RunningAHEAD - Topic: Polar Foot Pad

u23scadoo

posted: 1/9/2009 at 2:52 PM

I have read some of the other post concerning the foot pad but none of them deal with the problem that I am having. I have a 70.3 triathlon in a few months and decided that this was a race that was worthy of hiring a coach for. My coach has my run split up into speed zones. For example, first ten minutes at a pace between 9:45-10:30, main set between 8:30-9:45 and then back down to the slow pace for the cool down. I find that this is really screwing with my foot pod and that I am always adjusting the calibration. Some days it will be right on but this morning it was a half mile off. I can only assume that these changes have to do with my stride changing throughout the run. What do you guys think?

pRED

posted: 1/9/2009 at 5:00 PM
modified: 1/9/2009 at 5:01 PM

Quote from u23scadoo on 1/9/2009 at 2:52 PM:

What do you guys think?

Lose the pad. or pod. Run by feel. Reminded me of a MJ tune: Can you feel it? I know you can.

Ricky

—our ability to perform up to our physiological potential in a race is determined by whether or not we truly psychologically believe that what we are attempting is realistic. Anton Krupicka

shellaruns

TRIing to beat the heat!

posted: 1/13/2009 at 12:20 PM
modified: 1/13/2009 at 12:21 PM

Quote from u23scadoo on 1/9/2009 at 2:52 PM:

What do you guys think?

One word... Garmin. Seriously though, I used to train with the Polar RS200SD, so I understand your frustrations with the footpod. I eventually gave up on trying to maintain any sort of calibration and ballparked it for a while. DH bought me a Garmin 405 for our anny last year and I've been in heaven ever since. It's not the best race watch for tris b/c you can't swim with it, but it makes run training a breeze.

2012 Goals

Sub-1:42 for half marathon √ (1:41 at Disney, Jan '12)

Sub-22 for 5k √ (21:51 in Sept '12)

BQ for marathon- FAIL

RunAsics

The Limping Jogger

posted: 1/28/2009 at 4:06 PM
modified: 1/28/2009 at 4:06 PM

Quote from shellaruns on 1/13/2009 at 12:20 PM:

One word... Garmin. Seriously though, I used to train with the Polar RS200SD, so I understand your frustrations with the footpod. I eventually gave up on trying to maintain any sort of calibration and ballparked it for a while. DH bought me a Garmin 405 for our anny last year and I've been in heaven ever since. It's not the best race watch for tris b/c you can't swim with it, but it makes run training a breeze.

Another word - foliage. Evil grin

I have a Garmin 205 and a Polar w/footpod. I did some tests, for my own amusement, wearing both the footpod and Garmin at the same time. Nerd alert! For the footpod, I determine the calibration required per shoe at my typical pace. Heel height and lacing system makes a difference, more so with the S3 than S1. Of course, you have to keep it in the same spot every time you use it. In general, once calibrated, the footpod is OK but sometimes it wigs out on me - mostly when the battery is on it's way out. If you significantly alter your stride then, yeah, it'll probably be off. I like the Garmin but it always shorts me on distance (sometimes significantly) if there is any tree cover on the route, especially if that section is not straight. A hilly, winding, tree covered path is the perfect storm for bad Garmin based distances, IMHO. In the open, I found both devices performance about the same.

"Only a few more laps to go and then the action will begin, unless this is the action, which it is."

OnceADCV

posted: 1/29/2009 at 11:19 AM

I've had the RS800SD and now the Garmin305. The Polar is a piece of crap compared to the Garmin... The Garmin doesn't work well in underpasses, on treadmills, or in big cities with big buildings. But the first two are expected... The Polar just never worked right, not to mention the watch was a piece of junk...

RunAsics

The Limping Jogger

posted: 1/30/2009 at 12:46 PM

Quote from OnceADCV on 1/29/2009 at 11:19 AM:

I've had the RS800SD and now the Garmin305. The Polar is a piece of crap compared to the Garmin... The Garmin doesn't work well in underpasses, on treadmills, or in big cities with big buildings. But the first two are expected... The Polar just never worked right, not to mention the watch was a piece of junk...

Quit beating about the bush and tell us what do you really think! Where, exactly, can you use your Garmin? On an open road in the middle of Nowheresville? I'd say that the build quality of the RS800 is a bit suspect, specifically the finicky buttons and the strap. However, the Garmin 205/305 isn't much better in that respect. Each to their own.

"Only a few more laps to go and then the action will begin, unless this is the action, which it is."

cgerber

posted: 1/30/2009 at 12:53 PM
modified: 1/30/2009 at 12:53 PM

I've gone through 3 Garmin 205s in just under two years. Biggest. Piece. Of. Crap. Ever. I've got the Polar RS800 CX Multi now. It's only been a month, but so far, I'm *very* impressed with it. It's the same Sirf III chipset as the Garmin, so the reception should be and appears to be very similar. Battery life is much better and it has field replaceable batteries in the GPS receiver (Garmin is about 11-ish hours, which doesn't cut it for the runs I do). Less idiotic design flaws like the contacts on the back that short the unit out (or burn holes in your arm, which happened to me). I can't speak for the longevity of the Polar yet, but hopefully it will be on par with my last two Polar products (6 and 8+ years).

Polar Foot Pad (Read 1621 times)