Staying focused during a TT

Aint Skeered · June 2007

Any tips?
During a road race I am totally focused, but get me doing a time trial, and after a while I loose it. Last night on a local 10, I found myself estimating how much I will owe the VAT man at the end of this quarter!

Mike Willcox1 · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Aint Skeered

Any tips?
During a road race I am totally focused, but get me doing a time trial, and after a while I loose it. Last night on a local 10, I found myself estimating how much I will owe the VAT man at the end of this quarter!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Imagine that the rider who started immediately behind you is 10 yards back and will catch you if you don't keep on top of your effort.

blackhands · June 2007

...and that he's a VAT officer wanting to inspect your books!

Phil Lighterfuel · June 2007

At least it keeps your mind off the pain! We've just been told that job cuts are a coming in my place of work so on the road home last night I measured 10 miles came in at a long 28mins. The last thing I thought about was cycling home as I kept an eye on the traffic and had my head somewhere else so was reasonably please with the time. Had a big dirty ruck sack too. I will get that PlanetX I promised myself for going sub 26mins!

andyBcp · June 2007

I got some good results this year by teaming up with a mate who is ~1 minute slower over 10 miles. He goes off first, then me, a minute later. It is in both of our interests to go as quick as possible over the distance, and as a result, we both PB'd by about 15 seconds.

http://www.teamvelosportif.co.uk

chriswcp · June 2007

I know some people don't like them to race with and they aren't great on accuracy but I find a pulse meter focuses me. I set a lower bound and stay above it. Mind you this may be the reason my ten times are relatively crap.

SteveR_100Milers · June 2007

I find that the humiliation of losing places tends to focus my mind, but I also believe that you really have to be in the right frame of mind to get that adrenaline kick. Without it, I find my times are pretty poor!

Time! Time! It's always too long and there's never enough!

andrewgturnbull · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Aint Skeered

Any tips?
During a road race I am totally focused, but get me doing a time trial, and after a while I loose it. Last night on a local 10, I found myself estimating how much I will owe the VAT man at the end of this quarter!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Hi there.

Methinks you just need to ride faster... A 10 needs to be ridden right on your limit - a little over your functional threshold, but a little under your red line. If you're in this zone then there's no way your mind will wander!

Cheers, Andy

http://www.stirlingtri.co.uk

cougie · June 2007

I'd go woth the pulse rate too - just dont let it fall more than a beat or two. If it does then clearly you aren't trying hard enough.

SteveR_100Milers · June 2007

I find that RPE is a more accurate measure of effort in a TT, so I hide my HRM until after its over. For me the trick is breathing rate. If I start to gasp shorter breaths I know I'm overdoing it, so ease off so I can breathe hard but deep and rythmically. I find repeating a rhythm in your breathing helps to maintain control.

Time! Time! It's always too long and there's never enough!

ClaireV · June 2007

I tried time trialling with a heart rate monitor at the start of this season and I hated it. I've gone much better since I stopped using it. I'd go with Steve on monitoring your breathing.

chriswcp · June 2007

but how do you know if you are going hard enough if you don't use some measuring device? Breathing techniques/measurements are good but don't you think they are even less reliable than using hr.

Claire, why did you hate using a hr monitor?

ClaireV · June 2007

I'm convinced it made me go slower. The first time I wore it in a TT was my first race of this season, and I was worrying the whole time about how high my heart rate was. I'd guessed that I time trial at about 175 bpm, but it was actually 187 the whole way after the first few miles (my max is 196), and I was convinced I must be about to blow any minute, which probably made me hold back a little. After a few more tries I've found that if I'm going well then that's about what my heart rate is during a time trial, so I've stopped worrying about that. However, worse is that if I'm tired before I start (which was quite often at the start of the season because I was working 60-80 hours a week and also training for loads of different kinds of races and rehearsing for a concert) then I feel awful as soon as I get to anything much above 170 bpm. Feeling like I was on my limit and seeing that my heart rate was that low only made me feel even worse, and reinforced how bad I was feeling and I'm sure made me go even slower! I've done two time trials since I stopped wearing the HRM, and in the first one got my second fastest time, and in the second one took over a minute off my PB. There were other factors in the PB (mainly completely changing the front end setup on my bike), but I wasn't riding well at all that day. If I'd had the heart rate monitor to confirm I wasn't going well then I probably wouldn't have pushed as hard as I did.

BeaconRuth · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by chrisw

but how do you know if you are going hard enough if you don't use some measuring device? Breathing techniques/measurements are good but don't you think they are even less reliable than using hr.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">The last time I used anything other than 'feel' while racing was in 1998. It's a mystery to me why people think they need any 'measuring device'. I completely agree with Claire - for me, racing with a HRM would be a terrible thing to do.

chriswcp · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by BeaconRuth

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by chrisw

but how do you know if you are going hard enough if you don't use some measuring device? Breathing techniques/measurements are good but don't you think they are even less reliable than using hr.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">The last time I used anything other than 'feel' while racing was in 1998. It's a mystery to me why people think they need any 'measuring device'. I completely agree with Claire - for me, racing with a HRM would be a terrible thing to do.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

No speed readout then Ruth? Do you get time checks on your competitors?
Do you do anything different for 100's?

on the road · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by blackhands

...and that he's a VAT officer wanting to inspect your books!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">And that he thinks you're Ken Dodd[:0]

pzycoman · June 2007

To be honest I bought a HRM a few months ago, I used it a few times and thought it was a waste - I tend to cycle by feel mostly - if im getting tired, im getting tired, no matter what the HRM is telling me (I find some specific tunes on my mp3 player keeps me motivated - works for me, and I can still hear traffic...

