2016 has been an amazing year so far. I’ve run the Black Canyon 100K, Old West 50K, my strongest finish ever at the Lost Boys 50 miler, and just finished this year’s San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run. While there’s no question I’ve increased the quality (and quantity) of my training this year, I’ve also introduced a new piece of equipment into my workouts and have been very pleased with the results. Enter the GoMore Stamina Sensor.
The athlete’s fuel gauge
Designed by a team of leading engineers at bOMDIC, Inc. in Taipei, Taiwan, GoMore is the world’s first stamina sensor and app tested by professional athletes and training centers worldwide. The company’s goal is to help individuals understand their stamina level so that they can train with the correct intensity for optimal performance.
According to GoMore, the definition of stamina is the total performance capacity up to a point of performance cessation in cardiorespiratory endurance exercises, where that point of cessation is defined by the athlete reaching a rating of perceived exertion (RPE) of 10 out of a Borg CR10 scale. At stamina of 0%, it indicates that the athlete has expended 100% effort and pushing forward further is rather impossible.
Stamina incorporates the physiological effects associated with short- and long-term energy system usages. When this information is cross-referenced with the speed an athlete is traveling, maximum attainable distances are projected. The sum of this information provides an answer to one of the most challenging problems facing athletes today: ideal pacing.
To learn more about boMDIC and GoMore, visit their website.
My experience with GoMore
Over the years I’ve used a variety of fitness, GPS, and heart rate monitors, all to varying degrees of success. In deciding to train with GoMore, I shelved all my other devices and have been training exclusively with it for the past two months, on runs ranging from 1 to 100+ miles. But let’s start from the beginning.
The first thing you have to do is calibrate the GoMore sensor. To do this, I had to run at an all-out effort for either 15 minutes, or a 5K (I chose the 5K), and then answer 3 simple questions:
- How my breathing was
- How I felt
- How much farther I thought I could do
That was it. From there my “baseline” was established. A quick look at my fuel gauge (stamina) meter on my phone showed that I was wiped out. And it was right; I was.
Each run follows the same format: you put on the GoMore sensor, pair to your phone (via Bluetooth and the GoMore app), run, then answer those same three questions. Based on your answers—and the previous data collected in the app—it will tell you if your stamina/capability has improved or not.
I’ll admit that early on I was skeptical about just how accurate the algorithm could be. How could they really know how much I had left in the tank? So the first few weeks I did a test runs of varying distance, terrain and difficulty, and was shocked at how accurate the sensor was at estimating what I had left in my tank. That was when I really started to understand the power of the product.
The GoMore sensor will alert you (via a buzz on the chest) when you hit 60% stamina left, and then again at 30%. Doing this allows you to focus on running, while still getting a subtle update on what you have left in the tank. No splits clicking off on your watch, no voice that tells you when you “hit 2 miles” – just some buzzes to your chest to let you know where you’re at.
The simplicity of the product, yet it’s effectiveness of calculating my stamina, has been the perfect match. It’s also helped me reconnect with my love of running, since I’m not letting numbers dictate my runs. I’m running by feel again.
I’ve been training with GoMore exclusively for the past two months, and here’s what it’s done for me:
- The product helped me get two of my strongest (and fastest) ultra marathon finishes of the past three years (San Diego 100, Lost Boys 50). Absolutely incredible!
- Improving my speed on short, middle and long-distance runs
- Improving my running efficiency
- Helping build my endurance
The only issue I had with the product was it lost connectivity a handful of times and never seemed to recover. I couldn’t determine if the sensor dropped because of operator error, my remote location (the Pacfic Crest Trail or the Anza Borrego Desert), or a product malfunction. I do know that GoMore’s customer service was among the best I’ve ever worked with in trying to troubleshoot.
A few other features I’d like to see
I’m always interested in how much elevation gain I get during my runs. It would be nice if GoMore would make that number easily viewable. I’d also like to see more analysis around how my capability has improved (run to run, week over week, month over month, etc.), as well as a “Hall of Fame” of my best times for specific distances.
My overall impression
Training with GoMore has helped me much more than other GPS watches and heart rate monitors have in the past. While I know other products pull together a lot of the information that GoMore does, they don’t make it easy to see and simple to access—especially during your run. The “fuel gauge” approach is very intuitive and accurate.
Simply put, GoMore has helped me become stronger and more efficient runner; which has translated to faster shorter runs and strong longer runs/ ultramarathon races.
GoMore works. And it works well.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of my 5K effort with GoMore after 8 weeks of training:
But GoMore really showed it’s value on race day in long, hard events—specifically this year’s San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run (where I PR’d by almost an hour), and the Lost Boy’s 50 Mile Ultramarathon (my strongest 50 mile finish to date). Being able to appropriately burn energy in these type of events is paramount. GoMore helped immensely in helping me control my pace and stamina—which resulted in two of my strongest finishes in two of southern California’s most challenging ultras, back to back!
It’s safe to say the GoMore Stamina Sensor is now a staple product in my training for both short- and long-distance workouts and races. I can’t wait to train for my next race with GoMore from start to finish and analyze the results.
To begin training with your own GoMore Stamina Sensor, purchase one here.
Take care,
G
*While the GoMore Stamina Sensor was provided to us, all opinions and experiences shared here are our own.
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