Previously I wrote that sometimes perception magnified reality. Sometimes perception is right-on, and the time-trials were a good case-in-point. The Garmin supplied cold, hard facts and it is now up to me to do something about it in order to improve my 5km times. It is set up in 5 zones: zone 1 is 50% of my maximum heart rate, zone 2 is 60%, zone 3 is 70%, zone 4 is 80% and zone 5 is 90%.
The two races break down like this in their respective zones: 2.3%; 9.2%; 70.4%; 16.2%; 1.8% for the 5km and 1.3%; 1.0%; 3.4%; 38.3%; and 56.1% for the 10km. It is very clear that spending 70.4% of a race between 70 and 80% of maximum heart rate does not result in optimum performance. Conversely, in the 10km, I did the whole race (95%) above 80%, and a large majority of that above 90% of maximum.
When you watch the Tour de France pros warm up for their time-trials, they work up a sweat on their trainers and according to the commentators, they spend about an hour on them. When I do my 50 minute Carmichael work-out on the trainer, I also sweat profusely. I have to get serious about perfecting a pre-race routine that gets my heart rate up, with lungs and muscles properly responding. But I hope it won't be an hour on the trainer. That is the goal for this winter.
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We noted at the London Prologue that most of the riders were on the road from about 2 hours before the first starter, working at what looked about 50-60% for the first hour. And that was before they headed for the rollers.
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