Related
Options

Foot pod running outside.

6928399
over 1 year ago

Edit: This is the old foot pod and not the slightly newer running dynamics foot pod with the yellow colour.

Can someone help me set up the Garmin Foot Pod properly? I want to experiment a bit with it. It's for outside running, and despite multi-band and all options GPS signal is weak in some places (but not off) and there's a 400m stretch of open sky road along some railway tracks where pace always tanks despite the road being flat like everywhere else. My guess is that something messes with the GPS here. Unfortunately it's close to my home.

I think using it as a speed source I need to set it to Speed: always. What is Distance about? Or would I need this one? Calibration factor? Due to the GPS problems most of my runs are measured shorter than they should be, and hence pace is calculated to be slower. But I also don't want to switch off GPS to get a nice map I think. So basically, what I'm missing is a good manual for outdoor running. Pairing is not problem, setting it up is though.

And just a thought: if I run a race route with known length and knowledge where the km markers are can I set km markers manually during the run to fix this issue without additional technical kit? The problem is that the recorded runs are a bit shorter than they should be, thus the km marker would be set earlier than my watch would notify me of another 1km done.

Thanks a lot.

Top Replies

All Replies

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to trux

    I had an RD Pod before I upgraded my old HRM to HRM Pro+. Of course the RD Pod doesn't provide any "foot pod" pace/distance, but looking at the charts, I would say that the main difference is that vertical oscillation figures are different (to be expected, because it's measured from different part of the body), and HRM Pro+ transmits some data points more frequently than the RD Pod (even with 1 second recording on, the RD Pod transmits ground contact balance, cadence etc. only every 2-5 seconds, if I remember correctly).

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Bitti

    Ah, so stupid! Auto calibration is hidden underneath Calibration Factor, and there I can switch on auto calibration or set a manual factor.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to trux

    As for running dynamics, the RD pod and HRM-Run (or Tri) delivers significantly different Ground Contact Time and Balance. 

    Support for the RD pod seems to dwindle a bit, it is not widely sold anymore, and the Fenix 6 had a bug for many months with handling RD Pod data. I don't know if that got fixed. 

    I very much appreciate that the Fenix 7 has really good RD and foot pod support.

    But the focus seems to shift to support for HRM-Pro and internal accelerometer+gyro. It is logical to move towards more modern sensors and improved real time processing capabilities.

    Despite that, I prefer the HRM Run or Dual with the detachable pod (combined with RD pod and foot pod), the data is clean, and they are very economical, just a new strap and battery per year or so.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Data

    Need to read everything. But oh dear... this question took off! Looks like there's still a lot of interest in this.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 6928399

    Ok, that was not a great success. I set a rather exaggerated calibration factor to see if it does anything. My watch claimed though that the GPS signal was strong the whole time, and hence I guess the footpod didn't do anything. Got the same deviation at the usual location. Hmpf.. do I need to decrease GPS accuracy so that the footpod will do anything?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 6928399

    If you set foot pod pace and distance to "always", the watch should use them regardless of GPS signal strength.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Bitti

    Thanks Bitti, that's then the next thing to test. I've ended a bit in overreaching territory (2.8 Load Ratio) and will only walk around the block a few times tomorrow. Then I can test this and see what happens.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    So, I walked three times around the block (and then to the supermarket and back home). The first half of the round had overall a good gps signal, the second half less so. Tried to keep my walking the same at every round and followed the same markers on the sidewalk. First round: without pod, second with pot and calibration factor 1.05, third with 1.1 The gained distance and pace looks half realistic, as in first round 470m, after second 990m, after third 1540m. At least I now know the thingy is working. Now I need to consider how to use it. Smiley

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Bitti

    So, after some testing of the footpod: setting it to pace doesn't work for some reason. Then I sometimes get the interesting pace plot where my pace is slower than walking when running and fast running pace when walking. Or basically a similar pattern when doing intervals. But setting it to distance always on seems to work.