Training Notes
I'm now several days into my second Base month of the second training regimen of the year. Today I only rode for an hour, but 20 minutes was tempo riding spent firmly in heart rate zone 3, which for me is between 160 and 175 beats per minute.
I've noticed something about my body when I'm riding in zone 3, which I assume to be a sign that I lack training experience. While my breathing is steady and solid---no gasping and weazing (that's reserved for zone 4 and above)---my legs get very sore. It seems that my lactate threshold is very low compared to my heart rate. Whereas my LT should be somewhere in my upper heart rate zones (high 4, low 5) it seems as though it's actually in the low end of zone 4, around 180 bpm. My max heart rate is 194 or so, and I've reached it on a number of occassions, but my legs fatigue much earlier.
I assume that this will improve with more training, especially as I log several years of serious riding under my belt. Everything I've read and the advice I've gotten from more experienced racers suggests this to be true. Hopefully that's the case.
All that said, I did a full twenty minutes at 23-24 miles per hour at between 165-175 bpm, and while my legs were a bit sore, I felt strong and capable. After I finished the tempo interval, my recovery was very smooth with my heart rate dropping to zone 1 in just a matter of seconds.
Now I just need to keep this up, and someday I might actually be good.
I've noticed something about my body when I'm riding in zone 3, which I assume to be a sign that I lack training experience. While my breathing is steady and solid---no gasping and weazing (that's reserved for zone 4 and above)---my legs get very sore. It seems that my lactate threshold is very low compared to my heart rate. Whereas my LT should be somewhere in my upper heart rate zones (high 4, low 5) it seems as though it's actually in the low end of zone 4, around 180 bpm. My max heart rate is 194 or so, and I've reached it on a number of occassions, but my legs fatigue much earlier.
I assume that this will improve with more training, especially as I log several years of serious riding under my belt. Everything I've read and the advice I've gotten from more experienced racers suggests this to be true. Hopefully that's the case.
All that said, I did a full twenty minutes at 23-24 miles per hour at between 165-175 bpm, and while my legs were a bit sore, I felt strong and capable. After I finished the tempo interval, my recovery was very smooth with my heart rate dropping to zone 1 in just a matter of seconds.
Now I just need to keep this up, and someday I might actually be good.
posted by Joe at
4:14 PM
