Yeah, I'm going to start running. I'm going to do the Couch to 5K plan, because it'll force me to start slow and run often. I did my first day today, in the frigid conditions. I'm not sure why I thought that it was a good idea, except it was probably the only way to get myself out of the house today.
I started by layering on a baselayer and two fleeces, then a pari of yoga pants with warmups on top, cozy socks, running shoes, a hat, and heavy gloves. It was about -10F outside and I thought that would be enough. It was almost, but not quite. I survived, though, and made my way toward the cemetery (the only place with a path cleared of snow longer than 2 blocks). I ran 60 seconds, then walked 90 seconds. Repeated 8 times, with warm up and cool down walks. That's it for day one. It was harder than I expected, possibly because the cold air made it hurt to breathe in. That'll just make the next time seem that much easier. On the plus side, I love my comfy new shoes, and my knees don't hurt at all yet.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Long time no ride
I've been neglecting this blog, mostly because I've been neglecting my road bike. Poor Paris hadn't seen the great outdoors for over two weeks. I was determined to change that tonight. I spent the entire day holed up in Muddy Waters working diligently on my focus group transcription, knowing that at the end of it all I would reward myself with a nice long ride on Paris. It had been hot out, but beautiful and sunny when I arrived at the coffee shop. At some point, in the four hours I was there, the weather gods decided to mess with me. As I left for home, it started to drizzle. It stopped by the time I arrived. I checked the hourly weather forecast... 50% chance of thunderstorms. Hmm... I looked outside and saw nothing but dark gray overhead, but a whole lot of light gray to the west. And the weather here always moves from west to east. Hmm... So I checked two other weather sites. They both agreed that it was only a 40% chance of showers for the next two hours (probably use the same satellite data). I decided to believe the majority and get myself all kitted up to ride.
It was still dry and the wind had died down when I walked out to the garage. As I was putting on my helmet and gloves, I heard the first raindrops. By the time I had my shoes on, the rain was coming down pretty seriously. I stood in the garage and contemplated my options. Give up? Or get wet? I chose to get wet, and boy did I ever. It poured, and thundered, and lightninged for the first 30 minutes of my ride. I kept looking ahead at the lighter gray skies in front of me, hoping that I would catch them or they would catch me before my willpower gave out. I did, or they did, doesn't matter which. The end result was a very wet start to a mostly dry 35 mile ride through the rolling countryside. Just right for getting back into the groove of things.
Oh, and as soon as I got home, it started to thunder, lightning, and pour down rain again. I guess the weather gods have a sense of humor.
It was still dry and the wind had died down when I walked out to the garage. As I was putting on my helmet and gloves, I heard the first raindrops. By the time I had my shoes on, the rain was coming down pretty seriously. I stood in the garage and contemplated my options. Give up? Or get wet? I chose to get wet, and boy did I ever. It poured, and thundered, and lightninged for the first 30 minutes of my ride. I kept looking ahead at the lighter gray skies in front of me, hoping that I would catch them or they would catch me before my willpower gave out. I did, or they did, doesn't matter which. The end result was a very wet start to a mostly dry 35 mile ride through the rolling countryside. Just right for getting back into the groove of things.
Oh, and as soon as I got home, it started to thunder, lightning, and pour down rain again. I guess the weather gods have a sense of humor.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
DOMS
There's an acronym for everything. That one happens to be Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness. Oddly enough, no one actually knows what causes DOMS. Muscle soreness during and immediately after exercise is the result of lactic acid that is produced under anaerobic conditions. Basically, your breathing/circulation can't keep up with your muscles' oxygen demand. That lactic acid is cleared out of the muscles and surrounding tissue within a matter of hours though, so it can't be the cause, and no other plausible explanation has been offered for the soreness you feel the day after a hard workout. Which, by the way is the point of this little physiology lesson. I hurt.
I was okay when I woke up this morning. Until I tried to move. Luckily, hungry outweighed sore and got me downstairs for breakfast, and I managed to work the worst of the kinks out pretty easily. I rode into school a bit slower than usual, but not too bad. And then I had a 5.5 hour lab class on my feet the entire time. By the end my legs were aching so badly I could hardly walk.
