I remember someone posting here that when calibrating the watch, you shouldn't run any GPS tracking apps, because as you say, only one app can use GPS data at a time. I don't recall what their source of information was, though.
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Apple Watch in the Detroit Marathon
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I remember someone posting here that when calibrating the watch, you shouldn't run any GPS tracking apps, because as you say, only one app can use GPS data at a time. I don't recall what their source of information was, though.
Ok, that's what I was thinking. I've refrained from running any other tracking apps on the phone while using the AW's Workout modes. I figure I'll just allow it to do its thing.
I cleared its calibration before we took off on our walk to Georgetown. By now, nine miles later, it should have a good idea what my walking stride would be.
I'll do some runs and have it track my walking commute again, too.
Ok, that's what I was thinking. I've refrained from running any other tracking apps on the phone while using the AW's Workout modes. I figure I'll just allow it to do its thing.
I cleared its calibration before we took off on our walk to Georgetown. By now, nine miles later, it should have a good idea what my walking stride would be.
Well THAT's worthless. I need to run runmeter and Workout at the same time or runmeter without workout since Workout only provides dead-end-data that neither provides splits in numeric form nor does it provide GPS data for my run. Runmeter and most other apps do provide this necessary information and do export it to various file formats as well as the web.
I now have iOS 9.1 along with WOS2. I'm still on a running embargo until Saturday so I can't test anything but I've fired my AW when it comes to running. Perhaps I'll use it for warm weather runs such as the Disney marathon, Dubai marathon, Big 5 marathon or spring/summer training. But for fall, winter running with long sleeves, I'll never consider taking my AW along again as anything but a convenient way to glance down and see who has the nerve to call me on the phone during a marathon.
Oh alright. I just want to be able to pick up the phone once and say "I'm at mile 19, can I call you later?" In fact, I might just make that one of my canned text responses in AW setup.
I am not sure that the restriction to calibrate with no other GPS apps active is backed by fact. I remember reading a couple posts along those lines, and then developers chimed in and said that it is just an API and that shared use of the API should not be a problem. As a side note, this kind of bears out in that I have used multiple GPS running apps simultaneously on my phone, and all were accurate.
I have now, but I haven't been for a run since. I'm doing the Marlow half-marathon on Sunday, and I'm resting / nursing a tight hamstring. I'll see how it does on Sunday.
Congrats on the run! Like someone else earlier in the thread, I did the Chicago marathon in early October and opted not to use the workout app. During longer training runs, I'd find the battery drained too quickly. I tried unpair and pair, calibration, etc. Best solution, for me at least, was to just use strava on the iPhone and move that data into health.
I'm hoping Gen 2 addresses battery life. I had an MS Band earlier this year and used it for a marathon with GPS running the whole time, ~40% left at the end of the marathon.
I'm hoping Gen 2 addresses battery life. I had an MS Band earlier this year and used it for a marathon with GPS running the whole time, ~40% left at the end of the marathon.
I'm back to using my AW and runmeter for my "blow-off" training runs but my Garmin sits on my nightstand ready to go on any longer runs at a moment's notice. This coming weekend I have a half-marathon and I plan to wear the Garmin. Since it's just a local race, which I will use as practice, I will also allow my AW to take data at the same time.
Let us know how you get on.
My AW was a disaster on the Marlow half, partly because I wore it under a long sleeve top which seemed to cause the buttons to activate. Then it froze. I ended up resetting it as I ran. Fortunately, the data on my iphone was fine as always.
I've done another run since selecting the re-calibrate option. I'm going to give it a few runs to adust.
I've entered a 10K on 22nd Nov. That will be the litmus test.
I wear my Apple watch only when I'm wearing short sleeves. This Sunday it will be 37 degrees when I run the Back Roads Half Marathon, so I will use only my iPhone and Garmin for stats. My watch will be ignored because every time I look down to see my pace, I'll be looking at either weather or stock quotes. Weather? I'm in it, I don't need to read about it. Stock Quotes? On a Sunday? That's an off day in every market on this planet. Utter nonsense from a device that is marketed as useful for fitness activity.
