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.

Former Member over 9 years ago

How to set it up in FR 235? walkthrough appreciated

Hi

Having trouble setting up the pacer. I've installed it, set up the distance (10k), but I can't find where to look at a screen that looks like your screen shots (ie, 4 fields, with the progress bar, etc). All I've been able to do is to set up one of the fields of one of my two data screens to be "Connect IQ / Virtual Pacer" in replacement of something else, but that only shows the distance remaining to my set target distance, but I can't change the other 3 fields in my 4 field visualization to be the other 3 fields that you show in your screen-shots.

So I'm pretty sure the way to actually use the app is not the change the field in a data screen but ... ? --> Explanation greatly appreciated!

thanks

Former Member over 9 years ago

If you want the 4 fields, you need to display the Virtual Pacer data field at full screen. This means you have to set it to a 1 field layout.
Assuming the way to do this on a FR235 is the same as on the FR230, here's how to do that:

Go to Menu => Activity Settings => Data Screens
Select the screen you want to use
Select Layout
Push up/down until you see a one field layout , then push select (top right)
Select Field1 => Connect IQ => Virtual Pacer
Push the back button a couple of times to get back to the screen where you can start your activity

P.S I'm working on a new version which adds the last minute average pace to the screen and reduces the memory footprint. There have been instances reported where the field failed on the FR235 at full screen because it ran out of the available memory. I expect this next version to be ready in a couple of days.

webvan over 9 years ago

Can't wait to try the new version!

Please keep the "two field" version as it is though as it mixes well with other CIQ advanced fields like "Single Field" (HR, CAD, Pace, Time of day).

webvan over 9 years ago

Gave the new version a quick try in "static" mode and it looks good, thanks ! The color coding for the "1' Pace" should be quite useful and the 5" toggling between ETA and Distance Remaining is a great idea. Do you think you could add a toggle for HR at the top in the Target Pace field too? That way all the info needed in a race would be available on just one screen.

Thinking about the color coding of the "1' Pace" a bit more, is it versus the current required pace or versus the initial required pace? The latter option might be better I think because it would add info not visible on the screen and if green would show you're making up ground even if you've fallen behind your objective and would work as an "encouragement" of sorts ;-) Thanks again.

Former Member over 9 years ago

The color coding is against the current required pace. It's green if the pace gets you to your goal within the target time, else it's red.

Former Member over 9 years ago

Thanks! What I hadn't realized is that the 4 fields as per the screen shot will only show if you actually start the run. I was trying to see all fields next to my computer and would only see the target distance and time. App is awesome (or rather, data field :) ! Keep up good work!

If you want the 4 fields, you need to display the Virtual Pacer data field at full screen. This means you have to set it to a 1 field layout.
Assuming the way to do this on a FR235 is the same as on the FR230, here's how to do that:

Go to Menu => Activity Settings => Data Screens
Select the screen you want to use
Select Layout
Push up/down until you see a one field layout , then push select (top right)
Select Field1 => Connect IQ => Virtual Pacer
Push the back button a couple of times to get back to the screen where you can start your activity

P.S I'm working on a new version which adds the last minute average pace to the screen and reduces the memory footprint. There have been instances reported where the field failed on the FR235 at full screen because it ran out of the available memory. I expect this next version to be ready in a couple of days.

Former Member over 9 years ago

Thanks! What I hadn't realized is that the 4 fields as per the screen shot will only show if you actually start the run. I was trying to see all fields next to my computer and would only see the target distance and time. App is awesome (or rather, data field :) ! Keep up good work!

Before you start the exercise you see the target you've set, o you can make sure it's set correctly before you go out for your run. I'll add that info to the description in the app store. Thanks.

webvan over 9 years ago

The color coding is against the current required pace. It's green if the pace gets you to your goal within the target time, else it's red.

Ok, saw that yesterday when I gave the new version I try. So it doesn't give more info than what you'd get comparing the two pace fields but in the heat of the action it can certainly help ;-)

Anyway, no problems with the new version yesterday on my FR235 during a one hour easy run. The 1' pace did vary more than it seemed it should have based on my regular pace but that's probably due to the FR235 as the Instant Pace I had on another screen was doing the same. Do you recalculate yours based on distance/time ?

As for HR, it may not be directly pace related but if you found a way to make it toggle every 5 seconds with the Required Pace there wouldn't be any reason to change screens anymore, a big bonus during a competition!

Former Member over 9 years ago

Do you recalculate yours based on distance/time ?

No. I've tried that, but distance (at least on devices I tested) is pretty raw GPS data. The GPS can be a couple of meters of in each sample and on a total distance that's fine, but for transforming that to a speed it differs too much. I could of course add extra smoothening to that to calculate a speed, but the devices already have pretty good algorithms to do that. So I just take samples of the current speed every few seconds, ignore the ones where's you're standing still and take the average of the remaining values.

webvan over 9 years ago

Makes sense and that explains the similar trending between "1' Pace" and "Instant Pace". Garmin already improved it on the FR235 (and FR230 and FR630) with v325 so let's hope they can make it even better!