Is power just for elite runners?

A runner 'Running with Power'
A runner 'Running with Power'

𝐈𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬?

No.

In fact, non-elites may benefit more from power than elite runners.

Why?

Running power provides numbers that represent your effort – how hard you’re working when you’re running.

Elite runners have usually spent years training and competing.

Which means they’ve developed a very good feel for how hard they’re working when they run, and how long they can maintain race-winning efforts.

They have a well-developed 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 feel for their effort.

Power provides an 𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 measurement of effort that, while useful for elite runners wanting to fine-tune their running, may not provide an enormous benefit.

𝐒𝐨, 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬?

⚡ Any runner can use power, but non-elite runners may get the biggest benefits.

Benefits like:
✅ maintaining a consistent effort over hills or in windy conditions
✅ using the instant feedback from power for precise interval training
✅ minimising injury risk by monitoring accumulated training load from completed workouts
✅ assessing whether drills or form adjustments are improving their ability to convert effort into speed
✅ using power to train your feel for when you’re running too hard or too easy

As one runner commented, “I honestly think it helps weaker/slower/newer runners even more than experienced fast runners. It’s like having a coach in a pod!”

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?

❓ Questions?
📗 Get Started

𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫=𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭
⏩ What is power?
⏩ Does Power measure effort?
⏩ Is Power better than Pace, or HR?
⏩ Is Power just for elite runners?
⏩ How do I start Running with Power?

Getting Started – Power=Consistent Progress

Graphic showing proposed back cover content for the Getting Started book

To celebrate the upcoming release of the Spanish version of ‘Getting Started’, I’m planning to update the cover of the English version too. This text (on the green background) will be on the back cover of the books (in the appropriate language) and in the book blurb on reseller websites.

This week, I’m posting about each of the ‘Power =’ items 🙂

𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 = 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

Power identifies training targets, based on your fitness, that maximise training results while minimising over-training and risking injury, enabling consistent, uninterrupted progress toward your target event.

This raises two questions:

  1. How does power maximise training results?
  2. How does power minimise over-training and risking injury?

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬?

Power enables more precise training targets, using targets relative to your Threshold Power (your current fitness) and that are often just a narrow range of a few percentage points of your Threshold Power.

Which means:
✅ power targets are easier to achieve than pace or HR targets – just ‘run to the numbers’
✅ you’re more likely to target the specific adaptations needed for your goal race
✅ as your fitness improves, your targets automatically adjust to match your increased capability

In other words, Power = Productive Training.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲?

Power calculates a Stress Score for each completed workout, based on the workout’s duration and range of intensities.

These scores can be combined (using research-backed maths) to provide a number of metrics used to monitor your Training Load – the cumulative impact of your training on your body.

The three most important are:
✅ a Training Load Balance, indicating the current balance between shorter-term and longer-term training impacts, so your training can maintain a productive balance between the two
✅ a Ramp Rate, indicating how quickly your training is adding load, so that you can add load safely
✅ a Training Intensity Distribution, showing how much time you’re spending at different intensities, to target the right mix of training for your upcoming event

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

By maintaining a productive balance, adding load safely and precisely targeting the right mix of intensities, you can:
⚡ maximise your training results, and,
⚡ minimise your risk of over-training and injury.

Which means consistent, uninterrupted progress toward your upcoming event.

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?

❓ Questions?
📖 Getting Started

⏪ Getting Started – Power=Productive Training

Getting Started – Power=Consistent Progress

Getting Started – Power=Achievable Goals ⏩

Getting Started – Power=Productive Training

Graphic showing proposed back cover content for the Getting Started book

To celebrate the upcoming release of the Spanish version of ‘Getting Started’, I’m planning to update the cover of the English version too. This text (on the green background) will be on the back cover of the books (in the appropriate language) and in the book blurb on reseller websites.

