I have been debating for awhile whether to get a power meter. Two weeks ago I had a breakthrough performance at IM Cozumel. I raced a 10:13 and came within 21 minutes of a KQ. So my goal for next year is to KQ. That sort of changes the game a bit - as a friend of mine who KQ'd put it, you still have to race smart, but you also can't afford to leave any time on the table in any of the three events.
For the past four years I have trained off of HR. At Cozumel I averaged 130bpm for the bike and tried to keep my HR under 135. My Z2, according to a VO2 max test, is 115-125bpm, so, accounting for race day cardiac drift, I most likely raced right at my upper Z2. If you follow the guideline of racing at 70-85% of your anaerobic threshhold, (mine is 157bpm), I raced at 82.8%, so according to HR, my effort was right on the money. But I can't help but wonder whether I left time on the table on the bike
.
A lot of people say getting a power meter changes the way they race and train - you don't have to worry about cardiac drift and it allows you to more precisely monitor your effort and prevents you from leaving time on the table on the bike.
I am curious what the converts have to say - if you trained with HR for years and were able to put together strong long-course race performances using it, how did using power change the way you train and race? In addition to the supposed training benefits, did it help your race-day execution in terms of not leaving time on the table?
****Please, please, please keep your responses limited to the question I have asked. There are also about 27 million other things I would like to improve about the way I train and race. If I were interested in discussing them here, I would have asked about them. But I didn't. I asked about power meters. We can discuss how I need to quit skim milk and replace it with almonds and bacon some other time. Thank you :)*******
For the past four years I have trained off of HR. At Cozumel I averaged 130bpm for the bike and tried to keep my HR under 135. My Z2, according to a VO2 max test, is 115-125bpm, so, accounting for race day cardiac drift, I most likely raced right at my upper Z2. If you follow the guideline of racing at 70-85% of your anaerobic threshhold, (mine is 157bpm), I raced at 82.8%, so according to HR, my effort was right on the money. But I can't help but wonder whether I left time on the table on the bike
.
A lot of people say getting a power meter changes the way they race and train - you don't have to worry about cardiac drift and it allows you to more precisely monitor your effort and prevents you from leaving time on the table on the bike.
I am curious what the converts have to say - if you trained with HR for years and were able to put together strong long-course race performances using it, how did using power change the way you train and race? In addition to the supposed training benefits, did it help your race-day execution in terms of not leaving time on the table?
****Please, please, please keep your responses limited to the question I have asked. There are also about 27 million other things I would like to improve about the way I train and race. If I were interested in discussing them here, I would have asked about them. But I didn't. I asked about power meters. We can discuss how I need to quit skim milk and replace it with almonds and bacon some other time. Thank you :)*******
Last edited by:
UrsusAdiposimus: Dec 11, 11 6:35