"The Use of an External Catheter for Racing (or just convenience)"
Of the almost 35,000 pageviews of my blog over the past two years this post (Dec 26, 2010) has received the most pageviews: 1,113. More than twice the number of the runner up.
I don't know what to make of that.
Do you?
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
2012: Wrapping It Up and Planning 2013
2012 has been the first year I was able to maintain some consistency in my cycling training.
Some 2012 data:
A. Mountainous and remote terrain requires smart and detailed attention to the following:
E. Be vigilant in the consumption of food and water on rides of 3+ hours. I've always had a problem remembering to eat and drink until it is literally too late and my performance has suffered.
F. Realistic planning of the cycling events for the upcoming year. Allows for specific training, recovery and an important balance (family, social, etc) in my life.
G. Economic assessment as to whether it is worth it to, e.g., drive 6 hours to do a 60 mile group ride (NOT!).
H. Emotional preparedness to experience ridicule and discounting by DF bike riders for riding a recumbent bike. (There is a baseless assumption that equally fit recumbent cyclists can't climb that I love to disprove).
I. A welcoming appreciation by the general public and other cyclists for riding a recumbent bike.
J. Pain and suffering should not be the `goal' of ultracycling. Rather, the ability to learn from experience so that adversity can be managed with emotional resilience, good training and better preparation.
Some 2012 data:
- about 7,300 miles cycled;
- about 565,000 feet of climbing;
- net loss of 30 lbs weight (-40 lbs fat; +10 lbs of muscle);
- substantial improvement of stamina, endurance and power when climbing (beat my previous best by 32 minutes [2:49:00] on local race of 54 miles, 4,800 ft of climbing).
A. Mountainous and remote terrain requires smart and detailed attention to the following:
- what clothing gear to carry (in the Fall and Winter one can experience 3 different seasonal climates due to the changes in altitude when riding);
- careful assessment of the difficulty of certain training routes;
- what equipment is essential;
- what equipment works best;
- water, water, water;
- high energy food / nutrition;
- cellphone coverage is 95% non-existent;
- how to protect against damage to skin from sun / solar radiation;
- effects of heat and cold, i.e., temperatures on summer days can range 40 degrees from the top of the mountain to the depth of a canyon;
- how to deal with black ice in the mountains;
- being careful to note that while you're screaming down that 8% descent at 45+ mph there may be deer, coyote, javelina, snakes, etc in your way;
- being careful to note that while you're screaming down that 8% descent at 45+ mph there may be a sharp and unexpected turn in the road;
- solo riding (i.e., when my training rides are longer (time and distance) and hillier (thousands of feet of climbing and descending) than others want to do, have the time to do;
- I still think it is more dangerous to ride in Chicago than it is to ride in the most desolate and threatening local terrain.
- lighting for night riding if I encounter time delays;
- protection in the event of predatory wildlife;
- making sure that other's know my route and expected time of return;
- double and triple equipment backup (tubes, tires, air, cables, master chain links, first-aid, etc.);
- weather emergencies (sudden cold, lightning);
- waving at, being seen by, being courteous to, and establishing and maintaining good will with drivers and local folks (being literally the only recumbent cyclist in the area means that I will be remembered);
- don't lay or sit down on flat ground unless I want scorpions, ants or snakes as company;
- sources of water (remote hiking trailheads, driving the course and placing bottles of water at strategic points along the way);
- complete absence of sources of food (stores, gas stations) for tens of miles along the route;
- recognition that I might have to stop at any remote ranch or house along the way to ask for help.
- short, hilly races (strategy, intensity managementy, weight issues (body, bike, nutrition, water), gearing;
- long, flat brevets or races (lots of indoor training at continuous, non-stop effort v. short, hard efforts interspersed with often long [15+ minutes] of steep or steady descents where the heart rate drops to the 60's;
- Self-support v. full or partial support (crew/vehicle) for mechanicals, food and water;
E. Be vigilant in the consumption of food and water on rides of 3+ hours. I've always had a problem remembering to eat and drink until it is literally too late and my performance has suffered.
F. Realistic planning of the cycling events for the upcoming year. Allows for specific training, recovery and an important balance (family, social, etc) in my life.
G. Economic assessment as to whether it is worth it to, e.g., drive 6 hours to do a 60 mile group ride (NOT!).
H. Emotional preparedness to experience ridicule and discounting by DF bike riders for riding a recumbent bike. (There is a baseless assumption that equally fit recumbent cyclists can't climb that I love to disprove).
