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High VI and zone "buffers"

BomberBomber
in General Training Discussions

Hi guys,

I have just been out on the Wk3 adv IM plan brick (1h swim, 4h bike, 1h run) and while really trying to ride steady, I still only managed to have a VI of 1.12 (which is not unusual for me).. however, i would like to get it lower.

I had my zones printed, but found it extremely hard to do the hills without going (quite a lot) over the prescribed Watts. Looking at WKO, the biggest spikes were 130W over the '4th gear', but only lasts for maybe 20 seconds...Would this be acceptable come raceday?

The 4 'gears' that we have taped to the power meter...there really is very little difference between the different 'gears'...Holding a target Watt of exactly X is obviously impossible...but what is an acceptable 'buffer'? 

To be fair, it was very, very windy and I had chosen to ride the disc...so I often had to focus on keeping the bike on the road instead of focussing on the watts..

Comments

  • Tom GlynnTom Glynn
    I don't think RnP provide "buffer" guidance image

    If you are pushing over the gearing suggestions up hills then the first question is gearing. Do you have enough gears? Riding with compacts up front and 27-12 on the back is certainly better than no compacts and 21-11. Sooner or later you run out of gears on a very steep hill, so you gotta do what you gotta do to not fall over. If you have lots of gears, it may simply be practice, fight the urge to push when you don't have to. Stay seated and pedal smoothly helps me a lot.

    As you stated, you can't dial in watts exactly, but with practice, it gets easier.

    tom
  • Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
    Bo, your power issue is (I think) related to the fact that you are pretty strong. That means you are used to riding hard. Riding within the zones is all about being Zen and pacing. To put it bluntly 130w for 20", repeated 30 times over 112 miles seems innocent, but it adds up to 10' of Zone 7 time (note: EN zones only go to 5...get it?!)....and means your run will be sub-par.

    You need to both shift well (as in early) as well as manage the pressure on your feet. Anyone can ride hard, few can ride crazy steady and run super well.
  • BomberBomber
    Fair point with the gearing... For some reason I hadn't thought of that :-( I was riding a 23... now changed to a 27 ...

    I do have a tendency to push hard...something to focus on in the coming weeks....
  • NortonNorton
    Bo, the EN way teaches us to hammer, hammer, hammer. Unfortunately, success in IM requires us to ride easy, easy, easy. You may need to practice riding easy and steady; not quite as simple as it sounds!
  • mgraffeomgraffeo
    In a conversation with Rich last year, i asked if I should consider 4th gear as a hard ceiling, do not exceed. He said "unless the alternative is falling over, yes"

    No buffer in that.
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