If you’re like most people, you probably spend a lot of time running or cycling. And if you’re like most people, you probably don’t have time to lap on your Apple Watch. But that’s not the only problem. Lap times on Apple Watches are often slow because they’re based on how long it takes you to complete one lap. This is because the watch uses a timer that counts down from a certain point and then starts counting again when it’s halfway through the lap. So if you’re running or cycling and your timer runs out, your lap time will be much slower than if you had just used the watch’s built-in timer. Here are three tips to help improve your lap times:

  1. Use a Garmin or other GPS device to track your route and map out a laps around your neighborhood or city. This will help you plan out each lap in more detail and make sure that each one is of equal length.
  2. Use an app like Strava to track your speed and distance as well as any other important data for eachlap. This will help you see how long it takes you to complete each lap and make sure that you’re doing everything correctly when setting up your timer.
  3. Use an app like MapMyRun or MapMyCity to find public transportation options near where you’ll be running or cycling. This will let you know how long it’ll take to get there from where you are, as well as what kind of transportation options are available nearby (bus, train, bike).

How to Mark a “Lap” in the Workout App

While you’re tracking a workout with the Workout app on your Apple Watch, double-tap the screen to mark a segment. A summary will pop up, and you can keep getting your sweat on, marking off segments and laps as you need.

How to See Your Laps (and Other Segments)

To see your segment splits, once you’re done open the “Fitness” app on your iPhone and select your workout. Tap “Segments,” and you’ll see a numbered list and all the accompanying stats.

Why Segments Matter

Average workout stats—like running pace and cycling speed—and individual mile splits aren’t much use unless you’re just doing a slow steady-state workout (or, I suppose, mile-increment repeats). For example, if you do a mile warm-up, run hard for a mile and a half, then a half-mile cooldown, the bit that matters most is between mile 2 and mile 3.5, but neither the average run speed nor mile splits in the Fitness app will tell you how fast you did it.

However, if you use the lap feature on your watch, you can run your half-mile warm, double-tap to hit lap, run hard for a mile and a half, double-tap to hit lap again, then do your cool down. Then, when you look at the workout in the Fitness app on your iPhone, it’ll be split into three segments: your warm-up, your workout, and your cooldown.

And it’s not just running and cycling you can track. If you’re doing some High-Intensity Interval Training or CrossFit style circuits, you can mark off each round.