Indoor walking - wrong distance.

Former Member over 7 years ago

Hi, when walking indoor on a treadmill I am alway getting wrong distances, about 20 %. But when running the distance is more or less spot on.
I am using both a garmin foot-pod and a HRM-Run.

Today I did some testing.
I went to my stadium and first walked, then run, 1000 m. Additionally on my right wrist I was using a garmin vivosmart 3. I was only using the HRM-Run that is connected to the Fenix 5.

Om my first attempt the fenix 5 showed 1.18 km, while the vivosmart was more or less spot on.
I did the same attempt one more time, both time I was counting the steps, and made sure it was all correct with the custom side length settings.

I then ran 2000 meter, still in tredmill mode (to keep the GPS out of this). This time the the Fenix 5 showed me 2.03 km while the vivosmart was only 1.79 km. This could be due to wrong counting of steps. Not so easy to count when you are running..

But this makes me believe the the running dynamics in the HRM-Run is confusing the watch while walking. And also looking at the stride length data from the time I was walking they are jumping all over.
So as a hart rate band this is unless for walking. Would be better if it was giving no data, rather then data ruin my statistic.

I have also noted when I am using my foot pod outside walking (it is set up to speed always - distance inside) the pace is complete wrong. Distance is right (GPS) but speed is completly out. about 7 min / km in stead of 9.

Am I doing something wrong here, or is all this sensors useless for walking?
I really got the HRM-Run just for the hart rate purpose, got a good deal to same price. But staring to regret this now.

I guess not a big deal as this is all designed for running. But I do quite a few km pr week walking too, indoor, and would like to have some degree of accuracy.

0 mcalista over 7 years ago

In Garmin Connect Mobile, you can set seperate custom stride lengths for running, and for walking.

I'd recommend repeating your stadium test, but include the number of steps as a data field, so that you can know your steps per 1000 metres (rather than having to count yourself), and therefore also your stride length. Enter your stride length for walking, and for running, and then hopefully you will get more accurate results when indoors from the footpod and HRM-Run.

0 AllanOlesen67 over 7 years ago

The foot pod measures stride length. And when I run faster, I can see in the data afterwards that I do it by increasing my stride length, not my cadence. So forcing a custom stride length would probably make the inaccuracies worse.

I have the same problem with walking vs. running, using a foot pod and a Fenix 3 (no HRM-Run). The foot pod needs a calibration factor of 97 when I run and 88 when I walk. As I have understood it, a factor of 100 means that the stride length measured by the pod is spot on and doesn't need correction. So looking at my factors of 97 and 88, it would appear that the pod is quite precise in measuring my running stride length, but it largely overestimates my walking stride length.

0 Former Member over 7 years ago

I did some more testing, but not sure if I find any conclusion yet.
I see the Fenix 5 only has custom stride length for walking, not running. Vivosmart 3 has for both running and walking. And I can not turn off custom stride length for one unit and let the other be on. Either I have to enable, or disable on both of them.

But today I walked on a treadmill (with I know is more or less correct). I was walking at 5 km/h, but the Fenix 5 was reporting 6.5 km/h.
I was using my HRM-Run band.
I then tied to disable custom stride length, but still with same result. Watch was reporting way to fast.
When I checked my data on Garmin connect I could see it was reporting a stride length for about a meter, witch is closer to my running pace then walking.

I then tried walking without the HRM-Run. But to my surprise the watch was still reporting way to fast.

How can it be the simple vivosmart 3 is calcultaing pace more or less correct while the expensive Fenix 5 is way off. And when running the situation is more opposite?

The treadmill app on the Fenix 5 actually comes us as "Treadmill Running" on Garmin connect. This makes me believe the Fenix 5 is using the calibration data for running and not walking.

I am trying to think back, and I believe it was more correct before.

So I wonder if this is a problem with any of the new firmware updates, it does not recognise difference between walking and running.

0 thr4 over 7 years ago

Fenix 5 offers post-run calibration. So just align the activity distance based on what treadmill reports after the activity end.

