Hard effort this morning after not doing much yesterday except for 2 set pullups (19) and pushups (25).
2.5 mile bike sprint - Laurel Branch Trl
Time - 10:45
HR max -169
HR over 160 - 10:24
It did seem really hard probably due to an aggressive start.
Hopefully make a dent in my overweightness. About 146.
Incredible weather continues. Was 45º last night. Presently mid 60ºs, bright sun, dry.
Thanks to Joe who suggested that cystatin-c test that my PCP ordered.
SAVE ME JOE.
I stayed til Tuesday on the river, it was so beautiful. I slept really well.
I did another bike climb but slow, kept the HR in the 160s mostly. Took it easy, burned some calories. Hit a downhill PR of 44mph.
Tuesday:
Raccoon Mtn bike climb - 8 miles round trip
Time: ~42 min
HR over 160 - 33:47
HR over 170 - 3:07
Wed. was busy. Collecting things from home, cleaners, school, lunch with Joe, then Drs appt. Dr. said that my kidney function was still in the "green zone" and cystatin-c test indicated adequate kidney function of GFR at 76. I made the case for a angiography and he gave me a referral to Vanderbilt Cardiology.
Before all that, my first thing was to run stadium stairs. I didn't give myself enough time to one up myself and do 16, had only about 35 min but did 11. It was still hard. Am feeling it today, two workouts in a row. Probably do upper body today.
Wednesday;
MTSU Stadium Stair x 11
I was up at 5:30 this morning, and assisted Isaac in doing some tree work. Trimmed the big tree over my Sewanee house. Then took a nap. Glorious weather. Only in the 60ºs and dry today, going to 43º tonight.
Boat is running great for a nearly 40 yr old boat.
First time out in the boat this yr and the weather was perfect, about 80º for the climb and about 60º at night. I met Bill M. on the river and we did the ~1500' climb up the mtn, 13 miles round trip.
I didn't really push hard, wanted to keep my HR under 170 as much as possible. It wasn't fast. My PR for the initial climb to the overlook is just under 32 min. This was only about 41 min. HR 160-170 for about 30m.
Latest test results.
Weird that there was so much change from my previous results only a couple weeks ago. Everything in these latest results were relatively normal.
Here's a comparison of these tests:
Lipids and glucose - 4/11 vs 5/7:
Cholesterol: 229, 190
LDL: 160, 123
HDL: 49, 42
Ratio: 4.7, 4.52
Triglycerides: 92, 141
Glucose: 89, 100
Kidney function (blood test)- 4/9 vs 4/24 vs 5/7
eGFR (blood - calc): 68, 57.82, 68.13
Creatinine: 1.17, 1.25, 1.20
Cystatin-C: 1.00
Kidney function (Urine Test) 5/7:
eGFR: 76
Urine Creatinine: 46.2 mg/dl
Micro-Albumin: 0.7 mg/dl
Albumin/Creatinine ratio: 15.1
Everything else including liver enzymes, etc... all normal. So I guess I'm ok. I will press Dr for an angiography when I see him on Wed, in light of my brother's issues and the higher LDL and ratio.
Earlier this week, I did squat jumps, and another bike sprint yesterday along with pullups, ab wheel, and pushups.
Tues -
4 x 12 squat jumps with 44 lbs
Wed -
Bike sprint 2.5 miles Laurel Branch Trl - 10:38
Pull ups (19), pushups (25), ab wheel (20)
Thurs -
15 x stadium stairs at MTSU
The squat jumps were a bit hard on the knees but didn't notice til the next day. Bike sprint was in between rain showers, good and hard but 20 sec shy of my PR.
Today I did stadium stairs. 15, a lot considering my present shape and weight (146). I was in Murfreesboro for a blood draw and urine sample. There was a time I could've done these pretty much consecutive, but after 7 or so, I was taking brief sitting rests between each. Without, the fatigue would have made these a 'march' at the top rather than a run or sprint. With resting in between, I could really do many more, but it was still really hard. Knees felt a bit sore at the start but actually much better afterward. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.
Yesterday did the bike sprint intervals. Today did the 2.5 mile sprint with hills. Both hard. I'm thinking these types of workouts plus strength are probably better than these 25 min hill climbs where my HR is over 170 for 15-16 minutes, over 180 for 2-3 min. I still push it to the 170s but just for short duration. Maybe do a hill climb once a month or so.
Bike sprint intervals - 4 x 400m w/ 2:30 rest
max speed: 28.4, 27.5, 28.4, 28.5
Max HR - 173
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Bike sprint - 2.5 miles on Laurel Branch Trl
total time - 10:18 (tied PR)
Max HR - 179
HR over 170 - 5:18
Avg HR - 165
Going for a blood draw again this week. Kidney function tests and week after, followup with my PCP, and will press him for an angiography.
