Running with Power - Getting Started

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Running with Power - Getting Started

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⚡Weekday 'TL;DR' posts about running with power⚡

What is 'Running with Power'? Why would you want to use power? How do you get started? Who am I?

I'm an England Athletics certified running coach who's trained and coached with power since 2018. For runners looking to understand their training, I offer a fresh perspective - Running with Power. The 'Running with Power' series, including the latest 'Getting Started', is a practical introduction to this individualised training approach, breaking down power concepts into easily digestible steps, and offering practical activities runners can use to experience power for themselves. With coverage of the Stryd footpod and wrist-based power (included in newer running watches), 'Getting Started' has all the information you need to start Running with Power. Drawing on seven years of personal experience using power and as an England Athletics certified 'Coach in Running Fitness' (CiRF), I bring a deep, yet practical understanding of how to get the most out of Running with Power. I believe the best way to learn is through doing, that celebrating small wins leads to bigger wins, and that consistency is the foundation for success. Follow this page for answers to:
✅ What is 'Running with Power'?
✅ Why would you want to?
✅ What's different (sometimes confusing) about power?
✅ How do you get started? Visit the Facebook group "from1runner2another" for more resources, to ask questions and to connect with a community of like-minded runners.

19/10/2026

WHY POWER? YOUR TRAINING IS BASED ON YOUR FITNESS

Power sets training targets based on your current running fitness.

Individualised targets, based on your current capability.

Targets that maximise training results while minimising risk of injury.

So you get the most from your training – all the positives with few (or none) of the negatives.

HOW DOES POWER IDENTIFY YOUR RUNNING FITNESS?

Second-by-second as you run, power provides numbers representing your effort (https://f1r2a.com/what-is-power/).

With a few maximum effort runs (no lab testing needed), you can identify your Threshold Power.

Your Threshold Power represents your current running fitness (https://f1r2a.com/what-is-threshold-power/).

It’s a foundation for most other power metrics.

HOW DOES POWER SET TRAINING TARGETS BASED ON YOUR FITNESS?

Power uses your Threshold Power as an anchor, positioned at 100% on a scale from 60-65% (no longer walking) up through 150% (track or hill sprints) and beyond.

For example, you might use:
👉🏼 80% of Threshold Power or less for an easy run
👉🏼 94-96% for 10-20 minute intervals at half-marathon power
👉🏼 102-105% for 3-minute VO2max intervals

And when training improves your fitness (when training increases your Threshold Power), your workout targets move to remain relative to your Threshold Power, matching your increased fitness (matching your ability to do more).

IS IT ONLY ABOUT THE NUMBERS?

No.

Training is much more than actions driven by numbers.

But training should be underpinned by numbers – and power can provide those numbers.

SHOULDN'T YOU BE RUNNING WITH POWER?
❓ Questions ⇒ from1runner2another (https://www.facebook.com/groups/from1runner2another)
📗 Get Started with the book (https://f1r2a.com/RwP_Start)

TOPIC: WHY POWER?
⏩ Your training is based on your fitness (https://f1r2a.com/why-train-to-fitness)
⏩ Power targets are easy to use (https://f1r2a.com/why-usable-targets)
⏩ Metrics to manage training load (https://f1r2a.com/why-training-load)
⏩ Personal Best race-day targets (https://f1r2a.com/why-race-targets)
⏩ Measure running form improvements (https://f1r2a.com/why-form-improvements)

Verified for accuracy: 19 October 2026

16/10/2026

APPLE WATCH SYNCING

If you use an Apple Watch and Stryd power, you’re probably already using the Stryd Workout app to execute workouts planned in the Stryd ecosystem, and return completed workout data to the Stryd PowerCenter.

But if you’re not using Stryd power, or even if you are but are looking for an alternative to the Stryd Workout app, what choices do you have to get planned workouts onto your watch, execute the workouts, and transfer completed workout data back to your chosen reviewing/metrics platform?

Your choices will primarily depend on how you execute the workout on your watch with your choice of planning and reviewing platforms influencing (but not determining) your choice of on-watch app.

APPLE WORKOUT APP

The obvious choice for executing workouts on an Apple Watch is the Apple Workout app – after all, it’s available by default.

