What advice would you give to someone not yet Running with Power?

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫?

This is part of a series of posts on runners’ feedback about Running with Power.

Based on survey responses and book research, here’re the top three pieces of advice that runners using power would give to those not yet using it.

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐬

There are a few fundamental concepts that form the foundation for understanding power. They’re not difficult to learn and learning them really helps understand how to make the most of running with power.

𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫

The Palladino plans were frequently mentioned, with targets matched to how the body works, incremental progression and built-in power tests. They improve your fitness without you noticing, while reducing the risk of injury or overtraining.

On a related point, power works best when training for an event. If all you ever do is run easy, or run with friends, then Running with Power isn’t for you.

𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬

Just start by wearing the footpod (or turning on wrist-based power). Later, start looking at the metrics and, combined with learning the concepts, begin to understand what your data is showing you about your training.

𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞

There was other advice offered by runners using power, including: it helps you learn about your body and your capabilities; keep your Threshold Power updated (it’s a basic for accurate targets & planning); it helps if you like working with data and numbers; power helps maintain training consistency; use power to calibrate your perceived effort