Cascade Bicycle Club Cascade Training Series Ride #4: Absolutely amazing!
CBC CTS Y5 #2
I adore this group of people, but my heart rate just isn’t going faster than when I’m sitting at my computer. I have to change groups.
Training Load Gains
Garmin calculates a running tally of workout “load” based on the time and intensity of my workouts. While many metrics like “stress” and “body battery” feel too gimmicky for my taste, this load seems to have real wisdom. I noticed that it’s when I exceed the optimal load that I burn out and require so many rest days that I feel like I’m starting all over again. If Garmin doesn’t say I’m overdoing it, I tend to be able to stay on track. This is insightful for me during phases like the one I am in now where I’m working out less than typical, expect and remember the typical, but need to keep it slow to get back there. It was just a month ago that my optimal load was something like 300 a week, which is really hard to maintain considering I could exceed it by doing just 2 workouts. I took care, followed the data, and stayed on course. In a short amount of time, the high end of my load is up to 928. This is a number I can stay under and make steady, ongoing improvements with. Yay!
A little bit goes a long way
The aches and pains I felt as I struggled to be active again slowly decreased the harder I pushed. I tried so hard in December, harder in January, and now that it's March it's getting easier and more fun when the every moment. Here’s to more joy, more gentle and compassionate striving to improve, not matter where you are now.
Fit 3D Update: February 2021
Many benefits of cycling can be grouped into health. Next to how it feels and the joy it brings, this is the main reason I ride. My riding has dropped significantly in recent months, so I am happy to see the health impacts have been minimal. I am still perfectly OK.
I purchased a couple of Dexascans to use up health FSA money and the purchase came with a year of 3D body imaging. One cool thing about the 3D scan is that I get instant measurements of every body part. I have all the details I need to make a custom outfit!
100% Today
I started training just over a week ago. It’s been so hard. I needed to drop the session intensity by nearly 50% every ride just to finish. Today, I completed my whole ride at 100%. One step achieved! I can get there. I still have a long way to go, but now is not the time to nitpick. Now is the time to savor all wins! To health!
New Training Plan
Winter is coming. I want to go skiing. Skiing requires a long drive. So, I usually plan a trip where I ski several days in a row and stay overnight to justify the long drive. I want to go skiing so bad! Snow is already perfect in the Methow. My heart wants to go now, but my body isn’t ready. For the few weeks that my gym was open I enjoyed several great workouts, but I never acclimated enough to be able to go 2 days in a row. Wne I go skiing I need to be ready to comfortably exert myself several days in a row. Time to start a training plan! The gym is closed again, so I started a base plan on TrainerRoad. I started with a ramp test and saw a small decrease in FTP. Even with that, each workout has proved far too difficult and technical for my current skill level. I can’t let that get me down. Obviously, it is perfectly logical for me to see a decline in fitness after 2 months of minimal activity. If I stay positive and stick with it, I’m sure to see rapid gains. Right now, my only goal is to follow the program, even if that means I have to drop the workout intensity by 15 or even 50%. It will come back if I stay diligent.
TrainerRoad TSS calendar
I reached an all-time fitness peak starting the spring of 2018 that lasted all the way through the end of the year. For the sake of comparison, I’ll compare some fitness indicators from them with now:
My VO2 max is 42 from 48.
My resting heart rate is 60 bpm from 54 bpm.
My FTP is 191 from 194.
My muscle mass is 100 lbs. from 112 lbs.
My weekly training load average is 300 from 1300.
My monthly Garmin intensity minutes is 1000 from 4000.
Boxing workout tolerance is 1 day with a day off from 4 days in a row before needing a day off.
In comparing my activity level from my last ski trip, I can see where I need to be to have a good ski trip again. I don’t want to overreach and lose time. I can’t perform at the training load TrainerRoad wants me to for the first week of training. I wore myself out more than 80 TSS pointes below where it set me. My hope is to ramp my TSS/load/intensity minutes to the upper end of the safe range for each week such that I build enough tolerance to ski several days in a row and still enjoy each day.