So, I ate lunch after lab, then registered for my next term, and then what did I decide to do? Go to the gym. Yeah, I'm brilliant. One heavy lifting workout later, and I limped home on my bike and am now curled up in bed and planning to not move again all night. Can't wait to see how bad the hurt is in the morning. Maybe I'll take tomorrow off.
I was okay when I woke up this morning. Until I tried to move. Luckily, hungry outweighed sore and got me downstairs for breakfast, and I managed to work the worst of the kinks out pretty easily. I rode into school a bit slower than usual, but not too bad. And then I had a 5.5 hour lab class on my feet the entire time. By the end my legs were aching so badly I could hardly walk.
So, I ate lunch after lab, then registered for my next term, and then what did I decide to do? Go to the gym. Yeah, I'm brilliant. One heavy lifting workout later, and I limped home on my bike and am now curled up in bed and planning to not move again all night. Can't wait to see how bad the hurt is in the morning. Maybe I'll take tomorrow off.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Learn Something
I remember talking with Neil before my first race back in February. He told me that my goal should be to "learn something." I also remember laughing about that later and deciding to add my own goals in too: Finish the race, and don't be last.
Well, things have changed and I'm beginning to appreciate the importance of "learn something." Tonight was a GVCC criterium (1 mile course, 30 minutes plus 5 laps). Last time I raced this course, it was 10 minutes shorter and I suffered miserably the whole time. This time I went into the race knowing that I would get dropped. There was no way around, so I decided to just put everything I had into hanging on for as long as possible, holding nothing back for the end. What does it matter if you've got energy left and you're sprinting for last anyway? So, with my goal being, "learn something" and my plan being, "Hang on for dear life and leave nothing in the tank," here's what I learned:
1. My maximum heart rate is actually 194. I figured that once I wore the monitor for a race I would discover a higher max HR.
2. It is physically possible for me to spend 20+ minutes with my HR over 170. It just hurts an awful lot.
3. A heart rate that high for that long will induce stomach heaves and retching, regardless of the fact that I am traveling at 25mph on a bike and so anaerobic that I can barely stay upright. Also, I can stay upright while my stomach tries, but thankfully fails, to spew Gatorade all over spectators.
4. A high cadence is the key to following people's moves. By keeping my cadence up, usually around 90-100, I was able to respond faster to accelerations, corners, and hills. Also, my muscles were burning less (though my lungs were burning just as much).
5. I've got the pure power to stay with the fast women, I just don't have the stamina. On the first lap, the group split in half. I managed to stay with the front half for almost a full lap. After they dropped me, I was still managing to work with the other chasers to help us all get back together and start moving up. Then we all started falling off the back one by one, and I was among the first to go.
6. Working with other people makes things much more interesting and fun. I spent almost half the race moving among the chasers, sometimes in the front few, sometimes dangling off the back, but there was always a goal with the others around. Find the wheel ahead of you and hang on until you can get around them. Then move up to the next wheel. It was the first time I've had the opportunity to do that and I really enjoyed it.
7. Spectators are a godsend. By the end of the race, I was suffering so badly that I couldn't even think. Every time I went past the finish line and heard people yelling, "Go get her wheel!" or "Move around her and catch the one in yellow!" I would realize that they were right, that's exactly what I should do, and I could do it. Without them telling me that, I would have been completely at a loss, since my brain had shut off. Also, a little bit of cowbell goes a long way.
9. I like crits. They're super fast, tricky, strategic, and basically sum up everything that I love about bike racing. Oh, and there are spectators. I really want to try a crit with a full-sized field of women at my level.
8. Perhaps the most important thing I learned tonight: I'm getting stronger. Compare this post with the one linked above. And then realize that this race was 10 minutes longer, fewer neutral laps, and everyone else is in much better racing condition than at the beginning of the season. I may have been dropped, and lapped, and I think I even finished last, but I'm still feeling pretty good about myself tonight.
So, that's what I learned. I'd say I reached, and possibly even surpassed my goal for the evening. Maybe next week I'll do it again and learn more.
Well, things have changed and I'm beginning to appreciate the importance of "learn something." Tonight was a GVCC criterium (1 mile course, 30 minutes plus 5 laps). Last time I raced this course, it was 10 minutes shorter and I suffered miserably the whole time. This time I went into the race knowing that I would get dropped. There was no way around, so I decided to just put everything I had into hanging on for as long as possible, holding nothing back for the end. What does it matter if you've got energy left and you're sprinting for last anyway? So, with my goal being, "learn something" and my plan being, "Hang on for dear life and leave nothing in the tank," here's what I learned:
1. My maximum heart rate is actually 194. I figured that once I wore the monitor for a race I would discover a higher max HR.
