Garmin ANT+ Foot Pods: Everything you ever wanted to know
Tis the season when the weather goes from bad…to ugly, and as such – many folks are heading indoors to the treadmill to get in their quality runs completed.
Of course, for data junkies like myself (and many of you) that means that the GPS signal on your various fitness devices is no longer able to record all the information you’re likely accustomed to – such as pace and distance. But don’t worry, there’s a solution that can help you get all that information, despite your treadmill-bound workouts.
Enter, the foot pod.
Many of you from the ‘way-back’ era of...well...2000-ish, probably remember foot pods as the defacto way that sports watches could measure distance and speed – this being well before GPS fitness devices. Back then the solution was looked at as a way to capture both distance inside and outside. In the past, it was rather bulky as well.
The foot pod of today though is now a simple device about the size of a quarter that fits on your shoe. From there, it broadcasts via ANT+ protocol to any number of devices, including your Garmin Forerunner, Timex Global Trainer and others.
Of course, some of you may be wondering why you’d need a foot pod when a treadmill tells you pace and distance. Well, first, as many of you have probably realized over time, treadmill speeds are horribly unreliable (and thus by extension, distance too). Second – and most importantly – you can’t easily record that data with second by second heart rate data, unless it’s all going to one device such as your Garmin. Thus, the appeal of a consolidated system. This way, you can download your treadmill workout and have the same important data that you would when outdoors: Pace, Distance, Time, Heart Rate – and any applicable laps/splits that you may have created.
But there’s one little piece of data you won’t get from a treadmill console – or from GPS – and that’s running cadence. Yup, the foot pod will tell your cadence, which is a key area that many high end runners aim to improve (increase). Think of it simply as how many times your foot strikes the ground each minute. Ideally, this would start at about 92 times per minute, but that’s a whole different discussion for another day…
The device:
The foot pod itself is a very small and lightweight device that you simply snap onto your shoe. It used to be that even just a couple years ago these things were the size of Twinkies, but now, being the size of a quarter you could just about make a phone call in a pay-phone with it.
The device has two pieces, the main accelerometer piece, and the plastic clip. Despite thousands and thousands of miles of running – from snow to sand to dirt to mud – I’ve never had one fall off.
The device is designed to run about a year on the user-replaceable battery. And once that year is up, you just turn it over, give it a twist, and pop the battery out and put in a new $3 one from the drugstore:
Simple as that. There’s no buttons, on/off switches, or any other area to poke at. It just sits there on your running shoes…forever.
And for those curious – it doesn’t actually matter which way the arrow points, as long as it stays pointing that way (the manual merely suggests one way to simplify support questions, I validated that with the Garmin Fitness support folks).
Connecting up the foot pod:
Pairing the foot pod is super easy. It’ll vary by device of course, but just using the FR310XT as an example, you’d go into the ANT+ menu and enable the foot pod there by pairing it. Each foot pod is assigned a unique ID, which then connects to your watch, so there’s no interference with others at the gym. Quick and easy.
Once enabled, you typically want to calibrate it for the highest levels of accuracy. In general I recommend going to a track – but if that’s iced over, you can also use GPS to calibrate it.
Once it’s connected, you’re good to go! As long as you don’t adjust the position, you’ll never have to touch this menu again.
Going for a run…indoors:
To use the foot pod you literally have to do nothing. Well, technically, if you’re running indoors you should put the Garmin into indoor mode by turning off the satellite. This will ensure that there isn’t a satellite track recorded with a distance of roughly zero (since you’re not moving).
(Yes, I know this photo is of outdoors, while talking about indoors – but at the moment my running shoes and luggage are apparently thousands of miles away from me elsewhere, so I can’t take a new photo quite yet…sorry!)
If you forget though, don’t worry – the unit will actually still record your pace/speed/distance using the foot pod. It’s just that some older applications don’t correctly interpret this. Though, none of the major ones in use today have any issues.