I. A welcoming appreciation by the general public and other cyclists for riding a recumbent bike.
J. Pain and suffering should not be the `goal' of ultracycling. Rather, the ability to learn from experience so that adversity can be managed with emotional resilience, good training and better preparation.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
`Getting old' vs. Aging
Rollers.
Years ago I trained on rollers (DF) and found that they `trained' my ability to maintain balance on a slippery surface. But they offered absolutely no benefit to my real goals with indoor trainers: increase cardiopulmonary capacity, build power and improve endurance. I sold the rollers and moved to a resistance platform.
Now that I am `retired' (what a joke!) I have time to meet more neighbors and spend time with them. The community in which I live has a `common house' that we jointly fund and use for many good purposes. When we moved here last year I brought all my indoor training equipment and set it up in a designated room in the `common house.' My motives were self-interest and communitarian. That is, I didn't want to take up space in my own house with this armamentarium of equipment but wanted it to be nearby and free to use.
The hundred or so community neighbors were delighted to have the equipment: Concept2 indoor rower, Solex Elliptical, indoor bicycle on a wind-resistance trainer, a set of free weights, and a bunch of mats, etc.
They wanted assistance in learning how best to use the equipment.
We have a lot of kids and their working parents here. The kids don't use the stuff. Their parents use it irregularly when time permits. But the older, often semi- or fully retired folks have a real interest in the equipment.
None of the community users are athletes. They use the equipment for 30 minutes every other day or so. They asked me for an `orientation' to the equipment and if I'd be the community person available for instruction, etc....
So now I'm back to the issue of `balance' after all these years.
As folks age their parts start to give them trouble. Unless there is deliberate and disciplined attention to working to stay fit we will all just seize up and become sedentary.
And that is the very definition of `getting old' to 99% of us: seizing up and becoming sedentary.
That is, an increasingly submissive giving-in to predictable physical impediments. (For some, getting older affords them -- FINALLY -- the excuse to become helpless, dependent and the objects of sympathy that they've been looking for all their life).
The `getting old' spiral cycle is as follows:
It's a `psychology' of voluntary withdrawal from life. And the emotional anxiety it generates within us requires effort to deal with.
In otherwords, `getting old' and decrepit is hard work and we earn every debility we accomplish! It is NOT a simple function of the passage of time. We `choose' decrepitude.
Aging is not for sissies. It requires clear-headed vigilance and a more mature commitment than just coasting along on the inertia that youth gives us. (O.K. I think being young is for sissies! There. I said it.)
Aging isn't about getting weak and fragile. It's an opportunity! We can exploit this opportunity and gain enormous satisfaction in doing so. Goals. Methods. Discipline. Consistency. The strength and resilience to persist through predictable setbacks.
You just can't ask for anything better.
And here is recent scientific support for the proposition that endurance activity makes for an ever-smarter brain.
So, when I orient and `coach' the older neighbors I tell them that they should get the hell out of the exercise room and use the immensely challenging terrain around us.
BUT, when they do need to use the indoor equipment their focus should be on: building balance, cardiovascular capacity, muscle and stamina.
So ... indoor training on rollers is good for aging folks because it trains our balance and the vestibular system.
Same with the elliptical. Get on the elliptical and don't use your hands or arms. Just use your legs. You'll find that you'll need all the micromuscles in your legs and core to stay balanced and upright while you're `ellipting' along.
The indoor rower adds upper body strength, `lubricates' and `flexibilizes' the feet, ankles, knees, hips, core, lower back, chest, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, arms.
So .. rollers are for balance. Mag or wind resistance indoor trainers are for cardiovascular capacity, stamina, power and endurance.
O.K.
I'm done for now.
I'm leaving.
You're in charge while I'm gone.
Years ago I trained on rollers (DF) and found that they `trained' my ability to maintain balance on a slippery surface. But they offered absolutely no benefit to my real goals with indoor trainers: increase cardiopulmonary capacity, build power and improve endurance. I sold the rollers and moved to a resistance platform.
Now that I am `retired' (what a joke!) I have time to meet more neighbors and spend time with them. The community in which I live has a `common house' that we jointly fund and use for many good purposes. When we moved here last year I brought all my indoor training equipment and set it up in a designated room in the `common house.' My motives were self-interest and communitarian. That is, I didn't want to take up space in my own house with this armamentarium of equipment but wanted it to be nearby and free to use.
The hundred or so community neighbors were delighted to have the equipment: Concept2 indoor rower, Solex Elliptical, indoor bicycle on a wind-resistance trainer, a set of free weights, and a bunch of mats, etc.
