I use 3s avg. I find I like more data fields on the bike, so I use the Edge 500 w/7 fields: speed, hr, 3s power, cadence, %grade, time, distance. If I had only 4 fields, then 3s power, speed, cadence, hr.

So, yeah, have you read Training And Racing With A Power Meter yet? :) The answer for NP vs AP is actually kinda "both" - Google terms like "variability index" as we're only really going to be repeating that content here.

oh ok, thanks for directing me to the things to read and do!! I will start checking into it now.

Yes you need to race off normalized power in general. More importantly, you need to have certain targets for different conditions. On for flat no wind, headwind, downhill/crosswind, uphill, steep uphill, short uphill....etc.

A lot of it comes to practice pacing in training on similar terrain if possible and the rest from experience.

Further, some days you "ON" and some days your not. You mid is good at trying to cash checks that you legs just can't deliver. So you need to have a plan "B" if you get 5 miles in and your target wattage isn't as easy as it should be. For a 70.3 "A" race, for example you should be able to push FTP for 3-5 minutes without feeling overly taxed. If you struggle with that, then time to readjust.

Also, I like 10s power, but I have a Stages, so it's inherently a little "jumpy" anyway. I find most other Stages owners prefer 10s. Not sure what your using for a PM, but if you have to do mental math to read the value, the average is set too low.

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TrainingBible Coaching
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I can't give you a better answer on the AP v. NP stuff than you will find on other threads by searching for it.

I wear a 910 on the bike too and for my main page I use 3s power (a balance between instant which I find too jumpy and 10s which I find too laggy) as a "how hard am I going now" data point. Then I have average power, and average lap power which shows me my total average and my average over the current 5 km auto-lap. It's kind of a check on NP so I know if have been burning matches, particularly on medium length climbs. Then I either have total time or lap time which gives me a general speed check. My auto laps kick-in every 5 km and I will usually check their time when it beeps so I know about what my speed has been give or take (10 minutes = 30 kph, 9 minutes = 33.3 kph, 8 minutes = 37.5 kph). I can usually keep track of those close enough so I don't need distance or time, but I put those on the second page and will occassionally flip over to see.

I agree with the good advise here.

I might also add that for a flat HIM you should be sitting on ~80% of FTP

For a little hilly half you should minimize your time above 90% the best you can by rolling into hills with speed so you don't spike power going over.

For a really hilly half you should go near FTP (if possible) for no longer than a few minutes at a time. Make sure you crest the hill with a little speed to gain some more on the downhill. The more you are near your FTP the more you will have to lower your expectations for the run.

I also like 3 sec power but that's just personal preference.

jaretj

If you have trained for that % of FTP and can handle it, not everyone can.

Yes, but that is right in the middle of the accepted range if not a little conservative. By all means practice it in training.

jaretj

I have no problem doing the 80% for the flat HIM and setting myself up for a good run, I really struggle on the hillier courses as far as at the end my NP may say .75ish (have a hard time getting to 80%) and yet I am cooked. I think I may take the up hills too hard too much and then the down hills too easy. This is something I am practicing in my training rides by trying to get my VI down a bit....I was noting that I was around a 1.12-1.15 on several of my hilly training rides, think I should be more 1.05-1.07. Any other suggestions? I have a rolling course for my next HIM in late August.

To add to what others have suggested, I would say that there are a lot of approaches to what you should target. Just read a lot and see what works best for you (Gordo Byrn's Going Long was pretty good in addition to Training & racing with power). On a flat course, you want AP=NP (i.e. no/few spikes in effort). On hilly courses, I suggest you develop some "caps" to your power on the climbs (e.g. don't go over XX watts for XX minutes). The more you know your course, the better you will be able to plan how long you will be on the hill (and thus, how hard you should go). For short, steep climbs, exceeding FTP by a bunch probably won't hurt; if it is followed by a long gradual hill, you need to be a bit more conservative.

If your legs didn't get very painful until mile 9 of a half, I don't think you went too hard on the bike but there's not much info to base that on. My legs always hurt by that point.

As for the screens, I dedicate 1 screen to power (3s, 30s, lap AP and lap NP). My laps are ~30 minutes. I try to keep 3s, 30s & lap AP in the target zone with NP as my check on enthusiasm. For example, I target ~225w for a flat half (which I know I can do when I am fit). When lap AP is 220 then I will pick up the effort a bit unless my NP is significantly higher (e.g. 230+). I try to get my 3s & 30s to be at or slightly above target (e.g. 225 to 230) to slowly bring my lap AP closer to target. If it is a hilly half, I drop my AP target (depending on how hilly it is) with NP target at or slightly higher than my flat half AP target.

I hope this helps--just my experience.

I race primarily on 30 second AP and speed. I push it above threshold on risers and a little below on downhills. I look for spots where you can go into z6 for 5-10 seconds, then soft pedal while maintaining speed. I find this faster than trying to maintain a constant watt.

A lot of it depends on how long a 56mi bike is for you too. I bet Starky was pushing 90% at Racine, since he only had to ride for 2 hours flat. A FOP age group cyclist at that race like Stubleski or Zucco was probably around 87% NP.

For under 90 minutes and well trained, 80% would be pretty conservative for an "A" race.

Flatter the course, the higher the power you can sustain because it's a shorter race and NP will be closer to AP.

Good example, if your limiter is TSS, then 160 is a descent target for a predictable run. For a flat course, that might be 87%, for a hilly course, 84%. This is where aerodynamics and equipment set-up really shine.

As for pacing, the hillier the course is, the more variable you power will be for an ideal split. IF you ride a VI lower than 1.03, then your leaving time on the table and overall are getting less value out of your TSS. You are not taking advantage of opportunities. Remember AP determines total energy spend, but NP represents overall physical impact. It's a good trade to drop your AP in favor of NP on a hilly course. You'll expend less energy overall. So on steeper hills where you might fall under 15 mph, you might ride at 100-105%. On shallower hills, 90-95%.

I also know some guys that just thrive at high VI's. You really have to know your strengths and ability to recover from harder efforts and how you run with higher variability.

One last example. If I target roughly 250 TSS for an IM, at Florida, I need to ride 74%, IMWI 71%, CDA 70%, Whistler 69%. 40 minute difference in times between Whistler and IMFL. VI is 1.01 fir FL, 1.04 for Whistler & CDA.

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TrainingBible Coaching
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1.15 is really high. I'm only that high when doing Sufferfest videos or a power test. But I also suck at sprinting. That's a lot of coasting and surges up the hills. Ignore speed, really use all your gears and focus on even pedal force uphill and downhill when possible. It takes a little leap of faith, but going jsut 10W easier up hills in the 1st half of a ride can allow you sustain 10W higher at the end.

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TrainingBible Coaching
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you would probably go faster if you pedaled a little more on the downhills and went a little less hard on the uphills. A normalized power that different is pretty huge for 99% of races. Might try evening it out a little more.

If the race was savageman, nevermind.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
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Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter