Flashback Friday: Running Technology Roundup, How Accurate Are Activity Trackers?
Welcome to the latest edition of Flashback Friday! I began this blog feature because I realized in over five years of blogging on this site, there are undoubtedly some posts that you missed the first time around. It gives me a chance to dig deep in the archives, update blog posts from the past, and add new thoughts to those ideas. As a blogger and a coach my thoughts and positions evolve over time. I hope you enjoy a flashback in blogging history.
This week I am doing a round-up of the posts I wrote about running technology. Many runners unwrapped GPS watches, step, or sleep trackers this Christmas. Do you need them? Do you help you improve in your running, or is it possible they could hold you back? Are activity trackers even accurate?
Remember the good old days when you strapped on your running shoes and hit the streets, utterly oblivious to the distance and pace? I remember driving my car around the streets after I got back from a run to measure the distance I ran. It wasn't that long ago, haha. Technology has come a long way in a short time.
HOW ACCURATE ARE ACTIVITY TRACKERS?
DISTANCE
Watches that use GPS to track mileage and pace have improved a lot over the years and are relatively accurate. Still, I always hear runners report that their 5k or half marathon was short (or long) because it didn't match up to their watch. A professional race is measured and certified as accurate; you can safely assume any discrepancies in course length is on the side of your watch. GPS watches are reasonably precise, but not 100%.
If you are running with a Fitbit, the only Fitbit model with built-in GPS is the Fitbit Ionic. If you are running with any other Fitbit model, you must run with your phone to increase the accuracy of the data on your run; otherwise it's estimated based on your stride length and step count.
PACE
The real-time feedback provided by a GPS watch can help you connect with what different paces feel like, which can be a valuable skill.
Pacing on watches with GPS technology is relatively accurate, and more reliable than the running apps.
HEART-RATE
Most watches these days have wrist-based heart-rate tracking, and while the technology has dramatically improved over the last couple of years, you can't depend on the accuracy. Your heart-rate can be an indicator of how hard you are working. Still, because of inaccurate reading, medications, even your nutrition, it isn't always the best way to determine your effort. Learning to perceive pace based on how you feel and how you are breathing with the talk test is usually a more effective way to determine effort.
Trackers are great for trends in resting heart-rate. Spikes in resting heart-rate can be a sign that you are over-training, need rest, have poor nutrition, or maybe getting sick. When my resting heart-rate shoots up, I examine my current training, rest, and food choices, to determine where I can adjust to bring it back down.
CALORIES BURNED
My least favorite part of trackers is the calories-burned during exercise feature. Even if your watch tracks heart-rate, the calories burned are usually over-estimated and not precise. For best results, assume the calories-burned readings on your watch are higher than actual and don't depend on this feedback when making nutrition choices.
Some people that are trying to lose weight focus too much on how many calories they are burning during exercise, but this may be the least important consideration when on a weight loss journey. Focus on the quality and quantity of calories consumed, focus on building muscle to increase metabolism, and focus on regular, intentional movement throughout the day. Calories burned during exercise can help in your weight loss, but it is not the top priority.
STEPS
Step trackers can provide feedback on how much movement we are getting in our day. The hourly reminders to get moving during a day spent mostly sitting at the office can be helpful. However, If you've ever worn more than one step counter at a time, you'll find they are usually not consistent.
While step trackers may not be 100% accurate, I find them to be a helpful tool to challenge myself to move around more during the day.
Accuracy is not as important as watching trends in your steps and working to increase over time.
SLEEP
I enjoy the sleep tracking features on my FitBit and my Oura ring; the data is seldom the same between the two devices. My deep sleep is always better on the Oura ring than the Fitbit, but still, I like to review the data, examine how changes in my behavior influence the outcome.
I learned if I don't eat after dinner, go to bed earlier, and reduce screen time at night, the quality of my sleep improves. I don't necessarily need a tracker to discover these trends, we all can improve our sleep without tracking, but I find having access to the data keeps me focused on my goals.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY: RUNNING TECHNOLOGY ROUNDUP
For Flashback Friday I am sharing a few posts about how to get the most out of running technology, while staying aware of the potential pitfalls.
Are you in a bad relationship with your GPS watch?
In the blog post I explore how your connection with your watch can be like a bad relationship, or a good one, and why it should be more like friends with benefits.
Oura ring vs. FitBit iconic: Which is Better for tracking?
I look at each of these devices to compare and contrast their features. I tell you which one I would choose if I could only pick one.
A Trainer's Perspective: Pros and Cons of Five Popular Fitness Apps
While apps can be motivational tools, provide tracking, workouts, and competition, there are downsides to even the most popular apps. Learn what to watch out for to get the best results from your fitness apps.
The biggest lesson to take away is that running technology is a tool, and when used appropriately, it can provide feedback that we can use to make changes to our training or lifestyle to improve our performance.
If you rely too heavily on the feedback from the tracker or you are too invested in the data it provides, it can deter progress, for example:
If you hurt your ankle, but still want to reach a 10k steps a day goal.
If you run faster than your training plan (or coach’s direction) so that you can show off faster times to your friends on your Strava account.
If you are not feeling well, yet ignore your body's feedback and still try to hit a particular pace on a training run.
If you eat back the calories your tracker said you burned on your interval workout.
If you skip the strength training, Yoga, or foam rolling because you'll get more steps by running, and you want to win an online challenge.
If you’re out of breath but attempt to run harder because your heart-rate reading on your watch is not as high as you would expect on a hard run.
Are you running your technology or is it running you?
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