STRIVE TEAM MEMBER USES STRIVE TO PR LATEST MARATHON
STRIVE DATA IN TRAINING
Our Integration Manager, Jason Parker, recently completed the 2022 Vancouver Marathon! Naturally, we ensured this repeat marathon runner was well-equipped with the STRIVE Performance System throughout his training and on race day.
“During my training plan, as the miles and intensity increased, I enjoyed reviewing the STRIVE data after I got home and was recovering” said Jason. “During the longest weekend runs, STRIVE was telling me I was becoming less efficient earlier and earlier. I tried to adjust by adding more and faster miles during the weekdays, but it made those long runs worse. Things started turning around when I trusted the training plan and had some discipline to build my endurance.”
By gaining access to his muscle data leading up to and during the race, Jason was able to overcome a minor injury, and set a new personal record. Leading up to the race, Jason’s primary goal in training was to maintain efficiency. He trained for a sub 9 minute training average (~8:45), with the goal of hitting an 8:30 average on race day to complete the race in ~3 hours and 40 minutes. Spoiler alert – he averaged 8:32!
Although victorious, Jason’s training journey wasn’t a linear one. Three weeks prior to race day, Jason experienced a left calf injury. Because of STRIVE, he was able to capture insights into how his body was handling the training load before and after the injury. In the graphic here, you can see that Jason was favoring his left hamstring, which was likely a result of his muscles overcompensating to counteract the soreness in his calf.
“[As race day approached] I decided I would be okay not always pacing 8:45 miles. I thought that would make it a long shot that I’d still be able to sustain 8:30’s during the race. On race day, though, at mile 18, I felt the best I’ve ever felt that far in.”
Access to data like this helps to inform healing in ways athletes and trainers never have before, turning traditionally qualitative feedback into actionable, quantitative proof.
THE VANCOUVER MARATHON
The Vancouver course is known for being a high-pace run, with some taxing hills and long gradual downhills early on. The STRIVE data captured below offers intriguing insights into how these elevation changes can affect muscle load. As you can see, Jason’s quads were dominant in his actions during the first major downhill section of the course.
As he rounds the corner onto Camosun Street – one of toughest climbs in the course – his glute activation increases significantly from 19% activation to 25% at around 3-4 miles in. For the remainder of the race, Jason’s quad remains steady, though his hamstrings steadily increase in activation throughout the race. This was important to note because as muscles fatigue, we begin to overcompensate, which can lead to injury. This is just one example of how STRIVE helps to visualize muscle ratios, provide insights into how muscle groups react when fatigue sets in, and ultimately prevent injuries.
During the longest weekend runs, STRIVE was telling me I was becoming less efficient earlier and earlier…Things started turning around when I trusted the training plan and had some discipline to build my endurance.
THE FINAL STRETCH
With his goal of 3 hours 40 minutes in mind, Jason knew he would need to be more aggressive in the final eight miles of the race. About an hour before 1 o’clock, he stomped on the gas pedal which can be seen in the data captured here.
His hamstring activation increased in his final push as his fatigue began to set in and his muscles began to overcompensate. The data also notes that he favored his left leg throughout the race, but none of this would prevent him from reaching his goal.
THE RESULT
Jason’s final time was 3:43:45, netting an average mile time of 8:32, just above his training goal! Not to mention a personal record. “What a fun finish I had the last 8 miles as I raced my stretch goal into reality!”
With access to his STRIVE muscle data and performance insights to create a more effective training plan for his body, Jason hopes to continue unlocking new PR’s.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
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