Once you’re done running, you’ll see two graphs on Garmin Connect (or other similar application). First, is the speed and distance like you would normally see outdoors:
Note how incredibly smooth the paces are – that’s because I’m on a treadmill running a set pace as part of intervals.
And second, is your running cadence:
You’ll get cadence whether your indoors or outdoors from here on out.
Accuracy:
I get a lot of questions around accuracy of foot pods in general. For example – if you change pace, are they still accurate? Or if you do intervals, are they still accurate? Or what about terrain, or snow?
I’ve found again and again that the latest generation of foot pods are incredibly accurate. Last winter I put together a review of the FR60 – which is an ANT+ watch that doesn’t have GPS. As such, it depends on the Garmin ANT+ foot pod. After doing calibration I did many runs side by side with it’s GPS-enabled brethren, the FR310XT.
Perhaps the most telling test was one I did in the snow, for 7.78 miles, doing intervals. The FR60 using the foot pod, and the FR310XT using GPS. The end results? Well, check out the photo below:
Pretty darn impressive I think.
Using the foot pod or GPS outdoors?
Of course, another common question I get is whether to use a foot pod or GPS in race situations. The actual root of the question usually stems from: “I’m looking to qualify for Boston and need to be able to pace an exact pace per mile, and I can’t afford to have it be off, or I won’t qualify”.
Well, the real answer here is: Don’t depend on either.
What I mean by that is that no matter what number your Garmin tells you at the end of the race – if you missed the time cutoff, it won’t matter. As such, you should be actually taking mile splits manually based on the course mile markers and ensure that meets your goal time. For virtually every BQ marathon course out there, the mile splits are probably going to be pretty darn accurate.
For general use – just use GPS, it’s generally easier and that way you’ll still get a pretty satellite map when you’re done.
Calibration without going to the track (Updated August 6th, 2011):
One really cool tool that’s come available since I originally wrote this is a tool which enables you to actually calibrate the footpod by just doing your runs as normal outside with the GPS turned on. Based on those runs the tool can determine your correct calibration factor. Pretty cool!
![image[20]](http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iikwg6E5WDk/Tj3J4L-jUXI/AAAAAAAAsrw/d62pJALb16U/s1600-h/image%25255B20%25255D%25255B2%25255D.png "image[20]")
For more information on that, check out the post I wrote up here on it.
Questions and Answers:
I literally have an entire e-mail folder full of foot pod questions. I even dedicated an entire Slowtwitch article to them, but…there’s still more flowing in! So here’s all the ones I’ve amassed, in simplified form:
Q: My foot pod says I’m running faster (or slower) than I think I am, what’s up?A: More than likely the calibration has become skewed. Try and re-calibrate it to re-gain accuracy. It only takes a moment to run half a mile (ideal calibration distance), but the benefits are huge.
Q: Why does my foot pod show dropouts in numbers (i.e. 95.92.93.50.50.92.93.94.93…)?
A: This is typically caused by a battery that’s dying. Simply replace the battery and you’ll be good to go!
Q: Do I have to set the Garmin to ‘indoors’ mode to get accurate distance indoors?
A: Actually, no. All this does is turn off the GPS, so you get a ‘clean’ track. Otherwise, some older applications may incorrectly process the GPS track (basically showing you standing still), instead of the foot pod tack (moving).
Q: Do Garmin units record distance both the foot pod and GPS at once?
A: No, the track points use GPS while outdoors and with signal. No devices/apps that I’m currently aware of record both and allow you to use both tracks. Not that someone couldn’t develop such an app, just not in the Garmin’s today.
Q: Is the number displayed in cadence (i.e. 95) per foot, or total?
A: The number if per foot, thus you’d double to get total cadence – (i.e. 190)
Q: Should I use the foot pod or GPS while trail running?
A: It depends. In general, I recommend GPS (the newer GPS chips are incredibly accurate in trees) – but if it’s really dense and really twisty, the foot pod may be a better option.
Q: If GPS signal drops (like in a tunnel), will the foot pod pace be used instead?
