I’ve been using watchOS 11 beta for a week — and this is my new favorite feature for runners

watchOS 11
(Image credit: Future)

Each year the Apple Watch becomes a better sports watch through software updates, and with watchOS 11 the big new feature announced for the watch was training load, which can help you judge the intensity of your recent workouts and the effect they’ve had on your body.

However, there are always a lot of smaller updates that go unnoticed until you start using the updated watch, and my favorite in watchOS 11 so far are the new widgets and complications that show your weekly or monthly distance covered in different workout types, including running, swimming, cycling and walking.

I’ve been using the weekly distance run as a complication on my watch face, which shows the distance covered on my run each day on a bar chart, with the total weekly distance listed above the chart. I’ve also got my monthly distance run showing as a widget in my smart stack, which is a line chart showing the distance rising over the course of a month. 

watchOS 11 workout widget

(Image credit: Future)

It’s a small addition, but this is the one bit of data I love having on my watch face whatever brand of sports watch I’m testing. It helps keep me motivated, and also to ensure I'm not suddenly increasing my weekly mileage by too much, which can risk injury.

Garmin shows weekly running distance on many of its customizable watch faces, and with Suunto and Polar you can see your total workout time for the week easily, but Apple has taken the lead with the level of detail you can get on your weekly mileage at a glance with this update. In the past I’ve used the best Apple Watch apps for running that also show this kind of info as a complication, like YouRace.

Speaking of other apps, you can use whatever sports tracking app you want and it will feed into the weekly distance total on the widget/complication. My favorite is WorkOutDoors, which allows a little more customization of data fields and has maps you can load routes onto. 

However, you have to make sure your activities are not being fed into Apple Health more than once or you’ll get incorrect weekly distance stats on the widget. I had to turn off the Strava import, because my distance was getting doubled with my runs being imported into the Health app from both Strava and WorkOutDoors.

WatchOS 11 widget for cycling workout

(Image credit: Future)

Given that you can also show the weekly distance for cycling and swimming, it’s going to be just as useful a new addition for triathletes or people who do those sports, and it’s also great to see weekly walking distance as a general indicator of your activity levels.

I’m still working my way towards getting more info on my training load, which takes 10 days of workouts to establish your baseline (it can’t use info from workouts done before you install the watchOS 11 beta). It looks a great addition to the watch too, and one that will probably be more important and useful to me as a runner in the long term than the new complications. But those new complications are an instant upgrade I think that most keen runners will love with watchOS 11.

WatchOS 11 widget for cycling workout showing distance

(Image credit: Future)

To add the new complication to your watch, hold your finger on the watch face you want to edit and swipe to complications. It’s a long complication so can only be used in an appropriate slot — you can’t get weekly distance showing in a small, circular complication. To add distance to your smart stack swipe down from the home screen and hold your finger on any existing widget to bring up the option to add more.

Another great new feature you can use with the watchOS 11 beta is the ability to pause your activity rings, which I find handy on scheduled rest days on my running training plan, when I don’t want to be encouraged to move more or risk losing my streak.

For more on the new update check out our watchOS 11 guide to all the new features, and if you're in the market for a new Apple Watch check out our best Apple Watch page. 

Nick Harris-Fry
Senior Writer

Nick Harris-Fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear.

Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 after six weeks of training for a magazine feature and subsequently became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 27min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K, and has run 13 marathons in total, as well as a 50-mile ultramarathon. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK.

Nick is an established expert in the health and fitness area and along with writing for many publications, including Live Science, Expert Reviews, Wareable, Coach and Get Sweat Go, he has been quoted on The Guardian and The Independent.

Read more
The Apple Watch Series 10 on a user's wrist showing a colorful orange and pink home screen
5 features to try first on your new Apple Watch
Garmin Fenix 8 Rolling Pace
How I got my favorite Apple Watch running feature on my Garmin
Garmin Fenix 8 placed on a rock outdoors
Garmin’s top smartwatches are getting a big free software update — here are the best new features
Coros Pace Pro
Coros smartwatches just got a big free software update — here are the best new features
Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses on top of running shoes
7 reasons why Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are now my go-to wearable for running
The best running watches: person wearing a running watch close up
Best running watches of 2025: Top picks for runners of all levels
Latest in Smartwatches
Close-up of the Amazfit Active 2 and Apple Watch SE next to each other on a user's wrist
I put the Apple Watch SE vs Amazfit Active 2 through a 7-round face-off — here's the winner
The Apple Watch Series 10 on display at the device's launch in September 2024
Apple Watch sales plummet 19% as smartwatch market declines for first time
apple watch 4
Apple Watch escapes U.S. import ban after court victory in patent case
Apple Watch Ultra 2 on a black silicone strap and Amazfit T-Rex 3 on an orange silicone strap shown side-by-side on a user's wrist
I walked 10,000 steps with Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs Amazfit T-Rex 3 —here's the winner
Close-up of the Amazfit Active 2 on a user's wrist with the maps display shown
I just tested the Amazfit Active 2 — 7 things you should know about my favorite smartwatch under $100
The Circular Ring 2, up close, with half of the device slightly obstructed by orange glass in the foreground
Circular Ring 2 is now available to pre-order — and you could save up to $310 right now
Latest in News
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE renders
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE price leak is bad news for budget-conscious buyers
Google Assistant
Gemini to kill off Google Assistant on most Android phones — here's what you need to know
MacBook Air M4
MacBook Air M4 teardown reveals familiar repairability pain points
NYTimes Connections
NYT Connections today hints and answers — Saturday, March 15 (#643)
iPhone 17 Pro render
iPhone 17 Ultra just tipped to replace Pro Max in new leak — with these key upgrades
RCS messaging on an iPhone
Forget green bubbles — iPhones will soon get encrypted RCS messaging to Androids