However, when Running with Power the Workout app (when used alone) has some serious shortcomings – it doesn’t:
❌ record second-by-second data into your workout file – it uses ‘smart recording’ which can result in inaccurate power averages when reviewing
❌ display lap power – making it tough to stay ‘within target’ when running intervals
❌ offer power smoothing – resulting in a ‘spiky power’ experience
❌ download structured workouts from popular platforms – requiring you to build your own workouts
❌ upload completed workouts into a power-based reviewing app – it uploads into apple health, which doesn’t provide core power metrics

If you do choose to use the Workout app, you can resolve the download and upload restrictions using additional apps – options include (but are not limited to):
🔹 TrainingPeaks (https://f1r2a.com/apple-sync-trainingpeaks) (download and upload)
🔹 Final Surge (https://f1r2a.com/apple-sync-finalsurge) (download and upload)
🔹 Intervals.icu Companion (https://f1r2a.com/apple-sync-intervals-icu) (download and upload)
🔹 HealthFit (https://f1r2a.com/healthfit-app) (upload only)

Even with the download/upload restrictions resolved, I wouldn’t recommend Running with Power using the Apple Workout app.

THIRD-PARTY APPS

Fortunately, there are some good third-party apps that can guide you through structured workouts downloaded from popular platforms, uploading the result to a range of popular platforms once you’ve finished.
✅ Watchletic (https://f1r2a.com/watches-apple-watch/) downloads from/uploads to: TrainingPeaks; Final Surge; Intervals.icu; Stryd PowerCenter … and many others (https://f1r2a.com/watchletic-sync).
✅ WorkOutDoors (https://f1r2a.com/books/start/choose-apps/workoutdoors/) can only plan using the built-in workout builder; can only upload to Strava and Apple Health.
✅ iSmoothRun (https://f1r2a.com/ismoothrun-app) downloads from TrainingPeaks, Final Surge; uploads to TrainingPeaks, Final Surge, Stryd PowerCenter.

I’ve tried WorkOutDoors and Watchletic (premium), and while both provided everything I needed to Run with Power, my preference was Watchletic.

OTHER OPTIONS?

The above are options I know about. Do you have any additional options?

SHOULDN'T YOU BE RUNNING WITH POWER?
❓ Questions ⇒ from1runner2another (https://www.facebook.com/groups/from1runner2another)
📗 Get Started with the book (https://f1r2a.com/RwP_Start)

TOPIC: POWER APPS - FILLING GAPS
⏩ Which gaps might need filling? (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-gaps)
⏩ Missing metrics (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-metrics)
⏩ Custom workouts (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-planning)
⏩ Race-day targets (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-raceday)
⏩ Apple Watch syncing (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-applesync)

Verified for accuracy: 15 October 2026

15/10/2026

RACE-DAY TARGETS

Your race-day power target should take into account:
🔹 your running fitness – your race-day Threshold Power
🔹 your fatigue resistance – one of two different metrics, depending on whether you’re running a shorter, higher-intensity race or a longer, lower-intensity race
🔹 your running effectiveness – to convert between distance and duration, and to provide an estimated finish time

You may also want to take into account:
🔹 the course hilliness – this will impact your Running Effectiveness, and may extend your finish time
🔹 the race-day environment – the altitude, heat and humidity, all of which can impact your ability to run at your target power

Given the complexity, there are very few solutions that can calculate race-day targets, yet race-day is a key (perhaps the key) focus for most runners.

STRYD RACE POWER CALCULATOR

Stryd’s calculator (https://f1r2a.com/Stryd-race-power-calculator/) uses data from your last 90 days of training to estimate race predictions.

For an accurate prediction, the model relies on the following (note that Stryd uses the term Critical Power / CP for Threshold Power):
✅ An accurate Critical Power. If you use Stryd’s Auto-CP, your last 90 days of training should include: Short distance running (10-30 seconds in duration); Middle distance running (a 10-20 minute run at 5k/10k intensity); Long, slow running (50+ minutes of duration); a short run in the 3-5 minute duration.
✅ A balanced Power Duration Curve (PDC) that extends from the 10-minute duration to the 20-minute duration.
✅ At least 1 workout conducted around your Critical Power, to gauge your Running Effectiveness around your Critical Power.
✅ At least 1 workout conducted around the intensity for your target race, to gauge your Running Effectiveness at your target race intensity.
✅ A valid racecourse uploaded via PowerCenter, to assess course hilliness.

