Originally Posted by
ypsetihw
More specifically, what did training plans look like when coaches were training on HR data only?
Like they look with power, except efforts are prescribed in terms of heart rate not power.
3x10 at 103% of LTHR not 3x10 at 105% of FTP. 2x10 at 95% of LTHR not 95% of FTP.
What is the best way to QUANTIFY my improvement with the data I have available now?
Ride as fast as you can up hills for durations of interest. Heart rate will be fairly consistent once it catches up to effort, except on shorter intervals where there isn't enough time for that to happen.
Distance up a steady grade in a given time is essentially proportional to power - nearly 90% of your effort is going into overcoming gravity with speed varying linearly with power, and due to the low speeds involved much of what's left comes from rolling resistance with power to overcome also linear.
If you want to compare yourself to the e-wang chart or change climbs Strava's estimates should be fairly accurate.
Or ride indoors for the durations of interest and derive average power from trainer speed according to its conversion curve. Kurt's fluid trainer curve is very consistent after a 10 minute warm-up.
-most important: heart rate
Heart rate is just a side effect.
After some training your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds won't change appreciably within a season, although heart rate will vary due to cardiac drift, dehydration, and over-reaching. You just get faster at those levels.
You need to look at the work you get done in that time, with work divided by time yielding power.