Originally Posted by
robabeatle
8 days is minuscule for training effects. You do not gain appreciable fitness in this time. You may have been more rested, better fed/hydrated, etc. Stress from life and a host of other variables can affect training in ways that are difficult to ascertain and measure. Track your long term progress and look for trends there.
I agree with all that you stated here with one exception. It is my experience (based mostly on running/marathon training rather than biking) that 'fitness gains' tend to come in small/discrete 'spurts' (where 0.5mph would be a 'spurt'). But still ....
I don't have a power meter and, more significantly, do at least half of my training on a spinner bike where I don't even get speed/distance feedback. There are a lot of resources out there that ( in the power meter and HRM worlds) that would have you target a given training routine to a given power/HRM number(s). This experience kind of leads me toward a view that
maybe RPE is (relatively speaking) still a pretty darn good alternative.
Just a thought for discussion.
dave