You input your race distance, and optionally your training environment and the expected environment on race day.

It produces a single target power number (and the equivalent percentage of Critical Power), an estimated finish time, and estimated times along the distance.

Does it work? Many Stryd users have reported that the target and the estimated finish time were accurate.

SUPERPOWER CALCULATOR (FOR SHEETS)

SuperPower Calculator (https://f1r2a.com/SuperPower_Calculator) calculates scenarios based on your training metrics, and relies on the following (note that SPCs uses the term FTP/CP for Threshold Power):
✅ An accurate FTP/CP – a CP test, Stryd Auto-CP, WKO Functional Threshold Power (FTP) etc.
✅ The weight configured in your Power meter, to convert from Watts to Watts/kg
✅ The target distance – over-estimate the distance slightly, since few runners are able to ‘follow the blue line’ on race-day
✅ For a shorter, higher-intensity event, your Reserve Work Capacity – from a CP test, from WKO’s Functional Reserve Capacity, or calculated from your PDC
✅ For a longer, lower-intensity event, your expected Riegel Exponent – based on prior races at the race distance, or estimated using a table provided in the tool
✅ A range of Running Effectiveness values centred around your expected RE for the distance – this can be taken from your training history, and fine-tuned based on the resulting target power values.

The range of Running Effectiveness values (along with Riegel Exponent values for longer events) are entered in a scenario table in the calculator, which returns target average powers (Watts and Watts/kg), estimated finish time and percentage of FTP/CP for each scenario.

You can fine-tune the result using other calculations in SPCs to account for hilliness (Course Variability Index) and environmental differences on race-day vs. your training environment.

Steve Palladino has provided an impressive YouTube playlist (https://f1r2a.com/SuperPower_Videos) demonstrating how to use SPCs to calculate race-day target power, and how to adjust the target for hilliness and environment.

Does it work? Many runners have reported that the scenarios produced target power and estimated finish times that were accurate.

Note that while SPCs requires a little more manual effort than Stryd’s race power calculator, it provides a range of scenarios enabling you to make the final determination of your race power range.

OTHER OPTIONS?

The above are options I know about. Do you have any additional options?

SHOULDN'T YOU BE RUNNING WITH POWER?
❓ Questions ⇒ from1runner2another (https://www.facebook.com/groups/from1runner2another)
📗 Get Started with the book (https://f1r2a.com/RwP_Start)

TOPIC: POWER APPS - FILLING GAPS
⏩ Which gaps might need filling? (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-gaps)
⏩ Missing metrics (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-metrics)
⏩ Custom workouts (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-planning)
⏩ Race-day targets (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-raceday)
⏩ Apple Watch syncing (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-applesync)

Verified for accuracy: 15 October 2026

14/10/2026

CUSTOM WORKOUTS

While pre-prepared training plans and workouts will meet most runners’ needs, there are occasions where a custom workout, built to meet a specific need, is a better choice.

Or perhaps you can’t use a pre-prepared plan, and need to be able to build your own?

Building your own workout, at least in TrainingPeaks and Stryd, is a ‘paid’ option.

Are there any good planning tools that you could use instead? And what does ‘good’ look like?

WHAT DOES A ‘GOOD’ PLANNING APP LOOK LIKE?

There are a few things:
- Can you set workout targets as percentages of Threshold Power? So that you don’t have to do the math to calculate wattages, so that the workout is still usable if your Threshold Power changes, and so that you don’t have to use power-based Zones.
- Can you set workout targets as ranges? So that you can run within the range, rather than trying to maintain a specific power number.
- Can you run to distance, time and lap button press? So that you have the choice.
- Are there repeating sections, and multi-step sections? So that you don’t have to add each work and rest segment manually.
- It is easy (or even possible) to download the planned workouts to your watch? While most watch manufacturers make it quick and easy to upload completed workouts, downloading planned workouts is often significantly harder.
- As a coach, is it possible to use the app to create and schedule workouts for your runners?

