How hard am I working?

Did you ever wonder how much of a workout you\’re really getting during a bicycle ride? This is where having a heart rate monitor comes in handy.

Some bicycle computers, such as the Garmin Edge 520, let you monitor your heart rate as you ride. First, the Garmin must be programmed with your pre-determined heart rate zones; and after a ride, the Ride Summary shows how much time you\’ve spent in which heart rate zones. Now, how do you determine what your workload was?

Let\’s take a look at a ride of 50.2 miles, averaging 13.21 mph. My ride data showed the following heart rate zones/times (in minutes and seconds):

Z2: 1:44; Z3: 113:18; Z4: 113:04.

I rounded the times to the nearest whole minute: Z2: 2; Z3: 113; Z4: 113.

Next step, multiply the zone by the number of minutes spent in that zone:

2 x 2 = 4; 3 x 113 = 339; 4 x 113 = 452. Then, add them up: 4 + 339 + 452 = workload 795.

Here\’s the question for me: am I spending too much time in my HR zone 3? After at least four years, maybe even five, I still haven\’t achieved my goal of being able to cruise at 15 mph for prolonged periods. Am I in a Zone 3 rut? Looking back over my ride log, it seems rather like it.

How do I improve? More \”force\” work (pushing for a high cadence in a hard gear)? Staying in a light-ish gear, but working for 100 rpm or more? Striving for a set speed — let\’s say, 17 mph — for x amount of time, no matter what the conditions? Some of all three?

Gee, a coach sure would be helpful. I don\’t know how hard I should work!