Virtual Pacer

Former Member over 9 years ago

The Virtual Pacer data field helps you achieve your goals. Virtual Pacer shows all the information you need to cover the distance in the pre-set time. It's just as if you have your own personal pacer at your wrist.

You can get the Virtual Pacer here.

*********** Features ***********
- Allows you to set the required time and distance using the new App Settings features;
- Pace or Speed required to achieve your goal;
- Sliding bar showing you the percentage of distance covered;
- Option to change background color when you're behind;
- Shows achieved time, when finished.

Depending on the size you set the field, you can also have access to the following additional features
- Time or distance you're ahead or behind;
- Estimate of you end time;
- Remaining distance.

*********** Requirements ***********
Connect IQ version 1.2 or above

*********** Feedback and support ***********
Please consider this a beta version. I've tested this app successfully on Forerunner 920XT, Vivoactive and Forerunner 230, but since it's an advanced data field that's close to the boundaries of available resources, I'd like to do some more testing before I'll consider releasing v1.0. If you have any problems using this data field, please let me know.
General information about app settings can be found here.

*********** Version history ***********
v0.2: Included a lot of extra features, as described above.
v0.1: Initial version. Only shows required pace.

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Setting up your goal time and distance in Garmin Express

Go to "Manage Apps", a list of all your apps is shown;
Look for the Virtual Pacer data field and press the "..." besides the data field name, a page is shown where you can change the settings;
Change the settings to the appropriate values:
- Distance: set the distance. The number is interpreted as Kilometers or Miles, depending on your device settings
- Time (hh:mm:ss or seconds): Set the time in seconds or as mm:ss or hh:mm:ss.
- Show Speed in stead of Pace: The data field shows required Speed if set to true, else it shows pace
- Show ahead/behind as distance in stead of time: Show how much you're ahead or behind as distance if set to true, else as time
- Switch background color when behind: If set to true, the background color changes if you're behind => This setting has been removed in version 1.0 and is always true.
Press "Save" to save the changes. The new values will automatically be send to your device.

I you want to check whether the new values are saved to your device, you can simply go to the settings page again. Garmin Express will always load the settings directly from the device.

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Setting up the zones in Garmin Connect Mobile

The following explanation is based on GCM for Android. GCM for iPhone should be (almost) the same.

In the menu go to "Garmin Devices";
Select your device from the list;
Select "Connect IQ Apps";
Select "Data Fields";
Select the Virtual Pacer data field;
Select "Settings" (if your device does not have Connect IQ 1.2 installed, you'll get a message "An error has occured");
Change the values (as described in the Setting up the zones in Garmin Express section above);
Select "Done" to save the values to your device

Same as with Garmin Express, you can check the settings by going to the Settings page again.

nicolasneff over 9 years ago

Datafield "Time ahead / behind"

Hi Mr TeunMo,

I am French, excuse my English.

First, congratulations for your “Virtual Pacer” IQ Connect software.

I am a heavy user of "Virtual Partner'", "Virtual Racer" and "Workouts with speed targets".
You certainly know that if a workout has a speed target, the average speed of the target zone feeds the Virtual Partner and you can see with the VP the time "ahead / behind".

So, I have a request.
Would it be possible to create a "data field" just displaying the "time ahead / behind" computed by the Virtual Partner of the watch ?
That means that we would be able to have access to “time ahead / behind” not only on the VP screen but also on each parametrable screen.

I use the 920xt and the new 630.

An other question.
When we use workouts, the “time ahead / behind” is reset to zero at each new step.
Would it be possible, with a solution or an other, not to reset “ahead / behind time” when changing step in a workout ?
So it would be easy, for example, to plan a race (marathon) with different speed (so different steps) : slow at the beginning, faster in middle, an so on; and have access to a summed “ahead / behind” time, that means a "ahead / behind time" on a race basis (not on a step basis).

Thank you very much for all.

PS :
What you do with your "Virtual Pacer" IQ Connect software, I did it by :
- creating a "virtual .TCX activity" with Excel
- sending the .TCX to Garmin Connect with "Garming Training Center" to create a course
- downloading the course to the watch
- and endly using it with the Virtual Racer.
But with the possibility to have various steps with variable distance and speed.

PS2 : if somebody can fin a solution not to reset "ahead / behind time" when new step with workouts, then I no longer need my complicated solution with Excel, Garmin Connect and Garmin Training Center.

webvan over 9 years ago

Did a race this morning and got a big fat "IQ Error" on the VP screen around km3 when I was going full out! Tried to get out of it but accidentally created an unwanted lap (was auto-lapping at 1km), total disaster...fortunately my second screen had lap pace and with auto-lap I managed to stay in control.

Now I've had that "IQ Error" with the "Hike" app, but only on launch, so the FR235 might somehow not be playing "nice" with ConnectIQ but I'll suggest not relying on VP if you're racing with the FR235. Hadn't activated Garmin's "Finish Time" so can't tell how useful it would have been.

I also noticed that the estimated overall time was not very useful for the first few minutes, way over (i.e. 45' instead of 40 for a 4'/km pace). Is there something in the formula that could explain that? If it's using instant pace, not a good idea on the FR235/FR230/FR630 as Instant Pace can be way underestimated at first, unlike Lap Pace for some reason, couldn't see if it was the case here though being as the info wasn't shown.

Former Member over 9 years ago

Would it be possible to create a "data field" just displaying the "time ahead / behind" computed par the Virtual Partner of the watch ?

The virtual partner that's build into some of the devices is not accessible from connect IQ. What you're asking is therefore not possible.

When we use workouts, the “time ahead / behind” is reset to zero at each new step.
Would it be possible, with a solution or an other, not to reset “ahead / behind time” when changing step in a workout ?
So it would be easy, for example, to plan a race (marathon) with different speed (so different steps) : slow at the beginning, faster in middle, an so on; and have access to a summed “ahead / behind” time.

It's not possible to do this in a data field without adding a lot of settings, making it difficult to use. Also because of memory restriction I don't think it's possible to combine this with what's already in this data field. So making this would require an other watch app.

Former Member over 9 years ago

I also noticed that the estimated overall time was not very useful for the first few minutes, way over (i.e. 45' instead of 40 for a 4'/km pace). Is there something in the formula that could explain that? If it's using instant pace, not a good idea on the FR235/FR230/FR630 as Instant Pace can be way underestimated at first, unlike Lap Pace for some reason, couldn't see if it was the case here though being as the info wasn't shown.

The estimate is based on the part you've already completed and assumes that the remainder will be covered in the average pace of the last minute (excluding any time you're standing still), with a min/max pace of 75% - 120% of the required target pace for the whole race.
This estimate might indeed be off in the first minute if the device is not accurately measuring your speed.

webvan over 9 years ago

ok, could there be option in the settings to choose "lap pace" instead for the calculation as that would work better for the FR230/FR235/FR630, at least currently.

PS - sending you the error log via PM

Former Member over 9 years ago

ok, could there be option in the settings to choose "lap pace" instead for the calculation as that would work better for the FR230/FR235/FR630, at least currently.

I prefer to have a solution that works on all devices, without the need for more app settings. Since the forerunners are pretty new, they're bound to have some issues that I'm sure will be fixed soon.
If you have a problem with pace accuracy, you can try the newest beta release for the fr235: http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=9920
Improved pace accuracy is in the change log. This improved things a lot on my fr230.

webvan over 9 years ago

Yes but still not there and 3.13b has been officially released as v3.20 now ;-)

Your call, but even without accounting for the Instant Pace issues on the FR230/235/630 it could still be useful to have the estimator use Lap Pace instead of IP over the past minute and I'm guessing CIQ apps have direct access to Lap Pace?

Former Member over 9 years ago

Thanks for your suggestions.
Lap pace depends on the length of the laps and isn't necessarily more accurate. Especially at the beginning of the lap. I'm open for any suggestions to improve accuracy of the estimate, but I don't think lap pace is the answer.

webvan over 9 years ago

Well if it's not too much trouble you could add it as an option in the settings and see how it goes based on feedback ;-)

About feedback, based on the first 3k of my race yesterday when I was looking at VP I'll take back the suggestion to replace "time behind/ahead" by "Lap Pace" as that was useful but rather "Pace Needed" as that can get a bit "depressing" if you're running late and it's not like you're going to slow down if you're on a good day, besides you have no actual pace to compare it to. Maybe "Lap Pace" could be colored "against" the "Pace needed" to show if you're currently above or below what's needed to meet your target ?

PS - oh and it goes without saying but thanks for all your useful ConnectIQ apps !

Alesr5 over 9 years ago

First of all, congratulations. This is a great tool. I m going to run a 21k next weekend and I want to make it in less than two hours. So I can permanently see if I m going above or behind my objective. I can see which is my estimated time for the 21. I can see the remaining distance I ll have to run.

Just a doubt: The upper screen "pacer" value is a proyected average for the hole race?

Thanks!