Ep 58 Four new metrics to monitor in training, and how a biomechanical assessment can make you faster and keep injuries away
· Trail Running Ireland Podcast
Eoin Flynn and René Borg explain four training metrics used by top trail runners: aerobic decoupling, efficiency factor, VAM and RPE versus intensity factor, and how to use them without becoming a slave to the numbers. Jason of JK Therapy Sports and Injury Clinic, a former Irish mountain running champion, explains what a biomechanical running assessment involves and how better mobility and technique can keep injuries away.
Eoin wishes the small, elite Irish team of Sarah McCormack, Zak Hanna and Paddy O'Leary well at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand. He flags a plaque to be unveiled for 1991 world champion John Lennon on 31 October, and a mountain rescue fundraiser run near Clonmel on 26 November.
René says a metric is only useful if it helps you make a decision, and both hosts have moved away from tracking weekly mileage towards more qualitative measures. Aerobic decoupling compares pace to heart rate in the first and second halves of a run; more than about 5 per cent suggests your easy runs are too hard. Efficiency factor tracks how much pace you get for your heart rate on similar runs over time. VAM measures how fast you climb in vertical metres per hour and can help you design hill sessions around a target race. Comparing RPE with intensity factor can show whether a taper is working. René himself mostly watches power, perceived effort and how his joints feel.