My power curve shows two PR’s that I find very confusing:
Isn’t it mathematically impossible for a shorter time interval to have a lower-power PR? Or am I missing something here?
Thanks in advance for any illumination you can provide.
30/30s at 1000w/0w repeated
30s PR is 1000w
1min PR is 500w
1:30 PR is 666w
It can, as an anomaly of doing intervals, mostly.
If you zoom in closely you will see why this is mathematically possible:
This is the 3:45 interval with an average power of 269, and you can view it for yourself here.
In this workout, you set new PRs for 2:53 through 3:45. Click the link above and try creeping the interval shorter one second at a time and watch the average power. You’ll notice that the average power does not go up as you shorten the duration due to the spikes at either end of the workout. It trends downwards.
This is the 2:53 interval with an average power of 258. As you can see, you lose that spike on the left side of the chart, which makes the average power for the interval lower.
Does that clear things up a bit?
Thanks a million, @Bryce. I didn’t know that I could go from the power curve to the interval like that, and it hadn’t occurred to me that spikes at the start and end of a time period, with lower values in the middle, would yield that result. I had tried to look at it several different ways, but missed that by a mile. Learned a couple of things today!
@Nate_Pearson, take note: THIS is the kind of spot-on, detailed, helpful, one-step-beyond educational SUPPORT that will keep me and many others paying for TrainerRoad long after open-source AI can design our training plans. The software is great, but it’s the human element where TrainerRoad shines and differentiates itself as a company. Whatever you do to reward excellence in one’s work, Bryce has earned another one. 
Thank you! Great job Bryce!