A: Yes, foot pod pace takes over if GPS speed drops to 0, and foot pod speed shows a higher number. The inverse is also true, if foot pod speed shows 0, and yet GPS speed shows a number, than GPS speed will be used.
Q: Can I set which speed source to use?
A: Yes, on some of the Garmin watches (such as the 310XT), you can go under settings to Speed Source and set which one to use. Note however that the previous bullet still overrides that though.
Q: Does it matter which way I put the foot pod on?
A: As long as it’s not sideways, it won’t matter which way the arrow points. It’s merely there for simplicity’s sake.
Q: Is there any difference between the different Garmin foot pods out there?
A: Yes and no. In general, they all work just fine. It’s simply that the newer ones have a longer battery life and are smaller, while the older ones are cheaper (albeit harder to find now). They all are ANT+, and they all work with all devices. And, they all have cadence and speed/distance.
Q: Is there any difference between the different non-Garmin foot pods out there?
A: In short, no. The non-Garmin ones are OEM variants of one of the older Garmin versions, so aside from marketing, they’re all the same. The new Garmin ones though are the smallest ones on the market today though, whereas the non-Garmin ones are a bit bulkier.
Q: Does the foot pod contain a GPS chip?
A: No, your ANT+ receiver will likely have one though (except the FR60). There are no ANT+ foot pods on the market that have a GPS chip in them. And there are no non-ANT+ foot pods that have them either to my knowledge.
Q: Will my Polar foot pod work with my Garmin or ANT+ devices?
A: No, the Polar foot pod works on a separate proprietary platform.
Q: Does my Nike+ foot pod work with my Garmin or ANT+ devices?
A: No, the Nike+ foot pod works on a variant of ANT, but is not ANT+ compatible.
Q: Can I use the foot pod to record kayak strokes on a paddle?
A: Technically, yes – but it’s unclear how long the foot pod would last over time at the end of a paddle. There’s also some potential workaround discussed at the end of this thread.
Q: If I have a foot pod on my shoes in transition area, and then have a Garmin on my bike, when it gets to T2, will it automatically pickup the foot pod?
A: Yes, once in running mode (using multisport or manually), it’ll automatically pickup the foot pod within a few strides.
Q: Can I really put the foot pod in a phone booth pay-phone quarter slot?
A: With enough force and determination…anything is possible.
Q: Does the Garmin Edge series support the foot pod?
A: No, none of the Garmin Edge cycling devices allow use of the foot pod, it’s considered a different ANT+ device profile and isn’t one you can pair to the Edge devices. Though I should note this is actually a really common request from cyclists that occasionally run. Also of note is that the Edge series doesn’t display pace in Minutes/Mile, but rather only MPH (speed). Again, another highly requested feature from occasional runners that are primarily cyclists.
Q: Does the Timex Global Trainer support the foot pod?
A: It does now! As of August 4th, 2011 Timex released a new firmware version for the Global Trainer that does support the ANT+ foot pods. More information here.
Q: Which Garmin devices support the foot pod?
A: The Forerunner 305, FR310XT, FR405, FR405CX, FR410, FR610, FR210, FR50 and FR60. Note that the FR205 is NOT foot pod compatible.
Q: Does the Forerunner 110 support the foot pod?
A: No…and unfortunately won’t in the future. The FR210 was released as an ‘upgraded version’ of the FR110 to specifically support the foot pod.
Q: Which iPhone Apps support the ANT+ foot pod?
A: Well, that depends. But anything that supports the Wahoo Fitness iPhone Dongle will generally support the foot pod if it has a running mode. Similarly, the Digifit dongle has the same capabilities.
Q: Which Android Apps support the ANT+ foot pod?
A: At the moment there’s only a few hard to get Android phones that support ANT+ natively, so support will look much better in Feb 2011.
Q: Is the foot pod waterproof?
A: Yes, it’s IPX7 rated waterproofing – so 1 meter deep at 30 minutes.
Q: How much does the foot pod weigh?
A: 10g…or…well…not much. That’s less than an Oreo cookie (11g).
Q: Can I use the running foot pod on my cycles shoes to get cycling cadence?
