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==Introduction==There are two components to running ability; fitness and economy. Fitness is the ability of our bodies to generate energy for running and is the focus of a lot of our training. Because [[Running Economy is how far and fast you can run with a given amount of energy. Good economy is a critical part of running, and [Cadence]] is one element I focus on. ==Measuring Efficiency==In an ideal world, we’d be able so important but so hard to easily measure our running economy and see if things are improving. If we could measure our breath, find out how much O₂ we consumed and how much CO₂ we produce, we’d know how much energy we burned (and from fat or carbohydrate). Sadly, I've developed this is not practical, so the best measure we have of energy consumption is our heart ratesimple alternative. This Relative Running Economy is far from perfect, as based on how many heart rate can vary beats are used for other reasons besides supplying O₂ for energy production. However, I believe it is a useful approximationthe distance covered as described in [[Running Economy]]. ==The Online Calculator==Assuming you know the distance you ran, your average heart rate [[Heart Rate]] and the time it took, you can calculate your efficiency. If you know your resting heart rate[[Resting Heart Rate]], enter that as well to optimize the calculation.  

<form method="get" action="/fellrnr/efficiency_wrapper.php" name="VDOTEfficiency">

=Suunto Ambit App=The Efficiency CalculationI have developed two apps that calculate Relative Running Economy for the Suunto Ambit. One calculates a [http://www.movescount.com/apps/app10034021-Average_Relative_Running_Economy moving average] and the other a [http://www.movescount.com/apps/app10034023-Smoothed_Relative_Running_Economy smoothed current value]. =Garmin Utility=The formula If you have a Garmin GPS, this utility will analyze the TCX files to calculate efficiency. [[File:Garmin Efficiency Screenshot.jpg|none|thumb|500px|Screen shot of the Garmin Efficiency Calculator.]]You can download it from [http://fellrnr.com//Utilities/GarminEfficiency/GarminEfficiency.exe http://fellrnr.com//Utilities/GarminEfficiency/GarminEfficiency.exe]. Look for the tooltips that is used is<br>pop up when you hover over an option; they'll provide some help.<blockquote><code>[[File:Garmin Efficiency Tooltip.jpg|none|thumb|500px|An example tooltip that gives help.]]Total Beats = (Average Heart Rate – Resting Heart Rate) * Time in Minutes<br> Work Per Mile A more impressive alternative= Total Beats / Distance in Miles<br> [[Alternative Efficiency = 1 / Work Per Mile * 100Calculator]] uses age, gender, and weight to calculate Calories consumed, and therefore estimate the absolute efficiency. While this is more impressive and allows for comparison between runners,000it makes quite a few assumptions in the calculations. If you know your VO<brsub>2</codesub>max, this calculation becomes somewhat more accurate, but should still be considered only a rough approximation. Overall, I believe the simpler approach is better. </blockquote>[[Category:Science]]