Note that I have not used a Suunto watch and have relied on information provided online and from other runners.
If you spot an error, or something that should be adjusted, please let me know.
Initial Setup
Once you’ve received your footpod, follow the setup instructions in the box.
The Suunto setup instructions are also on the Stryd website.
Once you’ve finished setting up your footpod, you should have:
- created a login to Stryd PowerCenter
- installed the Stryd mobile app on your phone (and paired your footpod to the mobile app)
- connected the Suunto app to the Stryd app
- paired your Stryd as a sensor to your Suunto watch
- added power to your Suunto data screen for each activity type
Settings that apply to every watch / power meter
Based on the experience of hundreds of runners who’ve used power, there are some watch / power meter settings that every runner wishes they’d understood or configured when getting started. These are detailed on the Settings & Configs page.
Because these instructions are quite detailed, the following sections are collapsed – please expand the sections you’d like to know more about.
Height & Weight: ‘set it and forget it’
As explained in Settings & Configs, it’s important to ‘set and forget’ your height and weight.
Instructions for setting your height and weight are on the Stryd website.
Height and Weight are entered in the Stryd mobile app (for iOS or Android).
Auto-lap: if available on your watch, disable auto-lap when running intervals/structured workouts
As explained in Settings & Configs, it’s important to disable auto-lap when running intervals using a structured workout.
Auto-lap is not available on all Suunto watches. If available, you can enable or disable auto-lap via sport mode customisations, using the Suunto app.
Auto-pause: disable auto-pause; never manually pause
As explained in Settings & Configs, it’s important to disable auto-pause, and never manually pause when Running with Power.
Auto-pause is enabled or disabled separately for each activity (e.g. Run or Walk).
Enabling/Disabling Auto-pause may differ between watch models – consult the user guide for your model on the Suunto website.
Auto-calibrate: Disable auto-calibration if you’ve paired Stryd as a footpod
As explained in Settings & Configs, it’s important to disable auto-calibration if you want to track changes in your Running Effectiveness changes..
Auto-calibrate is a footpod setting. If you’ve paired Stryd as a footpod (rather than a power pod) and are using Stryd for accurate distance and pace, adjust the setting in the sport mode menu.
If you’re using Stryd for power, there’s no need to disable auto-calibrate.
Recording frequency: Set the frequency to be ‘every 1 second’
As explained in Settings & Configs, it’s important to choose ‘every second recording’ so that power averages (used for your metrics) are calculated correctly.
Not all Suunto watches allow you to choose the recording interval. For example, some of the modern smartwatch models use intelligent battery modes to adjust recording frequency to provide the best possible GPS track while maximising battery duration.
For accurate metrics, if your watch allows it, choose ‘every a second’ recording or set your intelligent battery profile to ‘performance’.
Power averaging: for ‘current power’ use 3s or 10s smoothed; for ‘keep-to-target’ use lap average
As explained in Settings & Configs, real-time power is ‘spiky’ – you may prefer your power numbers to be averages:
- for ‘current’ power, use smoothed power matched to the lap duration (3-second or 10-second)
- for ‘keep-to-target’ power, use lap power.
If your watch supports Running with Power, adjust power averaging for each sport mode in the Suunto app.
Power units: Suunto watches only offer Watts
As explained in Settings & Configs, it may be possible to display your power targets and actuals as Watts, Watts/kg or percentage of Threshold Power (depending on the power units available in the datafields you’re using).
Suunto watches only offer Watts. They do not offer Watts/kg or percentage of Threshold Power.
Displaying Pace & HR: I prefer not to show pace or HR; some activities (in the book) suggest you show power, pace and HR on your watch
As explained in Settings & Configs, some of the activities in the book ask you to display power, pace and HR on your watch so that you can keep track of changes in those metrics as you begin to experience running with power.
To do this, customize a sport mode to show at least three metrics, and include 3s (smoothed) power, pace and heart rate as displayed metrics.
Moving to the next lap: use the bottom right button, middle right button or a touchscreen gesture (as appropriate)
As explained in Settings & Configs, it’s worth familiarising yourself with the way to move to the next lap before you find that you want to do it but don’t know how.
On many Suunto watches, to move to the next lap, press the bottom right button (labelled Lap or Stop).
Some watches may use the middle right button or a touchscreen gesture to move to the next lap.
Settings specific to Suunto watches
Pace and distance from Stryd: Because an ‘offline sync’ is needed, pace and distance come from your watch
Stryd’s Pace and Distance calculations do not rely on GPS, which can be useful if you regularly run on routes with a poor GPS signal.
In addition, Stryd’s Pace and Distance numbers are often more accurate than calculating pace and distance using GPS.
Unfortunately, Sunnto watches only record power into workout files, they do not record any of Stryd’s other metrics. To upload Stryd’s other metrics, you’ll need to do an ‘offline sync’ to merge metrics stored on the footpod with your uploaded workout data. The merge process takes pace/distance from the watch (in case a calibration factor was used) and Suunto watches use GPS for pace and distance, with no override to take pace and distance from Stryd.
Adjusting what’s displayed on your watch
Suunto watches allow users to customize which metrics are displayed during activities. Each activity type (run, walk) can have different settings. A guide to Custom Sport modes is on the Suunto website.
Because Power is natively available on Suunto watches, there’s no need to use an additional app – just choose the layout you want to use, and add the metrics you want to see.
Running workouts using a Suunto watch
Planning: Training plans; building your own workouts
You can purchase training plans via TrainingPeaks. If you purchase plans via Stryd or Final Surge, you won’t be able to download them to your watch.
You can also create structured workouts (with multiple steps, often used for interval workouts) using a 3rd-party platform like TrainingPeaks or Intervals.icu, or (for some watches) using the Suunto mobile app.
It’s not possible to download workouts planned in the Stryd Ecosystem to a Suunto watch.
Downloading: Once connected, your planning app should add scheduled workouts to your training calendar
Workouts (or training plans) in TrainingPeaks or Intervals.icu can be downloaded to your watch by connecting those apps to your Suunto account.
Executing: Use the exercise screen to choose a sports mode, then press start
Executing a workout is described in First run with Suunto and Stryd on the Stryd website.
Uploading: Only Power is uploaded automatically; all other Stryd metrics need to be uploaded using ‘offline sync’.
Completed workouts will be uploaded to Stryd PowerCenter once you’ve connected the Suunto mobile app to the Stryd app (when Setting up your Stryd footpod).
Only power is recorded in the workout file and uploaded. Other non-Duo Stryd metrics are recorded in the footpod, and can be uploaded using an offline sync, as described on the Stryd website.
If you use Stryd Duo, you’ll need to use Footpath sync in the Stryd Mobile app to transfer balance data to Stryd PowerCenter.
If you have feedback or a question, please let me know in the from1runner2another Facebook group.
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