While using the Vivoactive for a couple of light workouts, one thing that’s continuing to drive me nuts is being able to automatically sync workouts to MapMyRun. So far, I’ve had to export the workout data in TCX format from Garmin Connect, then into into MMR. A few back and forth emails with Garmin and MMR Support, and hopefully we’re moving towards a resolution.
No GPS… No Problem! The Garmin Foot Pod
In the meantime, I got the second part of the runner tracking transformation in the mail – a Garmin Foot Pod. One of the challenges with the GPS watch is when you’re inside on a treadmill or track and don’t have the ability to get a GPS lock. Enter the foot pod, a clever little battery powered device that uses the ANT+ protocol to communicate with the Vivoactive (much like Bluetooth). When the GPS has a lock, that’s what the watch uses… when it doesn’t, the foot pod kicks in providing cadence, speed, and allowing the watch to calculate distance. The actual pod clips onto my sneaker and I don’t even know it’s there. Going to have to take it for a test run on the treadmill in the next few days… after a brutal cold spell, some ice earlier this morning, and then drenching rain all day, the weather looks to be improving for some outdoor runs.