FINAL SURGE

Free for athletes (paid for coaches), Final Surge (https://f1r2a.com/final-surge-beta) offers the ability to plan power-based workouts or to use pre-built workouts and training plans, some free, some paid, and:
✅ supports workout targets as percentages of Threshold Power (rFTPw).
✅ encourages workout targets as ranges (asking for min and max for each segment).
✅ offers distance, time or lap button press on each workout segment.
✅ has repeating sections and ramps (up and down).
✅ can sync planned workouts to Garmin, Apple, COROS, Suunto and Amazfit watches; can sync planned workouts to Stryd, Zwift and TrainerRoad; connects to 3rd party Apple Watch apps like Watchletic and iSmoothRun. Note that some of these integrations require paid subscriptions.
✅ offers coaches the ability to create and schedule workouts for their runners.

INTERVALS.ICU

Intervals.icu (https://f1r2a.com/intervals-icu) provides workout planning using a text-based format, and:
✅ supports workout targets as percentages of Threshold Power (FTP).
✅ accepts workout targets as ranges.
✅ offers time or lap button press on each workout segment.
✅ has repeating sections.
✅ can sync planned workouts to Garmin, COROS, Suunto, Wahoo and Amazfit watches; can sync planned workouts to Huawei Health and Zwift; connects to 3rd party Apple Watch apps like Watchletic and Intervals.icu Companion. Note that some of these integrations require paid subscriptions.
✅ offers coaches the ability to create and schedule workouts for their runners.

MANUFACTURER APPS

Manufacturer apps (in my experience) tend to provide basic functionality that, while allowing power-based workout planning, do not match up to the apps listed above.

OTHER OPTIONS?

The above are options I know about. Do you have any additional options?

SHOULDN'T YOU BE RUNNING WITH POWER?
❓ Questions ⇒ from1runner2another (https://www.facebook.com/groups/from1runner2another)
📗 Get Started with the book (https://f1r2a.com/RwP_Start)

TOPIC: POWER APPS - FILLING GAPS
⏩ Which gaps might need filling? (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-gaps)
⏩ Missing metrics (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-metrics)
⏩ Custom workouts (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-planning)
⏩ Race-day targets (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-raceday)
⏩ Apple Watch syncing (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-applesync)

Verified for accuracy: 14 October 2026

13/10/2026

MISSING METRICS

What options do you have when your platform doesn’t provide all the core power metrics:
- Threshold Power
- Training Load Scores
- Training Load Balance
- Ramp Rate
- Running Effectiveness

WKO

WKO (https://f1r2a.com/WKO) is an analysis tool that runs under MS Windows or on a Mac and provides a wide range of charts and graphs of your power data. You can also build your own using a powerful charting language. It integrates seamlessly with TrainingPeaks, syncing planned and completed workout data and a range of health metrics.

WKO can provide the following core power metrics:
✅ Threshold Power. Called ‘modelled Functional Threshold Power’ (mFTP) and calculated based on the last 90 days of completed workouts or using a custom date range.
✅ Training Load Scores. Called Training Stress Scores® (TSS), WKO’s calculation implements Andrew Coggan PhD’s original calculation.
✅ Training Load Balance. Called Training Stress Balance (TSB), and found in WKO’s Performance Management Chart.
✅ Ramp Rate. Calculated using weekly differences in Chronic Training Load.
✅ Running Effectiveness. WKO’s calculation implements Andrew Coggan PhD’s original calculation, and can be applied to a workout or to workout segments.

WKO also supports custom metrics (that you define), both workout-specific and combining and summarising data from multiple workouts.

Unfortunately, for many runners, the one-time purchase price may be too expensive.

Are there any free alternatives?

SUPERPOWER CALCULATOR

SuperPower Calculator (SPC) contains a comprehensive suite of calculators and converters useful to anyone training, racing, and running with power. SPC for Google Sheets (SPCs) (https://f1r2a.com/SuperPower_Calculator) is a Google Sheets workbook providing a complete set of calculations, while SPC for Web (SPCw) (https://f1r2a.com/SuperPower_Calculator_Web/) offers web-based versions of the most common calculations.

SPC can provide the following core power metrics:
✅ Threshold Power. Calculated from 2 or more maximum efforts (using a Critical Power model), or estimated from a recent race.
❌ Training Load Scores. SPCs cannot processes second-by-second completed workout data.
❌ Training Load Balance. SPCs cannot calculate Training Load Scores, the basis for calculating Training Load Balance.
❌ Ramp Rate. SPCs cannot calculate Training Load Scores, the basis for the Chronic Training Load that underpins Ramp Rate.
✅ Running Effectiveness. SPCs (not SPCw) can calculate Running Effectiveness using entered power, weight, distance and duration.