This week, I’m posting about each of the ‘Power =’ items 🙂

𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 = 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

Power identifies training targets, based on your fitness, that maximise training results while minimising over-training and risking injury.

Which raises 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 the following training targets:
🔹 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.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫? 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐕𝐎𝟐𝐦𝐚𝐱?

VO2max is a measure of your body’s maximum aerobic capacity. Threshold Power is the highest intensity you can maintain without rapidly fatiguing and needing to slow down or stop.

Think of VO2max as ‘the size of your engine’, and Threshold Power as ‘your highest cruising speed’. A bigger VO2max means you could go further and faster, but it doesn’t mean you’ll use that capacity effectively; a higher cruising speed means you can travel faster for a sustained period of time.

Both are important, but of the two, threshold power is more actionable, and a more direct and practical predictor of endurance performance.

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

⏪ Getting Started – Power=Effort

Getting Started – Power=Productive Training

Getting Started – Power=Consistent Progress ⏩

Training Stress – a two-sided coin!

A runner experiencing Training Stress

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 – 𝐚 𝐭𝐰𝐨-𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐢𝐧!

On one side of the coin, the reason you’re training – improving your performance, your fitness, your speed, your ability to run further for longer.

One the other, the impact of your workouts – fatigue, muscle soreness, dehydration, injury risk … the list could go on.

Can a single Stress Score be used to model both the shorter-term impacts and the longer-term improvements?

Note that ‘stress’ in this context refers to the physical (and physiological) effects of training, rather than stress from anxiety or worries.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡

Research into the effects of training stress has resulted in various models:
✅ Rowbottom proposed a Stimulus, Fatigue, Recovery, Adaptation model, sometimes referred to as the supercompensation model
✅ Banister proposed an Impulse-Response model, popularised in the TRIMP metric based on Heart Rate measurements
✅ Allen, Coggan and McGregor adapted the Impulse-Response model for use with power, encapsulating it in the Performance Manager model.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥

The model has the following components:

  1. A Training Stress Score (TSS)
  2. A Chronic Training Load (CTL), modelling longer-term adaptations
  3. An Acute Training Load (ATL), modelling shorter-term impacts
  4. A Training Stress Balance, indicating whether your training is ‘productive’

The Performance Manager model uses 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 Stress Scores (per workout) to calculate personal training metrics that indicate whether 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 training is productive – not too much, not too little, just right for you.

And with the two different ‘load’ metrics, the model includes both the shorter-term impacts and the longer-term improvements.

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?

❓ Questions?
📖 Getting Started

For more information on the models, see:
🔹 Rowbottom, D.J., (2000), in Garrett, W.E., Kirkendall, D.T., (eds.). Periodization of Training. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
🔹 Calvert, T.W., Banister, E.W., Savage, M.V., Bach, T., (1976) A Systems Model of the Effects of Training on Physical Performance
🔹 Allen, H., Coggan, A. & McGregor, S. (2019) Training+Racing with a Power Meter, 3rd Edition (pp. 158-160). Boulder: Velopress.
🔹 The Science of the TrainingPeaks Performance Manager on the TrainingPeaks website

⏪ How to handle training stress?

Training Stress – a two-sided coin!

Achieving a Stress Balance ⏩

How to handle training stress?

A runner experiencing Training Stress

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬?

Let’s face it, training is stressful.

It’s easy to overdo it, leading to injury and time spent recovering (rather than training).

But if you’re training for an event, a little stress is a necessity.

It’s a balance. Stress your body too little, and it will not adapt; stress it too much or too quickly, and it will break down instead of adapting; stress your body correctly, and sustained long-term improvements are possible.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬

Want to know how stressful your workout was? Calculate its Stress Score.

Stress Scores combine ‘how hard?’ and ‘how long?’

They represent the workout’s metabolic stress – its impact on your body, NOT its impact on your mental health.

Which is an important point – ‘stress’ in the context of training relies on what you can measure, on the physical (and physiological) impacts, rather than stress in the form of anxiety or worries.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫

A one-hour run at Threshold Power produces a score of 100.

