Anyone else using Stryd now? Last month they released a Garmin data field to show power in the normal run mode (on watches with Connect IQ), and mine has come back out of the drawer. Issues with syncing to Strava and TrainingPeaks seem to be getting solved. And a foot pod version is on the way for those who don't like the chest strap.
I'm still figuring out my power zones and how I want to use them for training and racing. Like Stefan, I see a big impact from hills (much more than RPE would tell me), and I've been using power to hold myself back on easy runs. I did a critical power test today, but I was fatigued going in and the result was about 15W below where I think my threshold is based on pace.
920XT. I'm using the normal Garmin run mode, not the Stryd app. There is a Stryd data field that shows current power (I think 10s average) in run mode. The strap only needs to be linked as a heart rate monitor to pick up the power, so you can use a separate foot pod.
Power is recorded to the fit file and displays in Garmin Connect. It also shows up in TrainingPeaks as long as the data connections are set up to go Garmin Connect --> Stryd --> TrainingPeaks and not directly from GC to TrainingPeaks.
For current Stryd owners, they have a $50 discount on the new foot pod version (to $149) through September 25th. I'm picking one up mostly to get better instant pace, as it is supposed to include a super-accurate accelerometer that doesn't require calibration. I think there is a bigger discount for the original Kickstarter backers.
I had shelved mine as it was too much of a pain to carry my phone or use the bike profile. Now I am using it every run. The watch part seems to be solved with the Connect IQ data field, though it would be great if they can get other stats (like lap power, NP, IF). TrainingPeaks works as long as the data comes from Stryd. And Strava imports are no longer broken (though Strava doesn't show power, at least for me with my free account).
If not I would recommend that you read the book first before you talk about the data from Stryd. It tells us that Stryd is quite different from power meter for bike though both of them are categorized as "power meter."
I ordered one when it first came out but shelved it after a month or so for a variety of issues. Looks like things are getting better and I've ordered the foot pod model.
I received an email from them last night looking for people to use the new model in Kona. I've asked for one.
I'm impressed with how evenly he ran the hills; the Queensboro bridge just after halfway was barely a blip in the power line. Even after running with power for a few months, I find it hard to be that disciplined on hills. He faded a bit at the end, but that's not a surprise in a competitive race where tactically he needed to stay with the pack early on.
The article comments that he might have been better off pushing harder downhill, since that is where his power declined the most. I wonder how much that holds in a marathon, with the extra impact of going fast downhill. It also takes really good form and focus; I know I have a hard time in training holding z2+ power downhill if it's over 2-3% grade.
Mike - thanks for sharing the link it was very enlightening. I know what I want for the holidays. If only Mariah would get us a team sponsor discount with Stryd.
Jumping in here so that I get updates and to share my initial thoughts.
I got my Stryd for Christmas and I have 3 runs under my belt. I have no idea what the numbers mean (yet) but at least I've started to collect the data. The Stryd website is confusing and the data they display, for me at least, is often different from screen to screen, for the same activity. I'm about half way through Running with Power and I hope to have it finished off before the end of the year.
From reading the early entries on this thread, I'd say they have come a long way, but they still have a long way to go...
anyone using the footpod? Mine just showed up. I DL the app for the Garmin 920XT and it looks like you get another mode (run/indoor run/bike/indoor bike/ swim/ triahtlon/ Stryd)
looks like you just use the stryd mode? and not get a power field in the run app as I tried to look for one there.
Scott, you can either use the Stryd app (what you downloaded) or the "Stryd Power" data field in normal run mode. I like the data field since I can customize the screens. The downside is that you only get current power (not average, etc.).
In the Connect IQ store, if you search for Stryd Power it should pull up the data field.
I've got a 920 and downloaded the Stryd Power from the Connect IQ store. It drops a power number on to the watch and works well.
You should also set it up as a footpod in the settings/devices section. This will allow you to calibrate it. I found that the pace/distance was off a ton when running on a treadmill before I calibrated in (about 20% off). Now it's a lot closer.
@Scott, I have the foot pod model. The hardware seems pretty solid, although I have no way to evaluate the accuracy or precision of the data it's generating. As for the software, I'm using the power field add-on from connect IQ and not the full stryd app. Both options record all of the data generated by the stryd device, so for now being able to glance at a current power reading is enough for me.
Where can one find the efficiency index data? Is it in TP? or Garmin connect? I can't find it on the stryd power sight.
