Setting a calibration factor for Stryd on my Polar Vantage, Grit X, and Pacer watches
By default, Polar enables autocalibration for Stryd when you first pair your Stryd, which means that Polar uses its GPS to determine the accuracy of Stryd. We typically recommend disabling autocalibration. When you follow the instructions below and set the calibration factor, autocalibration will be disabled.
The calibration process is sport profile-specific. This article explains how to set the Polar calibration factor for the "Running" profile. If you use "Treadmill Running" or other profiles.
The best way to calibrate your watch correctly is to run a known distance to check the accuracy of your Stryd. You can find the detailed instructions to run a known distance and test your Stryd here: Distance and Calibration.
Before you go to the track, make sure your Polar is set up correctly. Follow the following steps:
Make sure your Stryd is paired with your Polar watch. If Stryd is not yet paired with your Polar, the menu option in step 4 does not appear.
On your watch, select Start Training > Running
You will see a small wheel on the top left. Select that to change the setting for the Running profile.
Select Calibrate stride sensor > Calibration factor (note: the watch must be paired with Stryd and connected to your Stryd before this option appears).
Set the calibration factor to 1.000. If you simply want to disable autocalibration, you can stop here without doing a test.
Once you have completed the test, calculate the calibration factor for your Polar watch. The calibration factor is calculated as a ratio of the actual distance to the uncalibrated distance. Example: you run 1200m, and Polar with Stryd measured a distance of 1180m. Calculate your calibration factor as follows: 1.000*1200/1180 = 1.017.
To set the calibration factor, repeat steps 2 through 5 listed above, setting the calibration factor as calculated in step 7.
What is the difference between Polar and Stryd power?
On several watches like the Vantage V, Grit X, and PacerPro, Polar offers power to runners based on GPS and wrist motion. The Vantage series watches are also compatible with Stryd. So, Vantage V users have two options. Due to different considerations, the power number of Stryd versus Polar may be different. Typically, the Vantage V will report a power number that is 25% higher as they do not consider the rebound effect that allows runners to recycle energy.
You can read more about it in this article from Hans van Dijk and Ron van Megen.
What happens if I forget my Stryd and run with a Polar watch that supports running power?
If you run with your Polar watch that supports running power (for example, Vantage V, Grit X, PacerPro) without Stryd, the watch will revert to its running power algorithm. Vantage V power will always be higher than Stryd power.
The Stryd platform can currently not detect that power was not from Stryd when you import your data into the Stryd platform. As power is higher with the Polar, your critical power may be adjusted upward even though you are not getting fitter.
You can exclude runs from your Critical Power calculation so that your critical power and zones are correct again.
Setup for Polar V800 (Legacy watch)
To pair your Stryd with your Polar V800 please follow these steps:
Step 1: Link the Polar App to the Stryd ecosystem
Linking the Polar app to the Stryd app will make data upload simple. The Polar app will automatically push every run recorded to the Stryd app.
Linking from PowerCenter:
Connect to Polar Flow
Linking from the Stryd app on your phone:
Open up the Stryd app on your phone.
Go to settings > connected accounts
Select "Import from Polar"
If this method fails, please try linking the accounts through PowerCenter.
Your accounts are now connected! Going forward, your run activities that contain power data will now sync into Stryd's ecosystem automatically. Historic data will not transfer automatically.
Step 2: Configure your watch to record Stryd power.
Use the button on the bottom right of the watch to scroll down to 'Settings' and use the middle button on the right to select
Scroll down to and select 'General Settings'
Select 'Pair and Sync'
Scroll to and select 'Pair other device'
Place Stryd next to the watch and select Stryd when it populates
Stryd will flash twice when the pairing begins and twice more when the pairing is complete
Step 3: Add Power to Sport mode
Now that you have the Stryd paired with your V800 you will need to add power to your run sport mode in Polar Flow. To accomplish this:
Log into your Polar Flow account via the computer
Click on 'Edit' under your Running Sport Profile
Click on 'Training Views'
Select a screen you would like to add power to and then click on the pencil symbol to edit the screen
Click on the Power tab
Then select Power
Sync the new settings to your watch
Why are my manual lap splits incorrect in PowerCenter when using my Polar watch?
Your Polar watch most likely has automatic lap splits (auto-lap) enabled in addition to your manually recorded splits. In Polar Flow, these will be displayed in two separate columns "Manual Splits" and "Automatic Splits". In PowerCenter, only one "Distance Splits" metric exists. This means that a Polar watch with automatic splits enabled for every 1000m with manual splits at 400m and 800m will display in PowerCenter as:
Polar Flow View:
Lap view:
Lap | Duration | Distance |
1 | 1:21.5 | 400m |
2 | 2:00.0 | 400m |
3 | 1:21.5 | 400m |
4 | 2:00.0 | 400m |
5 | 1:21.5 | 400m |
Automatic Lap View:
Automatic Lap | Duration | Distance |
1 | 4:02.3 | 1000m |
2 | 4:02.5 | 1000m |
PowerCenter View:
Lap | Distance | Duration |
1 | 400m | 1:21.5 |
2 | 400m | 2:00.0 |
3 | 200m | 0:40.7 |
4 | 200m | 0:40.7 |
5 | 400m | 2:00.0 |
6 | 400m | 1:21.5 |
If you are intending to use manual splits for a workout of varying distances, you will want to disable automatic splits in the Polar watch. You will need to do this for each activity in your Polar watch that you intend to use manual splits.