How to get running distance information from the S625X (or Timex Speed & Distance) in PC Coach

If you are using the workouts that came with a training plan, or were built-in to PC Coach, you will see a new value popping into place when you upgrade to version 4.3. This is the distance value from your running workouts. When you download data from the Polar S625X, or the Timex system, this distance is part of what is imported to the PC. Now with 4.3 we bring that information into the linked workout, so you can see it on long-term graphs.

If you are not already familiar with downloaded data and how to link your data to a PC Coach workout, read more about this here.

For those who like to know how it all works, or if you have create your own custom workouts, getting this data from the HRM file is accomplished by adding a 'distance' macro to the workout.

When you upgrade to PC Coach 4.3, we will update the existing workout definitions (of the PC Coach training plans) to include this macro. If you created your own run workouts, and are using a HRM that gives you running distance, add this macro to your workout, using the workout editor.

Here is how the data row looks:
DFLT=HRM(DISTANCE)

As always, the prefix DFLT= simply means that what follows is to be taken as the default, but you are allowed to overwrite it later if you want (always a good precaution ).

The macro begins with HRM( ) which means look for this in the imported data attached to the workout (which can be directly downloaded data, or data imported as a Polar hrm or Timex csv file )
The word DISTANCE inside the parenthesis simply tells what information to get. In this case it means the total distance of the entire workout.

By adding this definition to your running workout "distance" row, when you link a downloaded data file to a workout, PC Coach will look in the HRM file, see if there is distance data and fill it in. This distance data has been filled in for PC Coach cycling workouts for years, as cycling distance data has been available since the introduction of the the Polar S510 in 2001. Now, with the introduction of the Polar S625X and the Timex Data Recorder, your running distance is automatically logged as well!

This image shows the workout editor definition for the built- in PC Coach Running workout "Run Race". Note how row 2 of the workout now has the DFLT=HRM(DISTANCE) formula. This means the distance value from your HRM (if your HRM has any distance data for this workout) will automatically be filled in.

For more information about the workout editor, see the PC Coach Help section on the Workout Editor.

For a full list of HRM macros you can use in designing your own workout definitions, click here.