Why?

Scoring relative to your Threshold Power means Stress Scores:
✅ match improvements in your fitness. As you become fitter, you can run the same workouts with less relative stress; or you can handle harder workouts for the same relative stress. This means that as your Threshold Power improves, if you run the same workout (the same durations and the same percentages of Threshold Power), your Stress Score for the workout will remain unchanged – even though you ran the repeated workout at a higher power.
✅ match individual capabilities. If our thresholds are different and we run a workout together, your stress score for the workout will differ from my stress score for the same workout, reflecting our individual capabilities.

Stress Scores are the foundation for metrics you can use to monitor your training stress.

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?

❓ Questions?
📖 Getting Started

For more information on Stress Scores, see:
🔹 What is TSS? on the TrainingPeaks website
🔹 Running Stress Score (RSS) on the Stryd website

How do you handle training stress?

Training Stress – a two-sided coin! ⏩

Is my PDC accurate?

A Power-Duration Curve (with accompanying Mean-Max Power curve)
A Power-Duration Curve (with accompanying Mean-Max Power curve)

𝐈𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐏𝐃𝐂 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞?

Your Power-Duration Curve (PDC) is modelled using your best efforts for a range of durations using information from your recent workouts (usually, the last 90 days of workouts).

But its accuracy (and its usefulness) depends on whether those best efforts include some maximum effort runs, at a range of different durations.

𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬?

Best efforts are those efforts with the highest average power for each duration on your PDC.

They need not be the best you could have achieved, just the best that you actually ran during the last 90 days.

𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬?

Maximum efforts are efforts where you deliberately run as hard as you can for each duration.

They represent the best you can currently achieve.

𝐀 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬?

Your PDC reflects your capability over very short durations (20-30 seconds), short durations (2-3 minutes), medium durations (12-15 minutes) and longer durations (20-40 minutes).

𝐓𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐃𝐂 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲…

Your training should include maximum effort runs for each of the above durations, so that your last 90 days of workouts includes a maximum effort for each duration.

Ideally, to reflect recent training, you should run maximum efforts (for each duration) every 4-6 weeks.

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?

❓ Questions?
📖 Getting Started

⏪ How do I use my PDC?

Is my PDC accurate?

Max efforts are hard – is there any alternative?

Hand raised to ask a question

𝐌𝐚𝐱 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 – 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞?

This is a common experience for runners new to power.

A Maximum Effort run is a run at the maximum (average) power you can maintain for a specific duration.

For example, your 3-minute max is the highest average power you can maintain over a 3-minute run.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦?

👉🏼 By running max efforts over two or more durations (e.g. 3-minutes and 12-minutes) you can calculate your Threshold Power.

❓ Without max efforts, you won’t truly know what you’re capable of, and your training targets, training load and race/event targets will probably be understated.

𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞?

Yes.

💉 You can pay for lactate testing. But this typically involves a graded exercise test with increasing intensity every few minutes (max efforts in disguise).

🧮 You can estimate your Threshold Power using easy runs, but this method is only recommended until you’re able to complete maximum effort runs.

𝐃𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐫?

They do … and they don’t.

❌ They don’t because you’re running at the highest average power you can manage – that’s never going to be easy. And it’s typical to start out too fast and fade towards the end, which may mean you didn’t really run to your maximum.

✅ And they do. You get used to how they feel. You get used to starting out a little slower, then pushing it towards the end. And you can use previous max effort results to gauge how hard to run the first part of your upcoming max effort.

And then you realise (in the words of Dr Andrew Coggan) ‘testing is training, too’.

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?

❓ Questions?
📖 Getting Started

⏪ How do I set a goal time?

Max efforts are hard – is there any alternative?

What should I show on my watch? ⏩

How can I run faster?

Hand raised to ask a question

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫?

This is a common question that many runners ask, and not just runners using power.

