Training for the Mountains in Life

Last night my O2 and HR were 95 and 46. The lower HR I'm seems to be a combination of health, fitness level and current activity of my body (before going to sleep it mostly involves time of last eating or exercising). This is my growing understanding as I check these numbers every night and have done so for years now. So, seeing a 46 was good: it means to me that I'm healthy, getting more fit and my body wasn't working hard digesting some bedtime snack.

(The photo is of the bush out back: still having dead flowers from last year, new growth is coming out, even on this cold and wet morning. A picture of our lives.)

This morning was more in line with what has become my regular routine: up early, exercise (and get some focus), help with the kids, fix some breakfast, prepare lunch to take with me, etc... The time of exercise was a little different in that I decided to do the weights first; mostly because it was cold (40's) and I didn't want to get sweaty riding my bike then get cold using the weights. It was a nice change and may do the weights first on days that I do both: weights and ride. One the reduced weight training I'm doing now, I'm still maintaining the same weights and reps - which is completely acceptable to me. The time on the bike was another 20 minute time of 90+ cadence in a gear that put my HR in the 130 range. (I then adjusted my bike seat (saddle) more forward and a bit higher; then downward. Before I replace my saddle, I want to make sure I'm not sitting on it in the wrong place. It's almost like a golf grip, or the breathing part of a swim stroke: it's important to get it right.) Then it was 10 maximum effort sprints, usually in very short duration: 10 seconds to spin up, 15-40 seconds of very hard effort in my bigger gears turning 120+ cadence. I saw 42 mph as a max, but I am disappointed to consider the thought that my new resistance unit is starting to fluctuate in it's resistance. It's hard to say on the sprint intervals as there is normal fatigue - but it felt like more. Tomorrow I'll ride more of a steady pace and see if the problem is real or just fatigue from today's training. 

It was a good effort this morning. I was thinking more of the others who are doing the 6 Day 600 mile ride - 9 of us. It's going to be neat, challenging, fun, hard, a battle of the will and body, ... something significant! Ed who's training in 20 degree weather, Doug who's training in 70 degree weather ... all preparing and coming together for this event! Proper words escape me ... !