Diet and heart disease
My brother's latest determination of celiac artery blockage was called into question by one of his Drs because it was ultrasound based, so he's pressing for a more definitive test, a CT w/ contrast.
His Dr., a DO, is one of these Keto diet guys. I'm all for low carb low sugar diet but to be extreme about it is not particularly sensible to me. I get the low carb thing, carb = sugar. These keto bros / carnivores are totally into this idea that you can eat unlimited fat as long as you eat zero carbs and sugar. The fact is that it does work to lose weight, but for some people, this keto diet will cause heart disease if you’re a “responder” to dietary fat. And you don't know if you are unless you test prolifically. Not just standard lipid panels, but more advanced tests like lipid fractionation, apolipo ratios, Lp(a), inflammation, imaging like angiography, etc... CACs are good but not enough, same with lipid panels, and it's ridiculous to draw any conclusions from the once per year lipid panel... but better than nothing. Lipid panels are cheap. Just $23 at Ulta.
The problem with tests like LDL or Lp(a) - these are a few of many factors that *may* contribute to heart disease / atherosclerosis. The development of CVD is a very complex and individual process, as we can see with the wide range of anecdotal experiences. Some have established heart disease yet live long lives. Some are affected by disease from lifestyle factors like diet, yet some aren't. Medical science observes general trends among the population, but there are always a lot of outliers on each end of the bell curve. You can definitely lose weight on carnivore / keto, usually by replacing carbs/sugar with protein and fat. Much of the confounding and conflicting data on the subject ignores the fact that there is no general rule for all people on affect of dietary fat. Different people are affected differently by dietary cholesterol as the process for atherosclerosis is complex and dependent on many factors -including genetic disposition. Frankly, looking at it any other way is tantamount to pushing an agenda, a hasty generalization, overly simplistic, or plain disingenuous. Not much long term data on the results of carnivore / keto diets.
Monday, I had an appt with a structural engineer to look at my house and an appt with a tree guy in Sewanee 90 min later. I rushed out of a faculty senate meeting and ran about a half mile to my car on pavement. I was 5 min late getting home for the meeting to receive a text telling me he would be 30 min late. He also made me miss my meeting in Sewanee. During the run on pavement, I felt I strained my knee but went to the gym later that night and rowed anyway. Next day Tues, I tried a running workout and couldn't manage it. Just did some high knees and a few 50s on turf. Knee felt bad the next day. So, haven't been doing anything but 'old man stuff' like mowing my lawn, working on my boat. It's weird. I can jump, bike, row, run stairs... just can't sprint.
Finished off the year at both colleges and now just enjoying the awesomeness of spring. Going to delve back into music and start gingerly back on the bike and rower, no running for a while. Still trying to lose weight. Tough to do without these big workouts. Hanging at 146-147. I had a Thurs party for my students and ate stuff I ever usually do, but not a lot - pizza and chips.
My brother gave me more bad news that he has more blockages in his celiac and mesentaric arteries, along with a possible beginnings of an aortic aneurysm. Makes me want to get that angiography even more. He complains of weight gain but still eats pasta ... blames it on the drugs. He's over 190 lbs. (If there was one thing that will put the weight on you, it's pasta). He's never eaten well (healthy) and I guess he just assumes the damage is done and his drugs will control it.
I did secure an appt with my PCP to get those tests for kidney function: eGFR, c-cystatin, and others. I'll push for an angiography.
It's so lush and cool in Sewanee. Only low 60s today.
I'm definitely not in as good of shape as I had been. Workouts have been irregular, and conditioning workouts less.
On the rower tonight I was only able to do 3 sets of 500m w/ 1min rest. HR only came down to 170 after 1 min after third rep, so I folded.
Stretches, drills
Concept 2 rower
3 x 500m w/1 min rest - 2:03, 2:09, 2:11 (avg 2:08)
standing box jumps 30", ham curl, leg extension
HR did a weird thing again, wonder if it's equipment or some heart irregularity. I topped out at about 181 after 3rd rep and it jumped in one second to 190, so probably equipment anomaly.
Still too heavy, almost 147 this morning. Time to start eating right. Just in time for my Thursday end of yr party. Right.
I was reminded that I'm still unable to really run as I felt some pain as I ran to my car yesterday, late for a meeting, across parking lots and grass. If I'm not warmed up, running hurts.
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WR
I was just looking at the stats of Sabastian Sawe's earth shattering 1:59:30 marathon in London. He averaged 68 sec for 104 consecutive 400s. He ran a 4:12 mile after running 23 miles, he ran a 13:42 5k beginning at mile 21. 99% of humans can't run 100m at that pace. Incredible human achievement. Also, Yomif Kegelcha ran 1:59:41 in his first marathon finishing second. Kiplimo also under the previous WR at 2:00:28.
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