VeloTron
Back to the 2x20 L4 work @ 300W, all good fun! This session went well today, uncomfortable, but well. For the first time my HR averages for the first and second 20 minute efforts were the same rather than the 2nd one being higher and the MHR figure for both efforts was identical.
I use HR as a bit of a physiological gauge rather than using it to actually direct my training and the changes in recent (consolidation) weeks when working at L4 have been interesting. There has been a slow but steady drop in my HR and now this indication which (I think) suggests that both efforts one and two are generating a very similar physiological stress.
This is all speculation really because nobody really *knows* but I believe that what I am seeing are the benefits of my consolidation period whereby my system is not being subjected to increasing training stress and has been allowed to settle and adapt to a certain level of performance which is no longer causing undue stress.
This isn't to say it's comfortable, because it isn't, but I do feel that during these efforts I am now in a sort of physiological equilibrium with this load and am at a point where in a couple of weeks, as planned, I'll benefit from moving up a bit. I'm convinced the consolidation period has been worthwhile.
The graphs below show 2 identical workout with both efforts being done at 300W. The HR response in today's data (lower graph) is not only lower but is, more importantly, highly comparable for both efforts. As time went on I was not getting more stressed and that's how it felt, I could have continued after the 2nd effort today without any difficulty, which is what I want come La Marmotte.
[Uploaded 12/03/2009 19:48:34]
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