𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫?
A Power Meter provides numbers representing how hard you’re working – your effort or running intensity.
Running power meters use readings from multiple sensors to calculate a power number.
Most recent running watches have a power meter built in.
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫?
Running intensity is important when training, so that you can target the adaptations that will give you the best chance of success at your upcoming event.
There are other measures of intensity runners can use, but running power overcomes some of the disadvantages of those other measures:
🔹 It’s objective, rather than subjective, providing a number that represents your effort – unlike perceived effort.
🔹 It matches changes in your effort, even when running hilly routes – unlike pace.
🔹 Changes in effort produce an immediate change in power and there’s no upward drifting towards the end of longer runs – unlike heart rate.
𝐃𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭?
No.
Running power meters provide numbers that 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡 your effort.
𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬?
No, as long as the numbers are repeatable and valid (more on that in the next post), you can use them to measure your effort.
And once you can measure your effort, that’s when the magic begins.
𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆 𝑹𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑷𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓?
𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬
⏩ What is a power meter?
⏩ Do running power meters provide meaningful numbers?
⏩ Can you use a Stryd footpod to Run with Power?
⏩ Can you use a running watch to Run with Power?
⏩ What else do you need (apart from a power meter and watch)?
