Rory 43 years from Ireland asks:I have trained unscientifically and just watched my monitor as I went along. The result is that I can now maintain my rate at higher levels for longer eg 160-170 for 10 mins or so on a hill at 70-90 revs. However, sometimes I go out for say 52 miles of very hilly terrain (all the roads out of kenmare are hills!) and find that at much lower heart rates say 130-140 I am tired.
The Coach responds:yes, the beauty of the HR monitor is that it can differentiate b/tw mental fatigue and physical fatigue. i used to think when i started out that i was just needing some mental stimulus and so i would hammer even though i now know i was often just physically tired. if you cannot get your HR up it is certain that you are physically tired and you should take it easy for that session. too many days like that in a row indicates that the program is too hard for you and needs to be moderated until you can tolerate the loads.
Rory again: I am not a racer but a serious tourer (randanour). My aim this year was to improve my time on hills. This I achieved fairly well (I could do better if I reduced weight (73KG 173 cm)).I now want to train more using the heart rates. I feel I am training at too high a level and may be burned out a bit. However training zones are too wide and as I live in a hilly (not mountainy) area, all my rides will include several long drags eg from sea level to 1000 ft in 5-7 miles. it is therefore not possible for me (or is it) to train at a steady slow heart rate. For 1-2 miles of the hills I will find it difficult to keep my HR below 155, unless I am tired as in the example cited above.
The Coach answers:well i also live in a very hilly area. i can ride all the hills except maybe one around here at IAT1 in a 39x21. the goal of HR training is the HR not the speed of the bike. so if you plan to ride at 120 say then you have to gear down and pedal slow if the terrain is hilly. this does raise the question about distance.my approach is to say have a standard effort. i know i can ride say 100 kms at 75 per cent max averaging say 35 kms per hour over a fairly undulating terrain. i might then define that as my standard. so that means if i ride for 3 hours at 75 per cent HR i am doing the right distance. so up hill you might average 20 kns per hour and so your ride would be 60 kms. you then adjust all my distances accordingly. it is 3 hours at 75 per cent that is the goal. and to keep at 75 per cent you have to use very low gears and therefore you might end up riding much less distances on this days. the HR you mention when you are tired is a warning and should not be considered desirable. |