Can I do it?

I got in a good 55 mile/3hr ride today, but the big question is...will the weather hold for me to get my last two rides in over the weekend? Saturday seems doable, but Sunday is kinda iffy. We'll see.

In the course of my training I've seen how beneficial training with power would be. Training with HR can be a real frustration. If I back off even for a moment on my intensity, my HR will drop 5 or 6 bpm in seconds...of course, that is a benefit when racing, but it makes training more difficult. When I say "back off", I don't mean taking a breather. For example; I climb a hill and my HR is...we'll say 150bpm, and my cadence is 94rpm. I crest that hill with my cadence still around 94rpm, maybe even up to 97 or 98rpm. At this point, unless I accelerate, my HR will be down to 142 or lower within seconds. I haven't technically 'backed off', I've kept the same intensity that it took to get up the hill, but the moment the road descends, I need to rapidly accelerate to keep my HR in the proper zone. Now maybe I'm doing something wrong, maybe it's because I'm using a mtn bike and the gearing is all wrong, or perhaps it is totally normal, but for whatever reasons, I have to be on my toes less my HR takes a nose dive.

I'm learning throughout this process though. I've already seen some things that I'll do differently next season. Despite the...challenges, I know I'm getting stronger, and that's what is most important.

Time for some sleep, I'm tired.