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?
Power targets are clearer than pace or HR targets
