Running Economy#

Runners are commonly categorized into “types”: THE SPEEDSTER, THE MEDITATOR, THE TRAILBLAZER... With Stryd, no matter your type, you can RUN FASTER. The recent release of our new Stryd Power Meter, has us more excited than ever about the possibilities of helping you to do just that. Not only does Stryd measure how hard you are running, it also measures how effectively you are running. In our recently released white paper (download it here) we discuss running economy (a measure of the metabolic cost of running), how it impacts performance and how you can use Stryd to help you quickly, and more effectively, make improvements.

For runners looking to improve their performance, enhancing running economy has been a scientifically proven method. Running Economy is often used interchangeably with Running Efficiency, however they have different meanings. Simply put, running economy is the amount of oxygen one requires to maintain a specific speed; while running efficiency is the ratio of total work to energy expended.

Although both terms are important, running economy is commonly related to distance running performance for races 800m and up. Improvements of as little as 8% can help shave up to 30 seconds off of a sub-elite runner’s 5k time! This could be the difference between bringing home the turkey or going home hungry at this year’s Turkey Trot!

Running with power can help determine your effort to maintain a specific speed over time. For example: Complete the same interval workout at the same pace 4 weeks apart. When it requires less power the second time around, your running economy has improved!

So, how do we improve this magical metric? Running economy is impacted by many factors, some of which can be easily targeted to enhance performance. Keep your eyes peeled for our next post on specific variables related to running economy.