Carbonfiberboy 

My wife and I just got back from a 3 day backpack trip. Our first day was 6 miles and 3000'. I had a 36 lb. pack counting 2 liters of water. My wife carried 25, also with 2 liters, which evened things out nicely.

The thing was that her HR averaged in the upper half of zone 3 with a little zone 4. Mine averaged 84 and my top of zone 1 is 106. I had to work to keep up with her and our legs were about equally tired by the time we got to camp. Time was 5 to 6 hours depending on whether or not one counts breaks. Her hrTSS was 401, mine was 196. On the bike, legs feeling like that would be around a TSS of 400, too.

My issue is that when I design my training for the next couple weeks or so, I generally do it by CTL and TSB. TSB below 15, I have an easy workout, above 10 and I have a strenuous workout. Entering data from the hike up, a day hike with no pack the next day, and then the hike back out, my numbers going in were CTL=58, TSB=28 and after CTL=60, TSB=9.

My question is: what to do with that hrTSS? Use the hr scores, which do measure my aerobic effort or modify them to reflect my general feeling of exhaustion? My wife's scores make sense, mine do not. My power output would have been about 13% greater than hers. I obviously have a superior aerobic system, but I knew that. Or maybe just forget the whole thing and train harder so that the feeling in my legs about matches my hrTSS? That's the plan for next year, ha ha. But if I did that, I'd have to carry a lot more of the total pack weight so our paces would still match. Eh, a tandem bike takes care of all that.

Running TSS: If I use rTSS for the hike in, it comes up as 850, which is also nonsense. With that scheme, I come out with a CTL of 101 and a TSB of -87. One day after the hike, I feel like a TSB of maybe -20.

Seattle Forrest

Take a day or two off, go through pictures from the trip, settle back in, then get back on the bike?

Hiking is a different kind of stress. TSS is a measure of how you stressed your aerobic and anaerobic systems, not you leg muscles. It takes a lot of energy to hike, but your body produces it at a much slower and less stressful rate. Humans can put out huge amounts of energy given enough time, it's the rate we can deliver it that challenges us. TSS won't accurately reflect what you did.

Where'd you go?

Carbonfiberboy 

True. I'm training for our 10-day backpack. This was just a training backpack. In accordance with what you're saying, my HRV readings this morning were not those of an exhausted person. I'll go for a run this afternoon, run and gym tomorrow. My wife's TSB is -47. She's tough though, went and got her dressage lesson today, survived.

Above Glacier Lake above Surprise Lake. We've gone there many times. We have a "secret" campsite, complete with a private pit toilet. We are apparently the last humans still hiking who remember its location. Age has some perks.

GhostRider62

Stress is stress.

The problem is stress quantification from the hikes over 3 days. Personally, I would divide it by two. Then, I would as is my usual case plan on a day by day basis using my estimation of my ability to absorb new load. In practice this means from me.....TSB, HRV, LF/HF ratio, sleep, mood, and hunger to ride. I am guessing the effect of the 5-6 hours of zone 1 based on my experience hiking and riding. Just a guess.....halve the indicated Tss

Seattle Forrest

Stunningly beautiful area. I won't steal your secret, I lent my sleeping bag to a girl and need one of my own now before I can backpack again.