Fit Bit Q

jellebeandesigns
jellebeandesigns Posts: 347 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm a runner- today I went for a 6 mile run.
My Fitbit charge hr said 6.6 miles
Fitbit app 5.6 miles
Drove the run 6.3 miles
When I finished my run the Fitbit uploaded as 5.6 with 6.6 of movement (I got up at 5 & ran I didn't do anything else). Has anyone else ever dealt with this

Replies

  • drachfit
    drachfit Posts: 217 Member
    fitbit guesses your distance based on an assumed stride length times the number of steps. there is a setting on their website that lets you enter your own stride length. but it never counts steps perfectly either so there is always going to be some error, probably about 10% which for a 5-6 mile run is + or - 0.5mi. Plus, you don't always take the same perfect stride every step - it will shorten on uphill and lengthen on downhill too.

    maybe fitbit app and charge hr unit were using different stride lengths to calculate it at the time you looked?
  • leeanne249
    leeanne249 Posts: 7 Member
    I use Strava on my phone alongside my Fitbit and myfitnesspal they are all linked to each other, so that even though I will have steps in my Fitbit prior to my run, strava gives me an accurate reading of my run as it works with GPS
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Have you set your stride length accurately for the speed you were going?
  • olong
    olong Posts: 255 Member
    Yes. This discrepancy happens on the treadmill, too. Think about it. Your warm-up and cool-down strides are shorter than your full-out strides. Your uphill strides and your downhill strides also vary. Your Fitbit settings, though, do not distinguish between these strides, but apply one of two stride-lengths to each step taken. Also, you are going to speedier on some days and not as speedy on other days.

    You need a good GPS app and , if you are working to improve your pace, a good timer which can be paused at intersections when you have to wait to cross.
  • jellebeandesigns
    jellebeandesigns Posts: 347 Member
    olong wrote: »
    Yes. This discrepancy happens on the treadmill, too. Think about it. Your warm-up and cool-down strides are shorter than your full-out strides. Your uphill strides and your downhill strides also vary. Your Fitbit settings, though, do not distinguish between these strides, but apply one of two stride-lengths to each step taken. Also, you are going to speedier on some days and not as speedy on other days.

    You need a good GPS app and , if you are working to improve your pace, a good timer which can be paused at intersections when you have to wait to cross.

    I'm not worried about speed, it comes naturally unless I'm doing speed work lol

    This makes perfect sense. I'm going to say the Fitbit app isn't great for its gps (which they suggest for more accuracy).

    Stride length and speed vary based on - length of run, how hilly the run is, wind so doing it based on stride & speed is unreliable (dang Colorado). I'm going to start using strava again, you know can put it into activity (Fitbit) so all your steps are for your run

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