Power-eny Training

murphy.m.j

OK my question is this: I am not able to buy a $1800 wheel but have signed up for ironman madison 2011.  Am I going to hear 200 times, in essance, why did I not buy that $1800 wheel?  I think is an OK thing to "sell" this technology but if someone cannot afford it, is it an OK thing to be apart of EN.

Your training plans talk alot about zones, what iswrong with just using that as a training guide. 

I am not upset at anyone at EN, so please do not think that at all, but in reading about Tri training, alot of coaches, including EN, seem to say that this is they way to go. 

I cannot change my personal economics and do not want to hear how I should of done something different, or hinted that I should of done something different, from EN coaches.

I am not envious of anyone that can afford the toys. I would also encourage them to buy what they can afford especially if they can afford the training aids.  In my case simply I just cannot afford it.  So before I join EN I want to see some words regarding my thoughts.

In case it matters, I bought your 1/2 ironman traing plan this year, used it and was totally satisfied.  I wanted to join EN because of the jump from doing a 1/2 ironman to a full one and Madison/Wisconsin.  I am sure there are other things I need to learn about doing madison that EN will teach me; so my attitude is actually very positive towards EN.

Please accept my point of discussion and not the way this is probably going to read.  Thanks.

Bill McKinney

There are a bunch of folks on the team that use HR instead of power. I'm sure there is info on the wiki or in the forums if you search (or someone may chime in with links). No one in here will give you a hard time for not being able to afford (or for that matter choosing not to buy) power. This sport is a hobby for most of us, and we make trade-offs inside the haus to meet our personal constraints. Mine is time, sounds like yours is money. Don't worry, you'll be fine w/o power. If you decide to take the plunge, though, the wired PT wheels seem to be going for $700-800 on e-bay, or you can get a brand new one from Neuvation for $829 (wired) or $1049 (wireless). It's still a lot of money, though, just sayin'!

The short answer to your question is that NO, you will not hear anything about how you "should" have bought an $1800 wheel. There are plenty of folks who can give you help on HR based training.

Welcome to the team! Post again if you have more questions.

mgraffeo

Michael, while many folks here use power, and believe it is a valuable tool, by no means is it mandatory. There's about a 60/40 split between people using power vs. Heart rate for their training guide. Take a look at the free resource called heart rate training redefined for more discussion of how it's done.

Everybody in the house deals with their own personal economics, and I don't think you'll see anyone tell you that you have to spend money that you don't have. What you will hear people say is that if you're going to spend $2000 on bling race wheels, you're much better off buying a power meter first.

Last, there are some very affordable power options down in the $7-800 range, if and/or when you decide to think about power further.

Hope this helps.

Mike

murphy.m.j

this helps a great deal; i cant thank you enough for your response.

phaedrus

Another idea for making power affordable is to share a wheel with someone else. This past year while both my wife and I were training for IM WI we shared one pt wheel. It worked bc we had to schedule our rides/training to allow one to train while the other was with the kids anyway. Come race day I used the pt wheel with a cover and she rented a fancy set of zips with a pt for $200. End result= 2 people split e cost of one wheel and both get to train and race with power. Obviously only works if you know someone you can coordinate training with really well.

jburbatt

I trained with HR throughout the OS last year and switched over to power only at the end. The support and answers for HR in the haus are just as available as power, if you have questions just ask!  We are glad to help!  No power snobs here, the only consistent recommendation you'll find is that if you are going to have $$ to spend and are deciding between things like a new bike, new wheels, etc. pretty much most of the haus will recommend making the step to power first as it is considered the biggest "bang" for your buck.  But in the sense of pressure, etc for using power vs. HR, don't worry, it's not like that here!

Cary Blanco

Michael,

The plans a written out for Power, PE and HR so no worries. That being said, $1800 is quite a bit more than you have to spend to get into power. For $660 you can get a new 2010 wired PowerTap wheel with computer from competitivecyclist.com - just sayin'. I did all of my OS and a third of my IMLP training on a similar wheel that I borrowed from a friend.

kathleennelson

Hey Michael!  Fun talking with you on the phone the other day!!  So glad u posted this question and like I knew would happen you got some honest answers from some great peeps!!  I tell ya the people in this haus are the best!  Again like everyone else said, no worries on purchasing the power just to join EN.  The plans include HR training as well.  While power is great to use, no one will pressure you to buy one. Period.  Any more questions??? Ask away   Welcome to EN!

Tony Stocker

@Michael - what you're more likely to hear around here is strong opinions when the idea of race wheels vs. power comes up, rather than simple economics.  You'll definitely read some strong "get POWER" in reply to those threads, and there's little counter argument possible in that case because if one can afford a $2K super-slick aero front, disc back wheel set then it's not like that person couldn't afford to go the power route.  The arguments for going power in that particular scenario are just too compelling not to.

If you're able to find a used one in good shape via eBay or Craigslist (or here in the Classifieds forum for that matter), and it fits in your budget then it's certainly worth considering.  There are some used PT wheels on eBay in the $600-700 range now, some are wired models some aren't (and bidding isn't done yet of course).  I can tell you from personal experience that Saris customer support is beyond excellent, so even with a used wheel/hub I'm sure you'd get excellent support in case something ended up being wrong with it.

All that said, as others have mentioned the plans do have HR options and there's nothing wrong with that route and there's no division amongst the folks at EN whether they have power or not, you'll get the same level of support, enthusiasm, and motivational butt-kicking from everyone around here whether you've got power on the bike or not.

Coach Patrick

Thanks all for helping Mike feel at home....you guys rock!

Paul Hough

Michael - I can afford a PM anytime I want, but haven't bought one because I hate messing around with electronics, especially downloading, reviewing files, etc. I don't even bother with heart rate and I can hold my own out there using RPE (real perceived exertion). If you can push yourself hard, and follow the EN execution guidance, you will do just fine.

Nemo Brauch

REALLY good point from Paul. Power Meters are a great tool- for folks who are into the data analysis stuff. But they are NOT for everyone. If you aren't the kind of person who likes looking at the data, analyzing the information, and using tools to monitor training progress as well as race execution efforts, then buying a power meter would be a huge waste of money (as Rich says, you just spent $$$ to buy a glorified Cateye computer). There is a learning curve with power meters and you must be willing to invest a little time as well as the $$ to get the most out of the tool.

Bill McKinney

PM's are also good for folks like me that are sort of lazy and need the whip provided by the PM! You can't lie to the PowerTap, and you can't lie to the Garmin!

Jon Bergmann

I don't have the money for a power meter, but I do have a Tacx i-magic trainer that measrues power. The problem is I don't have one on my bike. How should I train? A mix of power when on the trainer, or should I just work with HR so that I am more consistent when outside. Realistically, much of my riding this winter will be inside since I live in the mtns of Colorado and the weather will soon not allow me to do too much riding outside.

Another issue that I have thought about is that my bike situation makes training with power a bit of a problem.  I have two bikes:  My road bike has 650c wheels and my tri bike (QR Lucero) has 700c wheels so getting one wheel won't work.  So aside from replacing the road bike (I really love that bike), power meters would be very pricey.



Thanks in advance.

Tom Glynn

Jon,

My thoughts would be to train using HR outside. Inside use both power and HR, but use HR as additional information only so that you plan indoor workouts with power in mind. When you hit power numbers, bump them higher. I remember when I first started training with power I was incredibly surprised that as I got more fit, the power levels would be increasing while the HR remained the same.

Like many of us, there is a lot of indoor training over the winter. Use the indoor trainer for consistency, go outside to have fun and get mental breaks.