5 Smarter-Not-Harder Running Hacks from Garmin’s Pro Runners

Runners love to chase that high — the personal best, the finish line glory, the medal selfie. But if you think “grinding harder” is the secret, think again. Garmin Malaysia teamed up with two athletes who live and breathe the sport — Asyraf Kamal and Azwan Bunjing (a.k.a. Awan Run) — to prove that the real magic lies in training smarter, staying consistent, and knowing when to hit pause.

Both men have impressive résumés: Asyraf is an ultramarathoner who’s pushed through 24-hour runs and bagged podium finishes across international races like Boston and Osaka. Meanwhile, Awan is a competitive runner and co-founder of the community group Working Class Champs, with marathon finishes in Kuala Lumpur, Osaka, Seoul, Dubai, and Sydney. His silver medal at the 95th Malaysia Open National Athletics Championship and marathon PB of 2:40:31 in Seoul cement him as one to watch. He’s now training for the Garmin Run Asia Series 2025 Malaysia while chasing the holy grail — all six Abbott World Marathon Majors (Boston down, six more to go).

Together, they’ve learned that smart runners don’t just run. They plan, recover, adapt, and use every tool available to dodge burnout. Here’s their playbook.

1. Structure > Guesswork

Running without a plan is basically running in circles. Asyraf calls structure the key to “efficiency, longevity, and doing the right things consistently.” Every run has a purpose: endurance, speed, or recovery. His golden rule? “Easy should be easy.” Not every day is about proving something.

His week is split between easy runs, speed sessions, and long runs — all calibrated with data from his Garmin Forerunner 265. Heart rate zones and training load metrics guide him on whether to push or chill.

Awan is just as firm: “A plan keeps you accountable. It turns running into a progression, not just a habit.” His schedule builds around intervals, long runs, and recovery days, with strength training thrown in to keep things balanced.

Pro tip: Don’t double up on hard sessions. Slot in easy days after big efforts. Your legs will thank you.

Asyraf’s schedule

• Mon: Rest/recover

• Wed: Speed/double session/mid-week long run

• Thu: Tempo or strength

• Weekends: Long runs/trails

Awan’s schedule

• Mon: Easy run or rest

• Tue: Intervals

• Wed: Easy run

• Thu: Strength training + threshold

• Fri: Rest

• Sat: Long run

• Sun: Easy run or recovery

2. Rest = Training

If you’re skipping recovery, you’re basically sabotaging yourself. Asyraf puts it bluntly: “Rest is not weakness, it’s part of the plan.” Too many runners hammer away until injury or fatigue strikes.

Both athletes rely on Garmin’s Body Battery and Recovery Time features to check in with their bodies. Awan adds, “By having good sleep, nutrition, and rest days, it can help you to recover better and keep gaining new fitness levels.”

The takeaway: sleep, eat well, schedule downtime. Progress doesn’t happen in the grind; it happens in the bounce-back.

3. Shake Things Up When You Plateau

Performance plateaus aren’t the enemy — they’re a sign to switch gears. Asyraf keeps it interesting by tweaking his mileage, exploring new routes, and joining group runs. “Sometimes the body needs variety but the key is staying consistent to breakthrough to a new personal best.”

Awan adds strength training into the mix and reviews his data to identify weak points. He keeps himself fired up with short-term goals that stack toward bigger ambitions. Both runners credit Garmin Run Club (GRC) for injecting fresh energy — from expert coaches to a supportive running community.

4. Endurance Takes Patience

For first-time 10K or half-marathoners: slow down. Asyraf’s advice is simple: “Beginner runners often run too fast and too often. They think every run needs to be hard which then leads to injury or burnout. Be consistent, not perfect.”

His go-to strategy is gradually lengthening long runs while staying flexible. Awan, meanwhile, suggests run-walk intervals for building stamina, plus practising race-day pacing and nutrition ahead of time. Both keep their Garmin GPS watches locked in so they never drift outside their training zones.

5. Data is Your Training Partner

Both athletes swear by Garmin’s data-driven features to sharpen performance. Asyraf tracks heart rate zones, VO₂ max, and pace alerts to fine-tune his marathon prep. “Garmin features help me to understand when to push and when to hold back, super useful with the data provided for marathon prep.”

Awan leans on Garmin Coach, interval mode, morning readiness reports, and cadence monitoring — especially useful when bouncing back from breaks or injuries.

For beginners, Awan suggests watching these numbers:

• Heart rate zones: Check if they match the day’s training goal.

• Cadence: If it’s low, you might be overstriding. Use the metronome.

• Weekly mileage: Avoid drastic jumps.

• Training load: Make sure both aerobic and anaerobic work are balanced.

The Bigger Picture

Beyond personal milestones, Garmin has been fueling the running community through Garmin Run Club (GRC), a free weekly training hub led by coaches Faiz and Akashah. Sessions kick off every Tuesday at 8:30 PM at Institut Sukan Negara, Bukit Jalil — welcoming runners of all levels to train, learn, and connect.

So whether you’re chasing a marathon PB, trying to dodge injuries, or just want to love running again, the message is clear: train smart, not hard. And maybe let a Garmin on your wrist do some of the thinking for you.

Explore Garmin’s full lineup of running wearables — from the Forerunner series to the HRM series — at garmin.com.my.