Help! - Couch to 5km/ Fitbit distance issue

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Running_mamma
Running_mamma Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started using the couch to 5km app and also wear my Fitbit when I run. It’s been a few weeks and I have only been using the app and then just recently started tracking the run with my Fitbit as well and found out that they have a 1km discrepancy between them! Maybe even a bit over… I was shocked and super discouraged. I have no idea which is actually accurate.

Has anyone else found this??

Thanks!
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  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,694 Member
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    Does your fitbit have gps or is it just counting steps? Unless you have an accurate gps on your watch, it can be difficult to measure distance. Even if you have GPS, buildings or tree cover can interfere with the signal and essentially turn off the gps. If there is a serious discrepancy, go on a good mapping program and measure the route you took (unless it was a track, that can be hard to measure since it depends on which lane you're in.) mapmyrun or runningahead have online mapping tools.
  • williamsonmj1
    williamsonmj1 Posts: 85 Member
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    Probably the best resource to use is 'Map My Run':

    You can just mark the run on a map and it will calculate it accurately. It also lets you share your routes and see other routes that people have done in your area,
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,588 Member
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    Ok, can you give a bit more information? Does your Fitbit have a GPS? You can find this out by looking at the run you recorded: if there's a map then it does. Some older Fitbits did record maps but used the phone gps. That means you need to take your phone along and the device needs to be connected to the phone. Third option: no gps at all. then ignore this. Nothing you can do. Fourth option: you have GPS but the signal strength is not good and you get a wrong distance, or you don't let your watch acquire a satellite fix before you start your run. This can result in wrong distances. However, 1km off would be extreme, unless you ran a very long distance.

    So please let us know a bit more about your device and then we can help you.
  • JaysFan82
    JaysFan82 Posts: 851 Member
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    williamsonmj1 wrote: »
    Probably the best resource to use is 'Map My Run':

    You can just mark the run on a map and it will calculate it accurately. It also lets you share your routes and see other routes that people have done in your area,

    Was just about to post this. I run on a path by a river so I can't exactly map it out with my car. That website is fantastic
  • Running_mamma
    Running_mamma Posts: 3 Member
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    Yes my Fitbit has GPS, which is why this was so strange. I take my phone on my runs (that’s how I use the C25K app) but I’ll use map my run this time and see which it sides with. 🤷‍♀️
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,588 Member
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    Ok, one thing to do: look at the map from fitbit after your run. Does it fit the route you've run or is there something odd on the map? If you start running before fitbit has gotten a good satellite fix then the run will appear to start at a different location, possibly close to where you finished your run last time. So look at all the data. You still have it probably in the fitbit app.

    For your next run go to the running screen on your fitbit and wait for the gps bar to be full (on my Garmin watch it turns green), and only then start the run. Lets see if you get the proper distance then.

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