I haven't found a convenient way to look at EI, and have mainly been calculating it manually. There is a running efficiency chart in WKO4, but WKO4 can't handle the raw FIT files with Connect IQ data. Instead, you have to process the data through Stryd PowerCenter first -- but since PowerCenter doesn't support laps, you lose all the lap markers. The WKO4 chart also just shows you the efficiency at each point in time, not the average over a run or a lap (though you can create a custom table to show those).
Also, there are two definitions of efficiency in use -- Jim Vance's Efficiency Index, which is speed (in m/min) divided by watts, and Andy Coggan's Running Effectiveness, which is speed in m/s divided by W/kg. Coggan's is the one in WKO4. I lean toward the Coggan version since it uses what Stryd is directly measuring (W/kg), and it is less dependent on tracking changes in your weight.
It would be great to find a platform that supports analysis of all of these metrics. I'm mainly using TP and PowerCenter now, since both can handle the Connect IQ data. Hopefully TP will add more support for metrics like run efficiency.
Adding on to Mike's comments above, the tools to analyze the power data generated by the Stryd pod are seriously lacking. The Stryd website is, basically, useless, except that it provides a value for average elapsed form power. Garmin connect shows data from each of the connect IQ fields, but there does not seem to be any way to drill into that data to see, for example, power by lap. For the record, the data collected by connect IQ includes Power, Cadence, Ground Contact Time, Vertical Oscillation, Form Power and Leg Spring Stiffness. The most useful tool that I've found for looking at the data is SportTracks. Within their desktop app and their website, I can see power on a per lap (interval) basis. I ran my first interval, a HR based 1xz4, last night and SportTracks shows that at 311 Watts vs 267 for the previous mile and 244 for my final mile.
The other issue that I'm having is with the testing protocols. Stryd's 3 min-9 min and 3 lap-6 lap tests both seem inadequate and their 5K / 10K test seems excessive. Further, I found Vance's discussion of test protocols to be illogical and poorly supported. We've been using a 5/20 protocol for bike power for years, I'm surprised that nobody chose to start with that model and research how well that established protocol transfers to running.
I was considering using power data to guide my running in JOS, but I'm on the fence at this point. It's more likely that I'll continue to record and review the power data and then switch to power as my primary measure later in the year.
My Stryd arrived yesterday! Wahoo! Now to figure out how to use it. Looking for some advice from those that have been using it awhile.
My current gadgets are a garmin 620 (doesn't have connect IQ), Garmin vivoactive HR where I have downloaded the Stryd data field, iPhone with the Stryd app, and WKO4. I'm struggling a little bit on how best to record and use the info during a run and then analyze data afterwards. I don't like to use the vivoactive for my runs because the sceeen is so small and I don't want to have to wear reading glasses on my runs! But I also don't want to buy a new running watch with connect IQ if I don't have to. And I don't like the idea of carrying my phone with me on all runs although I will if that's the simplest solution for me. This morning I threw the Stryd pod on my shoe and ran on the treadmill with the iPhone app just to see some numbers. It showed power numbers but no distance so I assume I have to calibrate it somehow. Is that correct? Also, is it easy to get data to WKO4 to analyze?
Yesterday was my first run with my Stryd pod. I learned that going uphill takes way more power than I realized. Going downhill was similar to what I expected, except for a fairly steep section that required me to go much faster to maintain the watts. I haven't been able to do the critical power test but the power zones are set up using my lactate threshold numbers which at this point seem pretty good (based on the one run). My run yesterday was TRP with a mile and half at Zone 3. The power seemed to correlate to my heart rate and expected paces. Now onto the exciting part. I will have the Stryd on during the 3M half marathon in Austin on Sunday. It has a couple small uphill sections, but is mostly a downhill course so it will be interesting to see all the data (power, heart rate, pace) all in one place. I will try to keep the power somewhat steady and not let the power get too high during the short uphill portions. I am going to try to follow the pacing method of 3 slower first miles, 7 middle miles a little faster, and then see what I have left for last 3 miles. It's supposed to be windy for the run, but at least it is supposed to be blowing the direction we will be running! I will post the data file if anyone is interested, but don't expect to see fast times. I'm hoping for something under 2 hours, but who knows.