And about staying focused - as long as you keep up the same pace, I think its ok to let your mind wonder a bit (Every now and then when going out I have some very very strange trains of thought about certain subjects)

chriswcp · June 2007

Claire, I find your reply very interesting. I had similar experiences early season in that I was racing tired and hr was lower than I expected. I don't see this as a negative towards hr monitors though, it just confirmed what I alread knew. As I said previously I try to set a lower bound before the race and stick above it, now with experience, I just set that bound lower or higher depending on the weeks load and how I feel.

It's interesting thought that one of me best performances this year came when I forgot my hr monitor, in fairness though during that race I had a similar 'help' in that my friends were riding within minutes of me so I could get a decent time check at the turn.

Back to topic, I've got my first 100 of the season on Sunday and I know without having on dispaly, speed, av.speed. time, distance, cadence, hr, elevation and my virtual pacer telling me if I'm up or down on last years time, I'd loose focus within the first 5 miles. Throw in that I'll be racing tacticaly with the people around me and my wife and children will give me splits of my competitors, do you think I'll have too much information.[;)] Oh and I forgot about alarms on my proper watch telling me when to eat/drink.

Luckily my powermeter is broke.

BeaconRuth · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by chrisw
No speed readout then Ruth?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I have av speed showing on my computer but it is definitely not for pacing purposes and I don't look at it much. Besides, it's not set up very accurately.
<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Do you get time checks on your competitors?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Not usually, no. By definition I'm going as hard as I can in a TT. If I'm told I'm up, I won't ease off the pace and if I'm down I can't go any harder - so the information is redundant as far as I'm concerned.<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Do you do anything different for 100's?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">No.

SteveR_100Milers · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by chrisw

but how do you know if you are going hard enough if you don't use some measuring device? Breathing techniques/measurements are good but don't you think they are even less reliable than using hr.

Claire, why did you hate using a hr monitor?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">]

Chris, don't forget that your HR is only one way of measuring the stress the body is under, and is not always coupled to your power output. Cardiac drift is well known, and temperature can also affect HR as on a hot day you try to cool the engine aswell as supply it with fuel. You cant intake any more air than your VO2 max, whatever your heart rate does, and in steady state exercise then its more reliable to ride against your breathing rate (or RPE). It is a surprisingly accurate and sensitive method once you "calibrate" yourself, which most people probably do subconciously after a few events, and certainly did before HRM's came along. I bet if you ditch the HRM you'll ride faster on days you might otherwise not, if only because trying to force your HR up when you're at your LT isn't what you want to do, especially on a long distance event.

Time! Time! It's always too long and there's never enough!

Mike Willcox1 · June 2007

..........and to think that when I said all those months ago that PE was the way to go I was so vigorously attacked for not keeping up with modern advances in training techniques. And in the words of a famous character...I'll be back.

chriswcp · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by SteveR_100Milers

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by chrisw

but how do you know if you are going hard enough if you don't use some measuring device? Breathing techniques/measurements are good but don't you think they are even less reliable than using hr.

Claire, why did you hate using a hr monitor?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">]

Chris, don't forget that your HR is only one way of measuring the stress the body is under, and is not always coupled to your power output. Cardiac drift is well known, and temperature can also affect HR as on a hot day you try to cool the engine aswell as supply it with fuel. You cant intake any more air than your VO2 max, whatever your heart rate does, and in steady state exercise then its more reliable to ride against your breathing rate (or RPE). It is a surprisingly accurate and sensitive method once you "calibrate" yourself, which most people probably do subconciously after a few events, and certainly did before HRM's came along. I bet if you ditch the HRM you'll ride faster on days you might otherwise not, if only because trying to force your HR up when you're at your LT isn't what you want to do, especially on a long distance event.

Time! Time! It's always too long and there's never enough!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

but Steve, the same is true when using hr. it can be callibrated to take out temp, fatigue etc. but as you said it takes experience.

I don't think I'd ride faster without a hr monitor because I'm lazy and I'd end up not pushing hard enough. The hr monitor keeps me in check, but hey that's me, each to their own and I'm sure we all have our own motivational techniques.

overthehill · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Mike Willcox1

..........and to think that when I said all those months ago that PE was the way to go I was so vigorously attacked for not keeping up with modern advances in training techniques. And in the words of a famous character...I'll be back.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Yes - but there's training and there's racing. There not the same thing are they!

Mike Willcox1 · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by overthehill

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Mike Willcox1

..........and to think that when I said all those months ago that PE was the way to go I was so vigorously attacked for not keeping up with modern advances in training techniques. And in the words of a famous character...I'll be back.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Yes - but there's training and there's racing. There not the same thing are they!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

There are also winners and losers. Black and white. etc. etc. Your point is?

SteveR_100Milers · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by overthehill

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Mike Willcox1

..........and to think that when I said all those months ago that PE was the way to go I was so vigorously attacked for not keeping up with modern advances in training techniques. And in the words of a famous character...I'll be back.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Yes - but there's training and there's racing. There not the same thing are they!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

But does using PE or HR make any difference??? You'll monitor and ride to a level using either approach maybe differently in training than you would racing.

Time! Time! It's always too long and there's never enough!

Staying focused during a TT

Comments

Categories