2016 ~ The Year of Power

I had been coming up blank as far as running goals for this year.  They were sounding like a repeat of last year.  Since 2015 was such a good year, that's not a completely bad idea, but I wanted more.  More is now on its way in the form of a belated Christmas present called Stryd.  What is Stryd, you ask?  Stryd is the world's first power meter for running.

What is a power meter?  Cyclists have used power meters for years to measure their output.  Yes, they look at speed (instead of pace) and heart rate, but power shows exactly how much energy they are using no matter the conditions (hilly, windy, drafting, etc.)  Les started using a power meter in 2013 and has seen significant increase in his overall abilities.  He likes to go out and do intervals on his bike, watching his watts (power.)  He has a number that he knows he can pretty much sustain for long periods on the bike.  When he's on an endurance event (100+ miles) he knows that if he pushes his power number way above the magic threshold, he's going to blow up and his speed will drop significantly.  On the other hand, he knows when he's taking it easier than he needs to and can pick up the pace if he wants.

Until now, there hasn't been the technology to measure this for runners. From Stryd's website:

Power is the only number you need to pace yourself to a new PR at any distance.
Power is consistent and reliable. It doesn’t vary with conditions. Hilly course? No problem, Stryd has you covered.
Power is a better measurement of performance. And better measurement leads to better results.

The Stryd design is a chest strap. I've been wearing a heart rate monitor for more than a decade, so this will not be an added piece of equipment, it will replace the heart rate monitor I currently wear.  It will still give heart rate information, but will also include power.  It pairs with many sport watches on the market, including my Suunto Ambit2. There is a very informative article on Ultra Runner Podcast.com. I thought what it had to say about power vs. heart rate was very helpful:

So why a power meter instead of heart rate? 
After using a heart rate monitor for almost every run, race, or workout I have done for the last year, heart rate is a nice tool, and that is it. Don’t get me wrong, I still use a heart rate monitor but I do not trust it to be consistent. Your heart rate is influenced by temperature, humidity, altitude, stress, illnesses, fatigue etc. It is usually the same day after day, but not always. As you first start running with a HRM it takes about 10 or so minutes for most monitors to be accurate. If you had a bad night’s sleep or you are coming down with a cold your heart rate could be as high as 10 to 15 beats per minute higher than the week before. Pacing yourself at a race or a workout will leave you running slower than your legs can actually allow. The other downfall of using heart rate for intervals is that your heart rate is too slow to react to your effort, which will leave you unsure if you are giving enough effort. After multiple intervals your heart rate will also start to get higher after each interval, called cardiac drift.

A power meter will not be effected by any of these situations. It gives instant feedback. It does not change when you get tired or have not warmed up yet. This is the reason they are so popular in the cycling world, and will soon be popular in the running world.

I realize this is more than most of us really want to study and understand, but I have my own personal power meter coach!  Do I see the value?  I'm sure I won't fully appreciate it until I've used Stryd for a few months, but I was already thinking about how it will impact my training.  For instance, I ran 10 miles on Saturday and it was very windy (15+ mph.)  I ran every step and my average pace was 10:35.  I knew I was pushing and there were times when I saw my pace slow, but did that mean I was putting out less effort or were the conditions making me actually work harder?  Hopefully, knowing the answer to that question will make training better, turning me into a better runner!

It's now been shipped and I am expecting it to arrive on Thursday. I'll be blogging about it as I learn.