garmin device. It covers connection resets, re-pairing steps, and known edge cases in detail.
If your issue is with the Garmin hardware/software itself (GPS sensor, Bluetooth radio, firmware), you may need to contact Garmin Support directly.