General
Performance
Performance (9)
One of the 3 Fit Scores to assess and monitor your performance with regards to your top-speed running.
When training for races of around 3 km or more, this metric will have more relevance than your Speed Score and resemble or at least trend similar to your Goal Score, especially with increases distance. Once your race distance approaches or exceeds a marathon, then will usually become quite similar.
TrainAsONE Fit Scores are a unique set of metrics to measure your running fitness from your day to day running, and even your rest days.
Commonly, when people talk about their running fitness they break it down into two components: Speed and Endurance. Often saying such things as “I’ve lost some speed, but my endurance has remained’ or “I’ve lost some fitness, but could still run a sub 45 minute 10km”. However, apart from venturing out and running a set of time trials there has been no real way to make any form of objective measure. This is where the Fit Scores come in.
Using our advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), TrainAsONE calculates 3 numbers that represent your level of running fitness on a daily basis:
- Speed Score: Your capability for top speed running;
- Endurance Score: Your capability for running for a long time;
- Goal Score: Your fitness in respect of your personal goal, e.g. an upcoming 10 km race.
Each score is between 0 and 100, with 100 being world record performing.
The Fit Scores are a unique and very useful indicator of your running fitness as they objectively calculate three performance related markers that are colloquially used and understood. And importantly without having to perform any specific workout or laboratory assessment – in fact they can even be calculated on rest days with no activity or health data!
Not unexpectedly, with large periods of no data (and no running!) Fit Scores will become less and less accurate, with ever greater swings in value from day to day. Fortunately it will not take long for ‘normality’ to resume once a return to running takes place – and as always, the better the consistency of your running, the quicker this will take place.
As the above image illustrates, the TrainAsONE mobile app displays each of your current Fit Scores on the Home screen, along with a graphic below to indicate their current trend. An interesting point in the above example is that it is possible for your Speed and Endurance Scores to be trending down, yet your Goal Score be trending up. Furthermore, depending on certain factors, including the stage of your training, your Goal Score may trend downwards. Look out for some specific FAQs and articles to help answer when and why this may occur.
Additionally, whilst all the scores are in the range from 0 to 100, the spread varies. In other words the average score for Speed across the population is quite different for Endurance. This is a potential area of work for the future.
In due course we will elaborate a little on how the scores are derived. However, a very important point to raise now is that the underlying techniques being used can also be turned to race time prediction. We’ve already done this, with great success – our own comparison with other published work demonstrates superior accuracy. This, and other factors, give us great confidence and excitement about our Fit Scores. We still feel that we’ve only scratched the surface, and have many avenues to research that will make them and other features in mind even greater and provide an unrivalled training experience.
Further Reading
One of the 3 Fit Scores to assess and monitor your running performance. As with the 2 other scores, your Goal Score is provided as a number between 0 and 100, with 100 being world record performing.
Directly targeting your current goal, this metric may be of more interest than your Speed or Endurance Score. The relevant goal will change according to your goals within TrainAsONE. Commonly it will be your next primary race, otherwise your preferred distance goal.
For clarification, whilst your Goal Score is between 0 and 100, this is not a percentage and does not indicate a probability of completing your goal (race) in your target time. Features related to this are on the roadmap.
Race time prediction is the process of predicting how quickly a person will run an upcoming race to the best of their ability. There are numerous approaches, most commonly centred around previous race performance.
In due course we will discuss a number of the best known and important methods.
Using advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning tools, TrainAsONE has developed its own race time prediction methodology. In an interval review these demonstrated themselves to be more accurate than other published work. As of now (February 2023), these are not yet incorporated into the live system, but we are working hard to complete the outstanding work to do so as soon as possible. The intention is to begin user beta-testing during April of this year (2023) as part of the Artemis algorithm update. At that time we will also publish further information to evidence their accuracy.
Riegel’s formula is a mathematical equation used to predict race times for runners. It was first published by Pete Riegel, an American research engineer in 1977.
The formula takes into account a runner’s recent race time and distance to then estimate the time to complete an upcoming race:
T2 = T1 x (D2 / D1) ^ 1.06
Where:
- D1 = Previous race distance
- D2 = Upcoming race distance
- T1 = Previous race time
- T2 = Prediction of race time for upcoming race
Overall, the evidence suggests that Riegel’s formula is a useful tool for predicting race times in runners, but it should not be relied upon as the sole means of determining race performance. Other factors such as recent training history and specificity should also be taken into account when predicting race times.
Despite its limitations, Riegel’s formula continues to be widely used by runners, coaches, and exercise physiologists to help predict race times and track performance improvements.
One of the 3 Fit Scores to assess and monitor your performance with regards to your top-speed running.
When training for races of less than around 3 km, this metric will have more relevance than your Endurance Score and resembles or at least trends similar to your Goal Score.
Training Monotony represents a statistical variation in your day to day activities.
It has long been recognised (and is fairly logical) that hard training sessions should be intermixed with easier ones or rest to allow recovery and physiological adaptations to take place. Training Monotony is one mechanism to measure this concept. This makes a statistical analysis of your activities to numerically represent the variation. Research would suggest that monotony figures below 1.5 are desirable, with figures above 2.0 as potentially being cause for concern.
Further Reading
A single metric that attempts to represent both the volume and variation in your day-to-day activities.
Whilst Training Monotony helps to understand the periodisation of training and assess recovery, the volume of training (load of training over time) also needs to be considered. Too low and training will be ineffective. Too high and you’ll be moving into the realms of overtraining. Training Strain is one metric to aid with this, combining changes in load and monotony over time into one metric. The level of strain a particular athlete should be experiencing at any moment is dependent on many factors, but it can be safely said that rapid increases are bad. This would most commonly signify a rapid increase in load without adequate recovery.
vVO2max (velocity at maximal oxygen uptake) is an intense running pace which can be maintained for only about six minutes. This is the minimum speed for which the organism’s maximal oxygen uptake is reached (after a few minutes of exercise at this intensity); at higher paces, additional power is entirely delivered by anaerobic processes. At this pace, blood lactate in the muscles reaches levels around 8-10 mM.
The vVO2max of world class middle and long-distance runners may exceed 24 km/h (14.9 mph or about 4:00/mile pace), making this speed slightly comparable to 3000 m race pace. For many athletes, vVO2max may be slightly slower than 1500 m or mile race pace.