Ok all, I am in on stryd for now. I just tested this morning and am trying to parse the data. First question for those who are using this longer than me, what is the sync order I need to set up? I am trying to coordinate garmin connect, stryd, Strava and training peaks. Any suggestions?
also, can I set up a separate running power profile in TP? When I look at my profile I only see one spot which ties to my bike zones. Unfortunately my bike and run zones are different and I'm thinking the power data is inflating my TSS for the run. Am I wrong on that?
I sync my Fenix 3 to Garmin Connect, from there it goes to Training Peaks, Strava, and Stryd Powercenter. I use Training Peaks to look at the data. It is hard to get much information from Power Center. I hear that pretty soon you will be able to analyze laps online in PowerCenter which will make a difference.
You can have run power zones in Training Peaks, go to your settings where you see your bike power, and there should be "add activity" below it. There you can add separate run zones.
I am still learning myself. I haven't actually tested yet. I just went on a run this afternoon where I experimented with lots of different paces and grades to try to get an initial sense of what different power numbers feel like.
Mine arrived Friday afternoon. I got a 45' run outdoors in yesterday and a 95' treadmill run in today. Power on treadmill was a lot lower than outdoors. Not that I didnt realize that the garmin HRM pace given was generous when indoors, but for the 2 zone 4 miles I did today my power was at the same level as yesterdays efforts at 20 beats/min less in heart rate.
@Peter I have a Fenix 3 and the same sync setup, have you gotten duplicate workouts showing up in TP? I had 3 similar versions of both runs show up.
I am impressed with Stryd's battery life. I've got ~94% left after those 2 runs.
Looking forward to more time, testing & research on this one.
Comments
I'm still figuring out my power zones and how I want to use them for training and racing. Like Stefan, I see a big impact from hills (much more than RPE would tell me), and I've been using power to hold myself back on easy runs. I did a critical power test today, but I was fatigued going in and the result was about 15W below where I think my threshold is based on pace.
920XT. I'm using the normal Garmin run mode, not the Stryd app. There is a Stryd data field that shows current power (I think 10s average) in run mode. The strap only needs to be linked as a heart rate monitor to pick up the power, so you can use a separate foot pod.
Power is recorded to the fit file and displays in Garmin Connect. It also shows up in TrainingPeaks as long as the data connections are set up to go Garmin Connect --> Stryd --> TrainingPeaks and not directly from GC to TrainingPeaks.
For current Stryd owners, they have a $50 discount on the new foot pod version (to $149) through September 25th. I'm picking one up mostly to get better instant pace, as it is supposed to include a super-accurate accelerometer that doesn't require calibration. I think there is a bigger discount for the original Kickstarter backers.
Mike, have you purchased the new Stryd yet? If not, check your inbox.
I had shelved mine as it was too much of a pain to carry my phone or use the bike profile. Now I am using it every run. The watch part seems to be solved with the Connect IQ data field, though it would be great if they can get other stats (like lap power, NP, IF). TrainingPeaks works as long as the data comes from Stryd. And Strava imports are no longer broken (though Strava doesn't show power, at least for me with my free account).
Hi, Stryd users. I've been using Stryd since last November for training and races.
Have you read "RUN WITH POWER" by Jim Vance yet?
https://runwithpower.net/
If not I would recommend that you read the book first before you talk about the data from Stryd. It tells us that Stryd is quite different from power meter for bike though both of them are categorized as "power meter."
I received an email from them last night looking for people to use the new model in Kona. I've asked for one.
I'm impressed with how evenly he ran the hills; the Queensboro bridge just after halfway was barely a blip in the power line. Even after running with power for a few months, I find it hard to be that disciplined on hills. He faded a bit at the end, but that's not a surprise in a competitive race where tactically he needed to stay with the pack early on.
The article comments that he might have been better off pushing harder downhill, since that is where his power declined the most. I wonder how much that holds in a marathon, with the extra impact of going fast downhill. It also takes really good form and focus; I know I have a hard time in training holding z2+ power downhill if it's over 2-3% grade.
Just posted a RR from the Seattle Marathon using Stryd data: http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/22287/Default.aspx
I got my Stryd for Christmas and I have 3 runs under my belt. I have no idea what the numbers mean (yet) but at least I've started to collect the data. The Stryd website is confusing and the data they display, for me at least, is often different from screen to screen, for the same activity. I'm about half way through Running with Power and I hope to have it finished off before the end of the year.
From reading the early entries on this thread, I'd say they have come a long way, but they still have a long way to go...
I DL the app for the Garmin 920XT and it looks like you get another mode (run/indoor run/bike/indoor bike/ swim/ triahtlon/ Stryd)
looks like you just use the stryd mode? and not get a power field in the run app as I tried to look for one there.