2. It is physically possible for me to spend 20+ minutes with my HR over 170. It just hurts an awful lot.
3. A heart rate that high for that long will induce stomach heaves and retching, regardless of the fact that I am traveling at 25mph on a bike and so anaerobic that I can barely stay upright. Also, I can stay upright while my stomach tries, but thankfully fails, to spew Gatorade all over spectators.
4. A high cadence is the key to following people's moves. By keeping my cadence up, usually around 90-100, I was able to respond faster to accelerations, corners, and hills. Also, my muscles were burning less (though my lungs were burning just as much).
5. I've got the pure power to stay with the fast women, I just don't have the stamina. On the first lap, the group split in half. I managed to stay with the front half for almost a full lap. After they dropped me, I was still managing to work with the other chasers to help us all get back together and start moving up. Then we all started falling off the back one by one, and I was among the first to go.
6. Working with other people makes things much more interesting and fun. I spent almost half the race moving among the chasers, sometimes in the front few, sometimes dangling off the back, but there was always a goal with the others around. Find the wheel ahead of you and hang on until you can get around them. Then move up to the next wheel. It was the first time I've had the opportunity to do that and I really enjoyed it.
7. Spectators are a godsend. By the end of the race, I was suffering so badly that I couldn't even think. Every time I went past the finish line and heard people yelling, "Go get her wheel!" or "Move around her and catch the one in yellow!" I would realize that they were right, that's exactly what I should do, and I could do it. Without them telling me that, I would have been completely at a loss, since my brain had shut off. Also, a little bit of cowbell goes a long way.
9. I like crits. They're super fast, tricky, strategic, and basically sum up everything that I love about bike racing. Oh, and there are spectators. I really want to try a crit with a full-sized field of women at my level.
8. Perhaps the most important thing I learned tonight: I'm getting stronger. Compare this post with the one linked above. And then realize that this race was 10 minutes longer, fewer neutral laps, and everyone else is in much better racing condition than at the beginning of the season. I may have been dropped, and lapped, and I think I even finished last, but I'm still feeling pretty good about myself tonight.
So, that's what I learned. I'd say I reached, and possibly even surpassed my goal for the evening. Maybe next week I'll do it again and learn more.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Excuses
Why I'm not racing tonight:
1. 90 degrees and very muggy (yuck)
2. Mold in all of my water bottles (oops)
3. Tired and lazy (as usual)
I actually did a lot of riding last week, and will get back to a lot of riding as soon as I have a usable water bottle or three. Maybe I can get some tomorrow.
1. 90 degrees and very muggy (yuck)
2. Mold in all of my water bottles (oops)
3. Tired and lazy (as usual)
I actually did a lot of riding last week, and will get back to a lot of riding as soon as I have a usable water bottle or three. Maybe I can get some tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Even more numbers
Ride on Monday morning:
Total Time - 1:52:23
Calories - 866
Average HR - 129 (68%)
Max HR - 177 (93%)
Time in Target Zone (Easy) - 48:24
It worked much better this time, I tightened down the chest strap and didn't notice the monitor losing signal at all. Hopefully it means that there wasn't any iPod interference. Tomorrow I'll be going to the gym, so I'll get numbers from a lifting session. Yay!
Total Time - 1:52:23
Calories - 866
Average HR - 129 (68%)
Max HR - 177 (93%)
Time in Target Zone (Easy) - 48:24
It worked much better this time, I tightened down the chest strap and didn't notice the monitor losing signal at all. Hopefully it means that there wasn't any iPod interference. Tomorrow I'll be going to the gym, so I'll get numbers from a lifting session. Yay!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Numbers
I really like numbers. Now that I have a heart rate monitor I have a lot more numbers to like. My goal for today was to figure out my maximum heart rate. There are formulas for that, which give me anything from 192-202bpm, but they aren't as accurate as actually going out there and testing it myself.
