Subject: RE: Cycling Strategy...? You want to race at a steady exertion, and as close to your threshold as you can manage. You do not need to know heart rate zones or have a heart rate moitor, power meter, GPS or even a wristwatch to do this. You need to understand that in laymens terms, your threshold is the point at which if you go beyond you will fall apart rather quickly. 5-8 minutes. If you remain at or just below your threshold you can generally continue for the better part of an hour. One of the best guides for this is your breathing. Fast and deep but under control is a good sign of threshold level breathing. Fast, wheezy, gasping, unable to speak at all etc, is a good sign that you have exceeded your threshold. Perceived exertion of 7.5 out of 10 if going off RPE. Develop and trust your perceived exertion. It will stay with you always, regardless of what gizmos you own at any point. |