Dudelsack 

I broke down and bought a heart rate monitor for my Garmin. I've looked over the data and noticed that most of my riding is done in Z2, which I suspect is why my dreaded average speed never seems to change much.

I've looked at the posts here about improving one's performance. I'm sure interval training is helpful, and I'm sure hill repeats would be even better, but that sounds like work to me, and when I get a hankering to do stuff like that, I lie down until the feeling goes away.

I've started using the HRM to tell me when to back off. I use the rollers here as poor mans intervals and try to go up them as quickly as I can, but back off as I enter Z4 so I don't blow.

Anyway, anyone here using the heart rate monitor as a training device, or has it been replaced by the PM?

BTW, there just is no way I'd spend $1000 on a power meter.