Easy bike climb

Today, my goal was to get up the mountain as easy as possible, keeping my HR as low as possible.  No hard sprinting, resting on flats, staying in 1st gear a lot, zig zagging a bit.  And I did it.  Wow what a difference, despite the heat.  It was mid 80ºs with heat index well into the 90ºs.

Roark's cove rd bike climb - 26:20 min

Max HR - 172

Avg HR - 151

Time over 170 - 1:03

Avg speed - 5.36 mph

HUGE difference, Mon v Wed:

On this climb, I really slowed down before the big climb, bringing my HR down to 128.  Monday, I was at 170 in the same place.  Just started too fast on Monday.  

I was concerned after Monday that maybe I was hurting myself with such a high HR.  I consulted my friend Gary, a cardiac surgeon and a FB group on the subject.   I asked why my HR was so high for my age, was my heart inefficient, small, defective?  Is this type of exercise dangerous?

Dr. Gary's response:

" really doubt you’re hurting yourself.  The key data point is how fast and to what depth your HR comes down to at 60 seconds AFTER you stop your workout….before any cool down.  It should drop at least 12 beats per minute and depending on your environment and fitness it could drop as much as 30 beats per minute.   Deeper the better. You are able (for now) to exceed your calculated (estimated) max HR. As you age, you may not be able to overshoot this as much. As long as you’re not dizzy, lightheaded etc with this max HR, I think you’re fine."

So, based on this, I probably shouldn't worry.  That Monday workout was an anomaly, started so fast due to the on coming storm.   

Also, I chatted with a cyclist who once held the M60 WR for mileage in one hr (velodrome track).  He said his HR averaged 165 for an hour and he was 62 at the time.  He also developed afib and coronary artery disease 2 yrs later.  Sort of verifying what I had read about heart issues caused by long term extreme endurance training, particularly afib.  I don't want to put myself in the same danger as such athletes so I'm going to not try for a repeat of what I did on Monday, except maybe once or twice a month, or when I'm going for a PR.  Also, I learned there are many athletes my age who have high max HRs.  Those tables are just averages and certainly don't include masters athletes, let alone 400m sprinters.  

Before today's climb, I also swam about 400yds at the lake.  Had the place to myself.  Swimming weather is definitely back.  

 

hard climb

With an approaching severe thunderstorm, I had just enough time to get a bike climb in and I pushed it pretty hard.  2+ min faster than the previous one.  Really worked the heart hard today.  Some of the highest HR I've measured.

Roark's Cove Rd bike climb - 23:20

Max Heart Rate - 189

Avg Heart rate over 25:17 - 173

HR over 170 - 17:48 

Avg speed - 5.85 mph

I probably started out too fast and when I started the 700m long steep, HR was already at 170.  HR was over 180 for 3:44.   That's a long time to be near max HR.  

The total time includes a short coast to the car after the summit.  According to every standard formula for age and Max HR, mine is about 30 bpm higher than normal.  

Bike climb and more shed work, Sewanee track

 After some work on the shed, where I installed the roof of the back section, and cleaned up the area, I went to town to do a bike climb.  I suffered a bit more on this one because I did it after eating.  Not a good idea.  It was a minute+ faster than last time and my heart rate showed it.  I no longer measure my HR to recovery, I shut off the monitor after putting my bike in the rack, about 3 min after summiting the hill, so for this climb, 25:20 to summit, 27:28 total time including ride to car.  So, that will give me a more accurate avg HR and avg speed for the activity itself.   

Roark's Cove Rd bike climb - 25:20

Max HR - 186

HR over 170 - 10:33

Avg HR - 163

          Avg speed - 5.53 mph

Faster than last time but much more taxing. 

Putting this roof on was a challenge, having to cut these joists at precise length and angle - ends about 8º, and not having someone to hold the other end, had it invent tools to hold up one end while I screwed the other.  Next, epoxy the floor and get a truckload of gravel to put in this space.  There is no way to get the dump truck behind the shed so it's going to be real labor intensive to do it w/ shovel and wheelbarrow.  

I was disappointed to learn the Sewanee track will be predominantly gray with purple exchange zones.  I would have much preferred the reverse and in a poll I put up on the Sewanee FB group, nearly everyone agreed with me.  

It's going to look something like this.

Bike climb, easy

Today, I did the usual bike climb but did it with goal of not trying to raise my HR above 170 as much.  It was 2 min slower than last time, but I achieved the goal.  I took it real easy to recover on the less steep places and only averaged 5.5 mph through the whole climb.  The real steep part, HR still peaked at 178.  

Roark's Cove bike climb - 26:20.  

Max HR: 178

Avg HR: 154

Time over 170: 3:38 (13%)

Much less time over 170 bpm.   Avg HR was about the same, mostly because I shut down the monitor as soon as I got off the bike, 2 min after reaching the top.  I didn't include the recovery as I usually do.   

This is quite a bit easier than trying to maintain a sub 24 min pace.  

Gym, stairmaster, rower, V02 max discussion

A very brief but intense workout in the gym.   