A: No, you need the $30 cycling cadence kit to get both cycling cadence, as well as speed/distance (indoors). And don’t be tryin’ to attach the cycling cadence kit to your running shoes now…I don’t want to have to bring out Chuck Norris on ya.
Q: When using the foot pod outdoors, will I still get the satellite image of my run?
A: Yes, as long as you don’t disable GPS, the satellite image will still appear. If you disable GPS however (by answering ‘Yes’ to ‘Are you indoors now?’), then you will not get a route map.
Q: Is lap distance/pace recorded when using the foot pod?
A: Yup, all the same data is recorded. The only thing not included is a map of where you went, and in the case of GPS-dependent watches – elevation data isn’t included.
Q: How much does this little thing cost?
A: About $55 for the most current generation one, new.
Thanks for reading all – and feel free to post any other foot pod related questions in the comments below!
61 comments:
First thing, thank you for the input.
"No, the current Timex Global Trainer does not support the foot pod, nor will it be updated to support it (very long and messy story). The next hardware version due out in Spring 2011 will support it however."
Can you tell more about the messy story?
Then about future gps watch, would it possible to have a regular size wrist watch, with a long lasting battery that would come with a second wrist band, that would includ the gps chip, making it just two regular wrist bands instead of a bigger one that you cant really have for your everyday life?
I really appreciate if you could put a thread on cadence and how to improve... it is something that I have discussed also on my blog.
Thanks for the great review DC Rainmaker! I just ordered me one through Amazon Germany. Unfortunately you do not get any referrer bonus on that :-(
One question I do have: I do have a Forerunner 405. When the foodpod arrives I just tell the watch that its there and thats it? Is the foodpod automatically calibrated after one run with gps on? And another one: Does the foodpod comes with only one "clip-in"? I do have several running shoes and don't want to hassle when switching the food pot on different shoes! Thanks again!
Again a very complete review !
Q :)
does it fit to the nike+ hole ?
i.e. does it has the same size as the nike+ sensor ?
Thanks Ray, answered a lot of my questions. Of course, I'm sure you realized you'd get more :-) So here's a few: I know that you can set the 310XT to use the footpod as instant pace, but what happens to average pace - is that still controlled by the GPS? When you are done (assuming you had footpod for instant pace), what pace figures does the file use in the graphs, GPS or footpod? Finally, if you use the footpod for instant pace, are the distance figures taken from the GPS or the footpod?
What I'd ideally like to be able to do is use the footpod for the instant pace, since it updates more rapidly than GPS, but have all the data in the graphs come from the GPS, since at that point I'm more concerned with total distance and pace averages.
Oh, and my backordered 310XT from REI finally shipped, almost two months after I ordered it, so I guess I'll have some answers for myself pretty soon :-) Thanks again!
Hi,
Do you have any experience with the Adidas Micoach pacer.
I've seen reports on the internet that the Micoach footpod and heart-rate monitor works with garmin devices.
You can get the micoach pacer for 100$ nowadays, seems like a good deal to me.
is there any disadvantage buying the pacer vs getting a garmin footpod and HRM?
A
DC Rainmaker: I love your articles. They appeal to my athletic and geeky side equally!
My footpod needs a rather high calibration factor to be accurate (111.5%). I have a feeling this is telling me something about my running form. Do you have any idea what that is?
HI DC
As long as you don’t adjust the position, you’ll never have to touch this menu again.
Can you clarify this statement?
the reason I am asking that is that I am using my foot pod on two different pairs of shoes. On one it is clipped to my laces , on the other one I used the nike+ hole. (Which BTW fits perfectly to answer Julien's question).
Do you think it should be re calibrated when changing shoes?
I got a Foot Pod question that I have bee curious about for a while. It seems that the Garmin pod is the same oval shape as the Nike+ pod. Will the Garmin pod work in the slot found in certain model Nike shoes designed for the Nike+ pod?
