Apple Watch

Choose a target pace for a running workout, and your watch shows if you’re ahead or behind that pace. You can also race against your last or best time on a route you do often. And for a track workout, your Apple Watch helps detect when you arrive at a track.

Start a running workout

1. Go to the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
2. Turn the Digital Crown to Outdoor Run.
3. When you’re ready to go, tap the Start button.

Create a Pacer workout

If you choose a target pace for a running or outdoor cycle workout, your Apple Watch shows if you’re ahead or behind that pace.

1. Start the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
2. Turn the Digital Crown to Outdoor Run, Indoor Run, or Outdoor Cycle and then tap the Goals button.
3. Tap Pacer and then tap the Add button.
4. Adjust the distance—5 miles, for example—then tap Next.
5. Adjust the target time for running or cycling that distance. Tap Done.

   During your workout, your Apple Watch shows your average pace and your current pace, and a graph shows whether you are ahead or behind your chosen pace.

Your Apple Watch remembers your target pace across workouts. To change it, swipe to Outdoor Run, tap the Goals button, tap Pacer, tap the Edit button in the Pacer tile, tap Distance • Time, then edit the distance and time.

Use Race Route to race your last or best time

On a route you run or cycle often, you can race against your last or best time. Routes generate automatically and become available after you’ve done the same route at least two or more times with little to no deviation.

1. Start the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
2. Tap the Goals button next to an Outdoor Run or Outdoor Cycle workout.
3. Tap Race Route, then select Last or Personal Best.

   During the workout, your Apple Watch shows how far ahead or behind you are compared with the route you’re racing as well as the remaining distance. If you deviate from the route, Proceed To Route appears on the screen until you return to the original route.

Available Race Routes appear as a suggested workout when you’re close to the starting point of a route you’ve previously run. You can view all available routes by tapping Suggested, then selecting Route.

Run on a track

Your Apple Watch automatically helps detect when you’ve arrived at a track. Start an Outdoor Run workout there, and your watch offers to start a Track workout.

1. Start the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
2. Swipe to Outdoor Run.

   If your Apple Watch detects that you’re at a track, you’re prompted to choose a lane.

3. Tap Choose Lane, use the plus or minus button to choose a lane and then tap Confirm.

   Note: If you change lanes while you’re working out, swipe right on the watch face, tap Lane, then enter your new lane.

4. If this is the first time you’ve performed a Track workout, choose a measurement unit (Miles or Meters) and tap Confirm.

   To change the measurement unit later, go to the Settings app, go to Workout > Units of Measure, then choose a unit below Automatic Track Detection.

Note: Your Apple Watch alerts you if you leave a track during your workout.

To receive an alert that shows your distance, time, and pace when completing a lap around the track, swipe to Outdoor Run, tap the Alerts button, scroll down, tap Track Lap, then turn on Lap Alert.

See also

• Start a workout on Apple Watch
• Change settings in Workout on Apple Watch

The Workout app includes workout views and metrics designed specifically for outdoor runners. It’s a lot of data. The Outdoor Run workout views include metrics like current heart rate, rolling mile, average pace, and distance, plus running cadence, stride length, ground contact time, and vertical oscillation. You can learn about running form and running power, too.

Workout views and running metrics for Outdoor Run workouts

These metrics appear in the Outdoor Run workout views:

• Metrics: Current heart rate, rolling mile, average pace, distance
• Metrics 2: Running cadence, stride length, ground contact time, vertical oscillation
• Heart Rate Zones: Current heart rate, time in zone, heart rate average
• Segment: Segment number, segment pace, segment distance, current heart rate
• Split: Split number, split pace, split distance, current heart rate
• Elevation: Elevation profile over the last 30 minutes, elevation gained, current elevation
• Power: Power profile over the last 30 minutes, current power, running cadence
• Activity Rings: Move, exercise, stand

About running form and running power

Apple Watch can help measure elements of your running form and display them, including the following:

• Vertical oscillation: The amount your torso moves vertically with each step while running, measured in centimeters (cm).
• Ground contact time: The length of time your foot is in contact with the ground when running, measured in milliseconds (ms).
• Stride length: The distance covered per running step, measured in meters (m).

During an Outdoor Run workout, Apple Watch can also help measure your running power. This is a measure, in watts, of the output of the work you’re doing when you run.

