What to do when training outdoors and your target power is too high/low?

Training
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Hi, I’m starting to get back into TR after a bit of a break and I’m going to start a plan doing outdoor workouts to make them more enjoyable but I had a question. Basically if the roads are fairly flat I can keep my power targets consistent but if I hit a small hill this can up the average lap target due to not being able to keep the power low enough to get up the hill…

In this circumstance would you not worry about the lap power being slightly higher than it should be or would you freewheel a bit to get some recovery in to compensate for the added power in the hope to level it out?

Hope that made sense. :sweat_smile:

Cheers,

Ben.

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  1. I’d make sure I had appropriate gearing and selected route if possible.
  2. Failing that, No I wouldnt freewheel to get the average back on target. I’d get back on target power as soon as possible for any particular instant. There is normally enough free wheeling outside even when trying to eliminate it without activity trying to include it.
    Just stick to the target whenever you can.

PS. It really doesnt matter at all in the grand scheme of things. There is no point in trying to be over precise.

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Dont look at averages and just keep as close to the target as possible. I remember a long time back on the podcast, Nate was resisting showing average power in the app display as he thought it would encourage people to go too hard if power dropped, or to ease back if they were slightly over target - he was all about focus on the current effort being on target.

Route choice and gearing is the key though.

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I don’t even have lap power on my display. I don’t freewheel (or sprint) to compensate, I just try to get back to target power as soon as the terrain allows. (I also choosing my “training” routes pretty carefully, and I will do repeats on choice sections of road if it makes nailing the workout easier.)

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