What is Power?
Power is another name for ‘effort’.
At least, that’s the easiest way I’ve found to describe it.
Second-by-second as you run, power provides numbers representing your effort.
Run harder, and the numbers increase; run easier, and they decrease … whether you’re running on the flat, over hills, or on a windy day, power shows how hard you’re working while you run.
Why Run with Power?
Because there’s magic in the numbers.
Once you can quantify your effort, all sorts of things become possible – you can:
- assess your running fitness (and re-assess it) at any point in your training plan.
- ensure your training stays productive by setting workout targets based on your current fitness, rather than on a hopeful goal time.
- reduce your risk of injury by using completed workouts to track your training load.
- personalise your race-day targets to achieve the best result you’re capable of on the day.
- work on your form and assess if the result is an improvement (or not).
Which means …
Your training and racing is personalised - it’s based on your fitness and capabilities.
It also means that you benefit most from running with power when using it to train for an event; you get fewer benefits if all you’re doing is running easy.
How do you Run with Power?
Running with Power uses Power to show how hard you’re working, rather than Pace, Heart Rate or ‘running by feel’.
To Run with Power, you’ll need: some equipment; apps to plan, execute and review your runs; an understanding of some fundamental power concepts.
Equipment: Power numbers come from a power meter. If you have an Apple Watch or a recent running watch, your watch may include a power meter. If not, the Stryd footpod is compatible with a wide number of older (and more recent) watches.
Apps: At a minimum you’ll need an app to show and record your power while you’re running. You’ll also need apps to review your completed workouts, and to calculate multi-workout metrics. Finally, you may also need an app to plan power-based interval workouts, especially if you’re training for an event.
Fundamental Concepts: Power provides a complete system for training and racing, and there are five fundamental concepts that work together to cover every aspect of your running:
- Power=Effort
- Threshold Power
- Your Power-Duration Curve
- Training Load
- Running Effectiveness
It may seem a little complicated, but …
After running and coaching with power since 2018, I think it’s the most effective way to train and race.