For your android answer are you saying at Mobile World Congress we should look for multiple phones with the ANT+ part of the radio chipset to be enabled? Any chance you'll be able to post which phones support ANT+ as I get a feeling the normal Android reviews won't make that information easy to figure out. (I need to replace my iPhone 3G)
I was just about to do a post about the Garmin foot pod, but then you posted this, so I'm going to link back to here for anyone interested - hope that's OK.
I have been having some trouble with my foot pod. It's my new Christmas toy, and sync'd with my 305. It had been working great until a few days ago when on the treadmill, I was running 8:30min/mile and it was reading anywhere between 11-13:30 for pace. But cadence was accurate. I've been emailing with the fine folks at Garmin to work through this. Much of what they've said is consistent with your post. One addition - they recommend the foot pod be worn on your non-dominant foot. I have mine on my dominant foot as out of habit everything goes on my dominant side, minus a watch. I'm not sure why, but they suggested switching sides and recalibrating to the non-dominant and seeing what happnens from there. Just something to add... thanks for your post!
I can confirm that the Garmin ANT+ foot pod is the same size and fits in the same hole as the Nike+ sensor. I have the Garmin inside my Nike Free Run+ shoes. Works great!
Quote:
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Q: If GPS signal drops (like in a tunnel), will the foot pod pace be used instead?
A: Yes, foot pod pace takes over if GPS speed drops to 0, and foot pod speed shows a higher number.
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I have a bad experience running the Detroit Half Marathon with 310XT and footpod activated because of the long tunnel under the river: Sure, when I got into the tunnel, the 310XT watch swtiched to the footpod to get inst. pace and distance. However, when I got out of the tunnel and got back GPS fix, distance and avg pace got screwed up since it added (a second time) the tunnel distance.
I now leave the footpod at home when doing that race :)
My foot pod quit working today mid workout. I only received it 2-3 weeks ago (Christmas). The battery should last a lot longer than that, correct? I pulled the battery out and reinserted it to "reset" things, and that seems to have temporarily worked, but I am assuming I should replace the battery entirely.
I've been running in some really cold temps - i.e. single digit with negative wind-chill and I get the impression that the foot pod gets a bit squirrelly when it gets too cold. Did the Garmin folks give you any idea of what temps it's rated to?
The accuracy on my 50 is pretty bad with the footpod, yet I set the same calibration in my 310XT and the accuracy is pretty darn good. Another thing that affects distance is stride length. If you change your stride length when you speed up/slow down, that is going to affect your distance with the pod. I always try to keep my cadence at 90 or so. So my distance is most accurate when I run at my calibration pace :-)
For temp range garmin claims:
http://static.garmincdn.com/pumac/FootPod_Instructions_Multlingual_.pdf
32-104 F for sensor accuracy
@ascher, the Adidas miCoach HRM and Footpod will work, with Garmin, and vice versa. I'd recommend getting them as they are so much cheaper than Garmin's.
@Rainmaker the adidas footpod is the same form factor as Garmin's smallest model.
@Paulie: Yes those holes in Nike+ shoes will work. YMMV however. Since I got a long nail on my tibia, the signal from the footpod (or Nike+ footpod) will not reach the watch. I get lots of dropouts, so I need the footpod to be on the laces.
Great info, DC. I have one and love using it for treadmill workouts and cadence outdoors.
Is there a way to pair more than one footpod (or HR strap) at a time to a Garmin watch? I'd like to have footpods on both pairs of running shoes (to avoid having to swap back and forth) but it seems like you can only pair one at a time. I also have a couple of HR straps and would like to alternate them (they get a little sweaty!) but have the same problem. Going through the pairing process every time would be a real PITA.
Thanks!
http://georgiatriathlete.blogspot.com/
Great information. I was unaware of the improvement of accuracy. The old Nike+ without battery replacement was a real pain.
Very useful post - thanks! Any chance you've gotten one of the new Nike GPS watches to test out?
Do you have to calibrate the Garmin foot pod to get accurate cadence?
Just another foot pod question. Is it possible to calÃbrate the foot pot after a run if you run with the gps on as well as wearing the foot pod? Alternatively if you know the distance of the route and use the foot pod. I mean - the relevant data must be there.
