Hi Bob:
That average speed
stuff was some crap. I felt as if you slapped me in the face. I
told you on Tuesday to stay away from that old, 1967, stash of LSD
you found in the basement. Please exit
Xanadu and return to my side of the looking glass.
I know it was a revelation for you
when you figured out time = speed. I have one thing to say about
that.
“DA!?”
I guess I must explain in writing,
what you can’t seem to grasp in conversation. For the 600th time
here goes. All my training is based on TIME spent in heart rate
zones. This means that I must spend a predetermined amount of TIME
per week in each of the 5 training zones.
After each ride or run, I deduct
the amount of TIME spent in each zone from my predetermined week's
total. This way I know how to plan the balance of my workouts for
the week. (Duration and intensity.)
I know this is hard for you to
grasp, being your idea of training is taking the AMTRAK to Boston.
And no, fartlek isn’t something you do to Jimmy as he climbs a hill.
Yes, I do care what my avg. speed
is on occasion. Especially Saturdays, but the reason I check my TIME
after every ride is to start the process of breaking it down by TIME
in zone. By doing so, I can determine if my weekly goals have been
met and plan the balance of the week’s workouts.
If I wanted to know how fast I
went I would look at avg. speed. If I wanted to have a “GOOD” avg.
speed I would do the ride with the intention of obtaining just that.
But in the methodology of my training program, avg. speed is
irrelevant except when determining your fitness level on a
month-to-month basis. What is important, is TIME spent in each zone.
This is based on the book “SERIOUS
Training for the Endurance
Athlete” Second Edition By Rob Sleamaker and Ray Browning. That’s
funny, nothing in the book about how far or how fast to go. I guess
you get fast when you do proper heart rate training. But you
wouldn’t know anything about that.
I hope I don’t have to explain
this to you again.
Please Print this and tape it to
the fridge.
---------CUT HERE------------
Alrightythan
db
Oh, that explains it. We thought Dan
was cheating, but turns out he really just hasn't got a clue.
He has once again completely missed
the simple concept that all calculations are inevitably tied to
average speed. Heart rate follows effort (not the other way round),
and thus heart rate is
inexorably tied to one's average land speed—which everybody's
trip computer gives as a moment by moment accounting without the
necessity of checking astrologic charts while designing extensive
computer models of ride
routes in order to decide how one is doing.
Most people like to know how they are
doing NOW, not how they did yesterday.
Otherwise, the quoted Sleamaker and
Browning do seem to have an interesting take on how best to waste
one's time. Though I still don't understand why anybody would have
to write a whole book about wasting time, what with the Internet now
performing that duty quite well for all of us.
Dan also has obviously not been able
to get within a hundred meters of Jimmy for some time, if he
believes fartlek is anything other than what one MUST do around Jim.
Actually Dan suggested the ditching
my drugs two (2) Tuesdays ago. He must have forgotten how, by this
last Tuesday, he had gotten so scared of Brand New Bruce giving him
the sound thrashing he deserves, that he had to take off 16 minutes
early in order to avoid riding with him. When Bruce finally caught
Dan (just in time for Dan to quit and go home), I'll bet Bruce's heart rate hadn't even gotten out of Zone
1...and Bruce probably doesn't even know what a HR Zone is!
If Dan would just stop thinking so
much and ride, he might be able to stay with the Big Boys on
Saturday.
In any case, I am not about to give
up a perfectly good stash of vintage Lysergic Acid. Still, I will
print Dan's note in pretty colors and post it on my fridge. It'll
be fun to watch. I'll just have to move the lava lamp out of the ice
maker slot first.