SPCs offers many other power-based calculations (most of them specific to a situation).

Steve Palladino has provided an impressive YouTube playlist (https://f1r2a.com/SuperPower_Videos) demonstrating how to use SPC for a range of different calculations.

INTERVALS.ICU

Intervals.icu can provide the following core power metrics:
✅ Threshold Power. Using your choice of model, and based on the last 90 days of completed workouts or using a custom date range.
✅ Training Load Scores. Called Load, Intervals.icu calculates using Power (if power is in the activity file), although it automatically excludes non-moving time so results can occasionally differ from other platforms by a few points. .
✅ Training Load Balance. Cumulative training loads (ATL and CTL) and Training Load Balance (labelled ‘form’) are shown on a Fitness chart.
✅ Ramp Rate. Shown as a weekly Ramp on the Fitness Chart. If not shown, can be added as a custom plot.
✅ Running Effectiveness. Can be added as a custom field.

Intervals.icu can be complicated to use, but if you’re focusing on a few metrics, it’s possible to complete a one-time setup that can then provide the ongoing metrics.

MANUAL CALCULATIONS

Some of the core metrics can be calculated manually:
- Threshold Power, as a Critical Power calculation from a CP test or from two maximum effort runs taking place a few days apart.
- Threshold Power, estimated from three easy runs.
- Running Effectiveness, using power, weight, distance and duration for a specific run or run segment.

The Training Load metrics rely on second-by-second data from completed workouts, and use more advanced math in the calculation of Chronic and Acute Training Loads – it’s not particularly easy to calculate these manually.

OTHER OPTIONS?

👉🏼 The above are options I know about. Do you have any additional options?

SHOULDN'T YOU BE RUNNING WITH POWER?
❓ Questions ⇒ from1runner2another (https://www.facebook.com/groups/from1runner2another)
📗 Get Started with the book (https://f1r2a.com/RwP_Start)

TOPIC: POWER APPS - FILLING GAPS
⏩ Which gaps might need filling? (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-gaps)
⏩ Missing metrics (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-metrics)
⏩ Custom workouts (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-planning)
⏩ Race-day targets (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-raceday)
⏩ Apple Watch syncing (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-applesync)

Verified for accuracy: 13 October 2026

12/10/2026

WHICH GAPS MIGHT NEED FILLING?

The Power Apps topic (https://f1r2a.com/which-apps) focused on platforms that support the full workout lifecycle (planning through review) as well as support for coaching.

But even with the rich functionality of those platforms, there are still ‘gaps’ – items that the platform doesn’t provide that runners (and coaches) using power would benefit from having.

And even when the platform doesn’t have a gap, there may be alternatives that are easier to use, or a better fit to individual needs or specific situations.

Based on discussion in power-focused running groups, here are four areas where you might want to supplement your core platform.

MISSING METRICS

Power uses data from your completed runs as the basis for metrics used to
✅ set personalised training targets
✅ manage your training load, and
✅ understand or improve your running effectiveness

Calculating those metrics manually, using second-by-second data from your completed runs, isn’t a workable option.

Fortunately, solutions like WKO, SuperPower Calculator, or Intervals.icu customisations can fill the gaps.

CUSTOM WORKOUTS

While pre-prepared training plans and workouts will meet most runners’ needs, there are occasions where a custom workout, built to meet a specific need, is a better choice.

Or perhaps you aren’t able to afford a pre-prepared plan, and need to be able to build your own?

Building your own workout, at least in TrainingPeaks and Stryd Mobile, is a ‘paid’ option.

And while most manufacturers provide free options to build workouts for your watch, they aren’t always easy to use.

Fortunately, there are ‘free’ options from Final Surge and in Intervals.icu that can fill this gap.

RACE-DAY TARGETS

Your race-day power target should take into account:
🎯 your running fitness
🎯 your fatigue resistance – one of two different metrics depending on the race distance/intensity
🎯 the course hilliness
🎯 your running effectiveness – to estimate a finish time

Given the complexity, there are very few solutions that can calculate race-day targets, yet race-day is a key (perhaps the key) focus for most runners.

If you use Stryd power (with membership), you can use the Stryd Race Calculator. If you don’t (or even if you do), you can use SuperPower Calculator to calculate race power scenarios.

