Bike climb, concert

My posting here will be sporadic as my concert tour has begun.  I'm presently in Clarksville, TN getting ready for my first concert tonight.  

I did the bike climb last Friday up Roark's Cove.  I was really trying to keep my avg HR down and not go really hard and I did.  About a minute faster than the one a week before but a slower avg HR.

Roark's Cove bike climb

Total time - 24:06

Avg speed - 5.9 mph

Max HR - 177

HR over 170 - 3:34

Avg HR - 154

As I once said, I know colleges by their concert hall or by their track.  This college, APSU, I've done both.  

APSU is the track where my masters career actually started with a 100m race back 15 yrs ago in 2011 at a early season college meet in March, called the 'APSU Spring Fling.'  The first outdoor meet I had run since high school.  I ran 12.56 at age 50.  (Interestingly, I ran faster at age 61 in '21 - 12.43).  

The following year I returned to race there in one of my best meets as a masters, running a 55.14 400m / 24.94 200m.  It stands as the second fastest 400m of my masters career, and second only to the 55.11 I ran indoors at Vanderbilt 3 yrs later.  

I've performed at APSU twice in their big grand concert hall, but tonight I'll be in their smaller recital hall.  

The guitar feels really good today.  I've prepared pretty well, so just like racing, it's really just mental from here on.  Remaining confident, expressive, and not over thinking and letting doubt distract from the flow.  

This is the first time I've ever used FOUR different instruments in a concert:  

Lute - renaissance dances

Guitar - mostly Spanish stuff (Traphagen)

Guitar tuned in G - for the Rameau (Ruck)

Guitar in 'Turkish tuning" for Koyunbaba (Turrentine)

Kinda ridiculous but this is the only opportunity to actually play my full program before the big concert at All Saints in 3 weeks.  My other concerts are either short or involve travel and I can't take the lute.  

Still doing my strength workout every morning (except today), and going to try to get one hard bike workout in a week.   All this is over on Oct 20.  

Bike Sprint

 One of my fastest, hardest 2.5 mile mtn bike sprints.  I think this was my second fastest.   I needed it.  A lot of butt time and a few extra lbs.  

2.5 mile mountain bike sprint - Laurel Branch Trl

Time - 9:36

Avg speed - 14.1 mph

Max HR - 175

HR over 156 - 9:49 (inc 1 min recovery at end)

HR over 170 - 4:12

Avg HR - 166 

I hit the turnaround at 5 min flat, about 5 sec off record pace.  It was hard, standing up most of the hills.       

hot climb

Needing to burn some calories today after overeating yesterday.   I waited til the hottest part of the day and did the Roark's cove climb.   It was 95º at my house with a heat index of about 100º, but was a few degrees cooler on the shady north side of the mountain.  Training in the heat is great as long as there is shade.

Roark's Cove bike climb

Total time - 23:41

Avg speed - 5.9 mph

Max HR - 182

HR over 170 - 11:13

HR over 180 - 2:00

HR over 156 - 19:08 

Avg HR - 163

Happy with the time considering conditions.  Stayed seated the whole time.  HR over 170 for 11:13 but it was probably over 167 for several minutes more.   

My Hume pod says I'm at 12.0% body fat, which is inaccurate because I know I've been leaner and lighter than I am now and it said higher.  I have been able to slightly increase muscle mass with a very small about of work, less than 5 min a day, but every day.   Just one set of 21-23 pullups, and 30-35 pushups, (and ab wheel or hanging abs sometimes, dumbells sometimes).  

 

 

 

But lately... this has been my workout.   Flamenco falsetas are good for you, do them daily:

Yet another bike sprint

Needing a quick compact workout, I did the 2.5 mile bike sprint again and it was exactly the same time as yesterday, same split at the halfway point, and same exact finish time.  Very weird for an event lasting almost 10min.   Oddly, the avg speed was 0.1 mph slower.  

2.5 mile mountain bike sprint - Laurel Branch Trl

Time - 9:53

Avg speed - 13.7 mph

Max HR - 173

Avg HR - 161 (inc 1 min recovery at end) 

HR over 156 - 9:44

HR over 170 - 0:19

The only major difference was the HR over 170 was much less where the avg was about the same.  

Was 3 lbs lighter today than yesterday, 146.3 yesterday, 143.4 today.   Yesterday, my main meal was a blueberry and chia pudding with almond milk.   Tonight, cod and salad.

Was practicing at the church yesterday at 1:30 am, so I got to bed by 4am, which is ok, was up by 10:20.  

