Episode 86 [DECODED] Running Power: The Metric That Changes Everything? ⚡

Episode 86 [DECODED] Running Power: The Metric That Changes Everything? ⚡💬 Got a question or feedback? Write us at: [email protected]☕ Buy a Gel Caf for Lactate to support the work: ko-fi.com/lactateSummary:Pace fails on hills and heart rate lags behind your effort. This episode decodes running power, the metric designed to provide an instantaneous, unified measure of your true intensity. We dissect the core technology: running power isn't a direct measurement like in cycling, but a sophisticated algorithmic proxy for your metabolic cost, calculated by IMU sensors in your watch or foot pod. You'll learn the critical difference between the "Gross Power" approach of Garmin and Polar, which includes the free elastic energy return from your tendons, and the "Net Power" approach of Stryd and Apple, which attempts to isolate pure muscular work to better correlate with your VO₂. We then provide a complete blueprint to integrate running power into your training: how to perform the scientifically validated 9/3-minute field test to find your Critical Power (CP)—a direct proxy for your lab-tested RCP—and how to structure your training using precise power zones. Finally, we expose the two "war zones" where the algorithms currently fail: the "super shoe disconnect" that breaks the link between power and metabolic cost, and soft surfaces like sand or mud where power readings become completely invalid.Keywords:running power, critical power, imu, vo₂, lactate threshold, stryd, garmin, training zones, running economy🎙️ Lactate, the podcast that deciphers science to improve your performance.Key references :Ruiz-Alias et al. (2022). 9/3-Minute Running Critical Power Test: Mechanical Threshold Location With Respect to Ventilatory Thresholds and Maximum Oxygen Uptake.van Rassel et al. (2023). Is Running Power a Useful Metric? Quantifying Training Intensity and Aerobic Fitness Using Stryd Running Power Near the Maximal Lactate Steady State.Cerezuela-Espejo et al. (2021). Are we ready to measure running power? Repeatability and concurrent validity of five commercial technologies.The Ability of Stryd Footpod Metrics to Reflect Changes in Metabolic, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/385981907_The_Ability_of_Stryd_Footpod_Metrics_to_Reflect_Changes_in_Metabolic_Power_Between_Running_Shoe_TypesContextualisation of running power: a systematic review - efsupit.ro, https://efsupit.ro/images/stories/iulie2020/Art%20276.pdfVoices generated by artificial intelligence from the scientific report produced by the Lactate team.