I've started wearing a fancy gps watch recently and my "ground contact time" is constantly 48% to 49% on my left foot and 51 / 52% on my right foot. Total time for a regular run is like 260 ms (yes I realize this is high). My friend has the same watch and his is always 50 / 50z.
What is causing this / is there a fix / does it even matter? Thanks
Tight hips, with an especially big problem imbalance on one side. You're not extending your left hip back as far as your right, and that's making your right leg take a shorter stride forward. To compensate you're swinging your lower right leg forward from the knee, resulting in an overstride/heelstrike.It takes extra time for your body to "catch up" to the foot you just threw out in front of you, so your ground contact time is longer.Find some hip opening exercises on youtube.
Hill_runner84 wrote:
I've started wearing a fancy gps watch recently and my "ground contact time" is constantly 48% to 49% on my left foot and 51 / 52% on my right foot. Total time for a regular run is like 260 ms (yes I realize this is high). My friend has the same watch and his is always 50 / 50z.
What is causing this / is there a fix / does it even matter? Thanks
How can a GPS watch measure ground contact time for each foot??? Sounds impossible.
It only works when I wear the hrm to link to watch. Fenix 3 hr. It is a pretty cool device. Not sure how it works
Thanks. I had to think through this a bit but it makes sense
Don't worry about it. Nobody is symmetrical.
I also have this problem and mine was 49% left, 51% right. My right hip has caused me issues for a while now and I think I\'m slowly recovering from it by trying to get this number back to 50/50. I\'m trying a combination of strengthening the weaker side slightly more and consciously evening out my stride when I run. Much easier said than done. I thought initially the weaker side for me was my right hip, but after strengthening that more than the left for a while I didn\'t see any improvement. So now I\'m trying to do the left. Seems to be helping.
I don't use such a watch, but if I run across softish dirt that leaves tracks, I can measure my stride. It's 6 inches shorter one one side.
How is this done? wrote:
How can a GPS watch measure ground contact time for each foot??? Sounds impossible.
Some newer Garmin watches can use data from an accelerometer inside the HRM sensor strapped to the chest. Or you can get other devices and an app for your phone.
http://www.wareable.com/running/achieve-proper-running-form-run-better-running-tech-watches-trackersHill_runner84 wrote:
I've started wearing a fancy gps watch recently and my "ground contact time" is constantly 48% to 49% on my left foot and 51 / 52% on my right foot. Total time for a regular run is like 260 ms (yes I realize this is high). My friend has the same watch and his is always 50 / 50z.
What is causing this / is there a fix / does it even matter? Thanks
First check if you run on the same side of a crowned road. If so switch to the other side for a bit and then back, I see a 1% difference from side to side in this situation.
Even on a treadmill I will be like you while tight and warming up slow. As I warm up and speed up I get to 50/50. When I run fast strides it might go to the other side 51/49. During cooldown jogs after faster running it hangs around 50/50 which suggests something just needs to loosen up and the faster running helps that.
Look up Garmin's "HRM Run" heart rate strap. It has an accelerometer in it. It only works with certain watches of theirs.