Hit Your Stryd

Here’s why elite trail runner Joseph Gray uses this power meter to track his training.

After noticing that heart-rate training was producing impoved results in his training in 2017, world champion mountain runner (and Colorado Resident Trail Badass as voted by EO readers) Joseph Gray started using Stryd (stryd.com), a power meter that helps calculate output and effort in order to create a consistent pacing strategy during a race. 

The key to Stryd’s success is a bevy of online data features that serve as a type of virtual coach by exposing weaknesses and lack of efficiency.

“I noticed from my power output that my training was missing a few key components and the power meter helped me find what I was doing wrong in workouts and races, especially when it came to effort and knowing how hard to push and when to slow down a bit,” Gray says.

Knowing the intimate details of his power data provides important insight on race day. 

“After calculating my maximum output and knowing how it felt, I found that many times in races I could push harder,” Gray says. “I also learned what wattage I could hold and for how long. That data allows me to understand when to slow down or back off the effort a bit.” 

–Kim Fuller