two rides at the new FTP... ouch

So Sat & Sun did two rides at the new FTP level... Sufferfest vids again, Revolver, then A Very Dark Place.

Revolver:

this one consists of 15 1 minute full on sprint efforts then 1 minute of recovery. Very ouchy... In my case after the first 5 efforts I knew my legs weren't going to keep it up so I dialed it back 10% effort wise (TrainerRoad has an adjustment so you can dial back the plan if you need to.)

It's a good workout, but rough as you're doing one effort after another.

A Very Dark Place:

More designed for strength/power this is five 4 minute efforts at or above FTP. It's a mix of high cadence and then low cadence with resistance to simulate hills.

I"ve done it before, so at the higher FTP definitely more of a work out. But I didn't have to dial it back was able to get through it and pretty much stick to the power goals.

So in short... yeah I've needed to re-examine my FTP for a while, now these rides feel like work. But still fun I enjoy the music and sarcasm in the vids.

So next phase of indoor cycling...

So last night I finally did a FTP test... a.k.a. Functional threshold power, a measurement (via power meter, or in this case "virtual power" in watts) that is used to set the level of effort for my indoor rides.

http://www.trainerroad.com/career/sceptre1067

Essentailly Trainer Road will adjust the ride based on your FTP, so you have a better idea as to what level of effort you should be at. 

The good news is my FTP is up, now at 194 vs the year old 163. The bad news, workouts will now be harder. 

So the Sufferfest videos will now come with a new level of suffering... woohoo.

Virtual Power - to explain that... I don't have a power meter but, because I have a known brand of stationary trainger (Kurt Kinetic Road Machine) the amound of power can be estimated based on the speed of the rear wheel. Turns out to be fairly close to actual power (w/ in 5% to 10%). So indoors at least I get the advantage of power training w/out the expense of a power meter. The Trainer Road software reads takes care fo the conversion.

Cycling so far in 2015

So first off... completed my first half marathon in beginning of January at Disney World even. Overall didn't prepare enough, so walked a lot of it, but still got out there and did it.

Cycling...

Next goal completed was the Tour of Sufferlandria, nine days of indoor cycling to the Sufferfest (www.thesufferfest.com) videos. Good vids to bike to, somewhat tough (did the 9 days at 90% on Trainer Road). Like the occasional sarcasm to break up the vid and the work out.

So next up... re-test my FTP (functional threshold power) to see where it stands... then several weeks of indoor cycling to prepare for the "season".  

Reboot...

O.K. time to get serious and try to blog more. :-) cough, yeah right...
Focus for this blog will be more about diet & exercise... I need to loose weight, get into better shape, and generally improve my health. No there have not been any great warnings from a doctor or anything. Just the self realization that my general shape has slid way down hill, I have bad knees, and a heart that's been patched up twice in my life.

So the goal is to both blog about what I'm doing and what sort of software/web sites I'm going to try out...

So first of:

Exercise -
Yesterday started out on a modified Couch to 5k program. The goal is I'd like to get back to where I could run for a full 30 minutes (eventually more) at a time. So I'm starting with Cool Running's program (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml) but w/ slight modification. I know I have some stamina I'm starting at week 4. I misread it so my run yesterday was a 3/5/3 pattern. I did that twice then finished w/ a 3 min run. I'll repeat that twice more this week and then follow the rest of their plan.

Strength wise I'm looking at the basic combo of pushups/situps/squats using my own body weight. It's a start and I'll probably use the http://hundredpushups.com/ charts for starting points and goals.

In addition I'll still do martial arts. But those are actually more about relaxation and body movement for me.

Next - Nutrition/Food
I refuse to use the term diet, the goal is to improve what I eat and how much I eat. Yes I will still be tracking calories (http://www.fitbit.com) in and out. But I'm going to try to be more mindful of my eating. Following advice from Michael Pollen's Food Rules. Like "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.", "Eat meals.", and "Avoid foods you see advertised on television.". Essentially basic advice on eating better and getting away from the food=nutrition only crowd.

