Why think when you don't have to.

IF is based on NP, which I can't figure in my head. It seems like it'd be a useful metric to have during intervals, and rides where AP and NP are somewhat far apart.

I don't think...My coach does the thinking

Not to mention my Edge 500 screen is already jammed packed with info that I'd need better glasses to read all the numbers...Getting old sucks...

i dont get the need for TSS/IF/NP displayed in real time anyway. i know my FTP and given target for a given workout or interval. too many numbers will just give me too many reasons to wuss out of an effort. to each his own. later.

+1

Not to mention I've lost the want/need for any power data lately..

Agreed. Perhaps if I got back into long course triathlon but even then what's it going to tell me? "Congratulations, you biked so hard that you can now expect to walk a marathon." It's neat info to have but it's not very useful on the fly. (I kept my VI as low as possible when I did IMCdA by the way...helped a lot later in the day.)

Sometimes I can use my LYC to play tricks on myself to push harder in intervals (switch it to AP, intentionally ignore it, use it as a carrot, play guessing games as to current power). The LYC has been the victor in these struggles plenty of times though. I do think it helps me but I have no illusions that we all benefit from the same approaches.

All these metrics come in handy for me after I get home when I do a quick review of the file.

I've had it for a while. If you give your workouts a TSS goal, its nice to have it on the screen. Having NP is super nice for long intervals (20+ minutes) and long group rides. IF I don't use because its implied in other metrics. If you look at a race file you can say "I did 30 minutes at this wattage and then 5 intervals at this wattage and" blah blah blah. Or you could quantify that same data in TSS. Either way.

we'll laugh you out of this place

T&F, otoh, is a-okay in my book

A handful of my friends are gearing up to volunteer for IMAZ this fall to ensure that they can sign up for the 2012 event. I spent about a week on the fence trying to decide if I should join them. In the end though, it's just not as fun as cycling and I feel that I have a lot to prove to myself on the bike. I also enjoy having an added 5-10 hours/per week with my family anyways. My tri-training certainly did not look like my current schedule:

Monday - off.
Tuesday - the only evening that I am in the saddle.
Weds - kids night (wife works).
Thurs - family night.
Friday - It’s Friday, Friday...Gotta get down on Friday...Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend.
Sat/Sun are variable of course.


I will say one thing...having power during an IM is critical in my opinion. The LYC really helped me keep the lid on my effort. As a result, I got the crap kicked out of me on the bike. However, I knew better and flew past the vast majority of those people as they limped/walked the run.

1) Why is the 1' power missing from my power profile? It has 5 sec, 5 min, and FT. I'm using a Garmin 705, if it matters, set to record data at 1 second intervals, and with zero averaging off. (just searched, apparently I need to change this to on).

2) I finally (!) did my LT test (Coggan/Hunter version) ... and I did it right when my TSB went positive after being negative for a long time. Does that mean it's inflated? Is there a standard for this - do it when you're fresh, when you're tired, when you're whatever you normally are?

3) Since this was my first LT test, and I was using a very slightly lower number up until now as my guess, do I need to go back and update prior workouts to make the Performance Mgmt chart more accurate (in terms of lowering the TSS's for prior workouts) or does it not really matter? I'm talking only 5 watts different between the guess and the tested FTP.

How accurate is the CP curve estimation of my FTP? Golden Cheetah has about 3 months worth of data (145 hours) but my best efforts for 30 and 60 minutes are both about 85% of the CP curve estimate. Do you think if I really tried I could hit the estimated number, or is it inflated by my anaerobic power (all of which are bumping right up against the curve estimate).

1. i would guess it isnt missing as much as it doesnt register yet because it is too low.
2. FTP test just need to be repeatable. always do the same thing when testing to keep results consistent. i do mine on the trainer only, on tuesdays after taking monday off, same warm up, same set up, ect...
3. i dont think 5w will make that big of a difference.
4. later.

WKO Charting Question...

Does anyone know how to make a bar chart that will compare time in wattage ranges between months?

I would like to see how many hours spent between abc and xyz range for June, July, and August all on ONE chart...one bar per month. Thoughts?

Did a FTP test today for the first time since May. Apparently, even with all the base I have been doing, it has dropped pretty significantly. I probably should have added some intensity. I did take 3 weeks off though at the end of May, beginning of June. My FTP test in May resulted in 290w (275w ftp), and today was 270w (255w ftp). Keep in mind I am 140lbs.

New test location, which means no longer a mountain to do an accurate pacing FTP test. Just did a local crit course in a warehouse area that has basically zero traffic. I started out pacing myself with my old FTP numbers, and it ended up crippling me by the end. I have included the garmin file below, you can see I hit the 10 minute mark and my power starts dropping off as my anaerobic engine winds down. I am going to start doing threshold workouts again, starting with SST and moving onto incorporating real threshold workouts soon. I think I can probably grab another 5w by just pacing better, now that I know a more accurate number for my current threshold. Testing with be every end of a recovery week, so I should be able to see changes now that I'm settled into a new place. I am hoping to start the 2012 race season with a 285w FTP and be upwards of 300w by May of next year.

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/109744286

Can't do it in one chart but you can set up one chart for June then clone it twice and modify the dates. You'll end up with three side by side so scroll over comparisons are pretty easy.

I do this with each race.

Being consistent in testing is the way to go. If you're using the data off a trainer to set up your training zones be careful though, the majority of folks drop around 7% compared to doing the test outdoors.

My Golden Cheetah CP curve is about 5% higher than my "tested" FTP. My best 30 min is at 95% and 60 is at 90%. I thought GC based the CP on 3 and 20 minutes by default. When I use the calc tool using my best 5 and 30 minute numbers, it matches my tested FTP. Odd. (I just did this while responding to your post so I don't think I helped you any)

One thing I would say is you might need more data. 145 hour doesn't seem like enough. Good luck

This is what hurts me. There is no way I can do the test on the road without stopping (traffic lights, people, stop signs, etc) If I do it on the trainer, can't I just add about 7% to the final number?

Yep. It's good if you look at HR for a good sampling of indoor and outdoor rides to get a consistent comparative (example: 200w outdoors = 160 BPM, 185 indoors = 160 BPM). 7% seems to be the median for the folks I've looked at.

Do the MAP test instead (mentioned in this thread somewhere). It'll give you a rough idea of what your ftp is, and will allow you to set up a training zone based on it.

i think i'm getting a powertap sometime (hopefully) within the week or next monday. Tres excited! Hopefully will use the weekly tt as a way to estimate ftp, then use the next cx race to get a good idea of my ftp.

read Alex Simmons's seven sins before you estimate FTP. CX has too much power spikes, and it'll not be a good indicator of your FTP (if you are thinking of using the 1-hour normalized power method)

i was mainly going to use the tt, and just look at the cx race to see if it matched at all (because the weekly tt is only 19-20 minutes when riding merckx style tt).

is anyone using poweragent in Windows 7 64bit? I can install it and configure my Joule 2.0, but i can't add a user, which means no d/l of data files.

Competitive Cyclist has PowerTap Pro+/Open Pro wheels on sale for $675.00, brand new. Unreal.