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nerd alert: bike HR patterns

Julia HerrmannJulia Herrmann
in General Training Discussions

In the few weeks before IMSG this year, I felt that I was really working hard to just barely almost reach my zones on the bike. I was looking forward to a test so I could drop my zones and have things feel more reasonable.   I'm using heart rate instead of power.  (I realize having power would change the info I have, but this point of the post is not to get me to go get power) 

I'm now in the middle of the get faster intermediate plan before I transition to some HIM training.  I haven't tested after IMSG, but now I feel like my zones are likely a little too low, in that I feel that I should be pushing just a wee bit more.   I didn't feel up to testing in week 1, but now I am pondering if I just should deal in the present and maybe schedule a test to adjust...

Really what I am curious about is what could be going on to explain this changing relationship between my HR and my RPE, given the race and where I am now.  The scientist in me just wants to chew on some hypotheses, if there are any out there...    Thanks!!

Comments

  • Al TruscottAl Truscott

    Julia, it *sounds* from what you are saying that your HR for a given RPE is lower now than it used to be (if this is not what you're saying, ignore this post).

    This is the normal progression for increasing fitness, caused (as I understand things) by one or both of the following:

    • the heart is able to pump more blood with each beat, due to increased compliance (abiity to stretch and hold more blood) and just plain growing an getting bigger. More blood with each beat, means you are sending more O2 out to your muscles with each beat, and thus need fewer beats to get the same O2 delivered.

    • the muscles are become more efficient at using the O2 the heart gives them, by increasing their ability to generate force from fat-burning, which needs less O2 than carb-burning. Less O2 needed for same force generation = fewer heart beats needed to get the same result.

    The heart usually wins this race, meaning it's easier/quicker to train your heart than your muscles.

  • Julia HerrmannJulia Herrmann

    yup!  That's exactly what I was saying and looking for.  Thanks!! 

     

  • spabblingtonspabblington
    Julia - thanks for asking. I was actually going to past the exact same question today. I am also a HR athlete and last tested about a 6 weeks ago. Since then, I have done Kansas HIM and am back into the same get faster plan as you. But I have noticed he same drop in HR relative to my RPE. IE - at my last test, my bike threshold was 179. In today's bike intervals, I could not get my HR past 171 no matter what I did. (I had to swap yesterday's bike with today's run in the plan). I've had similar issues in recent weeks as well. I was actually wondering if something was wrong with me. Good to know it is 'normal'.
  • Julia HerrmannJulia Herrmann

    yeaaahhhh....  So remember all that squaking below about how I feel like my zones are set too low?  Maybe not the smartest thing to do but I tested this morning because I was just that curious.   My LTHR upped a whopping 3 bpm.    So, I was kind of, sort of, almost right.  At least now my zones are "neater" in that they start near the zero end so it will be easier to rmember...

  • spabblingtonspabblington
    I'm testing again in Saturday so I will be targeting correctly in prep. for Augusta. And next year, I'll (hopefully) be getting a power meter so I won't have to worry about HR anymore! image
  • Julia HerrmannJulia Herrmann

    coool coool!  Good luck on the test, and getting the power meter too!! 

  • Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
    One other alternative is to measure your time for a given loop (and avg MPH) so you can compare those numbers to the HR data to see if you are improving...
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