Appreciate all the time and effort you put in all your reviews - your blog is sort of my go-to page when it comes to running gear.
Ray,
Can you please provide instructions or a link for calibrating the footpod to the FR305? Information on the Garmin website is sketchy at best.
Thx, Jon
I generally like your reviews, but this one is not nearly detailed enough and doesn't seem correct. They are really not that accurate, at all. You must have gotten lucky.
They are most inaccurate when you change your pace (so fine for long-slow-distance but terrible if you want to mix things up).
They are also inaccurate when you change surfaces, track, asphalt, dirt, etc.
You want to change shoes? Either for a standard rotation or for running trails, travel, whatever. Doesn't work.
Recalibrating for marginal accuracy is very tiresome.
I have a quick question. Do you know if you can pair two seperate foot pods to one watch? I have a footpod in one of my pairs of running shoes (Nike Structure Triax in the Nike Sensor hole) and then have been having to switch it to a different pair of shoes I use for trail running. Do you know if I get a second foot pod, whether I'd have to keep repairing it to go back and forth between the two, or whether it would simply detect the proper one and have both saved as paired devices?
Would love to see a post on the ideal cadence, you mention 92, and how to improve.
Wonder if these new ergonomic laces like on the asics gel kayano affect accuracy of the footpod
Well..... I bought this after reading your review and...... out of the box it was .2 of a mile shorter than the treadmill (I know, bad choice) so I auto calibrated on a 400 meter track (ran 800 meters). Calibration was successful according to my 305. Next I ran a 5 mile loop I've been running for a long time and know the splits very well. Footpod was off by almost .4 miles which is too much. Bought this to use on the treadmill when the weather's bad but I think I'm better off with treadmill data. I don't find this to be accurate at all. One other issue is that there seems to be some crosstalk between the pod and my HR monitor. Life's too short. Sending this back.
Just a quick thank you for an excellent introduction to this subject. I'm going to order a Garmin foot pod right now!
After a request on their website form, the nice folks at garmin sent me a couple of spare clips so I can easily pop the pod onto my home trainers, work trainers, and racing flats without having to re-lace to move the clip.
I've mainly used the food pod for cadence data, but still need more work on my gait to shorten my stride/increase cadence.
Q: is the Nike+ footpod the same size as the Micoach or Garmin footpod.
I have bought a Nike+ sportswatch and Micoach running shoes, but is all the footpods the same size??
Hi Pierre-
RE: Timex Global Trainer Footpod
Just a quick note to others that as of August 4th, 2011, the Timex Global Trainer now supports footpods. You can pickup and use any ANT+ footpod (including the Garmin one above). Enjoy!
Hi Thomas-
RE: Adjustment of position
The calibration is based on the position on your shoe, if you adjust said position you'll need to recalibrate.
Hi Jan-
RE: Nike+ footpod
No, they are unfortunately not the same thing - very different and not compatible with each other. Sorry!
hello - a lot of info for runner, but unfortunately plantar fasciitis is keeping of the trail so i am taking to the jump rope to keep fit. Can the foot pod track total number of jumps, jumps (steps) per minute, etc. ?
thanks.
Hi Sunny-
It does not keep track of total number of steps, but it does keep track of steps per minute (simply cadence *2).
Hope this helps!
Hello,
about the ANT+ foot pod that is now supported by the Timex Global Trainer:
It works fine if the foot pod doesn't need calibration. A new function of the firmware allows you to calibrate it in percentage of course but apparently Timex engineers forgot to link the calibration algorythm with the PACE (or speed) display on the watch.
It is unfortunate as it is the main purpose of a foot pod: giving your instantaneous pace or speed.
So if your foot pod needs calibration, let say 90%, the PACE display will remain the same as it was for 100%, with the same error. However the distance will be corrected.
Hopefully the Timex team will hear of this bug quickly and correct it asap. Until then the foot pod is useless.
Hi Edgar-
RE: Timex Footpod
Yeah, I've noticed a few minor items with their implementation as well.
