Why Steve runs and coaches with power

Why Steve runs and coaches using power

๐–๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ž๐ฌ ๐’๐ญ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž, ๐š ๐”๐Š-๐›๐š๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง๐ง๐ž๐ซ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐œ๐จ๐š๐œ๐ก, ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ?

There are two reasons:
โšก The numbers match how hard youโ€™re working โ€ฆ they just โ€˜feel rightโ€™
๐ŸŽฏ Targets (for training and racing) are based on you โ€ฆ power is personal

Let me unpack those.

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ๐›๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐š๐ญ๐œ๐ก ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐ก๐š๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ€™๐ซ๐ž ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ 

Power provides numbers representing how hard youโ€™re working while running โ€“ your effort.

Running by effort isnโ€™t new โ€“ runners have used โ€˜Perceived Exertionโ€™ for many years. What is new is being able to put numbers to your effort.

Are the numbers actionable?

YES, based on using power since 2018 โ€ฆ and on multiple independent studies.

๐“๐š๐ซ๐ ๐ž๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐›๐š๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ

Once you can measure your effort, all sorts of things become possible โ€“ you can:
โœ… assess your running fitness at any point in your training
โœ… ensure your training stays productive by setting workout targets based on your current fitness, rather than on a hopeful goal time
โœ… reduce your risk of injury using completed workouts to track your training load
โœ… personalise your race-day targets to achieve the best result youโ€™re capable of on the day

All of these are calculated using your completed workouts. Power really is Personal.

๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ž๐š๐ง ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐œ๐จ๐š๐œ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ?

Using my runnersโ€™ completed workouts, I can build a detailed profile of each runner based on what they can achieve (right now). And I can use that profile to set targets that are individual to each runnerโ€™s capability (right now), to get the most from their training while minimising injury risk.

I can do all of this virtually, to coach runners in the UK, the US, or any other place worldwide.

Power (and the system behind it) provides a science-backed, metrics-based, individualised approach to training and racing โ€“ for runners and for coaches.

๐‘บ๐’‰๐’๐’–๐’๐’…๐’’๐’• ๐’š๐’๐’– ๐’ƒ๐’† ๐‘น๐’–๐’๐’๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’˜๐’Š๐’•๐’‰ ๐‘ท๐’๐’˜๐’†๐’“?

โ“ Questions?
๐Ÿ“– Getting Started

Why Steve runs and coaches with power

Why Fred coaches with power

Fred, a trail running coach in South Africa

๐–๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ž๐ฌ ๐…๐ซ๐ž๐, ๐š ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ข๐ฅ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ง๐ง๐ข๐ง๐  ๐œ๐จ๐š๐œ๐ก ๐ข๐ง ๐’๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐€๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐œ๐š, ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ?

โœ… Itโ€™s an objective, instant measure of effort

Power gives my athletes objective data that pace and heart rate canโ€™t. It reacts instantly and uniformly, no matter the terrain, temperature, or excitement of the moment. On technical trails and hills where pace is meaningless and heart rate lags, power shows the real effort being produced.

โœ… It works for intervals, for climbs, for descentsโ€ฆ

Short intervals under 20 seconds, long intervals up to 10 minutes, climbs and even descents all benefit from training with power. More often than not, athletes learn to slow down a little on the climbs and to push more on the downhills. One warning โ€“ avoid power targets on steep technical downhills where skill is the primary factor for how fast one can descend.

โœ… It allows runners to experiment

I also use power to teach awareness. Iโ€™ll have my runners experiment with their form, shift hips, focus on reducing ground contact, drive the knees, etc. and notice the impact of that on power. It becomes a feedback loop for improving form and economy.

โœ… It keeps runners on target on race-day

On race day, power keeps trail runners in control. Heart rate spikes with adrenaline, and pace is useless on technical ground. Power keeps athletes from going out too hard at the start of a race, and itโ€™s a reality check deep into the event to keep them moving when attention flags.

โœ… The longer you use it, the better you get

I noticed that training with power smooths out inefficiencies with prolonged use. As a coach, itโ€™s proven to be extremely useful in improving running economy on all terrains.

๐‘บ๐’‰๐’๐’–๐’๐’…๐’’๐’• ๐’š๐’๐’– ๐’ƒ๐’† ๐‘น๐’–๐’๐’๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’˜๐’Š๐’•๐’‰ ๐‘ท๐’๐’˜๐’†๐’“?

โ“ Questions?
๐Ÿ“– Getting Started

Why Fred coaches with power