I set up my White Bike on the trainer in the spare room. I am downwind from the cat’s litter box, but it’s better than I imagined. It’s actually perfect. I get a lot of cold air and space to my self so I can sweat, huff and puff unencumbered. I started TrainerRoad’s Sweet Spot Base mid volume 1 training plan a week ago. I plan to finish the training plan by Christmas and be at the planned TSS level. After that, I should only take me another month to get to the point where I can ski a few days in a row comfortably.
Garmin annual report for VO2 max and training load
Zwift
Zwift is an online game that uses your indoor bike trainer to control your character. You ride farther, harder and faster for in-game rewards. I don’t tend to play online games, so I don’t know the terminology, so I might not be saying everything quite right. You can unlock new and different frames, wheels, kits, gloves, helmets, and accessories. You can also unlock game modifiers like extra bursts of speed, drafting, and other perks. If you ride in a particular event, you can unlock special gear unique to that ride. The all-black kit my avatar is wearing in the picture above is from one of those rides. It was for a 3-day hill climbing tour. I had no idea what I was getting into when I signed up for the tour. It ended up being too hard and I didn’t ride again for a long time after. It was too hard, but I started and I had to finish. Only finishers get the jersey!
pRIDE ON!
Today I participated in the Zwift PRIDE RIDE, which they are hosting several times a week all month long. Today was my day to do it. My heart is warm. My pockets are full of hands; yes, hands in my pants. You have to play the game to get it. But it’s every bit as much fun as it sounds. Normally, you can click on another user to give them a “ride on!” a collectable thumbs-up that packs in your jersey pockets. FOr the Pride Ride, we have rainbow colored Pride on! thumbs instead. It made the ride more fun.
“THe Purple Armada”is a trans-centric cycling team and this particular ride was hosted by a pro cyclist. It really got me into the groove.
Strava Summary
Workouts with Garmin
I made my very own workout routine using a medicine ball and then loaded it into Garmin connect. I press start of my watch and it tells me what to do when and counts the reps. Counting the reps is only as good as the hand wearing my watch moves, but all in all it’s a pretty good way to exersize.
I don’t do this workout as often as I’d like. But I did it today, and I’m feeling proud. Every moment matters.
I’m 20 years old
The Garmin Fenix series watches make a calculated estimate of VO2 max based on recorded physiological data over time. People tell me it’s pretty accurate. I remain skeptical, but only because it thinks I’m better than I think I am. Still, a VO2max of 48, or even anywhere in the 40s for that matter is as about as good as a non-competitive woman in her 40’s can get. I’m going to bask in the feeling of achievement this analysis that Garmin gave me.
The TIme is Now
What do you do when you fall off the wagon? What do you do when you lose your mojo? It seems, at least for me, you reach an age where you know everything you need to know to live the best life. You think back to that book, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” and how stupidly profound that thought is. As a middle-aged adult, I find my biggest struggles are 5-year old struggles; self-discipline, eating right, sleeping right, staying active, having fun. As I’ve grown and the world became more complex around me, the things I struggle the most with are the ignorances I had as a child.
I look at my phone a lot. All the time. I named it, “my right arm.” My phone has an always-on display that can accomodate a picture. Reminders are helpful, often these are physical objects; keychains, rocks, or something like that. But they can be anything, even a picture. I chose “The Time is Now” because so often I look at a choice that sounds compelling in the moment. RIght now, I am drawn to these temptations, indulgences that seem impossible to resist. I know I’ll feel bad later…but right now, I’ll have just one little indulgence! How bad can it be? Over and over again those indulgences backfire. Eating an entire family bag of M&Ms is really fun in the moment….but feels terrible about 45 minutes later.
The Time is Now. Now is always when we need self-discipline. Not later. Now. I need to remind myself of this often. I posted this reminder on my phone and I see it all hours of they day. I the week that I’ve been looking at it, I felt better than I’ve felt in the past 2 months. What to make a difference in your life? Want to make the difference in the world? What is your mission; your calling? Now is the time to do it. There may not be the chance to later.
