Impressive run HR vs Garmin HR strap

[LongRunNick]

I have been tracking HR since Polar got started back when most folks thought Polar was a bear.

Ran a 7 mile run using my Garmin VVA3 with HR strap and my 2 day old Ionic. Had issues with HR reading on the Ionic yesterday and tried wetting my wrist area prior to running. Old HR strap users know that wetting the contact points work. Actually, it was an automatic unless it was in the 80’s and a lot of humidity. The Ionic wrist HR mirrored my Garmin HR strap. When finished the Garmin showed 135 average HR while the Ionic showed 136. Pretty impressive! I did note the HR strap reacted a little quicker to terrain changes, hills up and down.

Will provide more info after tomorrow’s 10 mile run. Nick

[bbarrera]

There is a triathlete with a blog that has been testing wearables for years, really in-depth reviews in particular on things like HR and GPS. Check out his Ionic review:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/09/fitbit-ionic-smartwatch-in-depth-review.html

[LongRunNick]

I have been a Ray Maker(DCRainmaker) fan for years. Sadly, I have tried more running fitness devices than I want to admit to. When you have run for over 40 years( nearing 88,000 miles or road running) and call yourself a senior citizen body metrics data geek I pride myself in checking out a lot of gear. 

Never tried any Fitbit stuff before because it seemed to have a marketing focus to get people moving. I do call myself a “serious” runner and have competed in over 500 races from 5k’s to ultramarathons. My point with the post was to give kudos to Fitbit. I probably have been running testing 2 devices,etc before Ray started running. My run today impressed me because I have rarely seen a wrist HR device compare so closely to a HR strap. No intervals, just steady running. At 74, I have slowed a lot, but still running 40-50 miles a week. I mention my street creds so people can consider the source as they read my opinion on forums. Nick

[bbarrera]

There are several devices that Ray has endorsed for HR accuracy. What you'll find with Fitbit is the app has nice summary of biometric and activity data, but not much depth after that. For example its impossible to get a simple answer to questions like "how many miles/hours did I cycle last week/month/year?" or "how many miles did I walk for exercise (just exercise) last week/month/year?"

Fitbit's summary circles offer a nice compact layout of top-level data, so I find the app has a certain charm but beyond that I rely on other fitness apps for real metrics and guidance when preparing for big events like a recent Gran Fondo.

[LongRunNick]

Check out Smashrun.

[bbarrera]

Yeah, it looks nice. I’m a cyclist and use similar tools for analyzing rides and training sessions 

[LongRunNick]

Sadly on my 10 mile run this AM the HR was way off. My Garmin/ with chest strap had avg HR of 131. Ionic avg HR 156. Absurd for sure. I really wanted to like this watch, but, for me, it can’t handle my fitness lifestyle- running 40-50 miles a week. GPS is not bad, the mile marker vibrations are very weak(have it set for strong).

Probably going to return. Nick

[bbarrera]

Never understood why Fitbit refuses to allow chest straps. And bike sensors like power meters and speed.