To give it all

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I have completed two more triathlon competitions; September 5, a sprint at Cane Island, Katy TX, place 2 and September 12, a sprint at Rose City, Tyler TX, place 1. Both competitions went well.

I usually have a feeling that I exhaust myself more than other people, both on training and on races. For example, sometimes competitors talk to me during races, saying things like "looking good", or "go girl". This happened again during my last race. There is no way I have enough spare breath to talk during a race. But I don't know how other people really feel.

My Garmin smartwatch gives me a score on aerobic training effect after each workout on a 0 to 5 scale that accounts for my personal fitness level and training habits. Now, I can get some sort of measure of my suffering. According to Garmin:

5.0 Overreaching

4.0-4.9 Highly Impacting

3.0-3.9 Impacting

2.0-2.9 Maintaining

On my last triathlon competition, my bike ride was registered at 4.3 aerobic impact with an average heart rate of 99% of my capacity and the run 5.0, average HR 105%. 

The Sep 5 competition bike ride was also at 4.3 aerobic impact with average HR of 96% of my capacity and the run 5.0, average HR 102%.

5.0 is actually flagged as potentially damaging. My own feeling is that I pushed very hard at the top of my capacity during these races. I don't know other peoples scores, but I think I can see that I am not fooling myself thinking that I am close to max. 

Disturbingly, US sprint nationals where I placed a little lower than expected, scored only a 3.3 aerobic impact and HR 99% on the bike and for the run 3.9 impact and 102% for HR. Maybe I was a little off after the travel? I of course tried my best, but the figures and results show I did not achieve my best.

On the other hand, Strava gives estimated suffer scores. On the last competition Sep 12, the bike scored 172 and the run 123, on the Sep 5 competition these scores were 143 and 107. These are low scores.

The highest Strava suffer scores I have are 498 for biking and 370 for running and these were both long distance exercises. Garmin notes a 4.1 impact with 89% of my HR capacity for the bike ride and 4.6 and 107% for the run. 

Strava suffer score of 370 to run to the top of this mountain.

 

I do feel Strava is giving too much credit for the distance. For example, my second hardest bike ride according to Strava scores 497, but Garmin only gave it a 3.0 on training effect. It was long and slow. I definitely rate some of my shorter and faster rides/runs as harder than some longer, but slower workouts. 

What do you think? Is it harder to go short and fast or long and slow?











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