Tag: Concepts

𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝

Your training load has two major components:
🔹 Your training balance – balancing the shorter-term and longer-term effects of your training to ensure your training is productive (not too much, not too little)
🔹 Your training progression – managing how you progress your training to avoid injury from adding too much too quickly.

Power provides metrics, based on your completed workouts, to manage your training load.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬?

Power calculates a Stress Score for every workout, using the workout intensities and durations.

It uses the Stress Scores from every workout, along with your Threshold Power, to calculate training load metrics.

These metrics will be covered in more detail in an upcoming series of posts.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧?

Training stresses your body, prompting it to adapt and become fitter, improving performance.

But it’s a balance.

Stress the body too little, and it won’t adapt.

Stress it too much or progress too quickly, and it’ll break down instead of adapting.

Stress the body correctly, managing both balance and progression, and sustained long-term improvements are possible.

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?

❓ Questions?
📖 Getting Started

𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬

Which is clearer?
1. “3x 15min at 15 secs/mile slower than 10k pace with 3min easy recovery”
2. “3x 15min zone 3 with 3min zone 2 recovery between sets”
3. “3x 15min at 220W – 230W with 3min recovery below 200W”

You may think they’re all clear, but …

𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬

How fast is 10k pace? I didn’t know my 10k pace when I first started running.

Does 15 secs/mile apply to all runners, regardless of their 10k pace? Probably not.

And should you maintain the pace on the flat and on hills? With no variation?

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬

There’s no easy way to discover your maxHR. Either it’s based on your age (rather than your individual capability), or it requires an all-out 3-minute run to try to reach your maxHR.

HR target zones tend to be quite wide – 10% ‘chunks’ (a broad brush).

And heart rate lags behind changes in your effort, and drifts up at the end of longer runs.

𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭

Power gets your training targets right – individualised to you and your current running fitness, and as a narrower range within training zones.

When running, just keep your lap power within the target range – on the flat or on hills.

And power responds to changes in effort – no lags and no drifting.

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?

❓ Questions?
📖 Getting Started

𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭!

Power identifies training targets, based on your fitness, that maximise training results without over-training and risking injury.

Two questions:
1. How does power identify your running fitness?
2. How does power set training targets based on your fitness?

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬?

Second-by-second as you run, power provides numbers representing your effort.

With a few maximum effort runs (no lab testing needed), you can identify your Threshold Power.

Threshold Power is an important representation of your current running fitness.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬?

Power uses your Threshold Power as an anchor, positioned at 100% on a scale from 60-65% (no longer walking) up through 200% (short sprints) and beyond.

For example, you might use:
🔹 80% or less for an easy run
🔹 94-96% for 10-20 minute intervals at half-marathon power
🔹 102-105% for 3-minute VO2max intervals

And if (when) your fitness improves and your Threshold Power increases, your workout targets adjust to match the new anchor, matching your increased fitness.

𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬?

No.

Training is much more than actions driven by numbers. But training should also be underpinned by quantitative data – and power can provide those numbers.

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?

❓ Questions?
📖 Getting Started