COROS POD 2 arrives along with a new metric, Ritmo Esfuerzo

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COROS announces today a new device. It is not a new watch, but an accessory that replaces the one that was available until now (and that many of you did not know about). The COROS POD 2 is an advanced podometer, with a concept and appearance very similar to Stryd, but with which there are numerous differences. For starters, it is not used for power measurement.

This is not the only news from COROS today. They are also introducing a new metric, Effort Pace. But let's break it down and I'll explain what each one is and what it can bring to your training.

POD 2 CHORUS

Let's start with the hardware. The COROS POD 2 is an external accessory that connects to the watch via Bluetooth. It has a 1TP7Meter format and can be worn on the shoe, but it can also be clipped to the waist like the original COROS POD. Depending on where you wear it, it will provide some metrics or others.

That is, it is similar to Stryd or any other podmeter that can be clipped to the shoe, but at the same time similar to the Garmin Running Dynamics Pod that is clipped to the waistband.

It is a podómetro loaded with internal sensors that will be in charge of drawing in a plane in three dimensions all the movements that we do. These are the sensors that it has inside:

• Accelerometer
• Gyroscope
• Barometric altimeter
• Geomagnetic compass
• Thermometer

Connected to the watch (only compatible with COROS) it provides greater accuracy to the pace and distance. But it does not serve for power estimation as Stryd does, at least directly. Indirectly the power measurement is affected because the data is faster and will rely on more values, but its mission is not to display power data.

In fact COROS wants to move away a bit from power measurement and give it a little less prominence (I'll talk about this later).

What does COROS POD 2 provide?

So, if the COROS POD 2 is not used to provide power data (as I recall, COROS watches already do that independently without the need for an external accessory), what is it for?

Well, for the same as a classic podmeter, but with the advantage of having more sensors and with much more precision than those classic podmeters.

• Accurate instantaneous rhythm with immediate changes
• Much more precision when running on a treadmill or indoors
• Metrics associated to the race with better data for its calculation (power and Effort Pace).
• Outdoor temperature control
• More career dynamics data

As for the last point about running dynamics metrics, it will also depend on where we wear the POD. If it is on the foot you will have cadence or stride length. If you wear it on your waist it will measure ground contact time, stride height and stride ratio.

But well, I leave you this table prepared by COROS where you will see all the assumptions in a much faster way.

As you can see, it not only provides information by itself, but in some cases it joins the data from the watch to improve certain measurements. For example the altitude, combining the POD altimeter data with the watch data we will have more accurate information. The same goes for distance or pace.

In short, the COROS POD 2 is an accessory that will serve as an additional data provider for all those who, for whatever reason, want to have greater accuracy in their training data.

COROS POD 2, availability and price

The COROS POD 2 can be purchased from today at COROS dealers or on Amazon right now, and is priced at 119€. And remember, it is an exclusive accessory for COROS watches (for all of them including the Kiprun 500, only the original COROS PACE is left out).

Is the COROS POD 2 worth it?

That's the big question, and it's something that depends primarily on your training habits. If you run in very clear areas, with no reception problems and always outdoors, it's probably an expense that's hard to justify. Unless you're going to run very short runs consistently and want to have those pace changes instantaneously (GPS has a delay... but not that long either), you won't notice much difference from the POD.

Now, if you run in areas with difficult reception (forests, city, deep valleys, cloud frequency and rain) you will notice a noticeable difference, because the data will be reliable at all times and you will not depend exclusively on the quality of satellite reception that, no matter how much technology improves, will always be limited.

And of course, if you are a regular treadmill or indoor track runner, the question is not whether the COROS POD 2 will be worth it for you. The question is why you were not using a podometer until now.

Rhythm Chorus Effort

The second novelty of the day is this new COROS metric: Effort Pace.

Rather than a new metric, it is an evolution of Adjusted Pace. Adjusted pace is an estimate of what your running pace would be if we were running on completely flat terrain, combining your actual pace with changes in gradient. That set pace was faster than the actual pace if we were running uphill, and slower if we were running downhill.

COROS takes that tight pace and takes it a step further by integrating not only slope but also other variables such as stride and running dynamics.

In other words, it will provide information similar to that provided by the power estimation during the race, but translated into pace data.

COROS wants to move away from the power metric because they believe it has limitations. Specifically and in their own words:

• Running power is not universal, and each manufacturer uses different algorithms. If you change platform you have to relearn your new power data, something that does not happen with cycling potentiometers (because they do measure, not estimate).
• For the record, running power is more complicated for runners to understand. To some extent it is true, because cyclists and triathletes are perfectly accustomed to talking about watts, but it is a totally new concept for the runner that in some cases is difficult to understand.

These are statements that can be seen as true, but in my opinion are not without the same problems. Pace Effort is still just another estimated metric, and although it is more relatable to what the runner is already used to, it will still be different from what 1TP7We can find on other platforms.

Garmin has the pace adjusted to the slope, TrainingPeaks talks about NGP (Normalized Graded Pace), a metric that is also present in Suunto... In short, they are algorithms and as such each manufacturer will treat them in one way or another, so we will have the same problem if we jump between platforms as when we talk about power.

But it is true that for the standard runner, talking about watts is much more alien to them. And above all, when he sees power fields when setting up his watch, he has no idea what they are talking about and it is a field that he does not select because he does not know what it brings him, something that those of you who are reading these lines do know because you are more informed users.

In that sense it can be an interesting metric for the general public. And also I remind you that Pace Effort does not replace power, but replaces Adjusted Pace. If you want to continue working with power (from the clock or from Stryd) podrast continue to do so without any problem. The main difference is that Effort Rhythm will be more reliable than Adjusted Rhythm because it processes more data (especially if you combine it with the COROS POD 2).

The future of Ritmo Esfuerzo

But COROS wants to go further. Through EvoLab it will modify the algorithm in a personalized way, because 1TP7 will learn from strengths and weaknesses of your training history. That will make this metric more tailored to each individual user, as if it were a tailor's work.

This is something that will be coming in the next few months, as well as being available as a metric when setting up interval or series workouts.

In short...

The COROS POD 2 is an accessory that will attract the attention of users more involved in accurate metrics. And as an advanced podometer (i.e. with more sensors for more reliable data) it is presented as a more economical solution to Stryd, which until now was the de facto device when we wanted to have reliable and instantaneous pace and distance data.

As I said earlier, not everyone is going to justify the expense of the add-on, because not everyone needs the level of precision it provides. This is normal, because not all athletes are the same.

If you've ever looked at your watch and seen pace data that doesn't match the effort you're making, it's mainly because the GPS is receiving erroneous data. The most common reason is signal bounces that confuse the device. It is precisely for this reason that podemos want to have an external device of this type.

Regarding the Effort Pace metric, I think it is a good addition thinking mainly of the standard and less informed user. Anyone who has no idea what power estimation in running is and who also has no concerns about knowing what it is. Now, when he sees that he can have something called "Effort Pace", he will possibly select it or be more entertained to know how he can benefit from it.

In the end, manufacturers not only have to provide product innovations and solutions, they also have to work on making the information easy to understand and interpret, and this is where this new metric comes into play.

Pace is undoubtedly one of the basic pillars of any runner and it is more natural to talk in terms of minutes per kilometer than watts. If you were already training by watts or at least knew how to benefit from it, it won't make too much of a difference to your training dynamics, but if you hadn't yet taken the leap because you were a little dizzy, it's another solution to the same problem.