Swift Social Distance Cycling Club
The Seattle event to top all Seattle events; the “Swift Social Distance Ride.” All I had to do was take a ride BY MYSELF and take picture of all the things Swift Industries decided I should take pictures of and they would send me this nifty patch! I just got the patch in the mail today! I was so excited to see it, that I opened it up before letting it sit in the 3-day mail quarantine zone. Don’t worry, I opened the letter with tongs, recycled the paper, and then washed my hands before touching the patch inside. I am so happy with this patch! The question now is, where do I put it?
Bragging a Little Bit
My Garmin told me my VO2 Max is in the top 10% for my age and gender. Take that heart disease! No one can blame me for my ailments, no one! My will is stronger than my body.
Haleakala Goals
Trainer Road’s “Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast” answered the question I submitted about climbing Haleakula in Maui. Every year I visit Maui in March with family. Every year I sit in a van while we explore the island and I look longingly out the window at all the cyclists riding on the side of the road. I see cyclists climbing the mountain and I am in so much envy. One time we stopped at a rest area and I chatted a bit with a woman taking a rest. It wasn’t her first time taking the climb and she seemed to enjoy every moment; its reward and struggle. After we chatted a bit I found out she was from Seattle and lived not far from me.
My question starts at 1:42:04. They took a direction I didn’t expect. They started talking about “The Growth Mindset”. They pulled that I had a fixed mindset from the way I phrased my question. This is an uncanny direction to take. Just weeks ago my employer held a forum on the Growth Mindset and asked me to present as part of a penel. Each person talked about their fixed mindset past and the struggle trying to take a growth approach. A bit part of my personality is my drive to experiment. I am constantly trying to learn about the world around me and thrive with novelty. And barely weeks away, the group of strangers pull my fixed mindset out from just a few sentences of writing. In crafting my question I thought about how I would sound. I didn’t want to come across too boastful because I am not a racer. I phrased it with the goal of coming off humble, not fixed. But where did my need for humility come from? How fixed is my mindset really? I grew up in the Western culture that declares “you can do anything if you just put your mind to it”. At the same time, I am filled with worry and fear every time I ride. I still ride, and I guess that’s what makes me different from others. Needless to say, I don’t love the Growth Mindset approach. I can see how it’s what my employer needs, but it doesn’t touch me personally. That being said, I am now more driven than ever to take on the next challenge. Prove them wrong. I lived many years filled with insecurity, but that isn’t me now and hasn’t been for a long time. Check back soon to find out what my next big challenge will be.
2019 by the Numbers
I struggled physically all year in 2019. I felt tired nearly every workout and struggled to finish what felt easy before. I felt zesty and invigorated only a handful of days. I felt like I spent weeks and weeks feeling too fatigued to move. As you can see from the weekly bar chart, my activity trended up and down all year long, like a wave. It’s like I spent a few weeks working really hard, only to find I never got to the reward of feeling better. Then I’d rest. The cycle repeated over and over. The chart matches my memory. in 2019 I spent many weeks feeling like I was “peaking”, like I reached my personal best. The weekly bar chart matches that memory. You can see a gradual build until a few weeks of peak performance in the summer, after which I rested. The weird thing is I feel like I didn’t do as much activity in 2019 as I had in many years. However, my activity was quite higher than 2017. I did have some technical difficulties with my hardware in 2017, so I had more untracked workouts that year than the others, but I don’t think I missed so many as to make the difference shown. Why did 2019 feel so bad? It is aging? Is it because 2018 was so fantastic? Is it a glitch in life, perception, or my hardware? Who knows?
While I can’t help but be full of intentions and expectations for my physical self in 2020, I want to also take time to congratulate myself and recognize that I am still doing well even if it doesn’t feel that way.
Relax
This article from Bicycling.com discussed special relaxation techniques for cyclists. I’m happy to say I practice all of them! I must be SO relaxed!
On the flipside, I freaked out a little when I first saw the picture below. I read it as a recommendation; in that we should strive to do all these things. That’s impossible! What a great way to bring yourself down by trying to bring yourself up! Then someone pointed out to me that these are merely types of self-care out there. We are free to do or not do as many as necessary. Whew. OK, I can relax again.
