Do I really need a foot pod anymore?

I dont have the new pod but still use the footpod on the treadmill as in my opinion it is superior to what you can get from the watch. I have never lost signal on trail runs but I do like it can take over which the watch can do as well in a pinch. In short I dont think I will get rid of mine due to the accuracy it provides on my indoor treadmill runs.

I would definitely use the foot pod on a treadmill for the most reliable pace assuming it is calibrated for you on the treadmill.

Outdoors I don't take anything from a foot pod but then again I don't "run in the woods a lot". If your current pace is all over the place in the woods (due to weak GPS signal) then a foot pod would be an advantage as you can set the watch to take pace from the foot pod. In theory the watch would also cutover to "fill in" pace and distance. The problem is that it probably won't do unless GPS cuts out altogether which, as you say, it does not tend to.

The RD-pod isn't a replacement for a foot pod. It was for the things like ground contact time, vertical oscillation that you can get if wear an HRM-Run/Tri. The only thing both do is cadence and you can get that from the watch if you aren't wearing a HRM-Run/Tri or the two types of pod.

I would definitely use the foot pod on a treadmill for the most reliable pace assuming it is calibrated for you on the treadmill.

Wait ... the watch also does cadence, is auto-calibrated against GPS, and takes over when you lose your signal (if outdoors).

Are you saying the watch (acting as the foot pod) doesn't give meaningful/reliable distances or paces?

I always thought there was zero need for a footpod now because of this. I know the position on the body cadence is being calculated from is different between wrist/foot, but that can be corrected (with enough calibration i assume).

My experience with other Garmin watches is that after a few weeks of outdoor running the watch accelerometers get off for me in the treadmill and read a too fast pace.

I do a couple of outdoor runs with a foot pod set to auto calibrate and then only use it indoors and it works out ok but can read a little bit off at paces a little slower than normal reading a bit slow and paces faster than normal reading too fast. Still good enough for basic trading but not so much intervals which I hate doing on the treadmill anyway.

Wait ... the watch also does cadence, is auto-calibrated against GPS, and takes over when you lose your signal (if outdoors).

Are you saying the watch (acting as the foot pod) doesn't give meaningful/reliable distances or paces?

I always thought there was zero need for a footpod now because of this. I know the position on the body cadence is being calculated from is different between wrist/foot, but that can be corrected (with enough calibration i assume).

Unless things have changed, the 935 uses the swing of your arm to detect cadence. If you're on a treadmill, activities like changing speed, getting a drink, changing track on your iphone, wiping sweat etc can all interfere with the accuracy. I think the general consensus is that a well-calibrated footpad gives much better accuracy on a treadmill than just the watch.

> Are you saying the watch (acting as the foot pod) doesn't give meaningful/reliable distances or paces?

Similar to the previous comments, yes it will do this but a calibrated foot pod will generally give MORE meaningful and reliable pace & distance in the absence of GPS - so particularly useful on a treadmill.

It is a bit like OHR - it can be pretty good but for most people (including me) a HR strap will generally give the most accurate & reliable results.

So it is great that the watch can do both these things on its own but I suggest you observe how good it works for you and whether that is good enough for you. If not then there is the option to add these additional sensors.

jacomo rica

Can't see a good reason to stop using your footpod if you already have one ? On the other hand I can't really see a good reason to go out and buy that new pod since no one has been able to make any sense/use of the info it delivers ?

The watch accelerometers can't provide the same accurate pace as something on your shoe, just look at all the tests that have been done. Besides you never know you might be racing under a tunnel one day, like at the Paris Marathon with it's 1k+ Tuileries tunnel section ;-)

Thanks for all the info, everyone! I think I'm going to keep it on my shoe for outdoor running and definitely use it on the treadmill, although I do want to try using the watch alone for that too to compare. I haven't run on a treadmill in over a year though because it's all folded up with nowhere to put it right now, so it's not really an issue for me. I ran outside all winter I'll just keep doing that.

Another thought Linda is if you are wearing a foot pod outdoors it won't actually do anything unless you have configured the entry for it in Sensors & Accessories to take pace and/or distance from it. It won't even give you cadence as your RD-Pod will do that.

I'm lost...

I have my Garmin footpod configured for distance and speed when there's no GPS (indoors) with my F5s and I was losing pace/speed/GPS and everything else this morning due to what I can only assume was poor GPS reception or the lack of it. Maybe this is the wrong forum but it's a relative thread, I think.