Track Mode
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With the recent update enabling lane calibration features with the track mode activity, I thought I would give it a try. I selected the basic track mode from the activity list, selected lane 1 to run in, then ran 4 laps around the track.
Unfortunately as you can see, the GPS track isn’t aligned very well over lane 1 with my local high school track when looking at the satellite map on Strava. I’m guessing this is because Suunto is using different 400 m track dimensions than a typical United States high school track around an American football field? If so, can the dimensions be changed in the watch?
Also, as has been common on my Ambit3 Peak, 9 Baro, and now the Race S, the first several seconds after pressing “Start” records 0 to the watch, including GPS coordinates. So in this activity, the first 8 seconds have a glitch GPS track from where I pressed start to when latitude/longitude coordinates are recorded.
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@atoponce said in Track Mode:
Also, as has been common on my Ambit3 Peak, 9 Baro, and now the Race S, the first several seconds after pressing “Start” records 0 to the watch, including GPS coordinates
Add also the Run.
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It’s probably the track isn’t an official athletics track. Trackmode doesn’t make gps more accurate. It just snaps you gpx to what it thinks is the track.
I don’t understand the need for trackmode. I do tracktraining every week at my athletics club. We usually do interval training with intervals between 200 and 800 meters. There are marks all over the track, so knowing the distance is easy. Also, there are tables with times you have to run for each interval, depending on your 5k or 10k time. All you really need is a stopwatch.
Sure, it’s nice to have your training recorded and some people might be annoyed if their interval is reported as 420m iso 400. But for your traning is doesn’t make any difference. And even the snap to lane 1 isn’t right. There are other people training or you run in a pack and you cannot always be in the inner lane.
Even for the occasional coopertest we do, it isn’t very difficult to know how far you ran in 12 minutes. And doing a 10.000m race, you just need to run 25 laps, regardless what distance your watch reports.
I haven’t heard of anyone complaining track training is difficult because their watch doesn’t support it. Really none.
I could say, well, if I don’t like it, don’y use it. Thing is, suunto is really missing some basic stuff, mainly in configuration, so I think it is a bit waste of developers resources. I would be more happy if I could specify which datafields I have on the lap screen, or set a reoccurring alarm for 4 days a week, or every saterday. Or have vibration alerts outside activities, and vibration and beeps during activities.
But I guess that’s just me.
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@elbee said in Track Mode:
It’s probably the track isn’t an official athletics track. Trackmode doesn’t make gps more accurate. It just snaps you gpx to what it thinks is the track.
Yeah, understood. I don’t know the precise dimensions of the track. I know that the IAAF permits three non-standard dimensions, including double-bend 400 meter tracks.
I believe (but don’t know for certain) that this track is a double-bend with a 97.256 meter straightaway and inner curves of 102.744 meters. This is the common alternative for tracks that enclose an American football field.
I don’t understand the need for trackmode. I do tracktraining every week at my athletics club. We usually do interval training with intervals between 200 and 800 meters. There are marks all over the track, so knowing the distance is easy. Also, there are tables with times you have to run for each interval, depending on your 5k or 10k time. All you really need is a stopwatch.
If the athlete is using GPS for pace and distance, then the advantage of track mode is getting precise measurements without the GPS wiggle. If your coach assigns 25×400m reps at a specific pace, track mode ensures the recorded pace accurately reflects the execution.
With that said, if you are using a foot pod rather than GPS for pace and distance, such as Stryd, then track mode is unnecessary as the pace and distance will be accurate from the foot pod’s calibration. The GPS track in that case is just a breadcrumb of where you were, but isn’t part of the pace/distance calculation.
Regardless, having the right dimension helps the coach know if you started your kick on the bend (as in the case of 400 meter tracks with 84.39 meter straights) or if you started on the straight. This might be valuable information to have if the track is outdoors and it’s windy.
Sure, it’s nice to have your training recorded and some people might be annoyed if their interval is reported as 420m iso 400. But for your traning is doesn’t make any difference. And even the snap to lane 1 isn’t right. There are other people training or you run in a pack and you cannot always be in the inner lane.
Many days when doing reps on the the track, I’m alone. Usually when I run with a club, it’s long runs on the weekend, not track sessions in the morning/evening (although I know they exist).
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@atoponce said in Track Mode:
If the athlete is using GPS for pace and distance, then the advantage of track mode is getting precise measurements without the GPS wiggle.
From all the couches I had, I always got a target time, not a pace. For instance, 400m intervals I have to run in 1:35. So half way I peek at my watch to check if it is 47 or 48 seconds. You cannot be more accurate. Biggest problem is that it is so much harder with amoled watches to peek at your watch than with mips watches.
Regardless, having the right dimension helps the coach know if you started your kick on the bend (as in the case of 400 meter tracks with 84.39 meter straights) or if you started on the straight. This might be valuable information to have if the track is outdoors and it’s windy.
Gps isn’t that inaccurate that you really cannot make out if you start before the bend or the straight.
In the end, this is the track you can use for your training. Using it is much more beneficial than how it looks on strava.
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that it is so much harder with amoled watches to peek at your watch than with mips watches.
Do you know that you can set the display to always on during training? At least with Race S.
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Its not so much to snap it to track on a Satelite image that might be offset
but rather for pace stats and distance
