The story of the Tortoise and the Tortoise

Everyone knows the story of the tortoise and the hare.

But not everyone knows the story of the tortoise and the tortoise.

One tortoise (let's call him Speedy) would always beat the other tortoise when they raced (let's call him Impatient).

While Speedy and Impatient trained about the same and had the same goals, there was a difference in how they approached training.

Speedy understood the value of recovery.

He had three different targets for his easy runs.

For his cool downs and rests between his intervals, he would run super easy (50% to 65% of his Critical Power). He would even be comfortable walking if he felt he needed to.

For his warm-ups for workouts and on race day, he would run a bit harder than his cool downs (65% to 75% of his Critical Power). But, he did not tire himself out before the real work started.

For his easy runs, he ran a bit harder than his warm-ups even (75% to 80% of his Critical Power). But, he made sure to stay in an easy zone.

Speedy knew that running slow to recover was the key to running fast.

Impatient did not understand the value of recovery.

He had one speed for his easy runs and that was just a bit slower than his race pace. He never gave his body a break.

Impatient never let his body completely recovery.

Speedy regularly reached complete recovery.

Here is the point:

Most runners understand the fact that slow & steady wins the race. They know the tortoise's tactics pay off.

But, most miss the value of recovery.

Proper recovery prepares you to go a bit faster when you need to and that can make all the difference.

By targeting tight ranges of Critical Power, you can determine the right recovery zones so you are ready for the moments that count.

And, if you want to define a Critical Power, you will need Stryd for that.

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