APPLE WATCH SYNCING

If you use an Apple Watch and Stryd power, you’re probably already using the Stryd Workout app to execute workouts planned in the Stryd ecosystem, and return completed workout data to the Stryd PowerCenter.

But if you’re not using Stryd power, or even if you are but are looking for an alternative to the Stryd Workout app, what choices do you have to get planned workouts onto your watch, execute the workouts, and transfer completed workout data back to your chosen reviewing/metrics platform?

Apps like Watchletic, HealthFit and Health Sync may be workable choices for you.

NEXT STEPS

The rest of the posts in this topic cover (in more detail) options for filling the gaps identified above.

SHOULDN'T YOU BE RUNNING WITH POWER?
❓ Questions ⇒ from1runner2another (https://www.facebook.com/groups/from1runner2another)
📗 Get Started with the book (https://f1r2a.com/RwP_Start)

TOPIC: POWER APPS - FILLING GAPS
⏩ Which gaps might need filling? (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-gaps)
⏩ Missing metrics (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-metrics)
⏩ Custom workouts (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-planning)
⏩ Race-day targets (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-raceday)
⏩ Apple Watch syncing (https://f1r2a.com/power-gaps-applesync)

Verified for accuracy: 11 October 2026

09/10/2026

POWER APPS – WHICH IS BEST?

While detailed functionality assessments are useful, they aren’t necessarily the best way to choose a platform that’ll work for you.

This post helps you make that choice, by considering four additional perspectives.

COST AND VALUE

👉 What is the long-term cost of each platform, and is there a catch to the “free” options?
Intervals.icu is 100% free, running on voluntary user donations. TrainingPeaks allows you to review past data for free but requires a premium subscription to plan future workouts. Stryd offers a basic mobile app for free, but advanced analytics and automated training plans require a monthly membership.

👉 Do you want to buy a footpod, or do you want to work with what you already own?
If you want to use your existing watch’s wrist-based power, Intervals.icu and TrainingPeaks are your best options. The Stryd ecosystem is restricted unless you use a Stryd footpod.

ANALYTICS AND TECHNICAL TOLERANCE

👉 How much of a “data nerd” are you? Can you handle the platform interface?
Intervals.icu is powerful but complicated, targeting data enthusiasts who don’t mind steep learning curves and code-like customisations. TrainingPeaks offers a clean, predictable, calendar layout that is easy to manage once you learn a few basic training metrics. Stryd has a user-friendly, modern interface, distilling complex metrics into highly digestible visual graphs.

👉 Do you want a platform that tells you exactly what to do, or do you want to build your own training?
Stryd is ideal for hands-off athletes – its training plans adjust dynamically to your changing fitness without you needing to do anything. TrainingPeaks is best if you want to purchase established, pre-made training plans and drop them straight onto your calendar. Intervals.icu is best for self-guided runners who want to build their own custom workouts from scratch.

LOGISTICS AND EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT

👉 How easily do planned workouts sync to your running watch?
TrainingPeaks can push planned workouts to Garmin, COROS, Suunto, Wahoo, and Apple Watch. Intervals.icu connects with Garmin, COROS, Suunto and Wahoo watches but requires helper apps to get workouts onto an Apple Watch. Stryd downloads planned workouts to Garmin and COROS watches, and to the Stryd Workout app on Apple Watches.

👉 Can the platform manage power-based running on road, trail, and treadmill?
Stryd measures actual foot movement (on a treadmill or outdoors) and can account for environmental factors like wind and steep trail hills. Intervals.icu and TrainingPeaks rely entirely on whatever data your watch feeds them – their accuracy will suffer if your watch’s wrist-based power calculation lags on steep trail switchbacks or struggles indoors.

BUY-IN TO THE PLATFORM’S APPROACH

👉 Are you a coach, or planning to hire a running coach in the near future?
TrainingPeaks is the safest choice if you’re a coach or plan to hire a coach because it is built to enable coaches to plan and adjust your schedule. Intervals.icu has free coaching tools, but you will need to find (or be) a coach who is willing to learn how to use them. Stryd allows account sharing, but it’s restricted to reviewing completed workouts and metrics rather than planning and two-way communication.

👉 Do you cycle, swim, or do triathlon, or are you strictly a runner?
TrainingPeaks and Intervals.icu are multi-sport ecosystems that handle cycling power, swimming pace, and gym metrics. Stryd is a running-only platform.