I said this, or at least I also said this. My source is me as I did the calibration along with using Nike+ to see differences if there were any. And what I saw was a spotty Nike+ run tha I never had before. My calibration was off too. I then recalibrated my watch without any 3rd party app and all went just fine the second time.
Yea, I don't get this. When I start a workout it always stays in the workout and nothing else. Even if you go away from the screen it returns to the workout on its own - right?
When I workout and don't want it lighting up, I turn off raise wrist and then I check whenever I want with a touch. A lot faster then a phone but probably not a Garmin. :/)
In all seriousness, if I was really into running marathons and want to know splits, I wouldn't count on the Apple Watch compared to dedicated devices. You don't want extra fluff features they could interfere. I love the Apple Watch for Bluetooth music without anything else and I am not sure how many other devices do that.
Did it show the AVG Heart Rate in the Activity App when she was finished? Is that what you are referring to? Mine displays my HR during runs, but does not show it in the summary on the AW when finished, nor in the Activity App. Very frustrating.
Been there. Done that. Workout is WORTHLESS for tracking anything even a recreational runner like me needs. Ever look at the data on your iPhone after a run? You get splits. No cadence. No GPS. No elevation changes. Nothing but splits. And can you set the split intervals? No. Can you set intervals? No. Want to get your split data out for further analysis? You can only do it via a screenshot. And if you, like me, tend to run more than 6 or 8 miles at a time, you need several screenshots to see anything.
I thought I mentioned (or forgot to mention?) in my original post that I used workout with the screen locked for the Detroit marathon but it didn't matter the screen was locked because I got NOTHING when the watch ran out of battery shortly after I crossed the finish line in a little over 4 hours. And this for a device that normally lasts 16+ hours on a charge. WORTHLESS. BTW, I did get 27 miles worth of "steps" on my iPhone. Steps? Who the heck needs steps? Am I supposed to run the marathon again to take the necessary data?
That's why runners wear Garmins and leave the Apple Watches for early adopters to wear for tracking their walks and to remind them to get off their butts every hour.I'll still wear AW for "piddling around" runs like my half marathon this coming weekend, and then only as secondary to my Garmin. Until Apple Watch gets some serious running related upgrades I'll never do a competitive race again without my trusty Garmin.
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I'm sorry that Apple Watch has disappointed dedicated runners like yourself, but I think of it as a fitness tracker "for the rest of us." Most people wouldn't buy a fitness tracker just to track walks or get reminders to get off their butts, but many people who have bought Apple Watch for other reasons end up trying the fitness tracking feature and using them. That, IMO, is where the benefit of a general purpose smart watch with rudimentary fitness tracking comes in. I do think Apple shouldn't have over-hyped the fitness tracking for serious athletes, but the "get off your butt" reminders do serve an important purpose. Perhaps that seems trivial to people fit enough to run marathons, but when I walk into an office and see a roomful of people who look like they just sit there all day, I can't help but hope that devices like the Apple Watch would help us all get off our butts and get moving more.
Apple probably doesn't expose the API to lock the screen to third parties which means while in Runmeter my shirtsleeve can wake the watch, enter taps and swipes and otherwise create havoc. I'll go poke around in the SDK if I get a chance and see if this is documented or even possible. If it is possible, I would expect every third party running app, starting with runmeter, to implement this feature in a future update. As for hardware upgrades, I agree apps are the way to go, IF Apple allows developers to access the full potential of AW. The AW arguably already has more sophisticated sensors than any Garmin. It just doesn't take advantage of them in a way most appropriate for running activities.
And yes, when it comes to cadence you're right. Cadence is more for experienced runners. I'm trying to improve my pace on longer runs so I care about it (for now). 99 percent of runners don't need to know or care about such a thing, but the fact it's left out of workout, along with other data I find necessary like elevation and a map of my route, means AW isn't useful to me as a recreational/intermediate runner in its present (software) form. As an AW owner, I'm hoping a future version of WatchOS either brings these features to Workout or makes it easier for third party developers to offer more like the all-important ability to lock the screen when running with long sleeves.
