# Huge watts gained in 2018 versus 2017 (chart)

**URL:** <https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/huge-watts-gained-in-2018-versus-2017-chart/2615>\
**Category:** Results\
**Tags:** triathlon\
**Created:** [October 4, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/huge-watts-gained-in-2018-versus-2017-chart/2615 "2018-10-04T20:09:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Shenry1213](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@Shenry1213](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Shenry1213)\
**Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/huge-watts-gained-in-2018-versus-2017-chart/2615/1 "2018-10-04T20:09:42Z")

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Of the three disciplines, the bike has always been where I’ve struggled the most. For reference, my FTP was 137 in 2017 (beyond frustrating considering my marathon PR was 3:00:06). I raced the IRONMAN 70.3 distance but couldn’t finish on the podium because I wasn’t competitive on a bike. Last year I got a new bike, better fit, began using TrainerRoad (56 workouts total using the app) and saw gradual improvements.

This year I began working with a new coach. I did 4 out of 5 of my workouts on my smart trainer using the app (106 workouts total). All workouts were customized using the TrainerRoad WorkoutCreator App.

In 2017 versus 2018, I improved 27 watts over 20 minutes and 32 watts over an hour. I managed to make the podium at every IRONMAN 70.3 I did this year and I can definitely attribute a lot of this to my improvement on the bike (combination of new coach, riding more frequently, and learning how to do power-based workouts in TrainerRoad).  
 ![Bike%20PRs](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/original/2X/6/68c5536e31619b5a44a44897378c969d258b6af3.png)

My coach had me train via Erg mode (instead of Standard) which forced me to get a feel for perceived effort. Other features I really enjoyed using: the WorkoutCreator App, the Personal Records tool (I loved seeing my progress this year versus last year as well as month-over-month), and being able to sync TrainerRoad to TrainingPeaks.

I’ve gone from a 3:07 bike split in 2016 (IRONMAN 70.3 Eagleman) to 2:39 at IRONMAN 70.3 Atlantic City last weekend. Here’s a recap from this race (7th Female / 2 AG): [http://why-i-run.blogspot.com/2018/09/ironman-703-atlantic-city-7th-female.html](http://why-i-run.blogspot.com/2018/09/ironman-703-atlantic-city-7th-female.html)

Other than WorkoutCreator, the Personal Records tool, and being able to switch from Erg to Standard, are there other tools people are using in TrainerRoad that they find super helpful??