DATA POINTS

A quick guide to key running metrics and their value in training and racing

Heart-rate variability (HRV)

The variance in time between the beats of your heart. It’s a useful metric for monitoring how well you are adapting to training.

Heart rate (HR)

Training to heart rate can prevent you from running too hard on your easy or recovery runs, reducing the risk of overtraining; and it is useful for tempo runs, when reaching the right level of exertion is important for getting the most from the workout.

Sleep monitoring

Can be useful for some but make things worse for others – most of us know when we have slept badly. Focus on putting in place good ‘sleep hygiene’ practices rather than obsessing about the tracking.

GPS pace and distance

In a session or race, many of us have a target time in mind. GPS can be useful in assessing your ability to hit your goal paces, but be aware of limitations in accuracy – particularly in a race situation.

Running power

A newer metric is running power, calculated with an algorithm. Can be useful particularly for assessing short, fast intervals or hill sessions.

Physiological data

Take care with the reliability of watches or apps on measurements such as VO2 max and lactate threshold. If you want more-accurate data, go to a lab, but even then, ask yourself what you will actually do with the data.

Cadence and ground contact time

These can give you a glimpse into your running technique, but both vary from runner to runner and also at different running paces. As with all data, the challenge is what to do with the information.

Your running biomechanics are more complex than what a watch can tell you.