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MilestonePod

598 bytes added, 10:23, 10 April 2017
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The MilestonePod is a simple way of tracking the mileage of your shoes, but it's also a [[Running Sensors| Running Sensor]] that will gather data on your [[Running Form]]. I think the MilestonePod is well worth the price even if it only tracked overall mileage for your shoes. Given the extra data it records, it's a real bargain. <jfs id="B01JLHCRFS" noreferb="true" nonl="t" n="MilestonePod"/>.
* For each run the MilestonePod will record your distance, time, and number of steps. Like all [[Footpod]]s, the MilestonePod benefits from calibration though I've often found it remarkably close out of the box. I'd recommend calibrating for each new pair of shoes you put it on.
* There is a small LED that will blink green, yellow, or red to give an indication of how much life is left in your shoes. Because MilestonePod allows me to track my shoe mileage more easily and accurately, I've become rather more aware of how shows wear out. As many runners know, the hard rubber outsole is not the limiting factor on the life of a shoe but the soft foam midsole. Generally , a shoe with an outsole will have loads of grip left well after the midsole is badly degraded. This collapse of the midsole is not even, but tends to happen more under the main pressure areas of the foot such as under the ball. This localized collapse means the foot is twisted and unevenly cushioned, which could be a bigger risk factor for injury than one would expect.* Most data is available via a mobile app which syncs with the pod using Bluetooth after your runs. There's no real -time data, so it's not possible to use the MilestonePod to dynamically adjust your form as you run. * The MilestonePod can act as a Bluetooth [[Footpod]], though this functionality is currently in beta. This makes MilestonePod a very cheap Footpod, and (with calibration) it's more accurate than any GPS watch. It's nowhere near as good as the [[Stryd]] Footpod, but Stryd costs nearly ten times as much.
* [[Cadence]] is recorded as an average and best (maximum value) for each run. From the distance and the Cadence, stride length is calculated.
* The MilestonePod records the percentage of time spent in Heel, Mid, and Forefoot [[Foot Strike]]s. This is not as effective as systems like the more expensive [[RunScribe]] (see below).
* There are a few graphs that are available but these are rather small and tricky to interpret. They show "pace vs. cadence", "pace vs. stride length", "pace vs. stance time", "pace vs. runficiency", plus a graph of Foot Strike, Rate of Impact, and Leg Angle.
* Data can be exported as an excel spreadsheet with one row per run. This makes it far easier to analyze your data.
{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: none;"
|- valign="top"
|[[File:MilestonePod 1.png|none|thumb|200px|Summary data from a run]]
|[[File:MilestonePod 6.png|none|thumb|200px|A sample of the graphs in the app.]]
|}
=Support This Site=
{{BuyAmazon|AZID=B01JLHCRFS |AZN=MilestonePod}}
=Limitations=
There are a number of limitations to the MilestonePod, though it should be noted that similar limitations occur in [[Running Sensors]] costing many times as much.
=Testing Milestone Pod=
I've tested a number of the metrics for the Milestone Pod, and I'll continue testing against other systems.
* '''Distance'''. Because I tested Milestone is not with the beta firmware using the same methodology I use for GPS devices and found it remarkably accurate. ** The beta firmware version allows the MilestonePod to act as a GPS device, standard Bluetooth footpod. I found this works with all the watches I can't perform my statistical analysis have that support Bluetooth Footpods ([[Polar V800]], [[Polar M400]], and [[Suunto Ambit3]].) ** I do for [[GPS Accuracy| tested the accuracy]]and when calibrated it's more accurate than any GPS watch. However, my informal testing suggests that Milestone can be quite accurateThe details of the beta are at the [http://www.milestonepod.com/blog/now-beta-pod-metrics-real-time/ milestone blog].
** The placement of the pod on the laces seems to be important. The pod should be placed over the arch of the foot, which is typically the second or third crossing of the laces (counting from near the toes.) This seems to give the pod a stable position, as wobbling our bouncing will cause problems.
** The pod requires calibration. If you place it badly and don't calibrate, the error can be as much as 25%, though if it's well placed I've typically seen errors of 6-8%. ** Radical changes of footstrike[[Foot Strike]], from heelstrike heel strike to forefoot can result in greater errors, though I've normally only seen this when I've also not placed the pod in the right place. (It took me a while to realize placement was important.)
** Milestone will work out when your run starts and stops, but you can confuse it if you take breaks in the middle of a run.
** With calibration and correct placement I see a typical error of 1-2%, which is better than most GPS systems.
* '''Cadence '''seems accurate when compared with other systems and verifying with a metronome. Note that walking breaks might impact your reading.
* '''Ground Contact Time '''is surprisingly accurate; I found it to be better than the far more expensive [[RunScribe]]. I validated this using High Speed Video.

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