Hipcycler

Despite it being January I got a chance to get out on my ride today, and it was like no other. I have this new HRM on (I've never used one before) and my coach has set me on this workout to increase my spinning and stay within a certain heart range.

I rode.
I took note of as much as I could....so here you go....what does it all mean?


Miles--26
Time--1:47
Ave. Speed--14.7
Ave. Heart Rate--141
HRM Range Set-- Lo/125, HI/150
(177 max heart rate)

33 degrees
Sunny
Headwind of 5-8 in the second half of the ride

The Goal:
Maintain 100 rpm without going outside the high end of the training heart rate monitor range set by Coach Pearce.

Gears:
Middle chain ring up front.
When using the third biggest cog of the cassette in back I would be going about low 15's mph. When using the fourth biggest cog I would be doing mid 16's mph....all while maintaining that 100 rpm. Into the wind I would drop down to the second biggest cog, and speed would drop to low 14's mph.

The Notes:

--No beeping for the lo end at all, other than when I had to stop at intersections.

--High-end beeping whenever into a headwind or uphill. Highest violation here was a 160 going up a hill working mile 19.

--It seems like an effort for me to keep up the 100 rpm cadence, but it is very doable...I just have to remember to do it and work at it a bit. that's more spin and less gear than I am used to. Whenever I would get a high-end beep, I would slow the cadence briefly then pick it back up once the beeps stopped, or more than likely I would simply shift to the next easiest gear to keep the spin up and the beeps off!

All this does one thing for sure that bugs me....it keeps my ave. speed down. This is probably just something in my head because over the last couple of years I've been hooked on using that as a gauge of the success of my rides. Now, under this new spinning plan, I guess I'll have to re-train my brain to forget about that speed thing.

But then why does training with this method help to make me a better cyclist down the road?

So much to learn.
Waiting for some feedback.

What I'll try to do both on the road and on the trainer now is train my brain to know what it feels like to be pedaling at 100 rpm and get used to that so I don't have to keep timing myself while riding. I was timing my rpm while the HRM range beeper was on as well. The new NIKE HRM is working great.

johnny99

Does your coach want you to do all your workouts like that, or just some of them? On a recovery ride, you do want to keep your HR down in the lower part of your aerobic range. I would be suprised, however, if your coach doesn't have any higher intensity rides planned for you.

Hipcycler

Since I am just starting with this, he told me right now this is to set a baseline for me. More variation to come in time. Plus, much of this will have to be done on a trainer inside too. Today was just a bonus being able to get outside and ride here....still no snow....dry roads, just a little chilly. But heck, monitoring all these numbers and conditions I hardly noticed it was cold out at all!