Backwards on the Bike Test?
Today's bike test was rather interesting and I'd like someone's take on the results. I use a HR monitor.
I completed the 20 week outseason plan and started in October at 137 LTHR and 12.9 miles in 40 minutes. I saw steady increases and February I finished with 144 LTHR and 12.9 miles.
Now I am on the 2nd week into the Ironman Plan (actually week 8 of the plan) and today's test revealed only 133 LTHR and 13.6 miles! Granted it was super windy today and with the wind at my back I was flying and my HR was about 144, but with the wind in my face I fell flat and kept my HR at about 130 and about 17 mph. I felt very tired and my legs just didn't feel right. Although I smoked the distance, going almost a mile further in the 40 minutes.
This test puts my training levels (Z1-Z5) way, way low, and I know I can sustain so much more. My 2.5 hr bike ride on Sunday proved that with all the time I accumulated in Z3 and Z4 (with 144 LTHR figures). I really don't want to do this test again so i am considering just throwing it out and sticking with my 144 LTHR zones and continue with my training.
Any thoughts?
Comments
I would say you should use your zones based off the 144LTHR and see how it goes. Your OS experience gives you a good idea of what RPE you are targeting based on the HR Zone you are working at. If you find your RPE abnormally high, then look to back off.
Remember, your heart rate is an indicator based on a variety of inputs. When using it, you have to back it up with RPE b/c so many different things affect it.
Second, while the test is to measure your LTHR, the point of training and racing is to go faster. Wind affects speed, but the fact you went 1 mile further despite the wind suggests that you are faster than you were in the last test (although again, other factors make mph pretty unreliable as a metric). I wouldn't worry about it too much.
1) you went further in the same amount of time. If you'd been using a power meter, you would have seen more watts.
2) the fitter you get, the LOWER your LTHR goes (to a point). Hard training causes the heart to adapt and become more efficient, therefore needing to work less hard at the same output.
Therefore, both metrics of your test suggest improvement. If your new HR zones feel too low, use your internal RPE-meter, and go by feel for a week or two. You'll soon see whether you just had a low HR day, or if working at the old HR is actually too hard for your legs.
Basically, the heart (a) gets bigger, thus able to pump more blood/O2 with each beat and (b) gets able to expand more easily at any given size, thus ditto.
It always fascinates me every year to watch my HR come down for the same pace and RPE during running intervals during the first 4-8 weeks of returning to training. The heart seems to be the part of the body which adapts the quickest to a training stress, IMO. The muscle/tendon architecture can't change as easily, nor can the brain/muscle interface, nor the inner working of muscle cells. That's where the hard work is slowing us down our pace of progress as we get fitter.
I guess I'll post this here as it is in the same vain; so how do you handle a disappointing test? Retest? Stick with you current/prior test numbers?
I had my bike test this morning 2x20 EN Protocol via the TrainerRoad virtual power....
I was mentally ready but don't think I fully recovered from the Hell of Hunterdon 80miler Saturday/12mile run on Sunday/ and against protocol I swam last nite........
net-net my results were slightly below my last best test...and I fairly confident that it is not indicative of my current fitness (based on general/overall progress)...
Thoughts? Feedback? HELP.
http://members.endurancenation.us/Resources/Wiki/tabid/108/Default.aspx?topic=Understanding+OS+Test+Results
aaah...thanks.