Trying something new in training.

I had a great weekend of workouts and was exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally by the end but IN A GOOD WAY!  I feel like I had a little bit of a breakthrough with my training.  I don't have to be able to do each workout perfectly but I do have to give it my all and sometimes I will be tired when I start a workout but I am learning how to push through that and still get the best out of my training.  Learning to listen to your body is a fine line between knowing when to back off and when to push through.  Being tired is ok and part of endurance training is to learn when you can get through the tired and still give more.  Knowing when you are over trained versus your body just getting use to longer distances.

Another thing I did is try lighter gears and higher cadence on my ride.  I have been riding with a new friend and when he realized the gears I was pushing he asked if I had considered riding with a higher cadence.  I laughed because he seemed a little reluctant to suggest this (he knows most cyclist are sensitive) and told him yeah I've been told that before.  I'm willing to try it.  It's just mentally when I've tried it in the past it feels like I'm doing more work and not going any where.  I had a successful first ride trying this and I'm willing to try it again but I am still struggling with it mentally.  Every time he got too far ahead of me I really wanted to get into the tougher gears and mash it :-)

I did a little bit of research and have decided I at least need to get a cadence sensor and become aware of my cadence and figure out what works for me.  A few tid bits I found interesting are:

http://www.bikesplit.com/bsa14.htm

My recommendation for finding your optimal cadence is simple; count your stride rate during a run and match it on the bike. For most athletes this is 85 to 93 strides/ pedal strokes per minute, but there are a few exceptions. I've trained with one of the all time top athletes for OD to 1/2 IM distances and he stays at 80-85rpm on the flats, and it matches his slow run (and swim) turnover.

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/technique-cadence-matters-16394/

No substitute for training

However, elites are known to pedal faster than beginners, and with more oomph on the down stroke of their pedal action [2]. The exact reason why pros get more force down through the pedals is not clear. But (unsurprisingly) it seems to be due to their muscles, which contain higher blood capillary density and the type of muscle fibres that can only really be built up through years of endurance training – not to mention hill climbing, combined with fast riding in groups that allows high speeds and low effort. This produces high pedalling power and the ability to spin fast.


So while I find these concepts interesting I find my main focus while on my IM journey will still be getting in the miles.  Volume is what I need to work on the most and cadence awareness will be secondary.

Any thoughts on cadence?  How do you decide what's important in your training?