Related
This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

Garmin footpod confusing measurements while running

Dmitry Lockshtanov
over 5 years ago

Good evening, good people.

I just thought of s question while walking the dog before bedtime Slight smile

While running on a treadmill and using garmin footpod i see confusing measurements. Here is a log as an example https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4486345333.

Warm up and cool down are at 6 km/h. Footpod and treadmill are giving pretty much the same reading. Then i turn treadmill for 7.5 speed, but footpod still thinks i'm doing more or less 6 km/h.

Why is it? Because step length is shorter while running compared to walking? How do i get a correct readings while running... Do i need to re-calibrate footpod while running?

Sorry for all the confusing questions, but i'm bamboozled here :) I thought that given correct calibration this thing should be smart enough to give correct readings no matter if you are running or walking...

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    The Garmin footpod doesn't work very well at walking speeds. A Stryd footpod does but comes with a hefty price tag. For walking on the treadmill you might get better results not using the footpod and just using the data from the watch.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to CloggyAbroad

    My problem is not with walking speed, but with running one. I think running speed coming from footpod is lower than it should be. That's why I'm asking for advice regarding why it can happen.

  • +1 over 5 years ago in reply to Dmitry Lockshtanov

    The Garmin footpod is not very good at slow speeds. And if you by accident has calibrated it (or it is on auto calibration) - at low speed - it will get even worse and can be all over the place.

    So go into settings/sensors - and find the footpod - and reset calibration back to 100.0 And disable auto-calibration. For calibration runs - set Footpod to indoor=always, outdoor = always)

    Then do a few TM runs at your normal pace - write down reported km on watch vs. Reported on treadmill. - and calculate the factor. ( TM  total run distance  / Watch total run distance) * 100 and that will be your initial very rough “calibration factor” 

    Once you have done that - the best thing is to validate the calibration - running on a known track. So do 5 rounds on a 400m track - and check if footpod is showing roughly the right km’s. 

    The watch can do “auto calibration” on treadmill - but I have not used that as I use Stryd now. It might work but.....

    The other issue is that your treadmill might not be measuring correct. That is very likely as well. What treadmill are you using? If it is anything but built like a tank like LifeFitness, PreCor or similar - expect issues. If TM is not maintained well - expect issues. 

    Normal issue is if you walk - it tracks ok. But the moment you start running and land hard on the belt - you will get belt slippage. That means your TM might show 7.5 km/h but due to slippage you are actually only running 6 - 6.5 km/h.  

    Stryd is my go to footpod and is very precise on TM’s. On 10km my TM and Stryd is within less than 50 meters apart. But my TM is maintained to perfection. Slight smile

    For an alternative slightly cheaper solution - get the NPE RUNN ($99) sensor to put on your treadmill. That will measure quite well too - and at least remove the TM as a variable.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to kaz911

    Thank you very much for response. I said "screw it" and bough a Scryd last night, so hopefully this part of my problems will be over Slight smile

    Follow-up question: what's the best way to maintain treadmill to perfection? Or should i just google generic instructions and it'll be enough?

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to Dmitry Lockshtanov

    haha - well I would have done the same

    But what treadmill do you have? 

    The most important things are the running surface, belt and the rollers. The belt needs to be the right tension - and the running surface needs to be clean and slippery. But how to do it correct is very dependent on the TM.

    /k

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to kaz911

    The NPE Runn sensor looks interesting.  However, from glancing at their store page it looks like it really is more of a permanent solution for a treadmill in your home.  Is there anything similar out there that you can use when travelling?  After all, that's when you're going from hotel to hotel / treadmill to treadmill.  (Also, if you are a gym member you probably want something you can move from treadmill to treadmill.)