If I can get to the point myself, I'd want to write my own app, too. Maybe a package of two or three fitness apps. Problem is, there's already a bucketful, and several are well established with their own history and "data ecosystem" (for lack of a better term).
I used to enjoy looking at data from my Garmin. I used it all the time, whether it was a yoga session or biking a metric century*. I liked learning that my HR would peak during a pull-up/push-up workout nearly as high as it did on the bike, or that it never actually went very high if I was using smaller muscle groups.
I simply stopped caring so much about the Garmin's data after a few years, though. My new "dataset", so to speak, was found in my new clothing size, military fitness tests, and a generally improved sense of well-being. I'm not even sure what I would want from an AW fitness app more complicated than the stock app.
*the main thing the 100km bike ride proved to me was I got pretty bored after all that time in the saddle. Haven't done it since.
I used to enjoy looking at data from my Garmin. I used it all the time, whether it was a yoga session or biking a metric century*. I liked learning that my HR would peak during a pull-up/push-up workout nearly as high as it did on the bike, or that it never actually went very high if I was using smaller muscle groups.
I simply stopped caring so much about the Garmin's data after a few years, though. My new "dataset", so to speak, was found in my new clothing size, military fitness tests, and a generally improved sense of well-being. I'm not even sure what I would want from an AW fitness app more complicated than the stock app.
*the main thing the 100km bike ride proved to me was I got pretty bored after all that time in the saddle. Haven't done it since.
My problem is that I cannot get treadmill runs to record accurate distance. It's off by like a mile on 3mi workouts.
I re-calibrated on an outdoor run and that run was accurate but as soon as I do a treadmill workout I can never get an accurate recording again outdoor or indoor. The treadmill runs ruin the calibration.
Between the buginess of Nike + on the watch and the uselessness of the Workout app I don't know why I even bother anymore
I re-calibrated on an outdoor run and that run was accurate but as soon as I do a treadmill workout I can never get an accurate recording again outdoor or indoor. The treadmill runs ruin the calibration.
Between the buginess of Nike + on the watch and the uselessness of the Workout app I don't know why I even bother anymore
The only accurate way to measure treadmill runs is a footpad and since Nike+ doesn't support them anymore that means either use a Garmin for treadmills or just enter in the runs manually on the Nike+ app with the data displayed on the treadmill screen.
Well it's time for an update! I ran with my AW and my Garmin tonight. I did 8 miles and both devices were within less than 1 percent of one another: 8.03mi (Garmin) versus 8.05mi (AW). Garmin reported my pace at 8:42 per mile (average moving pace) and AW reported it at 8:37 per mile but I had both devices still set up for the marathon including the tunnel so I had stop detection switched off. They might have been closer with stop detection turned on. I was wearing short sleeves as I ran on what is probably the last warm night we will have in the Detroit area for a very long time. I'm beginning to think I can run "solo" with my AW for shorter training runs without fearing either: pace too inaccurate to use or distance 5% or more off.
Once the weather gets too crappy and dangerous to run (slip on ice and fall hazard), I'll have to use my elliptical. I have instrumentation on my elliptical so I simply read the screen and enter the data manually. I didn't opt to pay $1000 extra for the "connected" elliptical though I would imagine that this years' models probably have bluetooth so you can get data directly into your phone. I think I believe the display on the elliptical but now that I understand my body better, I'll know that when I run on the thing and do my normal tempo effort/pace and at 55 minutes it better be showing 6 miles, not 10 and not 3. Once I've done that mental "calibration" exercise, I'll be able to translate from "elliptical miles" to "running miles."
Once the weather gets too crappy and dangerous to run (slip on ice and fall hazard), I'll have to use my elliptical. I have instrumentation on my elliptical so I simply read the screen and enter the data manually. I didn't opt to pay $1000 extra for the "connected" elliptical though I would imagine that this years' models probably have bluetooth so you can get data directly into your phone. I think I believe the display on the elliptical but now that I understand my body better, I'll know that when I run on the thing and do my normal tempo effort/pace and at 55 minutes it better be showing 6 miles, not 10 and not 3. Once I've done that mental "calibration" exercise, I'll be able to translate from "elliptical miles" to "running miles."