Along with that I'm going to utilize what I learned from The Hacker's Diet (www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/hackdiet.htm) as well as The No S Diet (www.nosdiet.com) to try to improve what and how I eat.

Well that's a start... next I'll start diving into some of the software/web sites I've mentioned to help out.

Duathlons, aikido, and the like...

hmm... been awhile (june) since i last posted...

Any how first off once again this year I participated in the Minneapolis Duathlon. Even with a lack of training I actully did my best time wise this year (2 hours 24 minutes). Yes I was sore the day after, but overall felt pretty good. Now to try to make the running more regular. Really need to do it to get and stay in shape...

Aikido wise went to a "double" class last week (regular, followed by a beginner class). Sore legs on the day after, but again good overall.

Long term goals right now...
Test for "pre" 2nd Kyu in Aikido in December
Run a full 5k (or longer) this fall. Run as in I still walk part of a 5k, used to be able to run theh whole thing and want to get to that point again.

Cycling has been on the low side... if the weather is good try to sneak in a ride Sat. morning.

On Running... (random ramblings and observations.)

I have this Love/Hate relationship with running... I added it to the "repertoire" 5 years ago when I weighed less and was in better shape. Figured it would be a nice secondary thing to do beside cycling. Plus I can handle running in winter, unlike biking.

So the hate...
Pain... I have bad knees so I have to watch how I run. Now I'm lucky in that I'm not a heel striker and have a neutral gait (no over/under pronation). But still I have to be careful. I'll walk steep downhills to save my knees and shins.

I suck at it... really at this stage I can go about 12 to 14 min before I need to walk for a minute. I know I'll get back to doing a solid 5k maybe more if I keep at it... but its also a mental thing. O.K. done with the pounding sort of annoyance.

It's hot (at least in summer)... unlike cycling if there is no breeze I can get overheated easily. Hence why I think I prefer running in fall/winter.

O.K. the "Love"

I get to see things... on a bike you really have to pay attention to the road/traffice/etc. Running, I use trails and sidwalks, I actually get the time to look around, enjoy the scenery, etc.

I like the rhythm... though I can get into rhythm on the bike the pounding of the feet adds a little more feedback. Once I'm in a groove it feels pretty good.

Kicks my a** aerobically... Running is very inefficient, in a good way. You end up putting a lot of energy in for not a lot of forward momentum (vs. say a bike where you have all those lovely gears to help you.) So it actually is a good, quick way to get the heart going, get the blood flowing more effectively.

So overall... I'll continue to think of my self as a cyclist first, but will make sure to keep running part of the repertoire as it were.

This week in Aikido

So went to Aikido with eldest daughter this Saturday. She had fun in the Youth class and then I attended the beginners class that comes after hers.

It was... interesting. The warm ups, basic exercises, and weapons practice were all what I'm used to. For the weapon portion we stuck with bokken and basic front strike.

The open hand technique was the odd part, to me at least.
Cross wrist grasp - o.k. standard opening I remember those.
Elbow power #1 and then finis breaking their grip with your off hand - hard to explain, but again nothing new
Cross step, step-in-throw - interesting, in "the old days" I don't know if that would have been a 6th kyu technique but memory fades.
After throw move in for Achilles tendon pin- and my head when waaaaa??? I don't recall any leg pins from back in the day, let alone having a pin off a throw be on something as low as 6th kyu. Wow....

Talking with some students after class (brown belt, and a shodan) found out there are now choke holds, some sort of cross body pin, and a host of other things. Plus more is being added.

So yeah post split in the 90s Yoshokai has gone in an interesting direction imo. My current feeling is they are trying to go more into the pre WWII style of Aikido. We'll see though.

But overall class was good both daughter and I had fun. Still like it. :-) (oh and the brown belt I worked with had wrists as big as Mr. Bedor's!)

Diet and Exercise update

So... After the Jan 1 Polar Dash 5k I got on the bike twice this week. Too short 30 min. rides. The basic routine is 10 min warm up (big ring/19) than 3 sprint/intensity things (forget the formal name). Essentially start in big ring and 19 than over 30 seconds keep shifting gears till I'm in the 13 in back. Trying to "sprint" during that and shooting for a solid 10 seconds of being in the 13. Then a 30 second rest and repeat.

