A WATCHING BRIEF

Five keys things to track on the run

→ REAL-TIME HEART RATE /

One of the simplest and most useful training tools, helping you tackle each session at the right effort. It can help to ensure your hard efforts are tough enough and your recovery runs are low and slow.

Make sure you customise your heart-rate zones rather than sticking with the default.

→ RESTING HEART RATE /

A higher than usual RHR can be a sign you need more rest or you’re about to get a cold. An RHR getting progressively lower over time means fitness is improving. Check your pulse when you wake up, making sure you’ve stayed still for a while. Do this every day for a month and you’ll know your patterns, so any high readings will leap out.

→ CADENCE / Paying attention to cadence (the number of steps per minute) can change your running. Generally speaking, the faster the cadence, the better your form and efficiency. Elites tend to run at 180 steps per minute, or higher. Increasing step rate lowers ground contact time and makes your feet land more under your hips, cutting the risk of overstriding.

→ BLOOD-OXYGEN LEVELS /

You can now monitor blood-oxygen levels, thanks to the advanced wrist-based sensors – called SpO2 sensors. A lower SpO2 measure pre-workout can be a trigger to train lighter and rest, particularly if it coincides with a night where you’ve had poor-quality sleep. A normal level is 95-100 per cent. If you drop below about 93 per cent, give training a miss.

→ RECOVERY TIME / Downtime is when the improvements really happen. So use the recovery features on your device to work out if that’s real fatigue or your brain finding an excuse to skip the interval session. Most recommendations are suggestions of the time it takes to fully recover, rather than edicts about how long you should wait to go again.