I had been reading Attia's concept of improving V02max.  He describes it as a pyramid, the wide base of foundation and the peak of intensity / maximum capability.   I don't particularly subscribe to his concept of 80/20 proportion of zone 2 / HIIT.   But, not really sure of what 'zone 2' cardio actually is.  Definitions vary from 60% to 75% of max HR.   For me, based on a max HR of 185, that would be a large range from 111 to 139.  Now I can definitely see the benefit of maintaining a session of w/ HR in the mid 130s, but that really would seem to be the minimum of anything that would help fitness... for me.  I can stay in that range with just a leisurely flat bike ride or a swim.  But, whenever I do something like a bike climb, stair master, rower, and certainly a track workout, I'm pushing my HR to near the max for a brief time.  

Zone 2 seems to be a waste of time.  Consider my gym workout today.  Very brief, just 16 min hill climb program on the stairmaster (level 15),  one set of hip flexor machine (25X), one set of adductors, and one 1:59 sec 500m sprint on the rower.  It was over in 30 min.  Including 10 minutes cool down, just walking, my avg HR was well over zone 2 at 154 for 40 min, peak of 186 on stairmaster, and 9:34 was over 170, 24% of the total time.  It would seem to me, workouts like this would be more efficient and effective in developing V02max.  

In a typical track workout, I'm well into zone 2 and at times, and sometimes higher during my 20-30 min warmup.  After an intense tempo set lasting 5-12 min, my HR will stay at or above zone 2 for at least 15 min+ afterward.  So, considering the time it takes to recover to a below zone 2 HR, you're talking an average of more than zone 2 over the course 45 min to an hour+.  On days were I do full out long sprints like 150s to 300s with long rest in between, my HR will stay in zone 2 during long 15 min rests.  I can easily average zone 2 HR over 2 hours on such days.   So, what is the point in just doing zone 2 exercise?  I mean it's better than nothing... but doesn't seem to really do it for me as far as developing athletic performance, or competition level V02max.  

Anyway, Peter Attia is a 51 yr old "retired athlete," a former bike racer I think.  I essentially started my masters athletic career at 48 with 5ks, then age 50 with track.  Bottom line is Attia is not an athlete.   I guess maybe his approach is more for the average non athlete?  What do you think?  

Stairmaster - 16 min level 15 hill program

25x hip flexor machine w/ 150lbs each leg

adductor machine 10X w/ 150 lbs

concept 2 rower 500m sprint 1:59

Holding at a nominal 144 lb weight.  

Bike climb

Did the bike climb again today plus a core workout yesterday.  Not much training lately.  Just home projects and a little guitar.  This climb was nice because the road was closed to traffic because of trees down, but it was fine for a bike.  70ºs, thunderstorms in the area.

Roark's Cove Rd bike climb - 24:20

Heart rate hit 183 max and was over 170 for almost 12 min.  A hard workout to do for the first time in a while.  

I visited my foot and my hand Drs last week.  Got a carpal tunnel shot in my RH and looked at R foot Xrays.  Dr. said it was 'amazing' I was running competitively with such bad R foot arthritis of the talonavicular joint.  He didn't think a neurectomy was a good and possibly ineffective course, and said a bone fusion wouldn't necessarily negate running.  Neither option is really good.  I asked about trying a nerve block to see if a neurectomy would work.  He suggested first to try a steroid injection and said they do it all the time.  I deferred and said I'd give it a try when I get back to training if necessary.  He also said that removing the bone spur might make it worse.  So, it's really just pain management.  Shoes make a huge difference.  In my bare feet, it's impossible to do a full weight single leg heal raise without pain, but can do it in shoes much easier.

Cooler rainy week forecast, probably not the best weather for the lake.  70ºs not 80ºs.

Hanging around 144 lbs,  weight is OK.  Going to try and get more bike and conditioning work in this week.  Shoulder is still an issue, healing slowly.   Finished the bulk of my construction project, the shed, but still have more work to finish it.  I'm using it now, building shelves, etc... 

Here the interior work bench.  

 

Water running, bike, shed building

4 weeks, no running.   I did one more bike climb Sat June 29, that was 5 in 6 days.   Since then, I've been working on the shed construction project and did 2 sessions of water running, (deep water, not touching bottom).  Same workout, Sunday and Monday.  

Water running: 

4 x 120 steps in 70-80 sec w/ 1 min rest

Got my HR up to 143 max, so not real hard.  

Turned M64 yesterday and definitely feeling my age.  Still suffering with shoulder pain from the injury 3 weeks ago, only seems to really hurt at night and affects my sleep.   Right hand is showing carpal tunnel symptoms and foot hurts when I spend a lot of time on my feet, but it's feels ok today.

This is the shed I've built single handedly, and it's kicked my butt.  Built the door frame today and will finish the door tomorrow.  Structure is almost done except the door, and some trimming around the roof.  Next will be work table and shelves, this weekend will be putting in the electric, then outlets, lights, and maybe an a/c unit through the back wall.  Then a couch and a TV of course.  Never ending.