What's your Stryd setup?

Janyne Kizer

This morning, I posted a few questions in the chat. The conversation added value and was deemed #forumworthy.

Q2: Stryd users, how do you set up your Garmin watch? I don't mean how do you collect data on the watch, I mean, do you use the Stryd IQ app or just display the 3 second power or ???

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@Scott Giljum

I display the three second power or whatever the Stryd field is though I admittedly don’t look at it very often.

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@Janyne Kizer

I mostly run before work and it's harder for me to glance at my watch in the dark so I get it. I wish that you could set up workouts with run power (so at least I would get an out of zone alarm) but I understand that Garmin does not support that.

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@Tim Sullivan

I use 3 second power from new stride field that does show zones power for roads or non technical trails is great

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@Jenn Edwards

Depending on how hard you really want to work at seeing the data you can set your Garmin to have the back light “always on” during an activity.

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@Jeff Phillips

I have the power field that is displayed off the Connect IQ app. I’ve found power to be useful on hilly road courses and have used it to good performances in two rolling road races.

I have found however the power zones in FinalSurge to be way off for me. I had to run my own regression with about 150 runs as data to get my power zone dialed in. I have FinalSurge set to pace and then I figure out my own power zone.

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@Nam Lam

@Janyne Kizer , my Garmin has a function that would turn on the light automatically when I rotate my wrist to look at the watch (Change Backlight settings : Settings > System > Backlight > During Activity > Gesture. You can also set it to only come on after sunset. Not all watches support the Gesture setting. The 920XT does not support this settings but the 935 and Fenix watches do.)

Janyne Kizer

@Jeff Phillips which Stryd Connect IQ app do you use? Stryd IQ? Or Stryd Power Data Field?

This is what got me confused.

Jeff Phillips

Hi @Janyne Kizer

Stryd has the following on their website. I use the Stryd Power Data Field as some of the others weren't available at the time. I'm curious on the difference to the Stryd IQ app and if anyone has found that more useful.

STRYD Power Data Field. The STRYD Power Data field is by far the most widely used app by the Stryd Community. After downloading this data field, you will be able to add the Stryd Power data field on to the run (and treadmill/indoor run modes) of your Garmin device. You must add this data field to your run mode in order for the Garmin device to record data.

STRYD PowerRace. Used by countless athletes to set their personal bests on race day, Stryd PowerRace was designed to give you real time power alerts on race day. You can set a power target on this app, and your watch will buzz and change color to indicate you are above or below your target range. 

STRYD IQ. The Stryd IQ app gives the user the ability to look at more detailed power metrics, including Lap Average Power, Current Power, Average Power, & More. The STRYD IQ app also shows the power zone in which you are currently training.

STRYD LIVE Companion. The Stryd Live Companion App enables you to record cadence, vertical oscillation, ground contact time on to a Garmin .fit file. Note: This app is only to be used with STRYD LIVE.

Janyne Kizer

Too many apps! I also had the Stryd Power Data field and then thought that I was missing something and confused myself. Since the Stryd "Which app should I use?" Didn't really answer my question, I asked here ;-)

Mike Westover

I like to customize my data screens, so I use the Stryd Power data field rather than an app.

Another important point with Stryd is to go into your sensor settings and set the watch to always take speed and distance from Stryd (it is much more responsive and accurate than GPS).

scott dinhofer

@Mike Westover - always confused on this one. how accurate do you find the speed and distance is on the Stryd? (not that GPS is sooo accurate!)

If I am correctly remembering, there is NO calibration to be done when you purchase a Stryd, correct? Just put it on the shoe, sync with watch, run...

if i am not correct, please advise, I'd like to start using this more correctly!

Mike Westover

@scott dinhofer it is very accurate out of the box, but you can make it even more so by calibrating on a track. Many people do not need to calibrate (for instance, fellrnr says you don't need to). I found that mine had a very good calibration initially, but after a couple of years was off by about 3% (which is still better than a lot of GPS). With the calibration adjusted in my Garmin it is back to being very accurate and precise (to within one stride for a lap around the track).

Calibration is pretty simple; just set Stryd as the primary distance source and run a set distance on the track, then look at the distance the watch reports for that segment and adjust as needed.

Jeff Phillips

@Scott Alexander The Stryd site has directions on their website, with where they want you to run, etc. I pasted below. Break out your steel ruler and reliable distance wheel!

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Stryd is very accurate out of the box, and calibration is not required. If you are interested in verifying this, you need to use a known distance. We recommend using a track. From experience, we know that even certified competition tracks can be off up to 1%.

