runkeeper inaccurate data or not?

I use Runkeeper and I have found that suprisingly it recorded my last run as 5.09 miles at a pace of 5.10 minutes a mile.  Now this would be a great result if I believed it, but seeing as I've only been running for a month and my average pace is normally around 11.19 minutes a mile I find it hard to believe.

If it were true it would be an impressive sudden improvement!!  I was running a different route that I have never done before which had a more all over even gradient, but still too good to be true I think?

Anyone else experienced such data discrepencies with runkeeper?  All my other runs have had a pace of between 14.38 and 11.19 minutes a mile showing a slow but steady improvement and now this!!

Comments

  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭

    I think you could soon enter the national championships.   But I think you'll have to insist on using your own phone for keeping your official time image

  • I've had issues with pace when GPS not connecting properly - for example, going into a tunnel and it taking a while to get the signal back, I was apparently on a 3min mile pace.  My guess is that that was the issue

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    Hehe only time I get that is when I forget to stop my watch when I get back to the carimage

  • lol yes agreed 'Run Wales' lol, that did make me chuckle. image

    and thank you 'Rachelcgen' I think you're right, it's nice to get confirmation that this does happen to others.

    I even got a congratulatory email from runkeeper saying i was performing in the 95th centile for runners, ahem yes too good to be true me thinks. 

  • lol 'booktrunk' image agreed this is probably the only way i'd get it again. 

  • Runkeeper consistently records my runs as being furher and faster than the garmin.

     

    This is despite the fact that if you look at the plotted map they look the same. I have no idea why but none of the iphone apps seem that reliable for pace or distance data.

  • Nose NowtNose Nowt ✭✭✭

    I think it's something to do with smartphones/iPhones not having quite the same GPS capability....  because gps is just one of a million things that the device is built to do.

    I was told (but would like to have it confirmed/denied) that a garmin communicates with the satellites X times per minute.... but your smartphone communicates fewer times per minute.  So the smartphone software has to work harder to 'guess' the route you took between readings.   Also heard that there are more "missed" readings from smartphones (due to trees/buildings) than with specialist watches - again increasing the amount of guesswork involved.  Probably only a little bit, but even a couple of percent makes a significant difference.

  • I did exactly the same run, 3 x round the lake this morning and I got 2.6miles and an average pace of 11.09minutes per mile.  So back to normal now!

    Apart from this glich I haven't had a problem.  However it is annoying that a whole run was logged incorrectly.  I've deleted it off the app now for fear i'll never get a PB according to runkeeper again otherwise. image

    I think there's probably always going to be differences if you compare stats for same run taken by different apps / gadgets, but you would at least hope for some consistency when using the same app / gadget all the time.

    Yes I have read the same about garmin gps and phone apps Run Wales.

  • Steve RileySteve Riley ✭✭✭

    Runs are far more accurate now from a watch then when I used to use a Smartphone. I too have a truly impressive mile PB  from those days image

  • Hi OB I had a lot of problems with runkeeper for a while it fixed itself when I updated the iOS I was on seems a runkeeper update didn't work so well on old ios's could be something to look at

  • I used my new Garmin (the 410) this morning alongside Runkeeper. The phone recorded an extra 0.4miles, hence a faster pace.  After editing my route on Runkeeper to improve accuracy, it dropped to an extra 0.18 miles. So I'm slower than I thought! well, I'm really slow anyway, this is just even slower...image

  • This document explains why smartphone tracking apps are not accurate:

    http://www.pickatrail.com/about/maps/cartographic_spam.html

    When your smartphone running app incorrectly determines your current location then your speed and distance is false. Look at the examples on the page at pickatrail.com to get an idea of how often this can occur.

  • How much more accurate are dedicated gps devices ? My phone gps tracks my precise movements over 99% of the time I'd say.
  • When I used Runkeeper it never had a same race time as chipped runs so i only used it for training runs to measure pace.  Now on a Blackberry and Casca Run despite not measuring cals burned seems to do a more accurate job.  I do miss the voice of runkeeper telling me to up and atom every morning though.

  • My run keeper is slightly out from the garmin - but have a look on the map on the site.

     

    I had a similar great run a year ago and it had zoned out and added a mile - you could see it on the map. Hasn't happened for ages now though - must be one due.

    Alex

  • I completed a 2 mile run this morning my Garmin vivofit 2 gave me an average mile pace of 10.02 per mile and Runkeeper 10.49 pm. 

  • Iuse it all the time.I know it does screw up from time to time, but otherwise seems quite reasonably accurate where I live. It always gets pace wrong vs. Workout pace,butI can live with that. Has anyonetested it against Strava or any other running app?

  • my runkeeper was fine for months, then went nuts, gps all over & 1 minute miles!!

    changed phones & same problem.

    possibly a Samsung galaxy issue, doesn't always fail me but does most of time.

    sometimes updates fix it, sometimes they make it worse.

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