In the Connect IQ store, if you search for Stryd Power it should pull up the data field.
You should also set it up as a footpod in the settings/devices section. This will allow you to calibrate it. I found that the pace/distance was off a ton when running on a treadmill before I calibrated in (about 20% off). Now it's a lot closer.
I haven't found a convenient way to look at EI, and have mainly been calculating it manually. There is a running efficiency chart in WKO4, but WKO4 can't handle the raw FIT files with Connect IQ data. Instead, you have to process the data through Stryd PowerCenter first -- but since PowerCenter doesn't support laps, you lose all the lap markers. The WKO4 chart also just shows you the efficiency at each point in time, not the average over a run or a lap (though you can create a custom table to show those).
Also, there are two definitions of efficiency in use -- Jim Vance's Efficiency Index, which is speed (in m/min) divided by watts, and Andy Coggan's Running Effectiveness, which is speed in m/s divided by W/kg. Coggan's is the one in WKO4. I lean toward the Coggan version since it uses what Stryd is directly measuring (W/kg), and it is less dependent on tracking changes in your weight.
It would be great to find a platform that supports analysis of all of these metrics. I'm mainly using TP and PowerCenter now, since both can handle the Connect IQ data. Hopefully TP will add more support for metrics like run efficiency.
Adding on to Mike's comments above, the tools to analyze the power data generated by the Stryd pod are seriously lacking. The Stryd website is, basically, useless, except that it provides a value for average elapsed form power. Garmin connect shows data from each of the connect IQ fields, but there does not seem to be any way to drill into that data to see, for example, power by lap. For the record, the data collected by connect IQ includes Power, Cadence, Ground Contact Time, Vertical Oscillation, Form Power and Leg Spring Stiffness. The most useful tool that I've found for looking at the data is SportTracks. Within their desktop app and their website, I can see power on a per lap (interval) basis. I ran my first interval, a HR based 1xz4, last night and SportTracks shows that at 311 Watts vs 267 for the previous mile and 244 for my final mile.
The other issue that I'm having is with the testing protocols. Stryd's 3 min-9 min and 3 lap-6 lap tests both seem inadequate and their 5K / 10K test seems excessive. Further, I found Vance's discussion of test protocols to be illogical and poorly supported. We've been using a 5/20 protocol for bike power for years, I'm surprised that nobody chose to start with that model and research how well that established protocol transfers to running.
I was considering using power data to guide my running in JOS, but I'm on the fence at this point. It's more likely that I'll continue to record and review the power data and then switch to power as my primary measure later in the year.
The app reviews look really bad!
My current gadgets are a garmin 620 (doesn't have connect IQ), Garmin vivoactive HR where I have downloaded the Stryd data field, iPhone with the Stryd app, and WKO4. I'm struggling a little bit on how best to record and use the info during a run and then analyze data afterwards. I don't like to use the vivoactive for my runs because the sceeen is so small and I don't want to have to wear reading glasses on my runs! But I also don't want to buy a new running watch with connect IQ if I don't have to. And I don't like the idea of carrying my phone with me on all runs although I will if that's the simplest solution for me. This morning I threw the Stryd pod on my shoe and ran on the treadmill with the iPhone app just to see some numbers. It showed power numbers but no distance so I assume I have to calibrate it somehow. Is that correct? Also, is it easy to get data to WKO4 to analyze?
also, can I set up a separate running power profile in TP? When I look at my profile I only see one spot which ties to my bike zones. Unfortunately my bike and run zones are different and I'm thinking the power data is inflating my TSS for the run. Am I wrong on that?
You can have run power zones in Training Peaks, go to your settings where you see your bike power, and there should be "add activity" below it. There you can add separate run zones.
I am still learning myself. I haven't actually tested yet. I just went on a run this afternoon where I experimented with lots of different paces and grades to try to get an initial sense of what different power numbers feel like.
@Peter I have a Fenix 3 and the same sync setup, have you gotten duplicate workouts showing up in TP? I had 3 similar versions of both runs show up.
I am impressed with Stryd's battery life. I've got ~94% left after those 2 runs.
Looking forward to more time, testing & research on this one.
I am not getting duplicates. Perhaps you have Stryd Power Center exporting to Training Peaks in Addition to Garmin Connect?
I am also noticing lower watts on the treadmill for what feels like a similar effort.