u/Obvious_Balance5339

Howdy y'all, I've (25M) got a training question

As the title suggests, when training for long times on end (I typically increase training volume for 2 months and I'll take a couple weeks at a lower volume to recover, then increase the volume again) my zone 2 pace doesn't seem to move much.

It's this weird phenomenon where I'll train 10-15 hours a week (divided between running, cycling and (alas) swimming). My general fitness will skyrocket, my resting heart rate drops, my cycling fitness (both threshold and zone 2) increases steadily, swimming's still swimming and my running threshold pace moves along nicely. (Went from 5.10min/km-ish to 4.30min/km, over a prolonged period of training). But despite all of this, my zone 2 running pace just seems to be stuck.

I started out at about 6.30min/km, it feels VERY easy, my HR would be around 155. Mind you, I have never done any lactate testing, but I can go on forever at 6.30 and at that HR I have no HR-creep whatsoever (unless in extreme heat). My threshold HR has stayed the same, but as said my pace has increased by about 40sec/km. Yet my zone 2 HR/pace just won't budge. It'll be 6.10min/km at times, but that's just on a good day. On a bad day it'll be 6.30 again and sometimes my HR will randomly skyrocket to about 165bpm.

Last summer I thought to myself ''hmm, maybe I should just do even more volume at zone 2", so I scrapped all of my tempo workouts and replaced them with long runs, had 2 long runs every week for a couple of weeks, with some shorter (also easy) runs throughout and then also cycling (peaked at about 50k/week of running). Result: my tempo pace increased even further and my zone 2 stayed the same again. It moved by like 10s, if even that.

So, I'm puzzled. Everything always seems to point in the right direction, all of my paces are increasing. Yet, my zone 2 seems to be going absolutely nowhere. I'm convinced all of my buddies are running their "zone 2" in zone 3, because they'll get home from an 8k absolutely blasting their breathing and sweating like a wild horse, flaring their nostrils,... And I'm over here, getting home from a 15k with next to no fatigue, so I'm really willing to guess I'm not in zone 3, yet adaptations seem to be odd.

Weird thing then is, my race pace is faster than ALL of my friends' pace. I'll always finish before them. Even though their "zone 2" is a minute faster than mine and their intervals are generally also run at a higher pace. Although, same thing there. I think they are running their so called "threshold" fully anaerobic. But that's just my idea, idk.

Are my expectations just too high? Is zone 2 pace not supposed to move a whole lot? I don't think I'm running zone 1 either, given that I'm still very much an amateur?

I'm puzzled. It just seems odd. I ran a 1.39 half marathon, which I find fairly decent, yet my zone 2 pace is chugging along with the grannies at your local park, lol.

Any advice is appreciated 😄 Thanks so much in advance!

Hi all, I think this question has been asked a few times already but I guess personal context is important so here goes. 

I’m a student, I love triathlon, but given that I’m not yet earning a full wage as I’m not yet employed full time my budget is limited and I have to spend it wisely.

I have a couple bucks saved up (about 1000) and I’m wondering what to do with it, because I feel in investment of some sort is somewhat due. I’m not in a hurry to splurge, by any means so I’m taking my sweet time weighing all my options.

Context: I’m definitely not FOP. On flat oly’s my avg speed on the bike is around 36kph (higher with good conditions, lower with worse). My avg speed on my 70.3 was 31kph, but I was sick and the course was quite hilly (1100hm on the 90km bike course).

I currently own: 

• A road bike: Trek Madone 4.7 from 2012. Updated group set, 50mm carbon wheels (but the rim brakes are on their last breath, so I’m going to have to go back to my alloys in the near future). The frame (and bike in general) is starting to feel a bit outdated. I still love the bike, it looks good and I’m very attached to it. So it’s never getting sold, I’m hanging it up on the wall once it’s retired. But the ride quality is starting to get worse for wear. I do upkeep on my bikes very well but it’s starting to make creeping noises, it doesn’t feel as stiff and responsive anymore. To sum up my feelings: it’s starting to feel fragile in a way. 
• A gravel bike: Cube Nuroad C:62. Bought this as more of a toy bike to dabble my feet in gravel. Been extremely impressed with it and even though my love for the Trek is much greater from a “melancholic” standpoint (she’s my first carbon, my dad used to ride it, I’m very very attached to it, parting ways would be heartbreaking, hence why I’m hanging it up on my wall lol), if I’m being honest with myself the Cube is a much much much better ride, even if it’s a gravel bike.

So I’m doubting what to upgrade.

The options as I see them:

• Powermeter: something I’ve been wanting to get my hands on. Looking at the one-sided assioma favero pro’s. They fit well within the budget and everyone seems to say that power unlocks some hidden portal to Narnia when it comes to training on the bike and unlocking that next level. Also seems nice to pace myself on longer efforts (70.3 and later 140.6, Gran Fondo’s,…) (worth noting: I do own a turbo on which I can train based on power, but it seems silly learning how to ride on power but not being able to use it in a race. I could of course also train based on power but then race based on feeling, just a thought…)
• New road bike: not within the budget, yet. I work as a student and my education is paid for, so my income is 90% disposable. It’s only a matter of time before I can start looking at second hand bargains. I’m expecting them to feel like a much more solid ride again, compared to my current road bike, which is suffering, lol. Also: disc brakes, nice. 
• A TT-bike: I am not the least bit interested in draft legal races. I don’t care for crits. And I could do my “road bike” sessions on my gravel and use the TT for more efficiently completing my 70.3’s (and fulls in the future). However: for some reason second hand road bikes almost always look kinda iffy. TT bike tech has come a very long way in the last decade or less, specifically ergonomically for the long distance with the greater stack height and such. The few good options are generally still really expensive, even second hand. Also, I love climbing, I don’t like pancake flat roads. Had converted my road bike to a TT setup with clip-ons and a goose neck seat post last season and grew tired of it almost immediately because it’s virtually unusable on the open road except for canal roads (I live in Belgium). So I feel I’d be missing out on Gran Fondo’s and such, because a gravel bike is still only a gravel bike. Long bit of text to come to the insight myself that I probably don’t need a TT, lol.

 

So, I guess it’s really between the new road bike and the powermeter. But would it even make sense to buy a power meter if I feel my road bike is on its last season? 

I can’t seem to make up my mind, for some reason. Advice is welcome :)