To PM or not to PM

mwhist

 Hello all, I do not have a power meter on my bike. I am feeling like I am missing out on the full benefit of this program. Actually, I am kind of feeling like it is critical and without it I am wasting my time.... am I being over dramatic? what do you think?

David Ambrose

You can be very successful with HR training via EN. Yes, a lot folks in the Haus breathe, speak, and post power-speak. The training is practically identical. Rather than watts it is heart beats which correlates to training zones. That said, if you do down the line get a PM, it will open your eyes and mind to the type of rides (effort wise) you were/are performing. I think for the majority of peeps, a major eye opener is the realization of rides that they "feel" were great workouts are suddenly very clear black & white are not actually providing you much fitness adaptation. The ride felt good, but the amount of work (watts) demonstrates otherwise. HR allows one to misinterpret effort to some degree, while watts are what they are.

Al Truscott

Martin - no question it is quite possible to be very successful in IM racing without a PM (or even an HR monitor). I have still not yet done an IM with a real power meter (I used an iBike from 2006-2010, but never really keyed off of it as it is untrustworthy), and yet I've had nothing but successful races during that time, use mainly RPE and HR to guide my biking. There are many people in EN who do not use power as the basis for their racing or training, and get similar results. The two keys to making the EN method work are (1) do the work at the intensity level prescribed on a consistent basis and (2) understand and execute the racing strategy (the Four Keys). HR works very well to help accomplish this.

Having said that, I now am using a PowerTap, Joule, and CompuTrainer, and expect to be even better as a result.

mwhist

 interesting. I think I am going to set my sights on getting a power meter as I like the idea of seeing the cold hard facts in regard to my workouts. In the meantime I will stick to the program, work hard and use my HR and pace as a guide. thanks for the response! sooo helpful to hear it from others with experience.

 

 

m 

mwhist

 thanks for this response as well AL, yes I as well think I will get a power meter. In the meantime I will heed your advice and stick with the program, stay consistent, and use my HR and my experience to guide me in my workouts. 

 

best m

Norton

Martin,



Chris Hardbeck just started a thread titled "First Outdoor Ride With PM...WTH?". His discoveries are like most folks; without the hard numbers of the PM in front of you, most of us booger the ride in ways we never knew.

Keith Wick

in addition to using HR to determine your effort level, i would also suggest that you develop a feel for your RPE. since HR can be off a little at times due to other factors, having a good sense of RPE as it relates to your efforts will help. many of us also use RPE with our powermeter. while i like having my nose down on the number, i also realize that there are times when it's dangerous to look down when riding my bike. learning what 80-85% of FTP "feels like" is also a good skill for training and racing. stick with us because the race execution, community support, etc. is also a big reason to stay.

mgraffeo

PM is a great tool for calibrating RPE, as well. It's possible that, if you already have a well developed sense of RPE, you may get less benefit from a PM. That being said, I have never known anyone who bought one who didn't say "wow, I used to think i knew what I was doing, but now I realize how wrong I was", including one 15 year vet of the sport who had done well for a long time, and therefore resisted it.

Not necessary for success, but a very helpful tool.

kjanracing

Once you start using a PM, you'll feel like you're riding naked without it.

mwhist

 thank you all for your input here about my PM question.

 

SO I lamented over my lack of a PM all weekend. I decided I will get one in time then set off to do my bike test this morning using HR. Of course, I woke up and my HR strap battery was dead. I then found myself at 5 am driving around Burbank looking for a 24hr CVS,. I found one but of course, they did not have the right battery. AARRRGGGHH!!!

DO I bail, do I do a VDOT test, do I swim??? God forbid in the OS! No, I headed to the gym and did the workout exactly as prescribed and proceeded to kick my own ass for the 40' TT. I don't know how many watts I averaged and I don't know what my average HR was. I just know I put out the absolute maximum sustained effort I could for 40' and feel great about it!  I was absolutely wiped, put in the 20' run and finished it strong.

 

I look forward doing it next time and recording my avg HR. I REALLY look forward to knowing my avg wattage.... or do I?

Al Truscott

Martin, with that "Get it done!" attitude, soon you'll be looking to surprise us all at the races.

Tim Dux

Martin

Took the plunge. I'm tellin ya man, trying to figure out what to do during life before PM is like looking for a light switch in the dark..... Blindfolded.... Hammered drunk. Immediately I can see that I could have been doing more during my work outs. Like I said to you on the dashboard I too had been putting it off but I can see the difference this is going to make.... HR in my humble noobbie opinion doesn't match up.

Do it.....

kurshing

Ditto! I am 3 weeks into PM training, coming off of HR training. Big diffence! It is especially true on those days when you work out at a different time of day than normal, because your PM doesn't let you off easy due to your HR being up from the day.

Big difference...there is no turning back!

MattAaronson

Just to pile on.
I have been using a PM now for about a month and a half.
Incredible.
I can only think of how much better my results would have been if I had it last season.
I can't wait to use it to pace a long course triathlon race.

A buddy of mine who I train with a bunch is getting a PM now. He is quite cost-sensitive and is going the PT route via wheelbuilder. He already has an Edge 500 so getting into power for him is going to cost under $1,000 (he is adverse to doing it for half that on via used equipment on eBay). So the cost can be fairly reasonable and does not have to be a $1,600 Quarq (although I have nothing but outstanding things to say about my Quarq).

One other thing...
I had never trained with HR before although started that recently as well...more just to understand how it works. And one thing is for sure, which is that if my zones were defined based on HR rather than power I have no idea how I'd be able to hit them, given how they move around and given how long it takes to build up HR once your effort is cranked up to a new level. Amazing how some days z4 power is 160 HR and some days it's 170 HR. And on the run how some days a 5 mile run at 6:45 pace is 175 HR and other days it's 188 HR.