That said, I wouldn't go as far as saying the footpod is 'useless', as for many, the footpod is primarily used to provide distance/speed while indoors on a treadmill. Just my two cents.
I have an FR60 and a new 310XT, but even though I calibrated the foot pod using GPS, I can't seem to get them to coincide... 9.12 miles on the FR60 = 9.7 miles on the 310XT today. What can I do to fix that??
Hello-
Go ahead and check out the calibration factor for both units. It'll likely be something like 1.004 or slightly +/- 1.000 (or 1000). Whichever unit you think is closest to reality, you can manually set the other one to match. That's what I typically do after I've calibrated it correctly on one watch and don't feel like doing the test again on a different watch if I haven't moved my footpod.
Enjoy!
Thanks!
I actually don't think either of them reflects reality... but do you mean that I'll have to calibrate the foot pod every time I move it to another pair of shoes?? That could get really tiresome, really fast...
Regrettably, yes.
However, if you don't move the location on the shoe I have a slight solution for you. Rumor is that if you ring up Garmin support they'll send you a couple of the little footpod bracks so you can put them on different shoes and keep them in the same place and just move the electronics pod between shoes.
The only catch being that unless the location is identical across shoes you're going to see some differences.
Thanks for all the useful info. I've been running on an Alter-G for the last month using the 310xt for HR data which has worked perfectly. However, I started using a Micro Footpod last week &,whilst the speed data his tied in very closely with the treadmill, there appears to be significant interference between the footpod & HR monitor. It tends to read between 195-215bpm on runs where HR is circa 130. Have you come across this?
Thank you
I'm a barefoot runner and I was wondering if a foot pod would work correctly if I strap it to my ankle? Any idea?
Hi Anon-
RE: Mix and match
ANT+ devices don't typically interfer. What sounds like is happening though is a HR spiking issue. Have you tried HR gel (or just licking it)? Typically when the HR is in the 195+ range, it's either due to that, or to static electricity buildup. See the sidebar for my recommendations on how to fix spiking HR's.
Hi FT-
RE: Barefoot running
Hmm, I haven't tried it. However, see this post for a potential thought:
https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?p=53682
Thanks for the tips. Ended up switching from First Generation premium HR monitor strap to the New Soft strap with clip. HR has worked perfectly since. 2hr treadmill run yesterday with 95mins at a constant 16kph and the foot pod was 20m out from the treadmill reading at the end of the time. Close enough for me!
I recently used my Garmin on the treadmill using the foot pod to track my stats and multiple times during the workout, the pace display went blank (as if it couldn't connect) but the foot pod icon displayed clearly at the bottom of the display while the timer also kept running. Since the pace wasn't registering, the distance didn't keep ticking along either. I use the food pod to track cadence while outside all the time while using GPS to track distance and have never had an issue so I don't think the pod is defective... I'm curious if there's something I'm doing wrong while indoors. Any suggestions you have would be great! Thanks in advance :)
Hi,
how do I display running cadence on my 305?
Efren
I tested my foot pod for the first time on a treadmill today and although the pace seemed about right, I have erratic data. It shows lots of valleys around 45. Any thoughts on how to get rid of this? You can see the data here...
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/128067372
Hi Meredith:
It sounds like the battery is going, just swap it out and you're good to go.
Hi Efrenhc-
Simply add the 'Cadence' data field, that's it!
Hi Aaron-
Like Meredith, yours is exhibiting a classic case of the battery dying. When the battery starts to die it does those weird drops frequently. No worries, it's a cheap CR2032 battery that you can find just about anywhere for $3. It takes about 20 seconds to swap out. Even if the footpod is new to you, it may have sat on a shelf for a year or so prior, thus the battery may be lower than anticipated. No worries, super quick swapout.
Thanks! I will give that a try.
Hi Rainmaker, I swapped out the battery and tried another test run this morning. My graph is a little bit better, but I still get a lot of drops during the run to about 45 for cadence. Any other ideas on what might be causing this.
