Run power is one of the most important pieces of data in actively manipulating training load to avoid over or under-training.
One of the secrets to successful endurance training is to do ‘enough’ but not ‘too much’. Enough training is the right amount of stimulus to cause your body to adapt and get stronger, faster or fitter. On the other hand, too much training results in deep fatigue, over-training, even illness or injury.
What is Run Power
Run Power does something that no other metric can, it gives you a true account of the effort involved in a training session, David explains, “ for me the main advantage of using run power is that it tells me the exact effort of a training session, better than using heart rate or pace would.”
Crucially pace is affected by weather conditions such as wind, gradients and even the type of terrain you are running on. Using pace only tells you a fraction of the full story about your session. A hilly over road run will be significantly slower than a flat, tarmac run but the strain it puts on your body will be much more, the training load will be higher, “run power data allows me to compare the different levels of effort needed to complete different sessions- for example comparing a session of running hill reps to a tempo run session.”
How to measure Run Power
Two sessions that look very different can have similar run power data. Run Power is measured in Watts (W), one Watt is equal to one Joule of work per second and power is the rate of energy expended. Run Power is measured in Watts (W), which is the rate of energy used per second. When running, this is the mechanical energy used to push you forward. The higher the Power, the more energy used per second. The typical range for Run Power in endurance distance runners is 250W-350W.
How to use your Run Power data
Observing how your Run Power changes alongside other measures such as elevation or cadence can help to identify where you are strong and where you need to improve. Using Average Power in the session summary allows you to quickly compare effort across different sessions. Knowing the true effort of each session allows you to check your weekly training is balanced and you are providing the right dose of training stress to your body to improve without becoming over-trained.
Or as David McNamee puts it “Run Power helps me avoid overtraining and make adjustments to my training plan when needed. It ensures I am progressing the difficulty of my training correctly, even if I am doing different types of sessions”
Want the pro advantage? Start measuring your Run Power. Head to the Run Store to find out more.
