Suunto Plus sprints

Richard Thygesen

I really like this function, its great when running with friends that have the possibillity to create more advanced intervalls. However, when doing intervalls alone I miss the function to create more advanced structured intervalls on Suunto 9.

jsuarez

@Richard-Thygesen I share your view, but least you have this feature on the S9. Spartans don’t have this and Suunto won’t bring non-simple interval training to our watches. At least in the short/medium term.

What’s the utility of this feature? All you’ve done is run random distances at random paces. The lap button provides the same utility, and you can actually control when it stops counting the sprint.

isazi

@zrumlow you can also just count time in your head, why do you need a watch?

Bulkan

While I was doing today the interval I have an screen with data of the current interval (not lap) but it wasn’t showing the data of the sprint while the sprint was working perfectly.

I will test it tomorrow, but looks like the screen with any data of interval is not showing if you are doing sprints. Or am I wrong?

jw cou

@Bulkan That’s correct I think. The ‘interval screens’, i.e. the one activated when you use the interval mode are not used/activated by the S+ sprint mode, which uses the manual laps screens if any and the additional S+ srceen

isazi

@Bulkan I don’t think this function trigger the same as intervals, well it triggers laps like the interval function does, but it does not use the interval fields in the watch.

Bulkan

@isazi @jw-cou that’s right, it what happened to me this morning, I set a screen for intervals and discovered it doesn’t trigger the fields of intervals.

Thanks!

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@Bulkan however if you use the normal lap fields those will be updated

Bulkan

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos even if I have auto lap ON?

@isazi great insight

Brad_Olwin

@Bulkan Yes but auto lap will mark laps similar to SuutoPlus laps and IMHO confusing. I always turn auto lap off when using SuuntoPlus Sprint/Loop/Climb

Brad_Olwin

@zrumlow said in Suunto Plus sprints:

What’s the utility of this feature? All you’ve done is run random distances at random paces. The lap button provides the same utility, and you can actually control when it stops counting the sprint.

The utility is that I do not have to push my lap button every time I start/stop an interval. All I do is the workout and laps are automatically recorded on the watch. Sometimes I forget to hit the lap button, I find it quite useful not to worry about the lap button and just do my workout.

For flat workouts the Pace selection works well but I find for hill intervals the best tool is my Stryd and a power-based selection for SuuntoPlus

Here is an example,: Workout from my coach: Vo2 Pick-ups at 10k to 5k pace. After warming up 1mile Z2. Then build pace for 1 min pick-up, rest 2 min. Then pick-up 2 min, rest 2 min. Then pickup 3 min, rest 2 min. Then pickup for 4 min, rest 2min. Then pick-up for 5 min, rest 2 min. Work at 10k pace. Keep your feet moving on rest interval, allow HR to drop into Z2. Then reverse 5,4,3,2,1 w/ 2min rest. Work at 5k pace.

isazi

@zrumlow said in Suunto Plus sprints:

@isazi great insight

I’m glad you can be enlightened.

@Brad_Olwin okay, so it makes sense for walking between splits because the pace is so variable, but for those workouts when you’re going from let’s say 7:30 to 5:00/mile the detection on the watch is so much more variable, but good to know that it has some utility.

Egika

@zrumlow my average running speed is 4:30 per km.
When I start going at 4:10 the S+ Sprint picks up this speed change almost instantly.

Can’t complain about it at all - and don’t know if a less variable base speed helps the algo…?

@Egika this workout from a couple of weeks ago was meant to be 0.5 mile w/u and then 1 mile at 5k pace and 1 mile recovery. I wanted to try the feature. Needless to say I gave up on this after it kept splitting after changing from 5:30 pace to 6:00 pace. If I’m not mistaken this is at 25% changes in pace so at 5:30 that’s a change from 5:30 to 6:50, which could be caused by hitting a turn, having to slow down for a car, going up a steep hill. This 25% change is pretty appreciable at slower speeds but the faster you go, the less wiggle room you get.

Brad_Olwin

@zrumlow I realize you may not want to purchase a Stryd but it would solve the issue that you have. I agree the pace can be an issue and is for me on uphill intervals as it simply does not work. The Stryd works perfectly if SuuntoPlus Sprint is set on power.

@Brad_Olwin obviously I’m not going to buy a power meter for the purposes of a singular feature. I certainly understand the utility of Power Meters, but I am more of a pace and feel runner. I don’t think a power meter is going to significantly change my training that much.

Frixos Demetriades

@Brad_Olwin that what was I thought, however when I have tried Sprints with Stryd my results weren’t as expected. Sometimes sprints were interrupted while I was running so this resulted in more sprint counts.

I have posted on https://forum.suunto.com/topic/5087/software-update-2-12-30-staged-release-for-s3-s5-s9/45 some days ago, if you wanna have a look on it.

It worth mentioning that I have only tried SuntooPlus Sprint with pace (but from stryd), I have never used a power meter before so I didn’t have any idea of my power zones. Next time I will try sprints with power.