Found from somewhere on the internet, I can’t remember where!
Personalized Heart Rate Zones Matter
Garmin’s Default Zones
Personalized Zones
I recently had a performance test (VO2 Max and maximal heart rate). The physiologists assigned personalized heart rate zones using the results of this test. I decided to compare my new zones with my “old” zones. My old zones were assigned by Garmin Connect. Garmin uses a lot of information to create your zones, but can only estimate VO2 Max based on other data. The charts above represent 2 bikes rides. Both rides were with the same riding group, in similar areas north of Seattle. Both rides were very similar in distance, elevation, time and effort. Really only things different are the times spent in each heart rate zone. Even the average heart rates are practically identical! Garmin has me spending a little time in zone 2 and 5 and nearly the whole ride in zones 3 and 4. My personalized zones have me spending most of my time in zone 2. I also spent 30 minutes in zone 1 and no time in zones 4 and 5.
What does this mean and why do I care? Zone training is a bit of a dying art in cycling these days, falling behind power training. I am a recreational rider, I don’t compete, I have nothing to gain from training beyond good cardiovascular fitness, so I see no reason for me to shell out hundreds of dollars for a power meter. Even so, I am motivated to perform at my best, so gazing at my heart rate from time to time makes sense to me. The first thing I was told when I got my zones was that the most useful thing for me to do was to avoid zone 3 (the green zone) better known as “no man’s land”. While this aerobic level is a great place to build strong endurance, apparently you build it faster by spending more time in zone 2, then pushing up to zones 4 and 5. My head sunk when I heard this “green zone” training is the most common mistake made by casual cyclists, as I knew I spent the overwhelming majority of my time in the green zone. It also seemed curious to me how much time I spent in the upper zones. I’d spend some rides almost entirely in the top 2 zones. That didn’t seem healthy. However, by adjusting zones for my real calculated VO2 max, you see that I actually spend most of my time in zone 2, like I should. However, I spent a bit of time in zone 1, which is no zone at all. Zone 1 in this case is sitting heart rate. My lab used a 4-zone method and Garmin uses 5, so my personalized zone 1 is nothing and zone 2 has a wide range encompassing both warm-up and low intensity activity. Since my tracker times out when I am stopped, I spent too much time riding my bike not working out at all. I also spent a bit of time in zone 3, but I think that’s OK for this type of ride. It was a group ride, and our goal was to ride at the same pace, so nothing really called for the higher zone use.
I think it’s pretty interesting how different the graphs look. The “accurate” graph far better reflects my perceived exertion, for what it’s worth.
Heart Rate Zone Training Chart
I found this chart from a web search. I don’t like the “lose weight” category. From what I understand, the assumption of using zones to lose weight has been disproven. Even though it is easier and more sustainable for most people to do activity at low intensities (like walking), burning 100 calories walking or doing box jumps is the same 100 calories to your body’s caloric needs at the end of the day. That being said, I liked this chart the best out of the many out there.
2018 in Summary: Most miles in 6 years
2018 turned out to be a fantastic year for physical activity. I logged 3,750 miles total. 3,600 of those miles were logged on the bike. My past few years have looked like this:
2018: 3600
2017: 2,897
2016:2,760
2015: 2,744
2014: 1,784
2013: 3,048
I am happy about the year in so many other ways. I rocked it in the boxing gym, too. Overall, I kept pretty consistent whether it was cycling, boxing, skiing, yoga or hiking. I added a lot more meditation to my regime this year and kept great sleep hygiene. I stayed healthy with no major upsets. I managed stress well, although 2018 didn’t bless me with any severely stressful events. I feel healthier than I’ve ever felt before, and even felt like I was at my “peak” a couple of times. It’s an amazing feeling.
