Trainer Question

[wildeny]

I had my 2nd trial with the trainer. I watched the CTS Climbing video, and decided to have a Field Test frist. It said:
"2 x 8 min max efforts
10 min recovery break in between
record: Ave. HR & Ave RPM"

So, I tried but I didn't know what I did was wrong until later.

My warm-up was only to put everything in place and then I started the first effort (Mistake 1)
I used 34/13 and it's not difficult to stay at 90 RPM though I did feel a little bit tired in the end. Ave HR = 141 (Max HR =171), Ave RPM = 96.

I stopped pedaling during the recovery time and then started again when my HR was below 80. About 8 min or so. (Mistake 2)

At my 2nd effort, I immediately noticed that my legs were so tired and I could hardly keep up with 90 RPM. I also felt my heart was pumping fast. I stopped after 2 min (Mistake 3). But a second thought made me continue the test. I switched to 34/14 and just tried, as hard as I could, to keep at 90 RPM. It's so hard for me. I was short of breath and legs were so heavy. My face was very hot (I had fan facing me).

Finally I finished it (despite a very short break at 2:00). Ave HR=142 (Max HR 181), Ave RPM = 88.

The 2nd effort was the hardest I rode and I'd mark it with the perceived exertion of 9.5-10. Why were my HRs so low? My heart was pumping so hard that even after my HR was < 90, I still felt it ached (from 168 -> 96 in 3 min).

My "estimate" Max HR is 187, but I sometimes rode over this value when I ride uphills. My ave HR is 140-150 when riding outdoors. But I never felt so tired as compared with the 2nd effort of the field test. I'm trying to know how to determine which HR zones I should set for later training.