I have had a Stryd power meter for a couple of months now, but until this last weekend it has been a very passive piece of gear. I had it setup with my phone, and have done the critical power test, and run with it a few times, but I didn't find it very useful in isolation using the app. This was one of the deciding factors in picking up an Ambit3 vertical.
Until now I was using a fitbit surge as my running watch. I got this a while back, not sure that I was really going to use a fully featured running watch. It worked ok, and I used it for running as well as timing different climbing training routines. However the battery life made it really hard to use for longer hikes, and it isn't expandable with other sensors. The Ambit3 vertical fit the bill for my first real sport watch. It has long battery life which is great for backpacking, and sport modes for all of the things I do.
Getting Stryd setup on the watch was straight forward using their videos. I then modified the running display to give me that information on the main running screen up top. Then I gave it a try at the Pinelands Trail Running Festival. My goal was to try to stick to a power range based on the results of my critical power test, with a max of 212 watts for my 5k, and 180 watts for my 25k.
For the barefoot 5k I ended up not following the power that much. This was my first barefoot event, and I really hadn't prepared as well for it as I should have. I often run in luna sandals, and I thought that would be pretty good prep. I had planned on doing a few light runs without shoes, but life got in the way of getting to the trail. I really didn't feel like running around Boston without shoes, and wanted to use a trail for that training. Overall even though I didn't prep for it, things went well. My average power was a bit higher than planned.
Sunday I ran the 25k with shoes. Not having to pay as close attention to avoiding pointy rocks made it easier to pay attention to my power. After the 5k I decided to try to average 200 watts on the 25k, mostly because I figured that with the hills hitting 180 was going to be frustrating. I followed this plan and it really seemed to pay off. This was my first 25k, and a bit longer than my usual long runs. I was feeling really good for 20k, and had thought of pushing myself a bit faster. Instead I just stuck with my plan and kept my power steady. It turned out to be the right choice. The last mile or so started to kick my butt, and I think that if I had pushed it back at the 20k mark I would have been walking the last bit.
Overall I think that this setup is still going to take some tweaking, but so far I really like it. I will be using the Stryd power meter to help me reign in my easy runs while I train for a 50k in a few months.
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