Running Power Meter
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I’ve listened to the Markus Holler podcasts a couple times and really appreciate those discussions. I’ve added the RunPowerModel field to my Garmin watch and have been exploring it. I have experience using a power meter for cycling so I’m excited to use this to control intensity and measure workload by TSS.
A few questions for those that have more experience using these power meters using the Evoke training philosophies
1. How to find power for top of Evoke Z1 and Z2? I assume the Aerobic Threshold Test is still recommended and I could simply try to hold a constant power for 1h and look for heart rate drift <3.5%? Or perhaps just try to hike at top of my previously determined Z1 or Z2 heart rates and determine what power that is?
2. Markus’ FTP test appears to approximate the power you would get doing the Evoke AnT test. Unsure though if Markus’ suggested power zones align well with Evoke recommendations.
3. How well does this work with Skimo? Are users adding the weight of their pack (and maybe also their boot/ski weight) into the RunPowerModel settings?
4. Muscular Endurance Water Carries – does the power meter help with this? At least to approximate TSS?
5. Long runs – are Markus’ pacing suggestions for races also helpful for long runs? I’ve always had issues pacing 2-4h runs.
It will be fun to explore this new tool and I like Markus’ advice to have a skeptical view of the numbers. Looking forward to hearing about other users experiences.
Aaholmes – This won’t answer many of your questions but here’s some of my experience using the power meter.
I did not perform the FTP test as I already have a fairly well established AnT and did not feel as though I needed the metric currently. This will change when I’m performing my next AnT test.
For Z1 and Z2 I watched my Z1 and Z2 HR and saw what range of wattage I was getting. Mine seemed to fluctuate about 15 – 20 watts while hovering between +/- 2 BPM of my AeT.
What I’ve found most interesting is to watch the decoupling of AeT wattage from AeT HR on long runs. As I fatigue I notice that my RPE and wattage will remain at AeT levels while my AeT HR can drop to 10 BPM lower! I’m not sure if I’m interpreting the data correctly but I take this decoupling to show the fallibility of the HR based training. If I was trying to maintain my AeT HR I could possibly be overworking myself. This may also highlight the importance of monitoring RPE.
I’ve seen a difference in wattage when I change pack weight and appreciate that as well, I think it’s an accurate adjustment. I haven’t tried using the run power model for skimo, but I imagine I’ll figure out additional weight because of the approx 3 lbs per foot. Will this mean additional 15lbs on my back? I’m not sure. I know the Vo2 numbers per Lb on foot but not precise on weight on back.
What have you noticed with your usage?
See my comments below:
1. How to find power for top of Evoke Z1 and Z2? I assume the Aerobic Threshold Test is still recommended and I could simply try to hold a constant power for 1h and look for heart rate drift <3.5%? Or perhaps just try to hike at top of my previously determined Z1 or Z2 heart rates and determine what power that is? I’d suggest doing the drift test but using power rather than heart rate.
2. Markus’ FTP test appears to approximate the power you would get doing the Evoke AnT test. Unsure though if Markus’ suggested power zones align well with Evoke recommendations. FTP should align closely with AnT
3. How well does this work with Skimo? Are users adding the weight of their pack (and maybe also their boot/ski weight) into the RunPowerModel settings? These things I don’t know and Markus was pretty clear that his power model may not work when heavy weight is added.
4. Muscular Endurance Water Carries – does the power meter help with this? At least to approximate TSS? For uphill ME weighted carries Markus’ suggestion about heavy weight may apply again. I typically apply a TSS of 150 for 1 hour or 1000m of this type of work.
5. Long runs – are Markus’ pacing suggestions for races also helpful for long runs? I’ve always had issues pacing 2-4h runs. I think they are very applicable for long training runs and they can help you learn better pacing for races.
It will be fun to explore this new tool and I like Markus’ advice to have a skeptical view of the numbers. Looking forward to hearing about other users experiences.
Hi all,
I fully agree with both Ryan’s and Scott’s remarks. Just adding to point 3 (usability of RunPowerModel for Skimo):
While simply adding the total weight of backpack, boots, and skis might lead to numbers that are in the right ballpark, I guess it is a bit more tricky in reality. I think the best would be to treat the weight of boots + skis and that of the backpack weight separately to account for the different levels of movement (boots and skis get accelerated more). This would make it necessary to create a new app. Maybe I find time for this in the autumn/early winter.
Best wishes,
Markus
Thanks for the comments/insights. Its been fun to compare HR, Pwr, and my percieved exertion after an activity. Numbers look reasonable so far. Even plugging in 30# extra while hiking up an hour with a climbing pack seemed right. Look forward to hearing more in the future. Power doesn’t seem to be taking footborne sports by storm like it has in cycling.
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