It is also my understanding that fenix has "pace tables" that determine and calibrate distance for different paces. It might make sense to go outside, walk at the pace you want to walk on the treadmill (with the run activity selected with GPS enabled). It should lead to better calibration for slow paces.

0 Former Member over 7 years ago

I suspect you might be right.
I think my Fenix 5 went crazy after I got an Vivosmart 3 later on.

I guess I need to head out again and do some recalibration.

I got the vivosmat for using on work site, witch can be a bit rough, so I don’t want to break my Fenix just for keeping some kind of distance tracking.

But if this is the problem, it’s a bit annoying I can’t put custom stride length on just one of them.

Well well, it works flawless outside with GPS and more then good enough running on treadmill.

0 thr4 over 7 years ago

I might be wrong but I think the stride distance you can enter is only used to convert non-activity (all day activity tracking) steps into kilometres. For in-activity distance estimates, a more sophisticated algorithm is used and no manual override is required, or even desired. But for that to work, the watch needs to learn your stride patterns which I believe it does when you run or walk with GPS on.

0 AllanOlesen67 over 7 years ago

But if this is the problem, it’s a bit annoying I can’t put custom stride length on just one of them.

I still don't understand why you want to use custom stride length with a foot pod. Your stride length will change all the time, and the foot pod measures your actual stride length all the time. Why do you want to overrule this measurement with a fixed stride length?

0 Former Member over 7 years ago

I'd recommend repeating your stadium test, but include the number of steps as a data field, so that you can know your steps per 1000 metres (rather than having to count yourself),

Any tips on how to do that?
I have gone through all possible settings for the running and walking app, but can not find anywhere to set step counter.
On Garmin connect I can not find any data either regarding how many steps.

0 Former Member over 7 years ago

I still don't understand why you want to use custom stride length with a foot pod. Your stride length will change all the time, and the foot pod measures your actual stride length all the time. Why do you want to overrule this measurement with a fixed stride length?

Main problem is that I am using two units, regularly (not at same time though)
I have a Fenix 5 for workout. Currently training for a half marathon and need to thrust the speed the treadmill is giving me.

For work I am using a cheaper, and more robust, vivosmart 3 just so I can keep some daily tracking. Problem is that the vivosmart is not very accurate, unless you enable custom stride length.
But by enabling custom stride length on the vivosmart, it will also enable it on the Fenix.

But as thr4 is saying, maybe it is not the cause of the problem. And the custom stride length is only used for non-activity.

Anyway, I have discovered the foot pod is completely useless for walking, showes a pace about 7, when reel speed is around 9.30.
And I suspect the hrm-run is also useless for walking.

All in all, I assume all theese sensors are made for running. And they give quite accurate data for that.

0 mcalista over 7 years ago

I did some more testing, but not sure if I find any conclusion yet.
I see the Fenix 5 only has custom stride length for walking, not running. Vivosmart 3 has for both running and walking. And I can not turn off custom stride length for one unit and let the other be on. Either I have to enable, or disable on both of them.

But today I walked on a treadmill (with I know is more or less correct). I was walking at 5 km/h, but the Fenix 5 was reporting 6.5 km/h.
I was using my HRM-Run band.
I then tied to disable custom stride length, but still with same result. Watch was reporting way to fast.
When I checked my data on Garmin connect I could see it was reporting a stride length for about a meter, witch is closer to my running pace then walking.

I then tried walking without the HRM-Run. But to my surprise the watch was still reporting way to fast.

How can it be the simple vivosmart 3 is calcultaing pace more or less correct while the expensive Fenix 5 is way off. And when running the situation is more opposite?

The treadmill app on the Fenix 5 actually comes us as "Treadmill Running" on Garmin connect. This makes me believe the Fenix 5 is using the calibration data for running and not walking.

I am trying to think back, and I believe it was more correct before.

So I wonder if this is a problem with any of the new firmware updates, it does not recognise difference between walking and running.

You can set custom stride lengths for both running and walking through GCM. Just make sure you access this through the general settings menu on the top LH side, not through the settings for the specific device.