 

Hard bike sprint

Pushing 90º at my house late this afternoon.  Nothing but 90º weather and dry days in the forecast for this week.  I was feeling bad about gaining some weight so I did a hard bike sprint.   Perceived effort felt close to max, very hard, but still 14 sec slower than my previous, although HR data very similar.  Seat was too low, had it adjusted for Roya but I'm off the seat about 20% of the time anyway.

2.5 mile mountain bike sprint - Laurel Branch Trl

Time - 9:53

Avg speed - 13.8 mph

Max HR - 172

Avg HR - 160 (inc 1 min recovery at end) 

HR over 156 - 8:37

HR over 170 - 2:21

Night before last, I stayed up til well past 4 am practicing.  I've reasoned it's not good to do that and lose my entire morning, so I think, be to bed by 2:30 ish, unless I'm recording in the church.   

Will work on my diet.  The problem is I often use drinks like tea and ices coffee as appetite suppressants. Not the healthiest thing.  

145.8 after workout.  3.4 lbs heavier than when I did the same workout 9 days ago.  My Hume pod still tells me I'm at 12.2% body fat which is bogus.  When I'm lighter it says higher.   

bike climb, easy

 It had been a 5 days since I was on the bike.  Still doing the daily pullups and pushups but a lot of time on my butt practicing, the musician lifestyle not as conducive to fitness than the full time sprint training lifestyle.  I've often said there are great parallels between music training and athletics, but where they are different is time.  Even in the most intense week of sprint training, I might up put in to 12 hrs a week between track, bike, and weights... 6 days a week.  For concert preparation it can be easily 30+ hrs a week and always 7 days a week.  There are no days off.  It's repetitious and methodical.

Have gained significant weight.  Was waking up at 142-143.  This morning hit a month long high of 146.8.   I'll be able to correct that.

Bike climb yesterday was not "easy" ... never is, but I didn't push hard as I did last week.  Wanted to keep my HR lower.  It was cooler, heat index in mid 80ºs instead of mid 90ºs.  

Roark's Cove bike climb

Total time - 25:10

Avg speed - 5.6 mph

Max HR - 176

HR over 170 - 4:54

Avg HR - 159

Last weekend, HR on this climb was over 170 for 11:37 vs 4:54 min by comparison, and over 180 for 1:36, and almost 3 min slower.   Afterward I went to the track and did a little stretching.  

I need to do a more 2.5 mile sprints on my road.  On Thurs had a weird issue with my left knee, I did some squats before I went to bed and it was sore when I woke up, almost bad enough to cause a limp.  It went away and feels fine now. 

Weather continues like summer, 90ºs forecast and no rain for the coming week.

Bike interval sprints, running test on turf, WMAC

Cooler today, 70ºs by evening.  Got the bike out to campus to do the 400m sprint intervals.  Hard workout and not as fast as usual.  I even failed to remain standing for the full 400m on the bike.  Did go hard though. 

4x400m bike sprints w/ 2:30 rest

top speed: 27.6, 26.1, 26.0, 26.2

Max HR -164

Interesting that again, max HR recorded after reps, not during. 

At the track, did my usual warmup and stretches.  Then put the offloader brace on for some run testing.  Started with some drills and high knee running on turf.  Then accelerated out of the high knee drill cautiously for short distances, 20m of actual running.  Felt fine.  Did it again.  Felt real good in fact.  So I did the same thing one final time and accelerated to sprint speed and held it for about 40 yds.  It was awesome!   Felt zero pain for the first time running in a while.  I really wanted to do more but I shut it down.  

Hopefully, and cautiously, more running to come.   However, my return to running is going to be super slow, especially as I enter concert season.  I'm thinking once every 2 weeks or so, maybe something like 4x50m on turf w/ 30 sec rest to test the waters.  Then ramp up slowly.  

Ate REALLY poorly last night, carbs.  It put me down into a very sound nap, I woke up at 9pm, made tea (gave up my caffeine fast), and practiced for 3+ hrs.  Then at 1:30am, went to the Cathedral to play my program, got home at 3:30 am, finally got to sleep about 5am.   Musicians lifestyle not real healthy.  Got to fight that.  It was my first test of the high strung guitar in All Saints.  I'll post some video on my other blog at some point.  

Just a day of poor eating and I gained a few lbs,  was about 145 when I woke up.  

WMAC:

I've heard people saying that if more former elites were involved in Masters track, people like myself wouldn't be winning championships.   Probably true, but here's an interesting data point: 

This year's WMAC M60 400m champion, Tim M. was an elite, part of the World Championship 4x400m relay team for the Bahamas, and Bronze medalist Olympian.  His winning time in Daegu was 56.24 at age 60.  I ran 56.23 at age 61.   Just saying....