I don't trust my Apple Watch!

[Cliff_H]

Sorry for the long post but thought I'd share my adventure, or is that misadventure.

I did a run Saturday, to the common and around the common, usually I have my other half with me who is much more exprienced and she'll keep pace. Today I was flying solo on a run Inhad only done in company.

My Apple Watch (series one so no built in GPS) was showing a much slower pace than I thought I was running. I pushed myself a little harder as I was hoping for about a 32min 5K. I figured a few gins the night before and forgetting my pre-run banana was taking its toll. I even had to walk for about 50 yards at one point.

I varied my route a bit and thought I was running further but the watch had me at 4.8km and 32:59 mins when I was nearly back which felt like it couldn't be right considering how tuckered out I was...

When I got back, absolutely pooped. I stopped the Fitbit and the Strava app and watch app all within a second or two and cooled down and flopped onto the sofa in a sweaty puddle... after picking my self up I checked the Fitbit and Strava apps on the phone and they read fairly identically

6.1KM in 36:28, so in pushing myself harder as I was below pace (according to the watch) I ended up doing over 6k at a 5:58 pace with my fastest KM at 5:24. I also got my PB for 400m, 1/2 mile, 1k and a new 5k PB at 30:31with three splits below a 6:00 pace.... imagine what I could have done if I ate my banana! 😂

I'll definitely not be trusting the watch again but was relieved to have figured out why it was such a hard run.

A parkrun this Saturday should be easy after that, also signed up for an innovation run at a Clapham a common in a few weeks, my first organised run other than park runs.

...only a few short months ago I was gasping after W1R1 thinking I'd never survive this!

Again, sorry for the long post, hopefully it didn't put anyone to sleep.

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate]

Ha, well done Cliff😄...its funny but I bet if you had planned to run 6k that fast and get all those pb's, your mind would have stepped in and scuppered you..

A case of ignorance is bliss..or had your other half been tampering with your watch to make you work harder😄...

Great time and distance and it made me laugh too...✋

[Cliff_H Graduate in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

Spot on Jan, if a PB run was the plan I'd have chosen a day without a hangover and fuelled by bananas 😀

[Hidden]

Have you calibrated your watch? That might help, such a big difference in the distance shouldn’t happen unless there is an issue with the watch. Try to calibrate it and I hope it will work!

[RebeccaSK Graduate]

I had the same problem - but in reverse! My Garmin (also no GPS) was telling me I'd run further than I had. My problem was caused by the fact that my running stride is so short. Once I calibrated things it was much more accurate. That pace is amazing - well done!

[iain-strachan Graduate]

Gosh! My wife wouldn't let me collapse on the sofa in a sweaty puddle! I get dispatched straight to the shower after a run. And if it's a drive to the run location (a local reservoir) she won't let me use her car in case I sweat into it!

I don't know much about Apple watches, but I did own a Fitbit for a while, but found it was wildly inaccurate in heart rate estimation (underestimated sometimes drastically e.g. a 113 came out reported as 66). Also the step counting wasn't too good either - but this might be an issue with all step counters.

[damienair Graduate]

Great post. It turned out to be a great training session as a speed run for a fast 10k.😀 Well done and great times. Your not far off the sub 30 min 5k now.

I got fed up trying to use apps on my phone for timing runs. I ended up investing in a Garmin GPS watch. I didn't want anything too fancy. I bought a second hand Garmin Forerunner 15 on eBay for £40. Its perfect. Gives me Pace, distance, time etc. And I can upload from Garmin connect onto Strava. Now I just use my phone for music. I have checked the watch against other apps and it is very accurate.

Well done again.

Damien.

[Shireen59 Graduate]

I like long posts ,reading what other runners are going through😁Well done with pb👏