Five Useful Tips Every Garmin Forerunner 170 User Should Know.

This summer, the Garmin Forerunner 170 hit stores as the successor to the Forerunner 165 , slotting in above the (also new) entry-level Forerunner 70 and below the 265/570. At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss it as a simple spec change compared to the older model: the same GPS chipset, the same heart rate sensor, and essentially a day less battery life than its predecessor. Therefore, the $299.99 price tag is a bit confusing, considering the Forerunner 165 is regularly discounted for under $200 .

But after wearing the Forerunner 170 for a while, I was impressed with how Garmin packed it with features and tools previously only available on watches priced at $449 and up. Despite being positioned as a “mid-range” model in Garmin’s lineup, it actually features training software previously only available on higher-end models, including full training status, training readiness, wrist-based running power measurement, running dynamics, and even cycling power meter support. Whether you’re upgrading from the Forerunner 165 or just want to make sure you’re getting what you paid for, here are five of my favorite tips to help you get the most out of your Forerunner 170.

Reprogram the buttons on your Forerunner 170 to instantly lock the screen in bad weather.

Like more expensive Garmin watches, the buttons on the 170 are fully customizable. And in my opinion, the default settings aren’t the best for the way many runners train. Here are a few of my favorite remappings: I often run in the rain (it’s romantic!), so I assigned “Hold Start + Up” to toggle the touchscreen, which is a shortcut for instantly locking the screen in bad weather. I also moved “Do Not Disturb” to the “Down” button, as the standard path (hold LIGHT, open “Controls,” tap the icon) is too long when I’m already getting annoyed by a notification I receive during a run.

If you regularly do interval training, try setting the lap button to auto-pause. This will make it a little easier to manually stop and restart the stopwatch when your heart rate drops.

Other combinations worth trying:

• Press Start + Down to broadcast your heart rate, which is popular in some group workouts.

• Press Start + Up to open Garmin Pay and order coffee after your run.

• Press Back + Down to lock the touchscreen and prevent accidental pauses.

To customize any of these remappings, hold the Up (Menu) button and go to Watch Settings > System > Shortcuts. ( While you’re customizing your watch, you might also want to simplify the way your data displays. I show you how to do this on a Garmin watch here .)

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Use Record Only mode on your Forerunner 170 as a guide on unfamiliar routes.

The 170 model doesn’t have full-color built-in maps like more expensive Garmin watches, but the “Record Only” mode creates breadcrumbs to show you where you’ve been without the battery drain of turn-by-turn navigation. If you get lost, you can use these breadcrumbs to get back on track.

Two more navigation features that should be set up in advance:

• The turn-around alert is one of the most popular features on this watch. This tool eliminates the need to plan a round-trip route. Set a time or distance alert before you start your trip, and the watch will beep halfway through, ensuring you’ll return exactly to your starting point.

• The “Find My Phone” feature , which I find oddly hidden in the control menu (hold the menu button and look for the phone icon with a question mark), sends a sound and vibration to the connected phone, even if it’s in silent mode. Press the “Back” button on the watch once you find your phone to stop the alert.

Let your Forerunner 170’s Quick Workouts feature do the work for you.

Instead of manually entering pace and distance, the 170-degree trainer can instantly generate a workout program using only a time range and intensity level (easy, moderate, hard, or very hard). Theoretically, the generated program takes into account your current training readiness score, so “45 minutes, moderate” could look completely different two days in a row depending on how well you’ve recovered. This is a quick way to get a workout that matches your body’s actual state that day, not what you thought it would be .

Use the Cycling Coach tool to track your cross-training workouts.

Some features on the 170 are ignored simply because they’re new to this price range and Garmin doesn’t highlight them much during setup—and some can be genuinely useful, even if they don’t seem relevant to your training program at first glance:

• Keeping a lifestyle diary is a useful way to track more than just your exercise. Meditation, reading, and other manually recorded activities contribute to overall well-being, not just the health data gained from exercise. It’s also simply a useful perspective.

• The Cycling Coach app isn’t just for avid cyclists. Try it during cross-training, as it offers a structured, adaptive plan based on how well the watch already knows you.

• The 170 model doesn’t require a chest strap to measure running power . Instead, it’s estimated using a wrist-mounted sensor based on movement and elevation data. While this may not be the most accurate metric, it’s a useful way to supplement other data as a real-time indicator of effort on hilly trails, where pace alone can be misleading.

Don’t let light workouts drain your Garmin’s battery.

If you’re riding a familiar route and doing a familiar workout, turn off always-on GPS. This will extend battery life and prevent you from rushing to charge the device on the morning of an important race.

Overall, I recommend treating your watch’s battery with the same care you would your muscles during a workout. Full charge cycles accelerate battery wear, so during normal weeks, limit charging to about 80% rather than charging to 100% every time.

Some additional tips

• Stay up-to-date on Garmin Connect. It’s worth checking for updates periodically rather than assuming you have everything installed.

• If you have the 170-song version, download playlists the day before your long run, not during your warm-up. Syncing drains battery life and requires a stable Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection. Start it early, otherwise you’ll be forced to run in place, waiting for the progress bar to appear.

• Finally, this feature works on most Garmin touchscreen watches, including the 170: place your palm over the entire watch face, and it instantly returns to the main screen, with the backlight dimming or turning off depending on your display settings. It won’t work while recording video, but it’s a useful feature for quickly turning off the screen on your desktop after checking a notification.

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