At Human Powered Health, we believe success begins with understanding your body. That’s why we were thrilled to host our friends at Minnesota Distance Elite (MDE) and their new team members for pre-season testing this winter.
As one of the country’s premier professional running teams, MDE strives to elevate their athletes’ performance with the best tools and training methods. This yearly visit marks a key step in their preparation for the upcoming season.
The testing mirrored the approach used by Olympic Marathoner and MDE team member Dakotah Lindwurm, who became the top female marathon runner at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
For new recruits, pre-season testing is the foundation their training will be built on. Here’s a look at the key tests they completed during their visit. These elite runners completed a comprehensive set of running-performance assessments including a VO2max test, Gait Analysis and Lactate Threshold test, to fine-tune their training plans based on their body’s capabilities.
Measuring aerobic capacity, this test determines an athlete’s precise heart rate zones for optimizing efficiency in each training session.
Identifying inefficiencies in stride mechanics, Gait Analysis highlights areas for form improvements to enhance performance and reduce risk of injuries.
Understanding how each athlete’s body handles intensity offers critical data to optimize training zones and pacing strategies.
By combining these insights, each runner left the lab with personalized data. Working with our performance physiologists, this data will be leveraged by their head coach, Chris Lundstrom to develop optimized training plans for each runner. Over time, the athlete will re-test to measure changes and make adjustments as needed.
“Testing like this provides our athletes with invaluable data to guide their training. No single data point tells the whole story; it’s looking at the whole picture and how it changes over time. Nuanced data, such as Lactate Thresholds, become critical when you’re trying to level up” – Chris Lundstrom, Head Coach of Minnesota Distance Elite.
Dakotah Lindwurm’s Olympic triumph is a testament to the power of data-driven training. Starting her career as a Division II walk-on runner at Northern State University in 2014, she has committed to data-based methods over the last decade. Her training propelled her to take 3rd at the 2024 Olympic Trials with a time of 2:23:51.
To hear more about Dakotah’s journey, watch her full story below.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional runner like the MDE athletes or a weekend warrior chasing your first 5K finish, we’re here to help you understand your body and unlock your potential. Train like these pros and get the data you need to make real progress. Because, as always, True Health is Self Made.
Human Powered Health is staffed with Master's and PhD-level performance physiologists who are dedicated to helping you improve your health and performance. Our product is a healthier you, and we have the science to make you better than ever.
Human Powered Health uses high-precision, research-grade technology for all assessments in order to provide a superior level of service and quality for anyone who wants to learn more about their health and performance metrics.
We are on a mission to power health and human performance for everyone. Your body belongs to you. You deserve accurate information about it. We give everyone the data and expertise to fine-tune their own health and athletic performance. Because knowledge is power, and true health is self-made.