Greetings and welcome to POWER. Your bike training will NEVER be the same.

First off you are right about iBike. It's not a power meter. So don't even bother considering it.

If you have the $ to go for the SRM then do it. Skip the ebay route... better to search one out for sale on the google wattage list. Look into that or try going thru a dealer (I have a friend I could recommend). Also how much user knowledge do you want to have with the unit? SRM involves a little bit of know how to troubleshoot every now and again. Powertap is probably the simplest of all... slap it on the bike... go ride But if you want to race with it you'll need two hubs.

So... what distances do you race? I have found that power is an incredible tool for training but even though I race with it as well it ends up being there more so for data collection in any Half and under race. I go by feel I recommend my athletes do the same... learn your body. The only time I may look at it is in the first 10 minutes out of T1 to gauge myself and not over do it.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Thanks for the powermeter info - I actually found a great deal on ebay for an SRM (couple years old) - It came with two cranks so I will be able to setup my road bike and tri bike with one powercontrol and get all of my training/racing data captured.

I'm new to triathlons with this season being my first year - did 5; two Olympic distances, three sprints, a few biathlons, a couple ow swims, and one cycle race. Next season, I am planning on roughly 2 half IM's, 2 Olympics, a few sprints and some other single/dual sport races as warmups and speed training. I figure there is an ironman in my future (but I need to work on my running endurance for that to become a possibility)

I just added the "wattage" group and have found some great info already - training tips, workouts, testing models...

My first tri next season will be in June and the last will be in late sept (unless i make the championships in nov, which is an outside possibility at this moment, but not ruling it out), so it will be a long season for me.

I'm unsure of how much to push intensity in my "off season" - any thoughts??

thanks again.

Marky V, Good to see ya over here. Yeah, Marky lead the amateur Ironman Hawaii from start to until about 10 miles into the run. Had a back spasm and melted down. Close to 4 hrs even for 70.3. I'd say that's pro worthy. Getting to work on the run then watch out!!!!!
This guy really..... I mean really knows power!!!! I'm glad he is posting here.

Shouldn't you be playing with P, P and B??? ;)

How's the new house?

Have a look at these quotes...

"If we haven't built up appreciable levels of power, speed or strength, then what the hell are we trying to endure? A low level of power? A low level of speed?"

or this...

"It is significantly easier to get an explosive athlete 'in shape,' than it is to make an 'in shape' athlete explosive. The first will take weeks the second may take years."

So you spend the winter training yourself to go long and steady? Only to enter the season trying to play catch up with speed??? I don't get it. Why not get fast then worry about being able to endure the fast. MA himself trained for Oly's (i.e. FAST STUFF) all year long only going into long slow work after August to get ready for Hawaii... why he advocates long and slow now for his company is beyond me.

Hey MarkyV:

I'm just the messenger! Friel and Allen both talk about "building a base" and I'm thinking about maintaining focus/sanity when I really need to like a few weeks before my A races...

I'd love to swim/bike/run my a$$ off during the winter to be ready to swim/bike/run even faster in the early season, but I just know that I'll burnout and building endurance is something that I know I personally need to work on and focusing on a little more technique/efficiency for me (like reaching on my stroke and gliding, body position in the water, smoother pedal cycles, sustained/controlled breathing along w/other running form) is time well spent for when I have to crank up the speed.

I like the quotes - But I hope it won't take years from mastering "form" to becomming explosive - I'm past my prime already!

that sounds good -

For me, I'm trying to focus on running this winter and I may do some short races (5k), so that could be my speed drill.

This along with some of the cycling speed work and some 10x50 swim sprints - occasionally- will be part of my plan..

Thanks!

And you'll be using more of it next year, right!?!?! :)

This is the difficulty with triathlon training. There are many different schools of thought, and some are outright contradictory.

Mark- I agree that creating speed is harder than building endurance, but some of those quotes you posted don't really fit. 'Explosive' and 'Power' and terms usually associated with the task of triathloning, even at the sprint distance. Force is pretty important but being explosive is very rarely needed in this sport.

Anyway, I guess one of the reasons why I'm a big proponent of a long easy base is because endurance is my weakness. I ran much better in sprints and middle distance when I did track than I ever did in cross country. So since speed and force are strengths of mine, doing significant work on them during the off season would seem foolish. It will be a long slow base for me, thats all I know!

I'll disagree with this somewhat... we're all mammals here, yes? In that sense the mammalian aerobic system is HIGHLY predictable in how it will react to aerobic stress. Yes, individualization needs to play a part but for the most part it's pretty straightforward.... why do you think some human trainers are now moving over into horse racing? Well for one there is more money there, but two they know how to develop a VO2 system (2-3 minute horse race) and can get those ponies moving!!!

Good info Marky :) I'm tired of being told that I'm doing the wrong workout for the time of year since the speed will be gone by race season... but if I'm on the track and building it every other week up through race season, I don't see how it would be gone. As long as I recover correctly, which is key all season, I also don't see the "it's too hard on your body" argument. I think that is sorta what your info said... so let me know if I'm missing something :)

And my mile this week was faster and easier than it was last track workout.

MarkyV - Great stuff - Also been reading your posts on another endurance site... Thanks - will look to incorporate this in my training.

Usually pertaining to IM or 1/2 IM training. The basic jist of it is that the first step in your training is to get your steady state/one hour effort really reall really fast. Then, after you have gotten fast, you'll do the training that allows you to go long. If you try to go long before you are fast then at what speed are you trying to go long at?

AMEN! (big letters) Yahoo! Someone else is in agreement (sigh) :D Rest, push, rest, push etc. etc. till you need base again. Then repeat. And it will NOT come easy. Most think there is a majic pill, like those that seek the weight loss from a pill or food etc. No way. Speed only comes after a good base has been established and then you push to your limits, that is till like "puking" then rest it off and repeat.

Mark sums it up here: http://www.markallenonline.com/speed.asp

Yes... before you can TRAIN... you have to train to train. Coggan speaks to this but it is something that can be accomplished in relatively short order. I have a new client who spent this past year doing just that. He started in april and practiced frequency/consistentcy thoughout the year. He (and I) both feel that he is most definetly ready to start to moving out of the basal requirements for base and into some proper periodization.

He also provides great insight on IM racing from someone who has just_ come to the sport.
"I have no intention of racing an IM for another 5 years. I want to focus on Oly's and Half's and get really fast before the thought of doing an IM crosses my mind."
His words, not mine.

Step one... just do stuff and get familiar with it.

Step two... get fast.

Step three... go long.

Above all... have fun.

Raise the left... fill the right.

It somewhat depends upon what distance your goal A+ race is. Base training to me means a blend of LSD, VO2 and Threshold work. Then as you get 8 to 10 to 12 weeks out (dependent upon race) you begin to move into specificity training. So for an IM 12 weeks out you start moving into volume overload/CTL boosting training. You will still get one quick session in per week but the whole goal will be to load yourself up on volume while doing race specific intensities. This is all moot if you have a limited amount time to give to training. At which point you will be drilling it all the way up to the race in hopes of getting as much stress into your body in the amount of time you have given yourself for training. In the end the goal is to be faster... how you do that as a father, mother, employee whatever is largely dependent upon how much time you can give to your sport.