Training with a Garmin

[Wes Bradshaw]

Hi,

All I really have for training tools is the Garmin edge 500 and I'm coming to terms I really have no idea what I am doing with it.So I am wondering what should I be doing with it? Here is a link to what I feel was a good solid performance for me at least. It was a group effort with a warm up and a cool down period, a near constant draft rotation was going to keep everyone out of the wind as much as possible. It's the best I have ever done comparing myself with others who train and ride hard any way. Most of the time this group drops me by mile 20 and I never catch back up, this day I caught back up both times I fell off the draft or maybe I just lucked The second link is me doing a century ride in some nasty cold weather and nothing to draft so it was just straight legs the whole way. The third link is solo also of me just trying to hold a 18-20 mph average on an out and back ride.


http://app.strava.com/activities/30412273


http://app.strava.com/activities/24187061


http://app.strava.com/activities/28688323


I guess some help figuring out what a good HR to ride at while practicing on a day like in the third link would be good. I can say anything over 174 BPM and I'm probably blowing snot out of both nostrils.

Stats: 35 years, 5' 10.5", 185 lbs,

Cat 5 with 2013 race season starting first week of March.



Thanks in advance!

 

[danfoz]

Cyril Guimard, coach to both Lemond and Hinault said one of the more prophetic statements about training I have come across.

"Most riders train too hard on easy days and not hard enough on hard days"

Use the HR monitor to keep the intensity down and help avoid the temptation to chase yer buddies on easy days, and although not ideal (because HR data lags anywhere from 30 secs to 90 secs after you start kicking) it can be used post-ride to confirm that you are riding hard enough, but here is the gem, and consistently through your intervals. Your body has different ways to supply energy and they all need to be trained (at different intensities) to become a successful racer. It may sound counter intuitive but a lot of miles spent at more moderate intensities (70-80% of your maxHR) should be the bread and butter of your training, or the brown rice of your training if you are a macrobiotic. With that said your day 3 looks like lots of climbing. On those days I may try to focus on not starting any climb too hard and blowing up before the top, but really depends on the goal of the workout.

It should be noted that HR levels change according to fitness. After getting on the bike after a 10 year layoff, my body would start flooding with lactate at just a peep over 80% of my maxHR and I would have to ease back intensity. Fast forward 6 months and I was able to maintain closer to 87-89% of my MaxHR for 20 mins.

It's taken me years on the bike to effectively use the tool, not because there are hidden secrets on how to use it but because it takes some time developing the intimacy with how the HR monitor works relative to ones own body.

This may be a poor analogy but in the trading world MA (moving average) is a trailing indicator (vs, say RSI, Relative Strength Index which is a "leading" indicator) but some technical traders have still managed to use the tool effectively to develop trading strategies. The tool alone is not that much help though.

Good luck with your upcoming racing season.


This thread among many others has some helpful info on HR limits, etc. - http://www.cyclingforums.com/t/492903/started-power-training-but-confused-about-not-reaching-vo2max-anaeroob-heart-rate

 

[Wes Bradshaw]

Thanks for the reply danfoz.