The test that seems to be agreed upon by most of the sources that I checked involves finding a road that is flat or a mild incline and, keeping a steady cadence around 90, increasing one gear every two minutes until I feel like I can't hold it any more. At that point, sprint as hard as possible for about 30 seconds. So, that's what I tried to do, and I ended up with a max HR of 188. That seems a little low based on the estimates I was getting from formulas, and I didn't really feel like I was at my limit, but I couldn't mentally push myself any harder. I bet that I'll see higher heart rates then that while I'm racing, especially if I'm ever in a position to sprint. Or maybe I just need someone to do it with me.
The other fun numbers that I get from my HRM involve HR zones. This particular monitor gives 3 zones: hard (170-152), moderate (133-151) and easy (114-132). The ranges are set automatically based on my height, weight, sex, max HR, and resting HR. Each time I use the HRM it will record how long the total ride was, and how long I spent in each zone, as well as my max and average HR for that ride and an estimate of how many calories I burned. For example, my ride this morning was 1:25:52, with 23:50 easy, 22:58 moderate, and 19:52 hard. I don't really have an average HR for this ride because I stopped and started the HRM a few times, so the data is all split up. It estimates that I burned 623 calories, which is really low because of a few problems I had.
The problems mostly involved it giving a ridiculously low HR reading. I can guarantee that my HR was never 37 and never will be 37 while I'm on my bike. Frankly, if my resting HR ever gets down to 37 I'll be shocked. Usually it didn't give a reading that stupid. Usually it gave one that was about half of what I thought it should be. For most of the ride I should probably have been around 140, but I frequently saw readings in the 60s and 70s. So, since the HR was regularly underestimated, the calorie count is low and the zone times are only a minimum. I think the cause of the problem was probably the positioning of the band around my chest, and possibly interference from something (maybe my iPod?). It seemed to get better for a while when I turned the iPod off, which is weird but possible, I guess. I'm going to go browse around Polar's website to see if I can troubleshoot it.
Now that I have this HRM I can do a lot more planning of my workouts and make sure that I'm getting the kind of workout I need. It'll be really useful and a lot of fun for things like races to see how hard I'm really working. Ideally it would be a power meter and I'd get to measure my wattage output, but that's a little bit too much for someone like me. Maybe someday.
The test that seems to be agreed upon by most of the sources that I checked involves finding a road that is flat or a mild incline and, keeping a steady cadence around 90, increasing one gear every two minutes until I feel like I can't hold it any more. At that point, sprint as hard as possible for about 30 seconds. So, that's what I tried to do, and I ended up with a max HR of 188. That seems a little low based on the estimates I was getting from formulas, and I didn't really feel like I was at my limit, but I couldn't mentally push myself any harder. I bet that I'll see higher heart rates then that while I'm racing, especially if I'm ever in a position to sprint. Or maybe I just need someone to do it with me.
The other fun numbers that I get from my HRM involve HR zones. This particular monitor gives 3 zones: hard (170-152), moderate (133-151) and easy (114-132). The ranges are set automatically based on my height, weight, sex, max HR, and resting HR. Each time I use the HRM it will record how long the total ride was, and how long I spent in each zone, as well as my max and average HR for that ride and an estimate of how many calories I burned. For example, my ride this morning was 1:25:52, with 23:50 easy, 22:58 moderate, and 19:52 hard. I don't really have an average HR for this ride because I stopped and started the HRM a few times, so the data is all split up. It estimates that I burned 623 calories, which is really low because of a few problems I had.
The problems mostly involved it giving a ridiculously low HR reading. I can guarantee that my HR was never 37 and never will be 37 while I'm on my bike. Frankly, if my resting HR ever gets down to 37 I'll be shocked. Usually it didn't give a reading that stupid. Usually it gave one that was about half of what I thought it should be. For most of the ride I should probably have been around 140, but I frequently saw readings in the 60s and 70s. So, since the HR was regularly underestimated, the calorie count is low and the zone times are only a minimum. I think the cause of the problem was probably the positioning of the band around my chest, and possibly interference from something (maybe my iPod?). It seemed to get better for a while when I turned the iPod off, which is weird but possible, I guess. I'm going to go browse around Polar's website to see if I can troubleshoot it.
Now that I have this HRM I can do a lot more planning of my workouts and make sure that I'm getting the kind of workout I need. It'll be really useful and a lot of fun for things like races to see how hard I'm really working. Ideally it would be a power meter and I'd get to measure my wattage output, but that's a little bit too much for someone like me. Maybe someday.
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