They wanted assistance in learning how best to use the equipment.
We have a lot of kids and their working parents here. The kids don't use the stuff. Their parents use it irregularly when time permits. But the older, often semi- or fully retired folks have a real interest in the equipment.
None of the community users are athletes. They use the equipment for 30 minutes every other day or so. They asked me for an `orientation' to the equipment and if I'd be the community person available for instruction, etc....
So now I'm back to the issue of `balance' after all these years.
As folks age their parts start to give them trouble. Unless there is deliberate and disciplined attention to working to stay fit we will all just seize up and become sedentary.
And that is the very definition of `getting old' to 99% of us: seizing up and becoming sedentary.
That is, an increasingly submissive giving-in to predictable physical impediments. (For some, getting older affords them -- FINALLY -- the excuse to become helpless, dependent and the objects of sympathy that they've been looking for all their life).
The `getting old' spiral cycle is as follows:
- Ouch! that hurts!
- I won't do THAT again.
- Next time I have to get up to do something I won't do it because it hurts.
- I sit more.
- I move less.
- I become known to myself as `not able.'
- I eat more.
- I drink more.
- I shuffle around more.
- I lose fitness (muscle mass, flexibility, cardiovascular capacity, stamina).
- My body decides on it's own that I want to slowly `die' down.
- I get sick.
- I take `fake it' pills (that trick my organs into not dieing so fast).
- I get fat.
- Now that I'm fat it's even harder to move!
- Ouch! That hurts! ....
It's a `psychology' of voluntary withdrawal from life. And the emotional anxiety it generates within us requires effort to deal with.
In otherwords, `getting old' and decrepit is hard work and we earn every debility we accomplish! It is NOT a simple function of the passage of time. We `choose' decrepitude.
Aging is not for sissies. It requires clear-headed vigilance and a more mature commitment than just coasting along on the inertia that youth gives us. (O.K. I think being young is for sissies! There. I said it.)
Aging isn't about getting weak and fragile. It's an opportunity! We can exploit this opportunity and gain enormous satisfaction in doing so. Goals. Methods. Discipline. Consistency. The strength and resilience to persist through predictable setbacks.
You just can't ask for anything better.
And here is recent scientific support for the proposition that endurance activity makes for an ever-smarter brain.
So, when I orient and `coach' the older neighbors I tell them that they should get the hell out of the exercise room and use the immensely challenging terrain around us.
BUT, when they do need to use the indoor equipment their focus should be on: building balance, cardiovascular capacity, muscle and stamina.
So ... indoor training on rollers is good for aging folks because it trains our balance and the vestibular system.
Same with the elliptical. Get on the elliptical and don't use your hands or arms. Just use your legs. You'll find that you'll need all the micromuscles in your legs and core to stay balanced and upright while you're `ellipting' along.
The indoor rower adds upper body strength, `lubricates' and `flexibilizes' the feet, ankles, knees, hips, core, lower back, chest, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, arms.
So .. rollers are for balance. Mag or wind resistance indoor trainers are for cardiovascular capacity, stamina, power and endurance.
O.K.
I'm done for now.
I'm leaving.
You're in charge while I'm gone.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Indoor Training: Is It Harder?
The UltraMarathon Cycling Association sponsors a winter indoor cycling competition for members. Some members spend as many as 28 hours in a row on the bike. Others no more than 2 hours. Which is harder?
Obviously, those putting in long hours on the indoor trainer are doing so at a very low level of intensity. But how does one measure capacity for boredom? One of the qualities of a successful ultracyclist is an ability to persist under the worst conditions. And experiencing hours of boredom wears you down. Is that harder?
Many cyclists enlist the support of group indoor training sessions, e.g., spinning classes, etc... This mediates the otherwise `boring' aspect of indoor training. More, spinning sessions are usually short and intense, supporting the critical dimension of motivation to train in the winter.
Taking the middle road between double digit hourse of indoor training and intensely prescribed commercial spinning we find ... the bike-in-the-basement. For most of us this is available and doable, allowing for a balanced work-family-training formula. (I, for one, also experience the feeling of `guilt' when I train. The `guilt' of neglecting the other two important dimensions: work and family.)
For me, indoor training IS harder than outdoor training. And for a combination of reasons. First, of course, is the boredom factor. Second, I tend to make it hard on myself. That is, rather than endure the boredom of multiple hours of low intensity training I opt for shorter and more physiologically intense training.