Overall a decent work out, and I'm way out of shape.

Diet has been going so so... trying to cut calories and succeeding most days. Weight is slowly coming down.

Finally... yes we got a Wii with the balance board. I'm using it to track my weight and having fun with the balance and reaction games. Not so big on the aerobics but that's because I'm picky on that front.

So overall feeling pretty positive... next post, a return to Aikido.

Polar Dash Jan 1 2010

Started out the New Year with a 5k (no where near ready for a 10k). Time was slow as expected, walked parts of it, and finished in 38 minutes or so.

But, as usual, Team Ortho organizes a good event. Temp was around 4 degress F (-15 C), sunny with a very light breeze. As usual once the run started I warmed up pretty quickly.

So avg HR was around 130, peaked on hill at 166. Not bad, but not good...

Later today I'll set up the bike, and try to ride the trainer today.

and on it goes...

So went to the YWCA for weight training this AM... been ages (o.k. months) since I've been there. They moved the Kids' Fit Room, so took a couple minutes to figure out where to drop the daughters off. To explain this Y provides a general supervised play room to drop off you 5 to 10 (iirc age range) for an hour or so while you go do weights, aerobics, or a class. Nice option to have on a Sunday morn...

Y was busy, no surprise, but the free weight area had the usual number of regulars. So easy to rotate in. Did squats, dumb bell press, lat pull, back extension, and leg lifts. Then some stretching.

Overall pretty good but I'm sure I'll feel it tomorrow...

Yesterday AM took the eldest to her first Aikido lesson. She was really nervous as she had no idea what it was going to be like. But once there she relaxed and started having fun. Helps that the lead instructor and his back up are really good at what they do. It was my daughter and four boys, the funny part being that daughter was one with shorter hair in the class.

Was able to say hi to an instructor I worked with many moons ago, she of course didn't recognize me but no surprise there.

Weight wise things continue to go in a good direction, so happy about that. Just need to be diligent about intake.

Tomorrow... conditioning/aerobic day in other words I'm going to try to run. :-)

getting back on the wagon...

Weight is way up...
Had (and still recovering from) the worst gout attack for me. Of course didn't recognize the symptoms, and it started just before Thanksgiving. So 4 days of not really managing it... But that's changed and the foot is starting to feel better.

So diet front, Started on Dec 1...
Hacker's Diet (www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/hackdiet.html) essentially keep track of what you eat, but from an engineering approach as it were. Once again I'm using Google Docs for the spreadsheet. Goal is 2000 kcal a day or less. Snuck in at 1950 yesterday, essentially if I can behave at work and not snack at home, I'll be fine. I'll also try to use rules from the No S diet to help change habits (www.nosdiet.com). These two approaches are probalby my fovorite for no nonsense, no tricks, diets. Not easy to follow, but no fads, etc.

Once the gout eases up I'll start running again. First event is a 10k on Jan 1. Should be doable... Then we'll get the rest of the schedule firmed up.

Finally hope eldest daughter likes the martial art I'll be taking her to this weekend. If so I'll attend the intro class that happens right after the youth class.

Wed AM Run

The Route -
http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/us/mn/minneapolis/176125794718692797

This is one of my "default" loops... around 3 miles give or take...

15 on - 2 off (mostly flat, or slight downhill)
7 on - 2 off (some hills on 54th)
8 on - 4 off (heading back home, long cool down purposeful, plus the final five includes forgetting to turn the HR off when until I got into the house, etc.)

Overall decent considering it's been a week and a half since Monster Dash.

HR Stats:
Time: 0:39:11 (h:mm:ss)
kCal: 474
Avg HR: 137
Max HR: 153

afternoon run on Tuesday...

Sunny, light breeze, cool (54 F / 12 C) nice running weather for me at least...

