I started triathlon-ing back in 2012 and thus entered the
world of “stuff.”
Running required comfortable clothes, running shoes and maybe a watch. Triathlons, on the other had, required stuff...so much stuff (mostly due to the addition of cycling).
As a newbie cylist, I initially bought the basics: a road bike, bike shoes,
and a helmet.
That definitely works, but early rides and training led to a need/desire for some sort of bike computer to tell me how far I had traveled, so I got one of those. After a year or two of that, I decided that it would also be helpful to know how fast I was going, so I upgraded to a computer that could tell me that. Then I wanted to know my heartrate, so I upgraded to a computer that could tell me that. Then I learned about power.
When cycling, power is the amount of energy (measured in watts) the cyclist is putting out. In order to know your power when cycling, you have to buy a device that goes on your bike (a crank or pedals or discs to put on your bottom bracket) that reads your power, as well as a bike computer that is able to “talk to” that device. With all of that equipment (and assuming everything has batteries and is connected correctly) you can see, as you are biking, what your power is at any given moment.
Not long after I got my power meter, I was on a long ride and feeling really frustrated (a fairly typical occurrence for me when it comes to cycling). I was riding on a flat stretch of road and it should have felt easy, but I was working really hard and moving so slowly. I looked at my bike computer in the hopes that I was magically on mile 50 instead of mile 10 (not the case) and noticed that the power number was quite high. While the stretch of road looked flat, it was a false flat. It may have looked flat and easy, but the power meter helped me realize that I was definitely going uphill.
Once you have been able to monitor your power long enough, you learn what power numbers are typical for you in different situations, helping you understand your riding in comparison to others. When you are riding along and another cyclist zooms past, it’s easy to start to feel really bad about yourself or your abilities. If you look down at your power number and you are working as hard as you are supposed to be working, it can be a comforting reminder that she is doing her workout workout and you are doing yours, and you should probably focus on your workout and not hers.
In race situations, monitoring your power can help you ride smart. You may feel AMAZING in the first 10 miles of an Ironman (yay adrenline!) and be tempted to go hard, but you still have 102 miles to go. A strict rule about staying within a realistic range from the beginning can save you from burning out early and destroying your race.
Sometimes I wish I had power meters for other areas of my
life.
If I’m having a particularly bad day and not feeling myself,
a power meter might explain that despite life looking easy, I am emotionally
going up a hill that even I can’t see clearly.
If I’m in a social situation and I suddenly feel myself
getting a little bit grumpy for no reason while everyone else is having a
blast, a power meter might explain that my introvert levels are getting
stretched. Why is everyone else still having fun? They are working within
different extrovert levels, and that’s ok.
If I’m feeling inadequate about where I am in life, a power meter might show me that I am simply pacing myself and still on course and right where I need to be.
Unfortunately, they do not sell power meters for all areas of life.
The good news is that having biked regularly for over ten years, these days I don’t
always need my power meter to tell me my numbers. If something isn't working and I stop seeing my power number in the middle of a ride (because…technology) I no longer panic. Coaching and experience have taught me to feel the numbers and trust what my body is telling me.
44 years of being a human, and I think I'm maybe (just maybe) starting to trust myself
in other areas of my life too.
That said... 44 years is kind of a long time to just now be getting to "starting" to trust, so if a moderately-priced life power meter happens to come on the market and can show me hard data to make the next stretch of life a little clearer, I'm so there. Extra points if it's Garmin-compatible.
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