How Does Wind Factor in When Using the Garmin Running Power Apps?

Running power use a combination of reported local weather conditions and sensor data on the watch itself to determine wind speed and direction. This, combined with heading information from GPS, enables the watch to determine if there is a headwind, tailwind, or neither, and if you are experiencing a local wind gust. Your cross-sectional area is estimated based on your height and weight, we then use well-established equations to compute the power associated with the wind. As you run, you will see your running power will be higher when running into a headwind and lower when running the same pace with a tailwind.

The watch must be paired to a smartphone in order to retrieve information about weather conditions in the area. Before you set off to run, make sure that your watch has been within range of your paired smartphone for at least 10 minutes within the last hour. If you are running at a location more than 30 km from your last GPS fix, the watch needs a GPS fix and then a 10-minute connection with the phone before you set out. When viewing your activity post-run in your  Garmin Connect™ account, there is a field that indicates whether wind power was enabled for the run or not.

Wind power is enabled by default. If you are running in a sheltered area and do not want wind power accounted for, you can disable it based on the device you have. If you are unsure of weather your device has native running power see Garmin Running Power Device Requirements.