WHICH PLATFORM IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Intervals.icu? if you already own a power-capable watch (like a newer Garmin), you are self-coached, and you love deep-dive data analysis. Intervals.icu offers comprehensive metrics, endless customization, and complete training load tracking without a subscription fee.

Stryd? if you want the most accurate running power data on the market – especially if you train on heavy hills, windy routes, or treadmills. Stryd automatically calculates your target zones and provides targets for your next race without overwhelming you with complex data fields.

TrainingPeaks? if you are a triathlete, you prefer buying pre-made training plans (like 80/20 Endurance), or you plan on hiring a running coach in the near future. TrainingPeaks offers a stable, industry-standard workflow that works with most sports watches with zero manual effort.

SHOULDN'T YOU BE RUNNING WITH POWER?
❓ Questions ⇒ from1runner2another (https://www.facebook.com/groups/from1runner2another)
📗 Get Started with the book (https://f1r2a.com/RwP_Start)

TOPIC: POWER APPS
⏩ Which Apps? (https://f1r2a.com/which-apps)
⏩ Stryd PowerCenter/Mobile (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-stryd)
⏩ TrainingPeaks (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-trainingpeaks)
⏩ Intervals.icu (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-intervals-icu)
⏩ Power Apps questions? (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-questions)

Verified for accuracy: 8 October 2026

08/10/2026

INTERVALS.ICU

Intervals.icu analyses your rides, runs, swims and other activities (with and without power).

It provides basic and advanced analytics and planning in an easy-to-use web interface with support for desktops, phones, and tablets.

Intervals.icu is free to use, with additional features should you choose to become a supporter.

PLANNING

Intervals.icu:
❌ does not offer any training plans or workouts.
✅ enables you to create your own plans and build your own workouts using features that are free to runners.
✅ downloads planned workouts for free from Intervals.icu to Garmin, COROS, Suunto and Wahoo watches.

REVIEWING

Intervals.icu:
✅ accepts completed workouts from all sports watch brands.
💲 For Apple Watches you can upload completed workouts into Intervals.icu from Apple Health using 3rd-party apps like HealthFit or Health Sync.
✅ provides workout summary metrics and second-by-second review of uploaded runs.
✅ shows actual vs. planned If you planned the workout in Intervals.icu – planned appears as an additional strip along the bottom.
✅ can calculate threshold power (using your choice from several models) based on the last 90 days of completed workouts or using a custom date range.
✅ can chart and display your PDC, based on maximum efforts over the last 90 days of completed runs, or using a custom date range.
✅ can present a Fitness chart showing cumulative training loads (shorter-term and longer-term) and training load balance (labelled ‘form’).
❌ doesn’t provide a weekly Ramp Rate, but you can add this as a custom plot on your Fitness chart.
❌ doesn’t calculate Running Effectiveness, but you can add this as a custom field.
❌ cannot calculate power targets for upcoming events and races.

COACHING

Intervals.icu:
✅ can connect coaches to multiple runners
✅ enables coaches to plan workouts for their runners
✅ provides coach access to completed workouts and see per-runner metrics
✅ supports communication between coaches and their runners.
✅ can ‘go wider’ than power, to include information about sleep, fatigue and other non-quantifiable information.

IN SUMMARY

Intervals.icu focuses on the basics – workout planning, calculating metrics etc.

It supports custom plots, fields and calculations (for example it’s possible to add a Running Effectiveness calculation, or to add a ramp rate plot to your fitness page).

It’s a genuinely free platform that supports Running with Power – with the option to become a supporter (to fund further development).

SHOULDN'T YOU BE RUNNING WITH POWER?
❓ Questions ⇒ from1runner2another (https://www.facebook.com/groups/from1runner2another)
📗 Get Started with the book (https://f1r2a.com/RwP_Start)

TOPIC: POWER APPS
⏩ Which Apps? (https://f1r2a.com/which-apps)
⏩ Stryd PowerCenter/Mobile (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-stryd)
⏩ TrainingPeaks (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-trainingpeaks)
⏩ Intervals.icu (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-intervals-icu)
⏩ Power Apps questions? (https://f1r2a.com/power-apps-questions)

Verified for accuracy: 8 October 2026

Address

Wokingham

Website

https://f1r2a.com/books, https://www.facebook.com/groups/from1runner2another

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