3.08 miles with following pattern
15 on - 3 off
5 on - 3 off
5 on - 2 off
2 on - 5 cool down

so not too bad... felt good about it. Still not ready for Sat. but I don't think I'll keel over dead. :-)

HR Stats:
Time: 0:40:07 (h:mm:ss)
kcal: 506
Avg HR: 140
Max HR: 161

Sunday afternoon run

Cloudy, damp, 47 degrees F (8 degrees C). Good for legs, hands were cold at first but warmed up. Total distance was 2.98 according to "MapMyRun"...

11 min run, 4 min walk
4 min run, 4 min walk
then 5 on couple off after that.

Legs did o.k. mainly HR was spiking... don't want to ruin the repair job. :-)

HR Stats:
time: 0:36:48 (h:mm:ss)
kcal: 513
Avg HR: 148
Max HR: 168

reboot the execise blog..

First off tech blogging will be over here -> http://geekswithblogs.net/edgaralgernon/

Meanwhile follow my sorry attempts at running, etc here :-)

Ran today, did not track distance, first real run since the duathlon.

So 30 minute run/walk
10 run
4 walk
2 run (up a steep hill, Law St in Appleton)
2 walk
3 run
3 walk
3 run
3 walk

probably covered a mere 2 miles... but hey its a start...
HR details:
kCal: 404
Avg HR: 145
Max HR: 166 (it was a steep hill :-) )

and I don't track being in the "zone" as due to my HR issues (on Toporol) it doesn't quite apply.

Riding last week...

so rode the bike on 5/18, 5/20, 5/21... All felt pretty good. The 5/18 ride was just under 20 miles (19.9 or something) and I averaged around 16.7 or so. Other two days were commuting to work and back. So 10 miles one way averaging, overall, around 16 mph.

So next up... need to find time to do some longer rides (40 mile plus) to see if the stamina is there and if my avg speed will stay steady at 16 to 17 mph.

Along with that... need to loose weight as usual... and somehow get to the gym. With the new gig that's going to be hard.

Exercise & Diet Update

Diet -
Getting better. Tracking calories at Livestrong.com 's The Daily Plate.
Not happy with the interface but it does track versus your goal for the day. So it helps.
Started at 236 and not the running average is around 230. My spouse is also using the same tool so that helps in the reinforcement area.

Exercise -
Also getting better, but still behind. On 3/21 did a 4 hour spin class, that went o.k. On 3/29 did 4 hours of a 5 hour spin class, that went well too. Cut out the last hour so I could have supper with the family.

Getting on the trainer more often and it feels like I'm improving. Now doing 3 sets of 5 intervals or the occasional Coach Troy DVD.

So slow work but headed in the right direction.

diet/exe reboot

So starting on Mar. 1 rebooted the diet and started to get serious.
4/1 start weight - 236 (uff and da!)
4/7 weight - 234.8 (running average, 1.6 down for the week, yay!)

Shooting for 2 pounds a week on the running average (read up on the Hacker's Diet http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/hackdiet.html for more info).

Also went for a short run (2.12 miles) today. Had to walk parts, so it took about 28 minutes. Given I haven't run since last July... not great but could be worse.

Ave HR: 149
Max HR: 165

Score card for week 1.
Hacker's Diet: 3 red, 3 green, 1 yellow
No S Diet: 3 red, 4 green
Exercise: 6 red, 1 green.

Red - missed goals (kcal intake 2500 or higher, etc.0
Yellow - sub optimal but "o.k." (kcal intake 2000 to 2500 or exercise skip day)
Green - goals met (kcal intake below 2000)

No S Diet is good if you don't want to count calories, but want to do some "life hacking". More info at www.nosdiet.com

Monday night bike ride

Short ride, as I had to do a podcast (http://www.thegeeklife.tv/ , check it out and let me know what y'all think).

so basic 10 min warm up. Some basic intervals (30 sec. of increasing tension, 30 rest. 5 reps, 5 min break, 2 more reps) then 10 min cool down... give our take.

Final tally on the Polar monitor:

Duration: 33:19
kCal: 417
Avg HR: 140
Max HR: 159
In Zone: 14:53

Watched about an episode and half of Cowboy BeBop. Good mix of action with fun plot and characters.