Best way to program Garmin 910XT for power workouts?
I recently got my first power meter and I did my bike power test last week and got my FTP and VO2 max power zones on the trainer. Programmed them into my watch and setup to do my first workout with power outside (nice to be in northern california!).
On the trainer, it was no problem staying in a target power range. Outside, though, I can't be looking at my watch constantly. Set for Zone 4 for Tuesday's workout, which has like a 10 watt range. Watch was basically beeping at me about being out of the zone for the whole interval.
How do people do this? Is there a way to set the watch so it uses like 5sec average power instead of instantaneous power? Do you just set a much larger zone for power? Do you not set the watch for power and do something else? This is especially a problem when I'm training at night and I can't be looking at the watch very easily.
Thanks for any help.
Comments
I had the same problem (use the Edge 500 as a head unit). A couple of suggestions.
1. There are so many variables outside that it's really hard to hold specific narrow ranges. Don't use the beeper -- it will drive you crazy, or at least it did me. Say your FTP is 200. That means that VO2 target is 240. I then try to use 240 as a floor, and don't worry about how much over it I go. The reason: it's self-correcting. If you stay too long in anaerobic, you blow up. After doing this a few times, you will develop a sense about what it's supposed to feel like, and you'll intuitively know when you're working too hard or not hard enough. But you might drop below the target for any number of reasons (a short downhill, a stray dog, a pothole), and that's OK. Once you get to know the road, you should be able to hold it within a 40-50w range pretty easily and if you don't want to shut the beeper off, I would just do that to preserve your sanity. Some folks can go tighter, but I'm not typically one of them. (You're going to have to shift gears a lot.).
2. Definitely smooth the power. 3s helps, 5s is better for outside. You don't want to chase the number every second. Even on the trainer, I'll use 3s, and can typically hold a 10w range but it would drive me nuts to see it every second.
YMMV.