See also

• Start a workout on Apple Watch
• Change settings in Workout on Apple Watch

Your Apple Watch can pair and sync data with compatible cardio equipment such as treadmills, ellipticals, indoor bikes, and more, providing you with more accurate information about your workout. Look for “Connects to Apple Watch” on the equipment, and you’re set.

1. Check if the equipment is compatible—you’ll see Connects to Apple Watch or Connect to Apple Watch on the equipment.
2. Make sure your watch is set to detect gym equipment—open the Settings app on your Apple Watch and tap Workout. Turn on Detect Gym Equipment.
3. Hold your Apple Watch within a few centimeters of the contactless reader on the gym equipment, with the display facing the reader.

   A gentle tap and beep confirm that your Apple Watch is paired.

4. Press Start on the gym equipment to begin. Press Stop on the equipment to end the workout.

If Detect Gym Equipment is off in Settings on your Apple Watch, go to the Workout app, then hold your Apple Watch near the contactless reader on the gym equipment, with the display facing the reader.

See also

• Start a workout on Apple Watch
• Workout views and running metrics on Apple Watch

In Workout on Apple Watch, combine multiple activities into a single workout on your Apple Watch. You can also create a multisport workout with running, cycling, and swimming legs.

Your Apple Watch automatically recognizes when you’ve switched legs in a multisport workout. You can begin with an outdoor run, for example, and add an outdoor bike ride when you’re ready to start a different activity. For an outdoor workout, you can even leave your iPhone at home, since the built-in GPS gives you accurate distance measurements.

Combine multiple activities in a single workout

1. Go to the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
2. Begin your first workout—an outdoor run, for example.
3. When you’re ready to start a different activity—like an outdoor bike ride—swipe right, tap New and choose the workout.
4. When you finish all your activities, swipe right, tap End, and then tap End Workout.
5. Turn the Digital Crown to scroll through the results summary.
6. Scroll to the bottom and tap Done to save the workout.

Quick tip: The built-in GPS gives you accurate distance measurements, so you can leave your iPhone at home for an outdoor workout.

Create a Multisport workout

A Multisport workout combines swimming, cycling, and running workouts, and your Apple Watch recognizes on its own when you’ve switched between them.

1. Open the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
2. Do one of the following:
   • If this is your first multisport workout: Swipe to Multisport, then tap the Add button
   • If you’ve done a multisport workout previously: Tap the More Options button, then tap the Add button.
3. Tap the Add button, tap Add, and tap an activity—Outdoor Run, for example.
4. Continue adding activities by tapping Add for each activity.

   You can also touch and hold activities to reorder them.

5. Tap Untitled below Custom Title and enter a name for your workout.
6. When you’ve added all the activities, tap Create Workout to save the workout.
7. When you’re ready to start a multisport workout you’ve created, swipe to Multisport and then tap the Start button.

To delete a Multisport workout, tap the Goals button in the Multisport workout tile, swipe left on the workout, then tap the Delete button.

See also

• Start a workout on Apple Watch
• Change settings in Workout on Apple Watch

On Apple Watch, the workout views you see depend on the kind of workout you’re doing. Cardio-focused workouts have more workout views by default, but you can edit some of them to suit your workout style.

You can also reorder workout views. On Apple Watch Ultra models, you can even add a fifth metric to Metrics and Metrics 2, which show four by default.

Here’s how to customize workout views on Apple Watch.

Customize workout views

1. Go to the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
2. Turn the Digital Crown to the workout you want.
3. Tap the Views button, scroll through the workout views, and tap Include next to the workout views you want to appear during the workout.
4. To select the metrics that appear in the first two workout views, tap the Edit button in the Metrics or Metrics 2 set and tap a metric. Then choose a different metric.

Quick tip: Metrics and Metrics 2 show four metrics by default on Apple Watch Ultra models, and you can add a fifth. Choose a workout, tap Preferences, and then tap [workout] Workout Views. Next, tap the Edit button in the Metrics or Metrics 2 tile and tap the empty field at the bottom of the list, and then choose another metric.

Reorder workout views

1. Open the Workout app on your Apple Watch.
2. Turn the Digital Crown to the workout you want to do.
3. Tap the Views button, scroll down, and then tap Reorder.
4. Touch and hold a workout view. Drag it to change the order.

See also

• Start a workout on Apple Watch
• Change settings in Workout on Apple Watch