Data Field: Peter's (Race) Pacer

This is the support Thread for the Data Field Peter's (Race) Pacer.

Setup Guide with pictures: http://starttorun.info/peters-race-pacer/

Download
https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/23ea0301-30c6-4c33-b4ef-63e2b5394e76

Summary
Peter's (Race) Pacer resolves 2 issues for me when I'm running a race:

Before the race starts I want to see the time of the day (How long till the race starts?)
I often pace marathons and it used to be doing mental math all the way, now this is no longer necessary as I can fully depend on the average pace/speed, because this data field allows to correct the distance at the kilometer / mile marker by simply pressing the LAP button

While the data field's primary intent is to race races, you can also use it to run laps around the track, just set the lap distance to 400 meters and press the lap button as you cross the line!...

Intro
In it's full glory this data field uses about 24kb which is too much to run on the older devices. To enable using the data field on older connect IQ devices I've stripped some functionality from these older watches in order to let them operate within the 16kb limit that Connect IQ 1.x allows. (Items marked with (*ciQ2) are only available on the high memory watches (high memory watches are FR735xt, fenix chronos & fenix5 variants))

The data field is fully functional as is, yet donations are encouraged on the watch by a small encouragement text.

Usage
Before starting the race an initial data screen is shown (* cIQ2), this screen shows you the following data

Time of the day
Current heart rate (+ zone indication)
Configured Settings Summary (Change these settings in Garmin Express or in the Garmin Connect Android App)
Battery Percentage Remaining
Gps Signal Strength Indication

After pressing the START button the race timer will start and a new data screen will be shown, this data screen will show you the following information:

top middle configurable field: current heart rate / average pace / average speed / perfect pace / perfect speed (*)
row 1 left configurable field: average pace / average speed / current heart rate / perfect pace / perfect speed
row 1 middle configurable field: speed, smooth speed (5s average), smooth speed (10s average), pace, smooth pace (5s average), smooth pace (10s average)
time ahead / behind
race timer
(adjusted) distance covered (see adjusting distance explanation below)
estimated time of arrival

After Activity in Garmin Connect (*cIQ2)

When you opt to record the ahead Time to the FIT track an extra graphic is shown in Garmin Connect

Perfect Pace / Perfect Speed
This field recalculates as you run and gives you the pace you need to run to arrive at the finish with 0 seconds behind / ahead (eg if you run a 10k race and want to arrive in 1 hour (avg pace=6:00min/km), currently you're at the 7k point in 41:30, which means you're 30 seconds ahead, the perfect pace will thus show the value 6:10 (min/km) as you can run the next 3k 10 seconds slower to still get in time at the finish line)

Distance Adjustment
When you press the LAP button the on screen distance is adjusted to the nearest LAP SIZE (eg 5.31k will be adjusted to 5k if the lap size is 1000 meters).
When you press the LAP button by mistake you have 30 seconds to undo the last correction (just press the LAP button again)

When you miss a mile/kilometer marker, don't worry DO NOT PRESS THE LAP button and wait for the next kilometer/mile marker and press the LAP button there.

Adjusting the distance has no influence on the recorded distance (In Garmin Connect when you come back home you will see the real recorded GPS distance, yet of course you will be able to determine based on the lap marker postions where the LAP markings really were)...

Recommendations

Train with the data field before you race with it so you're used to the layout!
Have a backup second datascreen layout, in case the field crashes you can switch to the native data screen layout
If you have a Connect IQ 1.x device consider the application option to enjoy all features of Peter's (Race) Pacer: https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/ea97af1f-1e5d-4541-820c-9bd994080d4

Tested on real FR735XT, all other devices were tested in the simulator.

Top Replies

All Replies

peterdedecker over 7 years ago

I could add it, but I'm not sure I want to waste the tight memory space to an array with a width of 60.
Have you considered using lap pace? This pace resets after each lap marker, but gets more and more smoothened the further you are down the lap....

PS:
* I'm a bit surprised you see such high fluctuations in your (smoothened) pace on your device, on my fr735xt I use instant speed (no smoothening) when I run and the figures reported are very often spot on (it usually matches my feeling of the speed I'm running).
* something that can help to help increase the accuracy of the pace is to run with a footpod ( https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/15516 ). I bought one a few years ago to use with my older 310xt device, but with my current fr735xt device I don't use it anymore, since the speeds it reports is accurate enough for me now.

dannirr over 7 years ago

While running the same pace, I've seen 10 sec smoothed pace vary by more than a minute/mile. It is very unstable. Ave pace is fine, but over a lap is not responsive enough - one of the reasons I liked the idea of using your stuff. Instant pace is too variable to be useful to me. Previous experience with a footpod outdoors has been disastrous - I do use one on the treadmill. On courses where there is a lot of tree or tunnel cover, the watch sometimes does not switch to and from the footpod well, and the info provided is inaccurate. I think at your level of running you perhaps do not understand those of us less talented - our pace is not as consistent, and we throw walk breaks in occasionally. To try to run to a pace we need a smoothed pace over a longer time, b ut not as long as a lap.

