Stryd

I like the idea of what they’re going for here. Unfortunately, there are some tweaks that until implemented will continue to limit their reach. I use a TrueForm Runner for 99% of my training, so a permanent incline adjust option for treadmill runs would be very helpful since a 4% (actually 4.5%, but decimals not available) incline is required to accurately reflect my CP. Additionally, I need real time power/activity data to be able to be casted to a device other than the Apple Watch alone (iPad/iphone/smart TV). By holding up my watch to verify where I am in my CP band — the activity pauses. It’s just very cumbersome to get the most out of this great technology. Finally, I’ve seen a member of their leadership team frequently personally reply to consumers/customers and often come across as condescending or defensive which I can appreciate they’ve put their blood, sweat, and tears into this phenomenal product — but I think they’d be well served to understand their customers WANT to see them succeed, and their feedback is simply a collaborative effort to see them continue to grow as a tech leader in this space. Stryd all the way, don’t let another software company come in and take your market because we neglect the app UI/UE.

When I was forced out of the office 13 months ago and told to work from home, I got the COVID crazies. I vowed to dedicate my former commute time to my own health. At first I couldn’t run a mile, so I just walked with a backpack. I added weight to the backpack as I lost weight. After I had lost 65 lbs and the backpack was getting heavy I started running. No plan no strategy, just sort Forest Gumped it. After getting stricken with the running bug I wanted an easy to use tool that told me how I was doing and planned out my runs for me without over exerting myself. A friend of mine told me all about his stryd pod so I thought I’d try it out. It took me a while to mentally transition from pace to power, but once I did the mileage started going up. If you told me a year ago That I could easily manage to run 60 MPW in a managed way that pushed my fitness further without injury I’d think you were crazy. I am now getting ready for my first full Marathon and where prior to acquiring the stryd pod I stressed over strategy and pace, I now just let the pod tell me my strategy and I just need to execute on what it tells me I can do! Love it!

It took a few weeks to nail the calibration down. After calibrating, my Stryd was very accurate on measured trails. That alone is worth the purchase of the stryd pod. I had never run with power before but was open minded to the change. The auto calculated power zones do seem to fit me. I have never been an even paced runner and this has helped me out a lot with being accurate and precise during easy/long runs and workouts. I don’t use the iPhone app much. Only to name each run and to get them uploaded from my Apple Watch. I mostly use the web platform because it has more information available from each run. The Apple Watch app is what I use as a display and it meets all my needs. I loved the Training Peaks workout download integration and used it extensively in the free trial. Since that ran out I just use the Stryd Apple Watch app. If I want to do workouts I’ll set the lap distance to what ever interval distance I want and set the power target to provide haptic response when I’m out of my power zone. Then I’ll use the manual lap function to begin a new interval after resting. The part that needs improvement is the audio feedback for the Apple Watch app. The chimes just aren’t that good. Stryd support is fantastic. They push updates frequently to get the bugs out. Battery life is also a huge plus for the stryd pod.