𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫?
Yes.
All the major running watch manufacturers (Garmin, COROS, Wahoo, Suunto, Polar, and even Apple) have added wrist-based power to their new models.
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫?
You may already have a watch that can provide wrist-based power, which means you don’t need to buy a separate power meter.
You may be a multi-sport athlete. The Stryd Ecosystem only supports running, so the investment in Stryd is less attractive.
𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬?
There are no independent studies testing whether wrist-based power provides repeatable, valid power numbers. However, I ran my own (N=1) study, comparing wrist-based power from Garmin, Coros and Apple to numbers from a Stryd footpod. I found they produce repeatable numbers that, for recreational runners, are correlated to the Stryd footpod.
There isn’t an ecosystem for wrist-based power – instead, you’ll need to connect a few different apps.
Because power is still relatively new, and because you’ll need to use a few different apps, setup is more complex than with a Stryd.
Finally, few running watches produce power numbers when running on a treadmill.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭?
No one has independently validated wrist-based power yet, and setup is more complex than using a Stryd.
But it may be a budget-friendly way to try Running with Power.
𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?
For more information on my N=1 study into wrist-based power, see Running with Power – 2G+AW+COROS
Can you use a running watch to Run with Power?