peterdedecker over 7 years ago

I've added your request to my backlog to consider it (when memory allows).

dannirr over 7 years ago

Hi Peter
I still don't think the mixed units is working. I ran today with the watch settings: distance (km), pace(miles/min). In your DataField I had lap at 1000m. My watch correctly displayed km's on all native faces, as well as giving me the km lap alert every 1 km BUT your datafield continued to show miles for distance.

Thanks

D

peterdedecker over 7 years ago

Hi Dan

I just tested and went on a walk for you.

I've set the following settings on my FR735XT watch:
* Units Distance : Kilometers
* Units Pace/Speed : Miles
* Laps: Auto 1.00 km

I've set the following settings in the Peter's (Race) Pacer settings:
* Lap Size in metres: 1000
* Show on Top Middle: Average Pace
* Show on Row 1 Left: Speed
* Show on Row 1 Middle : Pace

I set up a second data screen on my watch with a native layout also showing distance, average pace, speed and pace.

I went on a walk and the speed, pace and average pace were in the same ball park as the native pace, speed and average pace on the native data screen.

I also verified that the autolap worked correctly, it lapped at 1k and the distance in Peter's (Race) Pacer remained at 1k

I also tested the correction and uncorrection feature:
- at 1.2 k I pushed the lap button the distance was corrected to 1k
- within 30 seconds I pushed the lap button again and the distance was uncorrected to 1.25k - I kept walking so during correction/uncorrection I got 50 meters extra...

So to summarize on my forerunner 735xt everything functioned as I expected it to be.

TEST 1 : Can you verify with the same setup I did above - especially making sure that your auto lap size matches the lap size in meters in the Peter's (Race) Pacer settings
TEST 2 : In case TEST 1 is unsatisfactory do the same test but turn autolap on your watch off
TEST 3 : In case TEST 1 & 2 are unsatisfactory remove the data field, reinstall the datafield, redo the settings and try TEST 1 & 2 again

dannirr over 7 years ago

Thanks - I will get to that in a day or two - but the run I did (735xt) has essentially identical settings to you. The watch did auto lap every 1km. The lap size was 1000m in your Pacer. The native Garmin screens all showed distance in km's - the only place it showed in miles was in the Pacer. I'll test again on Wednesday. Re-installing is probably a good idea though

dannirr over 7 years ago

Peter.

I reinstalled the datafield and tried it again on my 735xt.

Distance set in km's. Pace in miles. Lap distance in Peter's is set at 1000m.

All inbuilt Garmin screens show the correct units. Autolap is correct (km's).

On your datafield, everything is shown in imperial units - pace is in miles/mim but distance is still in miles.

peterdedecker over 7 years ago

It's truly odd Dan that it doesn't work for you, while it works for me, especially since you also have a FR735XT, just like me.... I really don't do exotic stuff, I just fetch the deviceSettings through the connect iq api and then based on the devicesettings I receive I convert to either metric or statute...

I'm too tired to do it now (a 9hour+ run is the likely cause), but I'll try to free up some time tomorrow evening to write a small test app for you to see if your devicesettings are fetched correctly from your device.

peterdedecker over 7 years ago

I've attached a test data field for you.

To install:
- unzip the zip file
- connect your device with the usb cable
- copy the prg file to the \garmin\apps folder on the device

- add the "TestForDannirr" field to your activity profile (choose a 1-field layout)

- start the activity and check whether the metric/statute settings match with what you expect

(when you change the settings from statute to metric you have to exit completely to the clock face (and then go back towards the activity) - the settings are only fetched in the "onInitialize" phase)

peterdedecker over 7 years ago

Any chance to include power in one of the fields?

I can finally scratch the item from my todo list - it's was there already for months before you even asked ;)

Released Peter's (Race) Pacer v 4.2:
- Added configurable field option cadence [CIQ 2 devices only]
- Added configurable field option power [CIQ 2 devices only]

For the power value to show something your watch needs to be compatible with bike power meters and your power meter needs to be set in bike power meter mode (in theory you should be able to connect to a stryd too this way). I don't have any power meters myself so let me know how it goes :)

Currently the coloring is hardcoded:
- cadence: < 170 red < 190 green > 190 blue
- power: hardcoded to the default garmin setup [54, 121, 165, 198, 232, 265, 333]

I would like to make the power code coloring array configurable in a future version, what would work best: input just a ftp value and then apply hardcoded percentages or provided values such as I've listed here above?