8,101
edits
Changes
From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
m
comment: batch update
=The Metrics=
Stryd provides an array of different metrics, which vary both in accuracy and usefulness.
* '''Pace and Distance'''. My testing has shown that the Stryd is stunningly accurate in its measurement of distance. It's the only [[Footpod]] that is accurate enough that it doesn't require calibration, something that greatly improves its usability. If you look at my testing of [[GPS Accuracy| my testing of distance accuracy]] you'll see that the Stryd is right at the top of the chart, and is far more accurate than any GPS device I've tested. This accuracy is also reflected in its measurement of current running pace. I think that this feature alone makes the Stryd good value for money.(Stryd doesn't use or provide GPS data, it uses accelerometers. Depending on the watch, the data from Stryd can be combined with the Watch's GPS data so that Stryd gives distance and pace, and the watch's GPS can be used for navigation.)
* '''Elevation. '''I suspect that Stryd is providing remarkably accurate elevation information. Due to limitations on data export I've not been able to perform any statistical evaluation, but anecdotally the data looks really good. Obviously, the Stryd cannot provide any absolute altitude information, but it does seem to be able to measure relative changes far better than either GPS or barometric altimeter's. At the moment, this information is not as directly usable as I'd like, as it's only available in real time via their, not their watch integration.
* '''Running Power'''. As I talk about in my page on [[Running Power Meters]], I believe that they are a flawed concept, but if you understand the limitations they can still be useful. So, Stryd it does not actually measure running power, but attempts to estimate what the power would be based on the things it can measure. My assumption is that it is mostly using pace and elevation change, possibly along with [[Cadence]] or Ground Contact Time. As discussed in the section below on the testing running power, I have found that the Stryd seems to give a reasonable estimate of relative intensity for flat and uphill running, but seems to underestimate relative intensity on the downhill sections. I've found that with some testing to understand the limitations, I've been able to use Stryd to more effectively pace myself on hilly runs. My approach is to keep my Stryd power estimate constant between level ground and uphill sections, which means I'm much slower going uphill. If Stryd gave a better power estimate downhill I could use it for downhill pacing, and hopefully they'll improve their estimate soon.
* '''Form Power.''' Stryd describing this metric as the "running in place power", but it's unclear what that really means more if it has any value. They suggest that a decrease in this value represents improved [[Running Economy]], but there is nothing to back that up.
* '''Cadence'''. Cadence is fairly trivial to measure for even a far simpler [[Footpod]], so Stryd nails this easily. It's arguably one of the most important running metrics, so you should pay attention to this. There are far cheaper ways of measuring cadence (like [[MilestonePod]]) but it's nice to have this included in the Stryd.
** '''Connect IQ + Footpod with GPS'''. The perfect solution; you get all the Stryd data, the distance/pace accuracy, and GPS for navigation.
** '''Connect IQ + Footpod without GPS'''. On the lower end Connect IQ enabled watches you have to set them to indoor/treadmill mode, so you get all the Stryd data, the distance/pace accuracy, but you don't have any GPS data.
* '''Direct Integration'''. The [[Suunto Spartan Ultra]] has explicit support for the Stryd, which should be ideal. Howeveris nice, even when this worked it only showed but you can't use the Stryd for both power estimate, not the other data and didn't support distance/pace at the same time (except for "Footpod with GPSpower in cadence" mode. Sadly, right now I couldn't get the latest firmware to work with Stryd in running modes. )
==Watch Support==
This section will follow soon.
