Running with a power meter App first impressions
Updated: Feb 3, 2018
Welcome to running with a Power meter! I'm using and iPhone 8 and pairing that with my series two iWatch. The watch displays Power.
In the past I have run using a Garmin watch and a heart rate monitor. I would typically monitor my running effort by both heart rate and pace. If I plan to run aerobically on a particular day I would run with a maximum heart rate of 145 bpm or less training with an aerobic heart rate (https://philmaffetone.com/180-formula/). The problem with heart rate is that if I wake up a little dehydrated or have too many cups of coffee or I'm just not feeling right my heart rate will be high and my pace can end up way off. Heart rate also responds slowly to changes in terrain.
Using Power I just pop my latest 5k race result (18:20) and my weight (156 lbs) into our handy Power training levels calculator (https://www.inspyridon.com/what-are-my-vpower-ranges) and instantly I have my aerobic Power training numbers.
For me my aerobic range is 185 Watts to 275 Watts. I like to train in the middle part of this range 220-240 Watts). I set my power threshold alert to buzz me every time I exceed 275 Watts and now I'm certain to run at an Aerobic Power level on any terrain. A typical aerobic paced 6-10 mile training run for me is in the 220-280 Watts range. Here is an example of a 1 hour run (summary data from the App).
The first thing you will notice is that this 7 mile aerobic paced run averaged 236 Watts. The next thing you will notice is my watts/kg are 3.33W/kg. This number you can compare with friends. Want to run faster than your running buddies? You will need to produce more Watts/kg than they do. It's that simple!
During this run at steady power heart rate would hold steady in the 135-145 bpm range. It is much easier to stay steady with Power compared to heart rate because the feedback with Power is fast. After a few seconds of running up a hill and you will see your power climbing. You can immediately back off into your aerobic zone before your heart rate climbs optimizing your aerobic work!
What does it feel like to run with Power (first off just give it a try the App it is free to download). But our beta testers (we have 300) tell us it is just like a bike Power meter!
Give it a try today!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/power2run/id1183088585?mt=8