There are three ways that you can run faster:
✅ Improve your fitness. If you’re fitter, you should be able to maintain a higher effort, which should mean a higher pace and a quicker finish time.
✅ Improve your form. If you improve how you run, you should be able to run faster for the same effort, resulting in a quicker finish time.
✅ Improve both. Although it’s much easier to improve your fitness than to improve your form 😊

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬?

By training.

Ideally, using a training plan that includes both running and strength or other supplementary workouts, as well as recovery time.

Strength or other supplementary workouts will improve (or maintain) your whole-body fitness.

Recovery gives your body time to respond to the training – it’s when you become fitter.

You can measure fitness improvements using your Threshold Power.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦?

Using drills, plyometrics, hill runs and other activities that work on leg spring stiffness.

You might also try specific interventions (under the supervision of a running physio or specialist running coach), but these are much harder to embed.

You can measure form improvements using Running Effectiveness.

Power provides specific metrics you can use to track improvements in fitness and in form.

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?

❓ Questions?
📖 Getting Started

⏪ Is it only about the numbers?

How can I run faster?

How do I set a goal time? ⏩

Power Apps – point solutions

Power apps - calculating metrics

𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐬 – 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

Power is still relatively new for runners. And while there are some apps that cover most of the important metrics, you may find that you need additional apps to plug the gaps.

Here are a few apps that can fill those gaps.

𝐔𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫

Apple Health doesn’t provide any of the important metrics.

Which means you’ll need to transfer your workout data from Apple Health into an app that can provide these, like WKO or Intervals.icu.

There are a few apps that will do this. I’ve successfully used HealthFit; other options are RunGap or Health Sync.

𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐑𝐄)

The only app to provide this (natively) is WKO.

If you’re a Stryd user, or if you’re using Intervals.icu, you’ll need to calculate RE manually or use SuperPower Calculator for Sheets (SPCs).

Steve Palladino’s video ‘Running Effectiveness and the SuperPower Calculator’ demonstrates how to use SPCs to calculate RE for a workout or a workout section.

𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐬

‘Getting Started’ covers other apps that can calculate power metrics, while the book’s online content provides a more complete comparison of Power Apps.

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?

❓ Questions?
📖 Getting Started

⏪ Intervals.icu

point solutions

Power Apps – Intervals.icu

Power apps - calculating metrics

𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐬 – 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬.𝐢𝐜𝐮

Intervals.icu analyses your rides, runs, swims and other activities (with and without power). It provides basic and advanced analytics and planning in an easy-to-use web interface with support for desktops, phones, and tablets. Intervals.icu is free to use, with additional features should you choose to subscribe.

It can calculate and display all the most important metrics … and then some.

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬.𝐢𝐜𝐮 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬

✅ Threshold Power. Intervals.icu can calculate threshold power (using your choice from several models) based on the last 90 days of completed workouts or using a custom date range.

✅ Stress Score. Intervals.icu uses the term ‘Training Stress Score’ (TSS) and can calculate a power-based TSS for each completed workout.

✅ Stress Balance. Intervals.icu uses the term ‘Form’ to show the balance between ‘Fitness’ and ‘Fatigue’.

✅ Ramp Rate. Intervals.icu shows your week-on-week Ramp Rate (RR), overlaid onto the same chart as fitness, fatigue and form.

✅ Running Effectiveness. Intervals.icu doesn’t calculate Running Effectiveness, although you can manually calculate this using the detailed workout review pages, or by adding a custom calculation.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐬.𝐢𝐜𝐮?

If you’re not using the Stryd ecosystem or TrainingPeaks/WKO, Intervals.icu is a great way to track your power metrics.

‘Getting Started’ covers other apps that can calculate power metrics, while the book’s online content provides a more complete comparison of Intervals.icu vs. other Power Apps.

𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?

❓ Questions?
📖 Getting Started

⏪ WKO

Intervals.icu

point solutions ⏩