I am confused by Training Peaks. It keeps telling me that I’ve reached a new AeT threshold. These numbers can’t be right, LOL. I was up on Mt. Rainier yesterday, spent 3.5 hours going up with 25#, 1.5 hrs-ish coming down. I turned around at 6820′. When I got down, TP said that I was in my Power Zone 4 for 4 hours out of 5:11 moving time (155-174 HR, highest HR was 190!). What?? I was able to still breathe, talk in almost full sentences, mouth breathing, but definitely could sustain that for more than “30-60 seconds”. I wasn’t setting any speed records, partly because I kept stopping because I thought I “had to” in order for the HR to come down. I thought I felt pretty good, heart was certainly working hard, but sustainable for a good 30 mins or more. Looking at pgs 57-61 of TFTNA, it felt like the description of Zone 3 most of the time.
My training treadmill hikes and regular hikes are all done in Zones 1 and 2, consistently with 30# -35# currently. When I do my AeT tests, I have to run now in order to get my HR into Zone 2 (I’m NOT a runner, I’m an uphill/heavy pack walker). When I redo the test this week, do I suck it up and jog to get that HR into Zone 2?
So either I have massive ADS and I should just give up and become a couch potato (I’m kidding), or maybe my AeT is WAY higher than my current Zones are set at. Being able to sustain movement with 30# or more at 155-170 just seems really high, on paper. Maybe I’m just a weirdo?
PS. This happened last year on my actual Rainier Summit climb. When I got to Camp Muir on Day 1, TP said I had been in Zone 4 for 4 out of 6 hours total, which also seemed CRAZY. I was a bit slower than the other climbers, but we attributed it to me overpacking, haha.
Any insight? Thank you so much! 8 weeks to go until Mt. Baker, which hopefully will be my 2nd of the 5 WA State Volcanoes.
Melissa