Calibrating footpod for the first time and a few questions.
1) What is the optimum distance to calibrate. I read that you suggest 800M on a HS track instead of 400M, but would 1600M be even more accurate or overkill?
2)Trying to decide about calibration pace as I read that pace and stride difference can impact the accuracy. I run several 5Ks at a 8:00 pace and I'm training for a 1/2 marathon estimated at 8:45 pace. My long runs (90% of my training) are at 9:45 to 10:45 pace. So what pace do I do when I calibrate it? I'm thinking the middle of my long run pace (10:15) because that is what I'll spend 90% of my time running at. However, if I'm going to run a 5K some weekend at a 8:00 pace do I re-calibrate it just for that race and then change it back? How off will tempo runs (8:45 pace) be if the pod is calibrated to the long run (10:15) pace? I'm guessing anyone reading this will scream "just get out there and enjoy yourself!" :-) Thanks!
Awesome! Thank you for the article! Answered all my questions.
Hi Ray,
I think I know the answer from your article but wanted to get clear. My FR 310xt doesn't acquire a signal quickly (I live in Manhattan--not too much open sky and lots of reflection). By the time I get over to the river (Hudson river park, great for a run), its usually functioning but I can wait up to 10 minutes if I stand in front of my house waiting for it to acquire all its satellites.
SO--I was thinking, get the foot pod, I can get out the door quickly and when the GPS kicks in, fine--I get my map. But wanted to ask you if you knew what would happen if I just started running and let the GPS part of the watch catch up when it does.
Your advice is greatly appreciated.
-Jason
After 1 yr (& with a new $4 battery) my foot pod popped out of its click-on thingy during a run. I've ordered a new one but can you tell me whether I'll have to recalibrate it? I have an FR60. Thanks for your help! (Used your Amazon link to order the new foot pod.)
Hi Michael-
RE: Min distance
Generally 800m, after that I don't find much further benefit. Nothing wrong with it, just not much benefit.
RE: Calibration pace
I generally go with my long run easy pace, not race pace, just easy pace - so in your case 9:45-10:45, or about 10:15. For me, no matter what I calibrate it at, it accurates grabs paces otherwise though.
Hi Jason-
RE: Map with footpod
Yes, essentially. GPS will eventually kickin and provide that data from that point, with the footpod providing the first portion of the data. It's often not pretty though, especially if the GPS data is highly inaccurate initially. Wish there was a better option there.
Hi Janmac-
RE: Calibration after new click-on-thingy
Yes, absolutely. Reason being that the calibration is based on location and change to known location. So even though it'll seem like 'almost' the same spot, it'll likely be slightly different. Remember you can always do GPS calibration for just the first half a mile of your run, failing a local track.
Enjoy all!
I thought I'd let you know that after losing my foot pod & buying a new one I did NOT have to recalibrate! I jotted down my calibration factor from my watch in case it was lost during pairing. Then I paired the new foot pod with my watch. I checked & the old calibration factor was still there so, easy peasy, no recalibration necessary! (Its an FR60 so there's no option for running with GPS to help calibrate.)
If I calibrate my Garmin footpod on one Garmin device, do I need to calibrate it again with a new Garmin device or is the calibration stored in the footpod?
Thanks for all the info!
You mention that treadmills are not often accurate measures of distance.
Trying to understand. Wouldn't they be the perfect measure as they calculate rotations of a belt of a fixed length?
Hey Rainmaker, just wanted to post an update about the foot pod issue that I had with the forerunner 305. The solution to the problem where the plot data drops to about half when using 305 + foot pod, is to revert back to the old 2.8 firmware. If anyone else is having this problem, you can find a solution here
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=3174579;page=2;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;mh=25;
Ray,
I use the Garmin footpod with the Timex Global Trainer.
When using the footpod, with GPS turned ON, will my distance and speed be measured by GPS, or by footpod data?
Also, how do I calibrate, just set distance on .5mi, and walk it with the GPS on, then stop at .5mi and turn it off? I can't find any info on how to calibrate in the manual...
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