@Matt - The trick is we don't have a good stand in for W/(effective wind drag area). People use W/kg but kg is a pretty lousy proxy for frontal area, etc. Obviously they scale with each other in some way, but we need a better one if we're going to have a really suseful quick-and-dirty comparison for riding on the flats. It's only because the relationship isn't linear that it looks like "absolute watts". Wish I had a better answer.
I'm another sub-150 lbs guy, of strictly high school JV youth athletics. :-) I know intellectually if I get to 4.0 W/kg, I'll just end up setting another goal, but right now that one sounds pretty good!
Great thread. Fortunately, I think 2011 might be the year where the virtual wind tunnel hits the "mainstream". And by mainstream I mean it will be a little less fringe than before. Better study up!
@Matt, thanks for the reminder on absolute watts; if rich were here his Xmas present to me would be a kick in the nutz! Bob, I think improving your bike is the right goal, but would suggest that murdering yourself on the EN plan (which is already hard) isn't the answer. Other thoughts:
* TTbikefit.com to get your best possible tri bike fit. * Plan on a full aero set up a la Matt Ancona (disk, hydration, etc) for race day. Flexibility work that lets you stay there. * Plan on a big bike week in the range of 12-16 weeks out from your A race. Think TOC-like work...5-7 days of 70-90 miles of solid riding...but not hard, just long. * Consider a road bike in your arsenal...if you don't already have one...you can ride much harder on a road bike (well, most humans can, you might be the exception!) and plus it's more fun.
Patrick, what do you think about using the Madison rally (roughly July 9-10) to end a BBW for Madison? It's (if I recall) 9 weeks out, rather than 12-16. Or, in that time frame, is it better just to use it for a BBw (big bike weekend - small "w") and stick with most of the rest of the conventional plan?
@Bob, you are awesome to begin with. Those numbers are excellent. What a great thread and a lot to learn from. I am no expert, but will give another angle, very much in line with Dan and Mike. Would love to be able to reference some literature now, however, I am FL 390 over New Mexico, books being at home on the shelf.
There are two components to your question as I understand, one scientific as it applies to physiology driven factors and than practical as it applies to where you are now and how to proceed further.
I will start with, there are very few AGers being limited by physiology driven factors. For us, mortals, real life is the biggest limiter. We simply do not have enough time to train in order to take our skill to the physiology limit. Example, elite swimmer spends 6 days a week, twice a day in the water to the tune of 80000m a week, yep read it correct, plus dryland...........That is when one's physiology limiters begin to factor in.
Mike has provided a summed up version of two well known authors who put it well in a common language.
When you consider our life, 3 phases of our sport, it is clear that we simply cannot develop any single sport we do to it's potential. We can improve one in a focused period fashion, but we fall short of that full potential. One would have to give up triathlon for cycling, train cycling at it's full ability.......Hopefully, we can agree on that.
Scientific discussion, we can get into it, providing there is a need for the group here to go further. We can brake down every single factor from the physiology stand point and analyze. That one would have to wait another 2 weeks as I finish attending ASCA Level 3 Physiology School. I am sure there some folks here who can educate us well in that regard.
There is an upsloping curve of your improvement that is eventually going to intercept the downsloping curve of your physiological potential, true for everyone but I don't think you are close there with cycling, not there just yet.
So, in summary, real life and recovery between workouts are our greatest limiters.
Comments
I'm another sub-150 lbs guy, of strictly high school JV youth athletics. :-) I know intellectually if I get to 4.0 W/kg, I'll just end up setting another goal, but right now that one sounds pretty good!
Great thread. Fortunately, I think 2011 might be the year where the virtual wind tunnel hits the "mainstream". And by mainstream I mean it will be a little less fringe than before. Better study up!
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/Slowtwi...-2#2513228
* TTbikefit.com to get your best possible tri bike fit.
* Plan on a full aero set up a la Matt Ancona (disk, hydration, etc) for race day. Flexibility work that lets you stay there.
* Plan on a big bike week in the range of 12-16 weeks out from your A race. Think TOC-like work...5-7 days of 70-90 miles of solid riding...but not hard, just long.
* Consider a road bike in your arsenal...if you don't already have one...you can ride much harder on a road bike (well, most humans can, you might be the exception!) and plus it's more fun.
Anyone else?
Patrick, what do you think about using the Madison rally (roughly July 9-10) to end a BBW for Madison? It's (if I recall) 9 weeks out, rather than 12-16. Or, in that time frame, is it better just to use it for a BBw (big bike weekend - small "w") and stick with most of the rest of the conventional plan?
@Bob, you are awesome to begin with. Those numbers are excellent. What a great thread and a lot to learn from. I am no expert, but will give another angle, very much in line with Dan and Mike. Would love to be able to reference some literature now, however, I am FL 390 over New Mexico, books being at home on the shelf.
There are two components to your question as I understand, one scientific as it applies to physiology driven factors and than practical as it applies to where you are now and how to proceed further.
I will start with, there are very few AGers being limited by physiology driven factors. For us, mortals, real life is the biggest limiter. We simply do not have enough time to train in order to take our skill to the physiology limit. Example, elite swimmer spends 6 days a week, twice a day in the water to the tune of 80000m a week, yep read it correct, plus dryland...........That is when one's physiology limiters begin to factor in.
Mike has provided a summed up version of two well known authors who put it well in a common language.
When you consider our life, 3 phases of our sport, it is clear that we simply cannot develop any single sport we do to it's potential. We can improve one in a focused period fashion, but we fall short of that full potential. One would have to give up triathlon for cycling, train cycling at it's full ability.......Hopefully, we can agree on that.
Scientific discussion, we can get into it, providing there is a need for the group here to go further. We can brake down every single factor from the physiology stand point and analyze. That one would have to wait another 2 weeks as I finish attending ASCA Level 3 Physiology School. I am sure there some folks here who can educate us well in that regard.
There is an upsloping curve of your improvement that is eventually going to intercept the downsloping curve of your physiological potential, true for everyone but I don't think you are close there with cycling, not there just yet.
So, in summary, real life and recovery between workouts are our greatest limiters.