I certainly agree that you can go further faster with a group but I also see that as a product of the shared drag/resistance help that a group offers. However, going further and faster isn't my actual goal. My goal is to improve my performance over time. Perhaps that's why I ride a cross bike and I don't mind the resistance a solo ride offers. My point is simply that there are many ways to ride and progress and that group rides aren't the only way. I also enjoy the knowledge that I can just go when I'm ready and that I don't have to coordinate with anyone to get a street ride in.
I agree. In fact, the guys that ONLY do the group rides aren't getting all they could either. You'll have to define 'improve my performance over time.' I'm M
I'll take a stab at it. I think the reason that you're getting resistance is because you asserted - When perhaps a better way to say it would be 'Constantly chasing higher & higher average speeds isn't the best way to train for the type of racing I do'. Chasing averages is perfectly fine - it's just not the best for a given application. I get good results from using averages - I have a large amount of data over an 18 mile course that I have worked for almost a year now. Given enough sampling data, I can eliminate variables such as stoplights*, headwinds, etc, and narrow down the variables to things I can control. Works for me. For the races I run and the level I'm at, this gives me results that don't require thousands of dollars in equipment or require me to coordinate with someone else's schedule. Likewise, for a given training environment, Strava is perfectly fine. Every time we have this fight, it's because one group touts its racing & training methodology over another - when it's comparing apples to oranges. We train to perform in different circumstances. This makes different methods useless for comparison. * - If Gummee & I ever did ride together, his head would explode in 5 seconds. Because following the 'rules' in Baltimore will, absolutely will, get you killed. :huh Besides - everybody knows tri-dorks have no manners.
I use GPS tools to tell me my various speeds and times over the various routes I ride. I try to do better over time with the knowledge that conditions like wind, traffic and slight adjustments in the route can influence the results. It's not a perfect plan and the place I see the most improvement is on mountain bike rides where I can compare myself to some of the kids I'm often chasing.
I follow averages as well, because over time they are far from meaningless. In my case, I do not race actual races. I ride my MTB for exercise and fun. On the exercise front, if (over time) my heart rate stays at the same rate, but I am finishing the same course faster (faster average rate) then my body is getting stronger. Less heart beats and less oxygen demand for the same amount of work. Or conversely, if I finish the same course in the same time but my heart rate is lower, then again my body has become more efficient, and hence "stronger". That is the as good as any way I know to measure "getting in shape". Now, in the future will I start riding in local races, and therefore training in a particular way? Maybe, why not really? But I am not to the point where I even want to, so it is a moot point All that said, with riding at night being new to me, and clipless pedals being new to me, finishing the course without a broken leg is the current goal
Well the nice UPS man just delivered my new bicycle work stand. But since I only paid $50 for it, I won't be telling any of you snobs what it is.
If my goal was to be competitive in a racing environment, I think the services of a coach would be money well-spent. Someone like Jim Verhaul who regularly exceeds 400+ miles in a 24-hour event and has coached riders at all levels and events. Second best option would be the author that Gummee noted, Joe Friel and his book. I assume he meant The Power Meter Handbook. You can read an sample from it here. Another resource is Training and Racing with a Power Meter.
Are you using a heart rate monitor? I have friends that use them and swear by them but I'm not sure that I want to embrace the distraction that they appear to be.
Yes. But you are right, huge distraction while trying to negotiate trees that oare only a couple of feet apart. I only look at it when I stop for water. For the most part, I can tell when my heart rate is too high or too low. I can not tell you an exact number, but I can get within about 10 BPM of actual. I try to stay in the 150's while riding. There are sections of the trails I will coast more, and the rate comes down, and big hills where I max out. But if over an hour of riding my rate comes out in the 150's, then I know I got a good aerobic workout It all comes back to what Gummee said earlier: people tend to train too fast on slow days, and too slow on fast days. The only way to know for sure is by heart rate.
I've got a buddy that was club riding for a while and just started racing and he swears by it. My Garmin's strap was usually in my closet, but he convinced me to start wearing it and paying attention. It's sort of like cadence. Once you know what 90rpm feels like you don't need to check the computer display to know you're at 85 or 95. You can feel it. I found it's similar with HR. Once I could associate how I feel with my HR number, I didn't need to pay any attention to it other than an occasional glance. 115-120bpm I'm cruising with my wife. 135bpm I'm cruising solo. 150bpm I'm chasing a faster buddy or climbing. 175bpm I'm going to die after I finish throwing up.
Does anyone sell a heart rate monitor that records over a longish period of time? I'd love to overlay a heart rate chart over a Google maps route.
I use a Garmin Edge 500 and download all of my data from it to the garmin site. That includes power, cadence, HR, speed, temp, etc. You can select two data sets and display them on connect.garmin.com as such:
I'm not sure that I want to make that kind of financial commitment. I do like the looks of some of the less costly options but I'm not sure I actually need one for what I do.
I'm sure there are low cost HRM that will allow you to download the data but without a GPS, you won't be able to overlay the data on a Garmin map - you'd be missing the time/distance/position data. The Garmin does that very nicely, it's power-efficient and is reasonably weatherproof.
+1 on the Garmin Edge 500. Definitely a good way to track your miles/progress throughout the year. I got the bundle with the cadence/speed and HRM, but haven't used the HRM yet. It provides a lot of useful data.
Yeah, I use a Garmin watch with HRM. Kinda pricey, but like said, the only way to accurately overlay a GPS track with HR. Also, mine is good for about 7 hours of tracking. Found that out on a MTB ride this past summer I should not have been on :eek1 The first time I used mine on the bike, I was amazed that after about an hour of riding my average HR was 143. Sounds good, but based on my age it should have been in the mid-150s. Still a good workout, but the slightly higher heart rate is better at burning calories. Too high and you start burning protein, so that is why you want to monitor and keep it in a range.
Do you have an iPhone? There are ANT+ compatible adapters that will let you add a HRM and it will track during your ride with various apps. Adapter for iPhone There are a few ANT+ Android phones, but not many and there are no adapters at this time.
