Stride length questions

[Morebluetiful]

I recently got a fitbit and noticed that when I walk a known distance at a quick (for me) pace (I average 4.5-4.8 mph) that the number of steps my Fitbit logs is much lower than I would expect (and therefore the distance is way off).  So today I counted my steps at my quick pace and at a normal pace and found that I take 456 less steps per mile when walking quickly as opposed to a normal pace. I have also noticed that Fitbit records my quick walking as elliptical activity. 

I know I can change my stride length manually, but since I have a normal stride length and a quick stride length that differ quite a bit, I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on what to do about this. Also does anyone else have this problem or am I just a weirdo??

[SteveH]

You're definitely not a weirdo!

I found that fitbit liked to record some of my walks as elliptical too. As I never use an elliptical I just removed it from the list of activities to track via SmartTrack and after that it correctly recorded then as walks.

Fitbit uses 2 stride lengths - one for walking and one for when running - but, as you say, in real life things are not so simple. Not only does your stride length vary depending on your pace, it can also vary depending on terrain. Try walking across a recently-plowed muddy field at your normal fast pace!

All we can really do is calculate an average stride length and accept that although sometimes it will be too high, sometimes too low, on average it won't be far off.

What I did was take a long (10 mile) hike over varying types of ground and speeds whilst carrying a GPS tracker as well as my fitbit. I then calculated my stride using the GPS distance and my fitbit steps. Having set this I did another long hike over a different route to check that the GPS and fitbit matched.

[EricJRW]

I think there is much truth in @SteveH's reply.

While one can go to great lengths (no pun intended) to dial in perfect stride lengths (walking and running), it is my humble opinion that movement is not so predictable. I do think fitbit has built in the averaging for us, based on our personal info (gender & height).

My various treadmill/track tests gave me a stride a little longer than the default that fitbit was using, so I entered my own value. Only after thinking about how I actually walk, with lots of different stride lengths, did I conclude that fitbit was probably closer to the average than I was, at least for walking. Running might be a more static stride length, but I've since stopped obsessing over this. Whew.

Regards, Eric

[LanuzaFitbit]

Welcome to the Forums @Morebluetiful! 

Just like @SteveH and @EricJRW mentioned, there is not really much that could be done about this situation. The information you get should, generally, considerably accurate and would give you a very good general idea of your performance for the day. If anything, I'd suggest making sure that the stride length on your account matches whatever pace is your most commonly used. 

Let us know if you have any further questions!