Just got the Garmin 920XT. The running metrics seemed like it my just be useless info but I have found my cadence is slower than what Garmin expects and as the run gets longer my cadence slows, as does my time.
Anybody had success changing running style based in these metrics?
Cadence is very useful for me. I ignore the rest.
Just got the Garmin 920XT. The running metrics seemed like it my just be useless info but I have found my cadence is slower than what Garmin expects and as the run gets longer my cadence slows, as does my time.
Anybody had success changing running style based in these metrics?
As the other poster said, I pay close attention to cadence and sometimes the height i’m moving off the ground…if i’m wasting energy pushing myself up, i’m not going as far forward per stride. I am in the process of investigating the tri strap…ideally I’d like a strap that gives me cadence and HR in the pool/lake.
I also pay attention to the cadence but not much else. I look at the data after the run just for grins but wast no time with it during the run. The metronome feature was great for me when I was improving my cadence. Drove my wife nuts for a month though!
Just got the Garmin 920XT. The running metrics seemed like it my just be useless info but I have found my cadence is slower than what Garmin expects and as the run gets longer my cadence slows, as does my time.
Anybody had success changing running style based in these metrics?
As the other poster said, I pay close attention to cadence and sometimes the height i’m moving off the ground…if i’m wasting energy pushing myself up, i’m not going as far forward per stride. I am in the process of investigating the tri strap…ideally I’d like a strap that gives me cadence and HR in the pool/lake.
I got two straps with my 920. Both work in the water. The black one has run metrics and swim HR, the blue just swim HR but is “stickier”.
For running, I had no idea on what to look for in terms of oscillation and ground contact. But I take a really good run, a really bad run and I can’t tell the difference, so I am not sure where the value is. I do see the metrics change as I warm up, which is cool to see, but probably meaningless.
The swim is of questionable value. I was surprised how low my HR was given my effort, but other than that I am not sure what I could do with the data. In a race this weekend I did see my HR was through the roof and I did cook myself. But I don’t think I needed a monitor to tell me that. Since it works for S,B&R I guess it’s of some value.
I would never wear the blue strap in a pool. Useless IMO. Come to think of it, maybe I’ll erase this and put the strap in the classifieds 
Let me know if you do decide to sell it - I’d be keen to give it a shot.
if i’m wasting energy pushing myself up, i’m not going as far forward per stride.
You are not wasting energy pushing your self up. You want a certain amount of vertical oscilation for maximum efficiency, not too much and not too little. Of course what the certain amount is veries individual to individual. So really the garmin metric really do not tell you if you have too much or too little.
Does the 920XT have metrics like TSS (Training Stress Score)? I would love to be able to calculate my TSS for each workout without having to get a premium Training Peaks membership. (I only use Training Peak to get my TSS).
Does the 920XT have metrics like TSS (Training Stress Score)? I would love to be able to calculate my TSS for each workout without having to get a premium Training Peaks membership. (I only use Training Peak to get my TSS).
Yes, TSS is shown on the watch and Garmin Connect.
Also Golden Cheetah is free and gives you a ton of statistics including an equivalent to TSS for the run and swim
if i’m wasting energy pushing myself up, i’m not going as far forward per stride.
You are not wasting energy pushing your self up. You want a certain amount of vertical oscilation for maximum efficiency, not too much and not too little. Of course what the certain amount is veries individual to individual. So really the garmin metric really do not tell you if you have too much or too little.
My coach is a big watcher of that metric. Staying low and fast helped him get to the 2008 Olympics, anyway…
My coach is a big watcher of that metric. Staying low and fast helped him get to the 2008 Olympics, anyway…
Well, being fast really was the reason. Maybe he had too much vertical oscillation before, or maybe he would have been even faster with more? This is the issue with using this one data point. Studies do show that there is an ideal amount of vertical oscillation, not too much and not too little. These were studies directly measuring efficiency.
When I first got it, it was interesting to look at… but there isn’t much I could do about it, except run more to be a better runner. So when it broke, I just replaced it with a plain HR strap. Less things in the way for me equals more doing.