Recording Sessions: Running
Recording running sessions usually works automatically and well, provided recording rate, auto-lap distance and paired sensors are set before the start.
Definition
“Recording sessions: running” refers to capturing a run with a sports watch including GPS, heart rate and optional sensors such as a running power meter or foot pod. Recording usually happens automatically and with reasonably good quality, as long as the settings were made correctly before the start. As in every endurance sport, one-second recording is the sensible choice for running.
Why it matters
In running, pace is the central control variable, and pace depends directly on distance measurement. Poor GPS reception, a wrong auto-lap distance or an unpaired sensor produce lap values that do not represent the actual workout. The various gadgets matter too: they have to be connected and checked before the session.
| Situation | Typical default | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Road | Auto lap every 1 km | Disable for intervals or load a structure |
| Track (track mode) | Auto lap every 1200 m on a 400 m track | Check track length and lane number |
| Trail and off-road | Auto lap by distance | Switch to time, record elevation |
| Treadmill | No GPS | Correct distance manually or use a foot pod |
Most watches with a track function default to an auto-lap distance of 1200 m on a 400 m track, i.e. three laps of the track. Anyone running 400 m repeats has to change that setting, or three repeats end up in one lap. On trail and off-road runs, pace values mean little because of gradient and surface; time-based laps and heart rate help to classify the session instead.
How obseed measures it
obseed imports the run with every channel and carries laps over as segments with their own pace, heart rate and, where available, running power. On undulating terrain, obseed computes Normalized Graded Pace to convert climbs and descents into a comparable flat-ground pace.
GPS distances are never exact. On the track or a measured course, distance can be corrected manually in obseed so that pace matches the distance actually run. A note on surface, weather and shoes helps to interpret later comparisons correctly.
Example
An athlete runs 8 × 400 m in 1:30 min on the track with 200 m jog recovery. The watch is in track mode with auto lap at 1200 m.
Without adjustment, the watch produces 1200 m laps that each contain two repeats and one and a half recoveries. The lap average of 4:15 min/km describes neither the interval pace (3:45 min/km) nor the recovery (5:45 min/km).
If she sets auto lap to 400 m or presses the lap button manually, obseed receives eight interval segments. The times read 1:29, 1:30, 1:30, 1:31, 1:31, 1:32, 1:34 and 1:36 min. The fade from the sixth repeat onwards only becomes visible at this resolution and shows that the pace was slightly too ambitious for eight repetitions.
Categories
- Trainingsaufzeichnung