Running pace app

Former Member over 9 years ago

So the experts say that you should finish a race faster than you start, increasing your pace periodically through the course of the race. 75% of the male and female marathon winners had a faster 2nd half than 1st half. So, I would like to see if anyone is interested in creating an app to make it easier to train yourself to to this. What I envision is an app that asks the distance, starting pace and ending pace, and interval, and alarm range. It would then calculate the pace for each interval and alert you if you are faster or slower than the pace you should be running. For example - a 10 mile run with a starting pace of 10:30/mile and ending pace of 9:30/mile, interval of 1 mile, alarm range of 10 seconds. The app would divide the time differential of 1:00/mile by 10 miles - so the first mile would be at a pace of 10:30, 2=10:24, 3=10:17, 4=10:09, etc., etc., mile 10 would be 9:30.

There is a pace app already available but it only allows you to set a single pace and the alarm range and changing it while you ran would be problematic.

Any takers? I think this could be a very popular app if it worked well and was easy to use.

I'd be happy to help with the design/implementation, but I don't really want to learn programming just for this project.

chrishares over 9 years ago

I think this would be best as a Data Field.

The problem with App's I've found (from developing), it that unless they are providing a unique feature, people prefer to stick to the Garmin versions. The reason being, if you're a runner, you normally use the Running App, would you also like to have access to the other Data Fields like Heart Rate etc. These can be done and added, but you're replicating a lot of available functionality and limit also having access to other custom Data Fields as well.

The Data Field can be configurable, to allow for a distance and start/end pace to be selected. So I don't think it will be limited in anyway.

Cheers
Chris

Former Member over 9 years ago

How do you create custom data fields? Is it fairly easy to do?

travis.vitek over 9 years ago

Keep in mind that a data field cannot use audio or vibration to notify the user that they are going slower than the target pace zone.

For devices that support custom workouts, you can build a workout in Garmin Connect setting the pace for various parts of your activity. Say you want to run a 10K, you can create 5 2K steps, each with a different pace. Then upload this to the device and use it during your race. It will beep at you when you get outside of your pace zone and it will show you your target pace and your current pace while you are running.

If you really wanted to implement this as a data field, it would not be very difficult. It just doesn't seem necessary unless you are using a device that doesn't support custom workouts.

Travis

chrishares over 9 years ago

They are developed in a similar way, but are far easier to do, as you can concentrate on delivering the Data Field only (in your case the increasing pace); without having to worry about developing other data fields or creating an activity file (and saving) having an options page etc, etc.

Former Member over 9 years ago

Keep in mind that a data field cannot use audio or vibration to notify the user that they are going slower than the target pace zone.

For devices that support custom workouts, you can build a workout in Garmin Connect setting the pace for various parts of your activity. Say you want to run a 10K, you can create 5 2K steps, each with a different pace. Then upload this to the device and use it during your race. It will beep at you when you get outside of your pace zone and it will show you your target pace and your current pace while you are running.

If you really wanted to implement this as a data field, it would not be very difficult. It just doesn't seem necessary unless you are using a device that doesn't support custom workouts.

Travis

I have a Fenix 3. I'll have to look at the custom workouts and see how that will work. If it does work then it would definitely be a much easier solution than creating data fields or writing an app! Thanks for the tip!!

chrishares over 9 years ago

I wasn't aware of Custom Workouts, as my Vivoactive doesn't support them.

Former Member over 9 years ago

...you can build a workout in Garmin Connect...

Absolutely brilliant! I just setup a couple of custom workouts and it's extremely easy to do. I'm working on a spreadsheet to give me the pace I need to put in the fields, but that's just to make it so I don't have to rely on the brain to do it for me...

travis.vitek over 9 years ago

Just to be clear, the data field that is being requested here is a target pace for each period (either distance or time) for an entire activity/workout/race. The pace targets are determined once when the data field is configured, and only the current pace target is displayed. If you run slower than the target for the first period, but run right on target for the remaining periods, you'd miss your goal time.

I think a more useful option would be to calculate the target pace for each period at configuration time and then apply the under/over from the previous periods to determine the pace target for the current and remaining periods.

Travis

Former Member over 9 years ago

Just to be clear, the data field that is being requested here is a target pace for each period (either distance or time) for an entire activity/workout/race. The pace targets are determined once when the data field is configured, and only the current pace target is displayed. If you run slower than the target for the first period, but run right on target for the remaining periods, you'd miss your goal time.

I think a more useful option would be to calculate the target pace for each period at configuration time and then apply the under/over from the previous periods to determine the pace target for the current and remaining periods.

Travis

In a race environment you would be absolutely correct, however, I want this for training purposes. My intention for this is to train yourself to work on the increasing pace so you get used to starting slow and finishing fast. It would defeat the purpose if you ran a fast segment and then had to slow down on the next few just to "catch up" to where you should be overall. It's very difficult to run at a slow pace at the beginning of a run for a number of reasons, this should help to train your brain to accomplish this goal.

Former Member over 9 years ago

This is a neat idea. I might code it up. Doesn't sound too hard.

Just to add, i often do exactly these kinds of runs, where i start at 6:30min/km (say) and end at 5:00min/km (say), speeding up by 5sec per km each split over a long run distance to practise a fast finish. Certainly a tough but rewarding workout!