Which Apps?
It might seem strange to spend time thinking about running apps. But consider this …
Power uses your second-by-second effort from completed workouts to build a detailed picture of your running capabilities. Imagine you run 3 times per week for around an hour each time. That’s 60 pieces of information per minute, 3600 per hour and for 3 runs, over 10,000 pieces of information. With that amount of information, you won’t be able to calculate metrics manually – you’ll need applications (‘apps’) to calculate your metrics.
When planning your runs, apps can play a big part in setting up your workouts to target the correct intensity for each run. Apps can help with that too, supporting you to plan power-based intensities.
If you’re a runner, would you rather spend time planning and reviewing, or would you rather spend it running and have an app (or two) do the heavy lifting for you?
And if you’re a coach, wouldn’t it be nice if the app supported all of the above for multiple runners?
Can you use any app?
You can (the choice, as always, is yours).
But are there any that are easier to use – perhaps more power-aware than others?
App criteria – for planning
For apps that plan power-based runs, you should consider:
🗓️ Does the app provide power-based training plans – for purchase? for free?
🎯 Does the app provide power-based workouts – for purchase? for free?
💡 Can you create your own power-based workouts?
⤵️ Can you easily download planned workouts to your watch?
App criteria – for reviewing
For apps that review completed power-based workouts, you should consider:
⤴️ Can you easily upload completed workouts from your watch?
🏃🏼➡️ Can you review workout summary data and detailed (per second) workout data?
⚖️ Can you review workout compliance (actual vs. target)?
📊 Does the app provide power metrics, at a minimum: threshold power; training load balance; a power-duration curve?
📈 Does the app also provide ramp rate or running effectiveness?
🎯 Does the app offer a way to calculate power targets for upcoming events and races?
App criteria – for coaches
For apps that support coaching with power, you should consider:
🧑🤝🧑 Does the app support working with information for multiple runners?
🗓️ Does the app allow you to plan workouts for your runners?
🗣️ Does the app support communication between you and your runners?
💤 Does the app ‘go wider’ than power, to include information about sleep, fatigue and other non-quantifiable information?
Applying the criteria
The next posts will assess apps using the above criteria:
- First – apps that support the end-to-end process
- Then – apps that focus on a specific area (apps that ‘fill the gaps’)