I think the watch itself measures cadence, so you don't need a footpod with the 920. I have multiple heart rate straps in various gym bags so I switch it up using an old Garmin HR, to the new Tri strap and a Wahoo Tickr. Garmin Connect always shows cadence.
I had a footpod with the 910XT and earlier models. I've never compared accuracy of the watch to the footpod.
Laura, I did a lot of back and forth with this question. If not on here, I may also have posted this question on Amazon and was told that the Tri strap really only gives you more swim data and that it is not really worth it. If you decide later that the current data is not enough for you, you can always buy it as an add-on. Hope this helps.
The footpod when used with the 920 is way more accurate than the same footpod used with the 910, plus you no longer have to manually calibrate it (or maybe that was a software update for the 910 too but I don't think so). I believe you need a footpod with the 920 for cadence.
I am with Tom - I wear my 920XT as a day to day watch most of the time, its not heavy, the battery lasts for ever and it reminds me what I did that morning/evening to work out when I am sitting in front of a bunch of powerpoint slides during the work day...
The Fenix 3 is a better day to day watch and has all the 920 features but it has more bulk and the screen is not as easy to read. Looks cool though.
With the proprietary HR monitors, no footpad needed for cadence on the 920. From the Garmin website:
Forerunner 920XT helps you train for optimal running form when used with the HRM-Run™ or HRM-Tri™ monitor. This pairing allows the 920XT to report 6 running dynamics metrics: cadence (total steps per minute), stride length (length of your stride from 1 footfall to the next), ground contact time (how much time your foot spends on the ground during each step), ground contact time balance (the left/right balance of the time each foot spends on the ground), vertical oscillation (amount of “bounce” in your step) and vertical ratio (ratio of vertical oscillation to stride length). The 920XT also has a metronome feature with vibration and audible alerts to guide your cadence training.
@Tom Glynn or whoever knows: Maybe you can help me with this? I had my GPS on when I went on my first outside run but it didn't record the actual map that I was running. If that makes sense. Does the watch not show y ou what trail/road you ran?
In addition to that, it seems that the watch shows about a mile more then I actually ran, therefore making my data incorrect. Was I to calibrate it before my first run?
Pretty sure your GPS was turned off. Maybe you had it set to indoor run mode rather than outdoor mode. Check this when outside:
Select > Activity Settings > GPS > On.
When running with GPS turned off, speed and distance are calculated using the accelerometer in the device. The accelerometer is self-calibrating. The accuracy of the speed and distance data improves after a few outdoor runs using GPS.
Comments
I had a footpod with the 910XT and earlier models. I've never compared accuracy of the watch to the footpod.
I am with Tom - I wear my 920XT as a day to day watch most of the time, its not heavy, the battery lasts for ever and it reminds me what I did that morning/evening to work out when I am sitting in front of a bunch of powerpoint slides during the work day...
The Fenix 3 is a better day to day watch and has all the 920 features but it has more bulk and the screen is not as easy to read. Looks cool though.
With the proprietary HR monitors, no footpad needed for cadence on the 920. From the Garmin website:
Forerunner 920XT helps you train for optimal running form when used with the HRM-Run™ or HRM-Tri™ monitor. This pairing allows the 920XT to report 6 running dynamics metrics: cadence (total steps per minute), stride length (length of your stride from 1 footfall to the next), ground contact time (how much time your foot spends on the ground during each step), ground contact time balance (the left/right balance of the time each foot spends on the ground), vertical oscillation (amount of “bounce” in your step) and vertical ratio (ratio of vertical oscillation to stride length). The 920XT also has a metronome feature with vibration and audible alerts to guide your cadence training.
@Tom Glynn or whoever knows: Maybe you can help me with this? I had my GPS on when I went on my first outside run but it didn't record the actual map that I was running. If that makes sense. Does the watch not show y ou what trail/road you ran?
In addition to that, it seems that the watch shows about a mile more then I actually ran, therefore making my data incorrect. Was I to calibrate it before my first run?
Select > Activity Settings > GPS > On.
When running with GPS turned off, speed and distance are calculated using the accelerometer in the device. The accelerometer is self-calibrating. The accuracy of the speed and distance data improves after a few outdoor runs using GPS.