From Strava
My Own Best Self
I recently took a fitness test that measured my VO2 Max, ventilatory values and lactate threshold. I went to a physiology lab at a college to take the test. Each test is sport specific, so I mimicked cross-country skiing when I did mine. I stood on a wide, sticky treadmill with ski poles. The physiologists strapped a large mask over my nose and mouth to measure my breathing and oxygen consumption. It covered so much of my face that it helped me feel more on my own, diminishing the extreme anxiety I felt being in a “test” environment. On the flip side it was hard to breathe and felt a little claustrophobic. They strapped a heart rate monitor to my chest. I wear my own monitor every day, so that was no big deal. In fact, the polar chest strap felt so comfortable that I forgot it was there. My own Wahoo strap has to be unpleasantly tight to stay on and I look forward to removing it the second I finish working out. As I started walking on the treadmill, they incrementally increased its elevation and speed. They pricked my finger every 3 minutes to measure the lactic acid in my blood. They had to keep increasing it more than they anticipated because my fitness was higher than they or I predicted.
It turns out my VO2 max is literally “off the chart” at 45.5 ml/kg/min. The chart above doesn’t have a top end, it just lists over 36.9 as superior for my age group. The chart the lab uses lists 39 to 42 as superior for my age group. Even though cardiovascular capacity decreases with age, I am still superior for any age! perused the internet a bit to learn more about these numbers, and immediately noted that every chart is a little bit different. Still, I rate as “superior” for all of them. Many sources cited that heavier weight decreases the calculation. I ate a gigantic resort omelet just before the test. Not sure if that was to blame, but I weighed in 9 pounds heavier than I do at home. Could it be that my “real” weight is less, making my “real” VO2 max even higher than the result? I also read that VO2 max decreases at altitude. Since I took the test at a significantly higher altitude than home, could it be that my “home” VO2 max is even higher still? This came to me as a massive confidence boost. Every stumble, every insult, every insignificance I felt onward from this test couldn’t dampen my spirit. Now I can simply say to myself, “well, sure I’m really bad at (fill in the blank), but I have a super high Vo2 max! For real!” This is cold, hard data, no one can disprove it.
This test also reminded me that you do improve whatever it is you put your heart into. Sure, cardiovascular health is really important to me. I started blood pressure medication as a teenager and nearly every relative I have survived a heart attack, died from a heart attack, or both. A deep drive to take out any smidge of “personal responsibility” out of any poor health conviction or disease I may have is a strong desire for me to eat and exercise responsibly. That that is just what got me going. The truth is I LOVE riding my bike. I LOVE skiing. I LOVE my boxing classes. It comes natural to spend many hours a week doing these activities. I put a lot of energy in my 20’s worrying about weight and image. My daily energy in the past decade has been more one of love, exploration, and accomplishment. I didn’t think about scoring my relative fitness once, I just did what I love and strived to be my best self. When I was younger, I LOVED drawing. I drew all the time. I probably spent as much time drawing in a day as I exercise now in a week. I got pretty good at it. I don’t draw much any more, so I am reminded that while interests change, it still matters to do what you love.
I need to acknowledge how much my life situation contributes to my fitness. I demand jobs with easy commutes. I never lasted long in any job with a drive. I had the luxury to choose jobs that meet this quirky requirement that I seem to be alone in demanding. I am incredibly lucky that I found a job and a home with an easy commute that I can do almost every day. I have a stable job that pays enough to supply me with quality gear that keeps me comfortable when I’m riding. I have a relaxed enough job that I am not too tired to exercise outside of work. I have a relaxed enough boss that it’s ok for me to start about 10 minutes later than my official start time to allow time to get dressed after my gym class ends (I make up for the lost time at the end of the day). I spent a few years going through different gyms. I just lucked out with this one. A work friend mentioned she went there, and it just hit me that I should try it too (this is a pun because it’s a boxing gym). The gym really took my fitness to the next level. I’ve always had strong thighs, ever since I played soccer in high school. I had strong arms and lats before from lifting weights. Biking gave me cut calves. But I never, ever had a strong core. The boxing gym, Title Boxing Club, gave me visible obliques and shoulder muscles.
I spent a lot of time feeling like I’m at my best, at my peak, this year. It’s a wonderful feeling. Every day, every moment, I am thankful for the gifts that help me feel this way; health, good fortune, and not having the setbacks of injury or collusion when out on the road.