I am not a scientist so I am not qualified to answer your question empiracally but I do offer a philosophical insight to your (well informed) inquiry.
I notice an emerging culture of athletes who “fly on instruments” or rely heavily on some type of telemetry device, be it a heart rate monitor (old school), power meter, etc. to control their training in excruciating detail.
No doubt, this attention to detail can easily provide tangible benefits in training, injury prevention and efficiency as well as being an end in itself as the talented hobbyist-athlete enjoys the equipment and the prospect of being their own human lab (like an amateur astronomer or bird watcher and their equipment).
However, what concerns me is a degree of reliance on this equipment that may actually compromise an athlete’s experience. I hear phrases like, “I can’t ride without my power meter…” or, “I need my power meter to race.” On the one hand, these are powerful testimonies to the (potential) effectiveness of the equipment if used correctly with adequate knowledge and application of the findings and data. On the other hand I wonder if it may be contributing to the possible emergence of a culture of athletes who simple could not get on their bike and do a race by the seat of their pants.
Multi Ironman winner Mark Allen has talked about this a little. He was (is still?) a proponent of the precurssor to the power meter trend, the heart rate monitor. Even Allen, under the guidance of an Indian Shaman and the scientific counsel of Dr. Phil Maffetone, talked about the need to develop an innate tactical sophistication that enabled the triathlete to race on expereince, knowledge and intuition.
I just wonder about our reliance on these devices- or our perceived reliance. No debating- the data is very useful if interpreted and employed correctly. But I wonder if this presents a different experience for the rank-and-file age grouper. Sorry to hijack a bit, this may deserve a thread on its own.
Tom,
Very well said. I agree 100%.