Hard Efforts

Had a good workout this morning. During my build period, I will usually do 3 hard workouts a week consisting of four 15-20 minute efforts with 5 minutes of rest between. I'll target a power level based on my field test data. If I can make the efforts, then I'll add a minute to each effort each week. This week I was aiming for four 17 minute efforts at 348 watts. On Tuesday, I hit 350, 350, 350, then on the last effort I could only average 344. I usually do the workouts Tues and Thurs, but I raced this Thurs, so I did the second workout this morning.


This morning I hit 350, 350, 352, 350. So, next week I'll do four 18 minute efforts. I also monitor and record my heart rate for my hard workouts. I think it is important to look at heart rate and power because over time, you should see a decrease in heart rate average for the same power levels if you are improving. Also, if you know what heart rate you "should" be at, you can check during an interval to see if you are fresh or tired and unrecovered. Several times when I have had difficulty making an interval effort, I've observed that my heart rate is much higher than it should be and I'm not fully recovered.


One thing is for certain, you make your gains off the bike. Every coach, trainer, or serious athlete will tell you that the workouts are for stressing the body (heart, lungs, muscles, etc.), and the time off for recovery is when the body rebuilds those stressed parts stronger.