Just a quick question guys - When comparing power files on short course racing (sprints and less), as an indicator of speed or 'how you went' generally speaking, would you be better taking into account average power or normalized power?
I understand for long course you want to keep them as close as possible as a matter of minimizing the damage from spikes so you can run and not burn your matches. However when I compare data on sprint races, even on the same course, I often find my NP can be off by 10 watts or so, yet average power often remains very very similar- I'd often get bummed if my NP was quite a bit less when comparing races, at the same venue in particular. Am I wrong in beating myself up if AP remains stable and ignore NP somewhat?
I understand for long course you want to keep them as close as possible as a matter of minimizing the damage from spikes so you can run and not burn your matches. However when I compare data on sprint races, even on the same course, I often find my NP can be off by 10 watts or so, yet average power often remains very very similar- I'd often get bummed if my NP was quite a bit less when comparing races, at the same venue in particular. Am I wrong in beating myself up if AP remains stable and ignore NP somewhat?