Watts vs heartrate
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So the problem is that my Power (Watts) are barely in the zones they need to be for the bike intervals. But my heartrate is in the next higher Zone! I.,e., for the Z4 intevals, I am just barely into Z4 and DYING, and my heartrate is in upper Z4 for the 1st one, and in Z5 for the 2nd one. Then for the Z3 work my HR average was in Z5! I think I should tone it down. I need to retest because I know I am not at the same fitness level I was in the summer of '11:-)
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Carol: you say wattage and HR zones. Have you done testing in here since you joined the team?
Ok. Yeah, sounds like you just need to retest. Even then, because it sounds like you're out of shape (I should start my own club), you will likely see a disconnect between your watts, HR, and RPE for about 4-6wks.
Rich - Was the "you should retest" message directed at Carol or at me? If i should retest - should I do it this coming Tuesday (in place of the Tuesday bike ride?)
Thanks very much -
Woody: Carol is/was the only athlete in this thread? Not sure what your situation is?
I posted a message in Power & Pace Forum yesterday (see a copy below) under Wattage and PRE - Not sure why I was included in the thread between you and Carol, but I was - and becasue I was included in that thread, I wasn't sure if the request to retest was for her or for me.
Below is the message I posted yesterday - my "situation" :-)
Clear as mud??
Thanks Rich -
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OK - a bit more info and a few more questions for the group...
Re: the bike workout today - As part of the main set, I had 2 x 8' at Z4. Based on first EN bike test, Z4 put me at 190-200 watts. I used a HR monitor this morning (which I did not use during the first bike test) - and during these 8' sessions, my HR was 143 (which seemed low) and my PRE was 6-7, at best. A year ago, at this time of year, I tested for a Computrainer Class, where we did a ramp test - started at a certain wattage and increased 10 -15 wats every minute until failure. My max wattage for last year's test was 270. My current fitness is lower than a year ago - but not significantly lower. I understand the testing is different and I may not be able to compare the two.
I am drinking the EN kool-aid :-) and hitting the numbers spot-on on each workout during the January OS. I understand, appreciate and respect that this program is very, very different than anything I have done in the past. I also understand that during OS, the intervals will get longer, etc...
That said, I am concerned that the first 8 weeks, the numbers might be low in the cycling arena. I don't want to "waste" this OS time - AND, at the same time, I do not want to burn out, from training too hard. I am a bit uncertain as to what I should do. Retest? Stick with the current numbers until the next test and hope I am not losing quality training time?
Chalk it up to the newbie learning curve - most of you have been there at one point or another. Continued thoughts/feedback would really be appreciated and thanks for your patience.
Thanks - in the meantime, have a GREAT Thursday!
Hey Woody
2) Yes, I did a power test without a HR monitor (like a bonehead, i left the HRM strap on the kitchen counter). I did the power test on a trainer with the power meter, indoors - with Dottie Catlin about 6 feet away :-) Pretty sure that Dottie's presence/proximity has anything to do w/ my numbers!!
When i did the bike test, I did not clear the torque from the PM nor did I reset the PM after the warm-up. Not sure if that impacted the numbers for the 2 x 20' test.
3) I am ignoring past tests... in this case, I was using the old numbers as a loosely based guideline for understanding why I am left wondering if my HR should be higher in certain zones, while on the bike. During the past 2 weeks of riding, when I am in Z4 wattage-wise on the bike, my HR is only getting up to 143 (I am now using the HRM - reducing my bonehead quotient a bit!)
When I am running in Z4 (using HR), I am breathing heavily. When I am riding in Z4, based on the bike test done w/ wattage only, I am not breathing heavily at all. If this is supposed to be the case, great! I will stick to my curent numbers. If I should be pushing harder on the bike now, I don't want to wait until 8 weeks to test again and find that the training I have been doing was not enough.
Am I making any sense?
Your question about "wasting time in the 1st eight weeks" due to low testing is a common one. The usual version of it goes something like "I know I was in better shape at my peak last summer than I am now, so should I use my new (lower) test number or my old (higher, more ego-pleasing) test number?"
The stock response to that is to "use the new, lower number, and then prove that you're better at the next test."
There are extreme examples though, or people that have a bad test...or are just learning how to test (using the EN protocol) and have a genuinely bad number. Or they really do start to get in better shape. All of us do that to a degree. That brings you to the logical follow up question about "overachieving" your bike workouts.
Rich has written a nice FAQ-type answer to that and it's in the Wiki... the direct link to that article is here: http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/108/Default.aspx?topic=OverAchieving+on+Cycling+Intervals
(if you are new, do spend a bit of time poking around the Wiki...lots of great stuff there!)
William