I have now done 4 runs with my garmin 301. I have downloaded my run info to both the garmin TC and Sports Tracks. I am a bit confused that the data is different??
eg todays run:
Garmin TC: 7.24 miles
64.04 mins
8.51 min/miles

Sports Track: 6.9 miles
63.28 mins
9.18 min/miles

Surely if the data is being imported from the same device then it should show the same on both sets of software and the only difference should be the way that each of these 2 diff types of software displays it? (i much prefer the 'look' of ST). Does anyone know why these discrepancies are happening?

Alison, good point. I got a Forerunner 201 a few days ago and used it for the second time yesterday. I prefer Sport Tracks too (except that it doesn't seem to show speed).

After reading your post, I compared the data from a run I did yesterday in ST and in Training Centre. Here are the results:

ST:

Distance - 4.61 miles
Total time - 40.04 minutes
Pace - 8.41/mi

TC:

Distance - 4.62 miles
Total time - 40.04 minutes
Pace - 8.41/mi
Speed - 6.9mph

There's probably a very simple explanation, based on the way the different software reads the data but you'd think it would be all the same.

Sorry, the total time reading in TC should have been 40.11 minutes.

Yours are pretty much spot on really aren't they? One of my 4 runs was absolutely exact between ST and TC but the worst was this one (i was poorly when i did this run!)
TC: 5.39 miles
54.03 mins
10.02 min/miles

ST: 5.27 miles
50.56 mins
9.39 min/miles

Thats just way off. I just cant understand why it would be different at all? Can anyone help? I dont like not knowing which one to believe!

Did you stop at all ? To ross the road or something ?

No i didnt stop as far as i can remember - why? would that have made a difference?

Reading this has prompted me to look at my own data (I've been using a 201 for about a month). There are always differences between ST & TC of approx 0.1 mile, and anything up to 30 secs (on runs of 4 or 5 miles). Hadn't noticed this before, and don't understand. I would now like to know which one is correct!!!

Now i'm really confused. I thought maybe that as Sport Track wasnt an 'official partner' of Garmin that might have something to do with it so i've just uploaded my runs to Motion Based who are officially linked to Garmin. And now i have 3 different sets of data!!! aarrrrgghhh!!!

Run 1 Distance Time Pace
Garmin Device 5.39m 54.03 10.01 m/m
Sport Track 5.27m 50.56 9.39 m/m
Motion Based 5.31m 50.56 9.37 m/m

Run 2 Distance Time Pace
Garmin Device 5.01m 42.52 8.33 m/m
Sport Track 5.01m 42.52 8.33 m/m
Motion Based 5.55m 71.29 8.35 m/m

Run 3 Distance Time Pace
Garmin Device 6.29m 52.39 8.22 m/m
Sport Track 6.34m 52.4 8.18 m/m
Motion Based 6.41m 52.4 8.12 m/m

Run 4 Distance Time Pace
Garmin Device 7.24m 64.04 8.51 m/m
Sport Track 6.9m 63.28 9.11 m/m
Motion Based 6.91m 63.28 9.10 m/m

Any IT/scientist people out there please explain???

Can I suggest you read the thread on the Sporttracks forum:

http://sporttracks.zonefivesoftware.com/Discussion/viewtopic.php?t=345

It saves me pasting it into this forum, it is basically the way each software interprets the GPS data it receives, which make the differences between the two.

No GPS is 100% accurate - hope this helps!

Thanks No8 - thats useful although it seems to be mainly about the discrepancies with interval/lap training and i can understand what they are saying about where the 'exact' split could be- but my discrepancies are simply around whole runs. I guess the same principles apply -but i'm surprised at the amount of variance on a longish run. On Run 4 (this morning) did i do 7.24 miles or 6.9 miles? Did i run 8.51 min miles or 9.11 min miles? These things matter when you are trying to improve....

Maybe you're getting too tecchy about this.

Are you working to the same heart rate too - or faster runs could be just from trying harder. Most of your runs should be steady - not going to beat a time.

yes maybe im am getting too techy but the problem is once you have the data you are naturally curious and want to know & now i want to know which data is right!. i am also not a 'natural' athlete - i hated all types of sport at school and whilst never being 'fat' i was certainly not 'fit'. i did my 1st half marathon at 30 by sticking to my training plan like glue and it was the best feeling when i completed it. Now i've done a couple more i want to try and get a bit faster ( i would love to do a half in 1 forty-something (even 1-49) just to break the 1.50 and likewise for 10k (40-something rather than 50)....so thats why i'm keen to see how my min mileage is breaking down over what distance. i dont really know much about heart rate - i've read some stuff but to be honest i dont really take any notice of the HR readings - should i be?

Could open up a whole debate here - some do, some don't. But HRM's are relatively cheap. There's a brief summary of HR training on this site, if you go to the "Quicklinks" scroll down menu on the top left hand side of this page, there's a HR training page which gives you an overview.

OK thanks i'll have a look - i already have a HRM cos its build into the garmin - now i'll have more data to obsess over! ;-)

I've been hunting through the SportTracks forums to find out how to view Speed in SportTracks.

Pace, I can see fine, but not Speed.

Anyone help out?

Ive been runnning for 6 months now after a break of 10 years and Ive found my HRM really useful. This morning I did 7 miles at 70% Max Heart Rate whereas yesterday I ran 4 miles at 80-90%.

Im glad I didnt get a GPS for Xmas if you cant reliabily tell how far you have been.

Hi there,
does your h/m on gamin,have auto learn so as you get fitter it adjusts to you!.
I have been running for a long time & heart
monitors dont tell lies if used right,but try not to get to tech'with down loads
just keep an eye on h/r.
(any help!!)

James, Yes Garmin updates your HR zones as you improve and get fitter (or not as the case maybe)

Spartacles, don't think speed is logged, can't you convert the minute miles into mph for speed or take the speed from Garmin's Training Center?

No. 8, thanks. I've been doing just that - taking the speed from TC.

I also got this response on a Sport Tracks forum which you may find helpful:

"When you create or edit a category, you can have it display either speed or pace. This presents a bit of a problem in the "My Activities" views since all are displayed as either pace or speed, but it works great when viewing one category and for the activity summary."

hope this helps you all. when you turn on your garmin sat tracking starts as soon as its locked on tc software only shows from when you press start and stopand will note any stops or pauses but other software like motion base record from when you press start but will ignore any pauses you put in and will only see time and movement between start and stop and interpret its own pauses and stops. this can mean if you use auto pause and auto start/stop the two will tend to differ. also because auto can be set too activate at different speeds so it may not start/stop when you do hope this helps.