It is now 2 months since I started to use Zwift with a new Smart Trainer. There is now doubt that my cycling fitness has improved significantly. I did the last 10 mile TT in the NTC serial and bagged a fastest time of 23:07. On the same course a month ago I clocked 23:58. So that is a massive improvement. The training quality is certainly there; so is the accumulated volume each week. But I am fighting fatigue. So I need to be careful!
I completed my first Zwift Road Race in the Tour for All Stage 5; this was very enjoyable but sooooo hard! The start was full-on and with 300+ Watts showing for the first few minutes, I knew I would blow if this output continued. But the Zwift race norm is that the bunch goes mad and whoever is left after the first 10 mins or so makes the segregation to compete for places. It actually took about 20 mins before the bunch settled into an easier pace - but only easier by a smidgin!
I foolishly thought that I would be in with a shout of maintaining my place in the front bunch. But I missed a split after 35 mins and a front bunch got away. There way no way I was going to chase as I was pretty much on the limit just to stay in the bunch I was amongst. The finish was 4k climbing up Keith Hill. So I went as hard as I could. A 20th place finish was great for me in the Cat A race. But I went very deep!
To add to the Zwift experience, I needed to record my HR. Some races require riders to record HR to verify performance. As my Garmin HR monitor was not playing (it had never been used since getting my Garmin 910 in 2015) I grabbed a CooSpoo HR monitor. This device has been excellent so far. For the first time in a zillion years I am training HR!
I tried my first run to HR today; a long as easy as possible run. With a max HR of 181 (from my Zwift race), I wanted to keep HR 60% - 70% of max. My run max HR is likely to be higher than my bike max HR, but I am not in the mood to run a HR max test! The run actually felt much easier by doing this. I do get hung up on the run pace normally. So this HR thing is a good focus for me for the next few months.
To add to the Zwift experience, I needed to record my HR. Some races require riders to record HR to verify performance. As my Garmin HR monitor was not playing (it had never been used since getting my Garmin 910 in 2015) I grabbed a CooSpoo HR monitor. This device has been excellent so far. For the first time in a zillion years I am training HR!
I tried my first run to HR today; a long as easy as possible run. With a max HR of 181 (from my Zwift race), I wanted to keep HR 60% - 70% of max. My run max HR is likely to be higher than my bike max HR, but I am not in the mood to run a HR max test! The run actually felt much easier by doing this. I do get hung up on the run pace normally. So this HR thing is a good focus for me for the next few months.
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