Again, for me, 90 minutes on the trainer is like 180 minutes on the road. No coasting. No stopping for traffic, intersections, etc. No tailwind.
On the road I gauge the level of intensity (measured by my heart rate) to the amount of time I'm riding, the distance and the terrain. I periodically glance at my heart rate but measure out my effort by the very subjective Relative Perceived Exertion Scale
As it turns out my indoor training sessions are more exhausting than outdoor training.
A problem that I continue to have is equating hours spent indoor v outdoor.
This past week I've retured to a disciplined regimen of training after 7 days of family traveling and other priorities. My plan was to put in 14.5 hours of training. I even identified the outdoor courses, miles covered and feet of climbing. But the reality was that weather and other priorities had me on the indoor trainer 3 out of 6 days. So, I completed 11.25 hours of training, about 100 miles and fewer than 6,000 feet of climbing. Almost all of the outdoor training was in HR Zone 1. And about half of the indoor training was in HR Zone 2.
Plans offer structure and guidance. At the end of every week, though, we usually discover that the reality trumped the plan. Maybe for good? Maybe not.
But, then, seeking a `balanced life,' what is `good?'
Obviously, those putting in long hours on the indoor trainer are doing so at a very low level of intensity. But how does one measure capacity for boredom? One of the qualities of a successful ultracyclist is an ability to persist under the worst conditions. And experiencing hours of boredom wears you down. Is that harder?
Many cyclists enlist the support of group indoor training sessions, e.g., spinning classes, etc... This mediates the otherwise `boring' aspect of indoor training. More, spinning sessions are usually short and intense, supporting the critical dimension of motivation to train in the winter.
Taking the middle road between double digit hourse of indoor training and intensely prescribed commercial spinning we find ... the bike-in-the-basement. For most of us this is available and doable, allowing for a balanced work-family-training formula. (I, for one, also experience the feeling of `guilt' when I train. The `guilt' of neglecting the other two important dimensions: work and family.)
For me, indoor training IS harder than outdoor training. And for a combination of reasons. First, of course, is the boredom factor. Second, I tend to make it hard on myself. That is, rather than endure the boredom of multiple hours of low intensity training I opt for shorter and more physiologically intense training.
Again, for me, 90 minutes on the trainer is like 180 minutes on the road. No coasting. No stopping for traffic, intersections, etc. No tailwind.
On the road I gauge the level of intensity (measured by my heart rate) to the amount of time I'm riding, the distance and the terrain. I periodically glance at my heart rate but measure out my effort by the very subjective Relative Perceived Exertion Scale
As it turns out my indoor training sessions are more exhausting than outdoor training.
A problem that I continue to have is equating hours spent indoor v outdoor.
This past week I've retured to a disciplined regimen of training after 7 days of family traveling and other priorities. My plan was to put in 14.5 hours of training. I even identified the outdoor courses, miles covered and feet of climbing. But the reality was that weather and other priorities had me on the indoor trainer 3 out of 6 days. So, I completed 11.25 hours of training, about 100 miles and fewer than 6,000 feet of climbing. Almost all of the outdoor training was in HR Zone 1. And about half of the indoor training was in HR Zone 2.
Plans offer structure and guidance. At the end of every week, though, we usually discover that the reality trumped the plan. Maybe for good? Maybe not.
But, then, seeking a `balanced life,' what is `good?'
Monday, December 10, 2012
Intensity Factor
Having chosen to train using the Heart Rate Zone method (more specifically found in Joe Friel's "Total Heart Rate Training") I've been learning and focusing on a few things.
What are my `heart rate zones?' Friel and others propose a few methods that generally home in on the upper limit beats per minute figure. That would establish the anchor of Heart Rate Zone # 5. For example, let's say that my highest bpm figure is 170. In Friel's book he offers a chart that arrays HRZs from #1 to #5c. Here they are:
93-130 HRZ #1 (Active Recovery)
130-143 HRZ #2 (Aerobic Threshold)
144-148 HRZ #3 (Tempo)
149-159 HRZ #4 (Sub-Lactate Threshold)
160-163 HRZ #5A (Lactate Threshold)
164-169 HRZ #5B (Aerobic Capacity)
170 HRZ #5C (Anaerobic Capacity)
Well enough.
I then applied these HRZs to 5 training / racing events over the past 4 months. How much time did I spend in each HRZ for each event?
