INTERVAL TRAINING WITH STRIVE
Our very own STRIVE teammate and Integration Manager, Jason Parker, has been utilizing STRIVE to help train for distance running. Currently he is gearing up for a 10k run in Spokane, Washington called ‘The Split’ in April.
Once Parker completes his training sessions with STRIVE, he analyzes his performance during the workout, focusing on three main areas: external load, internal load (or muscle load), and cadence/balance/effectiveness. For this training he completed a middle distance interval workout on a running path. The session consisted of nine intervals ranging from 200 meters to one mile with some hills mixed in.
Upon completion of the session, Parker’s first step to analyze the data is to check out the external load, which is what the athlete physically does during the training through movement. The external load refers to what Parker “got” from each interval. In his session, Parker displayed low dips in the 0.5 and 1 mile intervals due to a hill in the loop. In order to preserve his body, he slowed down to avoid burnout before the workout was over.
The 400m and 200m displayed increased levels of external load. At these points in the workout he was running harder as opposed to the 0.5 mile and 1 mile where he was conserving energy. (Please reference Figure 1 below.)
Once Parker has finished analyzing his external load, he dives into his internal load, or muscle load. Muscle load refers to physiological and psychological stress based upon the external load such as heart rate, sleep quality, exerction, perceptions of effort etc. Its what Parker “spent” during each interval. Following each section where he slowed for the hill there was an “aggressive” increase in muscle load.
Parker’s first 0.5 mile used up a lot of effort compared to the second one at the 60 minute mark.
“I felt heavy and slow for that first interval, even with 35 min of warm-up trying to shake out,” Parker said. “I attribute this to the week’s workload. I had a wrench thrown into the plans and my Thursday workout of 3 x 2 mile intervals got pushed to Friday. I was running on heavy legs Saturday morning for this speed day.”
(Please reference Figure 2 above.)
Parker’s cadence was fairly consistent throughout the workout. Cadence refers to the number of steps per minute for a runner. During the 200’s he was able to increase his cadence by 15-20 steps a minute.
As you can see on the Muscle Group Activation graph below, Parker’s muscle activation is highest among the quads throughout the workout. This is typical with Parker’s runs as he tends to see higher usage in his quads than glutes and hamstrings. Perhaps due to poor hip mobility and flexibility as Parker admits to having, we would look to see this balance shifting over time.
Effectiveness is referred to as speed to power. Following the first 0.5 mile interval the rest of the intervals were more consistent for Parker. The last two 200m shows that he became more effective and efficient than the prior 200’s.
“My last two 200m are what I’ll cling to as showing I’ve made progress this week,” Parker said. “I had a lot of kick, and it wasn’t just that I was flailing around working harder to get it – I was still fairly effective and efficient while doing so.”
The cadence, balance, and effectiveness data showed that Parker was able to maintain his cadence throughout the workout and work on strengthening their hamstrings and glutes. They also analyzed their effectiveness by dividing what they “got” by what they “spent” for each interval. This data helped Parker identify areas where he can improve, such as easing back on time targets for the 400m interval.
Overall, this is a great example of how to use data to evaluate and improve your performance during a workout or training program. As performance and fitness enthusiasts, it’s important to pay attention to the details of your training and make adjustments where necessary. Whether you’re training for a 5k or a marathon, analyzing your data can help you achieve your goals and make progress in your fitness journey.
