Throughout the history of triathlon we have seen many advances in various aspects of our sport – equipment, apparel, nutrition, training protocols, racing formats, etc. With the onset of heart rate monitors, GPS devices, power meters (for both bike and run) and other fun gadgets there is one mode of monitoring and measuring metric which has remained constant– the tried and true rate of perceived exertion (RPE). While there are obvious benefits to using various technologically advanced tools and making the training process three or four dimensional, it seems too many athletes struggle to develop their internal gauges which can ultimately stunt their athletic growth.
As a coach, I am a big proponent of using technology and the data it generates to guide an athlete’s training progression and applying that information to their racing when paired with RPE. I often ask my athletes to paint a picture for me of how their body is responding to the training demands using RPE and other internal cues including the following:
What should a Vo2 swim or threshold bike interval feel like? It can be all too easy to simply peg a number on our watches or bike computers without developing any sense of what it feels like.
We can get so attached to our devices that it becomes a distraction. Instead of focusing on the process we get fixated on chasing a number. To maximize our athletic potential and make the most of our triathlon journey I believe we should embrace the idea of developing our internal clock. There are many ways to do this. One of my favorites is having athletes complete a session without using any kind of device or covering up their power meter or bike computer. I find this especially good for the active recovery sessions and periodic quality sessions.
A couple of comments I recently received in TrainingPeaks include:
I am confident you will find a sense of freedom when periodically rolling out without any kind of device. Additionally, it is not uncommon for technology to fail during a race. How would you be able to respond to a situation where your HR monitor, bike computer or power meter suddenly stopped working during a race? Hopefully you have the athletic confidence and ability to not panic while using your internal gauge and RPE to guide you.
Brad Seng is a USA Triathlon and USA Triathlon Youth and Junior Certified Coach, and also the current coach of the CU Buffaloes Triathlon Team. For over a decade he has worked with athletes of all levels and abilities to help them achieve their dream. He also has a long list of personal accomplishments in the sport, including racing Kona four times as a professional and having several top 10 finishes at IRONMAN events.
Coach Brad Seng enjoys working with athletes of all abilities who set a variety of personal goals. He understands difficult training days. Challenging days and subpar workouts are inevitably part of the triathlon landscape, as are the times when you’re feeling great and everything clicks. He believes there are lessons to be learned from experiencing both. Sometimes having to fight for a workout is just what’s needed to achieve an important breakthrough in mental conditioning.
Coach Brad is a USA Triathlon Certified Level II, USA Triathlon Certified Youth & Junior, Training Peaks Level 2 Certified Coach and NESTA Certified Sports Nutritionist (National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association).