To come up with an event `Intensity Factor' I developed this equation:
A = Total minutes of event
B = (Total minutes in HRZ #1) x 1
C = (Total minutes in HRZ #2) x 2
D = (Total minutes in HRZ #3) x 3
E = (Total minutes in HRZ #4) x 4
F = (Total minutes in HRZ #5) x 5
(B+C+D+E+F) / A = Intensity Factor
Example # One: A race I completed on September 16:
Example # Two: At another event I came up with an Intensity Factor of 1.0. I completed 244 miles in 15:09:00 (909 minutes). Total climbing was 2,400 feet (a very flat course). I spent all but 46 minutes (HRZ # 2) in HRZ # 1. This event was completed within a completely Aerobic pace.
Example # Three: Yesterday I completed a training event of 81.4 miles in 7 hours (420 minutes) flat. Ascending and descending feet were 8,440. Ascending time was twice that of descending time. I spent the entire event in HRZ #1 (93 - 130 bpm). The Intensity Factor for this event was also 1.0.
Summarizing:
These results may seem obvious and common knowledge to us. In fact, there is nothing in the data that surprised me (except for the effect that climbing feet has on miles covered - literally a reduction in miles covered by a third). But, it is confirming (for me) to have the tangible evidence, personal experience and data to support the `common knowledge.'
What are my `heart rate zones?' Friel and others propose a few methods that generally home in on the upper limit beats per minute figure. That would establish the anchor of Heart Rate Zone # 5. For example, let's say that my highest bpm figure is 170. In Friel's book he offers a chart that arrays HRZs from #1 to #5c. Here they are:
93-130 HRZ #1 (Active Recovery)
130-143 HRZ #2 (Aerobic Threshold)
144-148 HRZ #3 (Tempo)
149-159 HRZ #4 (Sub-Lactate Threshold)
160-163 HRZ #5A (Lactate Threshold)
164-169 HRZ #5B (Aerobic Capacity)
170 HRZ #5C (Anaerobic Capacity)
Well enough.
I then applied these HRZs to 5 training / racing events over the past 4 months. How much time did I spend in each HRZ for each event?
To come up with an event `Intensity Factor' I developed this equation:
A = Total minutes of event
B = (Total minutes in HRZ #1) x 1
C = (Total minutes in HRZ #2) x 2
D = (Total minutes in HRZ #3) x 3
E = (Total minutes in HRZ #4) x 4
F = (Total minutes in HRZ #5) x 5
(B+C+D+E+F) / A = Intensity Factor
Example # One: A race I completed on September 16:
- 52.1 miles
- 4,670 feet of climbing
- 2:48:00 (168) total minutes of event (A)
- 111 minutes ascending;
- 57 minutes descending;
- B = 12
- C = 92
- D = 24
- E = 25
- F = 0
- (15 minutes below 93 bpm)
Example # Two: At another event I came up with an Intensity Factor of 1.0. I completed 244 miles in 15:09:00 (909 minutes). Total climbing was 2,400 feet (a very flat course). I spent all but 46 minutes (HRZ # 2) in HRZ # 1. This event was completed within a completely Aerobic pace.
Example # Three: Yesterday I completed a training event of 81.4 miles in 7 hours (420 minutes) flat. Ascending and descending feet were 8,440. Ascending time was twice that of descending time. I spent the entire event in HRZ #1 (93 - 130 bpm). The Intensity Factor for this event was also 1.0.
Summarizing:
- The first example (52.1 miles) was a relatively short race.
- The second example involved 3 times the miles covered than the third example (81.4 miles v. 244 miles) but virtually no climbing at all.
- The third example (81.4 miles with 8,440 feet of climbing and descending) demonstrates the necessity of `pacing' rather than `racing.'
- At relatively short events (especially where there is a great deal of descending where the heart rate drops to as low as 64 bpm) I can deliberately enter the anaerobic threshold and increase the bpm's for a short period of time, not concerned with lactate buildup and other changes in blood chemistry.
- At events of significant distance and climbing it is critical to remain comfortably in the aerobic zones.
- Importantly, at events of great length and time duration (ultra / endurance events) time off the bike reduces the number of miles covered.
- The key variables to a winning performance, then, during ultraracing are:
- not exceeding the upper limit of HRZ #1;
- remaining on the bike with forward movement for as long as possible;
- hydration;
- nutrition;
- sleep management.
These results may seem obvious and common knowledge to us. In fact, there is nothing in the data that surprised me (except for the effect that climbing feet has on miles covered - literally a reduction in miles covered by a third). But, it is confirming (for me) to have the tangible evidence, personal experience and data to support the `common knowledge.'
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