1. Measure the distance of the track

• A good article for this exists here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/95444-measure-distance-running-track/
• Take note that the centerline of the track is 20 cm (in rare occasions it will be 30 centimeters away if the curb is raised). 
  • 20 cm from the line in lane 1 will be 400 meters
  • We recommend measuring on the inside line of lane 2 because it is much easier to run on the line than 20 cm away from the line (depending on lane width, the line will be about 407 meters).
• This is an important step: you must use a reliable distance wheel and a steel ruler. Do not use a GPS device. We have found tracks that are 1% off the reported 400-meter distance. We have also used certified courses that were marked poorly or did not adhere to standards so it is important that you know the exact distance you ran with your own trusted measurement.
  • Unwind your steel ruler (i.e. 10 meters or 30 feet)
  • Verify the accuracy of your distance wheel along the steel ruler. Determine the accuracy of the measuring wheel.
  • Measure the distance of the inside lane of line 2.
  • Make note of the exact distance of the track/path. Be sure to clearly mark the start and finish lines.

1. Ensure Stryd is firmly on the shoe

• You want to make sure that Stryd is attached to the shoe properly. Slide Stryd’s clip under multiple rows of laces to ensure a snug fit. If you are running counterclock wise on the track, make sure Stryd in on your left foot (or right foot if you are running clockwise).

1. Pair Stryd as a foot pod with pace/distance set to always

• Connect Stryd to your watch (you can use any watch that supports foot pods). Most watches allow you to force the foot pod to be used for speed and distance (and not use the GPS).
• There will be a calibration option. Set calibration to manual. Set the calibration factor to 1.000 (on Polar and Suunto), or 100 (on Garmin).
• Turn GPS off

1. Locate the starting line and prepare to start

• Do quick 60-second jog before you start the effort to ensure Stryd is awake. You should start your run within two minutes after the quick jog.
• Put your left foot on the start line. You should use the lap functionality on your watch to denote the start line when your foot steps on the line. 
• If you measured the length of the track, follow the track as you measured it in step 1.

1. Do the run

• We recommend doing a 3200 meter run. This will allow you to denote eight separate 400 meter efforts to measure the accuracy and consistency of Stryd.
• Hit the lap marker as you roll over the 400-meter line
• Be sure to stay on your marked path. 
• If you are using offline sync, you can accelerate when crossing the start line to have a demarcation point.

1. Cross the finish

• Hit the lap marker as you step on the finish line. Be sure to step on the finish line with the foot that has Stryd on it. This is a must. This will denote the end of the effort when you hit the lap button. You can stop immediately on the line.

1. Sync the watch / Sync the foot pod

• Sync the watch with your online platform (i.e. Garmin Connect). Check the exact distance as measured by the watch for your eight laps.
• Sync the foot pod with the Stryd mobile app as well, so if needed you can compare distance measured by the watch with data straight from Stryd (note that Stryd does not record laps). 

Mike Westover

@Jeff Phillips that is very comprehensive! I am guessing they have gotten some feedback on accuracy. Their point on track accuracy is well taken, but that is some bad surveying if a competition track is off by 1%!

My approach is a bit simpler, just put Stryd on my left shoe and run in lane 1. My left foot naturally tracks about 20 cm from the line. If I hit the lap button on each lap, the variation in Stryd distances is about 0.3%, or one stride length. I look at the total distance measured by Stryd over all the laps, vs. what I actually ran, to get the calibration. I often then set the calibration factor about 0.3% low, so that in a race where I am not running perfect tangents the mile markers will line up better.

It is important if taking this approach to set the watch to always take distance from Stryd (assuming that is supported), and turn off auto calibration (otherwise the watch will replace the calibration with its own calculated from GPS).

Janyne Kizer

@Jeff Phillips, I am finding that my power zones don't correspond very well to my pace zones. Z2 power, as calculated in Final Surge, corresponds with TRP. I'll be making adjustments.

Maybe @Coach Patrick can advise?

Jeff Phillips

@Janyne Kizer I found the same thing, so I defaulted to using Pace zones from FinalSurge. As I wrote in GroupMe, I used some statistical software to run a regression to come up with my own power to pace equation. I had ~100 runs with Stryd and used that as the input and updated again after 150 runs and it didn't change dramatically.

I've even found the power zones in Stryd to be too wide for me, which I believe makes sense given they are trying to capture a very large set of runners.