Hardware alone is not enough. What really sets the HUAWEI WATCH GT Runner 2 apart from other smartwatches is how it integrates into my weekly routine. In a week during the specific marathon period, I do the following workouts guided by HUAWEI’s Personalized Smart Training Plans:

● 3 quality sessions (long runs, intervals or tempo runs),
● 1 progressive long run,
● Aerobic recovery runs,
● Strength training,
● Daily mobility, and
● Occasional cycling for active recovery.

To put the watch to the test, I followed a structured plan guided by HUAWEI’s Personalized Smart Training Plan feature, which lays out each workout with clear goals, pacing targets, and effort zones. Every session has a purpose, and the aforementioned workouts are the ones I rely on to bring me a step closer to my next race goal.

If I had to point out the physiological factor that has most influenced my development as a marathon runner in recent years, I would undoubtedly say lactate control. Pure speed is important, as is aerobic endurance, but the real balancing point, the one that determines whether you can sustain a pace for more than two hours without collapsing, is the lactate threshold.

I love talking about this topic because I am truly passionate about lactate monitoring in key training sessions. In fact, in many of the videos I post on my YouTube channel, you can see how I try to teach this useful tool for long-distance runners. The lactate threshold determines the intensity that can be sustained over a long period of time. In my case, the data from my watch during tempo sessions allows me to estimate this critical point, which, if exceeded, can be very detrimental when it comes to maintaining a steady pace over many kilometres.

What exactly is lactate?

When we run, our body produces energy mainly through aerobic means. But as the intensity increases, the energy demand grows and anaerobic metabolism comes into play more prominently. As a result, lactate production increases. The problem is not lactate itself, but its accumulation. When you run a marathon, crossing that threshold for too long means jeopardising the end of the race.

That's why, for me, the threshold isn't just another number: it's the physiological limit that defines how far I can push myself without paying an irreversible price at kilometre 35.

When you cross the lactate threshold:
• Muscle acidity increases, disrupting the chemical environment needed for efficient energy production
• Muscle contraction is altered, meaning your muscles can no longer fire as effectively
• Fatigue accelerates, forcing you to slow down or stop sooner than planned
• Running efficiency decreases, so every step costs more energy for less output

The role of tempo runs

The training most directly related to the threshold is the tempo run. It is the session that I respect the most and the one that provides me with the most information. With theHUAWEI WATCH GT Runner 2, I can now easily create an individual tempo run via Workout > Outdoor Run > Courses > Tempo Run

There are days when your body wants more. You feel competitive, eager to push yourself, confident. But the data doesn't always support that feeling. And in my experience, ignoring objective signals often comes at a cost.

I remember a particularly demanding week, when I increased the volume and specific sessions at marathon pace. After two nights with low rest scores (< 80) and heart rate variability below my usual average, the watch flagged my recovery as insufficient and adjusted accordingly. The initial call for a key long interval session was replaced with a gentle run accompanied by mobility and technique work. It was a strategic decision, not an emotional one. Two days later, my watch logged 8 hours and 26 minutes of sleep, with 2 hours and 48 minutes of deep sleep and 2 hours and 30 minutes of REM, scoring 91 out of 100, better than 99% of users. Sleep quality, heart rate variability, and how you feel in the morning, it all adds up. I was able to do the run on that day.

Without that objective information, I probably would have forced myself to complete that intense session. And pushing myself at that point could have affected the whole week, or even increased the risk of injury. When you train at the highest level, the margin is minimal.

You don't just train for a marathon by running. You also train by sleeping. Sleep quality, resting heart rate, heart rate variability and subjective feeling all form a whole. It is essential to listen to your body. Measuring it brings clarity.

For many years, my main references were pace and heart rate. Like any runner, I learned to interpret the clock by looking at minutes per kilometre and beats per minute. But as I competed at a higher level, I realised that both metrics, while essential, have clear limitations.

Pace is conditioned by external factors: slope, wind, and surface type. You can be exerting the same physiological effort and see your pace slow simply because you are running on a slight incline or facing a headwind. Heart rate, on the other hand, has a natural physiological delay. When you change intensity, it takes time for your heart rate to stabilise. In high-precision efforts, such as those required to run a marathon under 2:08, that small delay can make all the difference.

That's why running power has become a key element in my training with the HUAWEI WATCH GT Runner 2. Power responds immediately to actual mechanical effort. It doesn't depend so much on visible speed, but on the work your body is doing at that moment.

I use it especially in situations where pace is no longer a reliable reference:

In marathons, where conditions can vary throughout the course, such as in open areas, sharp turns, or changes in slope, having a metric that reflects actual effort and not just apparent speed is a competitive advantage. It allows me to save energy when the environment is challenging and push myself to the limit when conditions allow.

In training, I use the watch to explore limits, experiment and validate trends. I analyse how my body responds to certain power levels, how fatigue evolves and how power relates to my target marathon pace. It's a controlled environment where I can adjust, fail and try again.

Situations I rely on Running Power
● Long climbs where maintaining the same pace would be physiologically ineffective,
● Days with headwinds that distort speed,
● Changes in surface between asphalt and dirt, and,
● Training on circuits with accumulated elevation gain.

During a competition, the function of the smartwatch changes. I no longer scan, I just confirm and execute. Personally, I mentally divide the marathon into three very clear blocks:

● Control (0-15 km)
● Stability (15-30 km)
● Mental endurance (30-42 km)

In the control phase, my priority is to hold back. Even if I feel great or the group speeds up slightly, the goal is to conserve energy. My watch reminds me if I am on track with my goal of 3:02 min/km for the marathon. My power and pace must be in line with what I have worked on in previous weeks.

In the stability phase, from kilometre 15 to 30, the race becomes more honest. Here, maintaining pace is more important than accelerating. If at kilometre 25 I am 10 seconds ahead of plan, I do not celebrate. I adjust. That discipline prevents you from falling behind in the final stretch. For example, on the day I achieved my personal best of 2:07:47 in the 2023 Valencia Marathon, there was a 5-kilometre stretch, from kilometre 20 to 25, where the pace dropped to 3:05 min/km, when my goal was 3:02 min/km. At that moment, staying calm, knowing what the plan was and analysing the race situation to make sure I was saving my strength at the right time helped me to have enough energy for the final 12 kilometres of that race.

After more than half my life chasing seconds, I have understood something fundamental: marathons are not won by those who suffer the most, but by those who make the best decisions. And making good decisions when you are at your limit requires clarity.

The HUAWEI WATCH GT Runner 2 does not make decisions or run for me. Nor does it replace the intuition I have developed over the years or the experience I have accumulated in international championships. But it gives me something that is gold in high performance: accurate information at the right time. And that information allows me to make decisions with less margin for error.

The marathon guide and race pace guide help me turn an ambitious goal into a controlled kilometre-by-kilometre execution that I hope will translate into a new personal best in the future. The ultra-precise GPS supports all strategic analyses. It allows me to review routes, understand micro-variations in pace and optimise every strategic detail. The lactate threshold measured accurately by the watch guides my intensity in key training sessions. Knowing exactly how far I can go without jeopardising the end of the race gives me confidence.

Integrated planning, along with sleep and recovery management, protects something even more important than my personal best: my athletic longevity. I don't want to run fast just this year. I want to do it for many more years, with consistency, balance and health. High performance isn't just about running faster. I trust my experience. I trust my discipline. And now I also trust the data that supports every decision I make on the path to my next personal best.