#24) Damn you, Walter Mitty (with special music dedication for Richard Sherman)

01/25/2014

You were meant to go further.

Scifit Handcycle: Duration: 1:26:00 Dist: 16.30mile 859 cal 

HR: max 167 (102%) avg 144(88%) Level 5 resistence

Remember my entry "Know Limits > No Limits" a few posts ago? I talked about how, with my new heart-rate monitor, I would now be able to better track the intensity of my workouts and back off when needed.....I said that at 56 years of age my maximum HR is 164 and I posted graphs and diagrams to illustrate the various intensity levels 

that one should strive for during a workout...I also might
have mentioned that ever since my system has been compromised by MS I learned that I can't challenge that proverbial wall...
After my first few exercise sessions with my heart monitor I realized that I might be pushing myself too hard. If I rode 10 miles in one hour on level 4 one day, the next work-out I would  try to better that achievement ad infinitum ad infinitum. I realize that not only is it impossible to maintain this trajectory it is also counter-productive.

I had almost convinced myself to ratchet back the intensity of my sessions to the moderate range of 70% (115bpm) to 80% (131bpm) and slowly increase the distance of my rides. But then I saw this "Walter Mitty" poster at the same time I came to the realization that The Tour de Farm MS bike ride is only 5 months away and I have never ridden 35 miles in one day. The furthest I had ridden indoors was 12.5 miles so I decided to shoot for 15 miles. On the machine at my gym you can't  set a specific distance as your goal only the riding time so I just estimated that the ride would take around 90 minutes. I started out on level 4  for 5 minutes but I could tell that I needed to pick up the pace so I moved up to level 5.  The intensity level is set in WATTS, (the slower you pedal/crank the greater the resistance and as your speed increases the resistance decreases) and I found a sweet-spot at around 85rpms. Staying in that sweet-spot had my heart beating at around 144 bpm (88%) but my arms and shoulders felt fine. Once I reached the 12mile mark I decided to move up to Level 6 just to make sure that I met my mileage goal. There were still a few minutes remaining on the clock so that's when I maxed out at 167bpm as I sprinted into the end.


After all is said and done I am encouraged by this last ride: I peddled approximately half the distance of my 35 miles target in 01:26:00 at an average speed of 11.5mph. I will switch to a training module that incorporates rolling hills with flat stretches in order to more accurately reflect actual riding conditions.

My next step is lay out a plan that incorporates strength training while gradually increasing my distances so I can build up my endurance.

Music

"No Thugs In Our House"

#23) Walter Mitty, LSD & Me

Today's Workout

I) Warm-up: 15 min of Abs, assisted chin-ups/dips

84 cals HR Max 139 (85%) Avg 107 (65%) 

II) SciFit Handcycle 75 mins@ Lvl: 5 13.95 mile 

791 cal HR Max 137 (84%) Avg 127 (77%)

I guess I have some explaining to do about the title "Walter Mitty, LSD & Me". First and foremost, I'm not talking about that electric Kool-aid LSD. that you're thinking of... I'm talking about a training program referred to as Long Slow Distance (LSD). This exercise routine is used by long-distance runners or bicyclists to improve aerobic endurance. The work-out is performed at constant level of moderate intensity for an extended period of time.

Forgive me if I have mentioned this in an earlier post but one of the limitations I face is fatigue brought on  because of MS and I hope this will help me work around that issue. I realize that almost all people who exercise get tired and hit the "wall". Improvement is achieved when they are able to break through that wall. With my MS, once I hit the "wall" my muscles (legs especially)  turn rubbery and shut-down.

This past season most of my rides were about a 1hr to 1.5hr in duration and covered less than 15 miles. I am hoping that with the combination of weight training and gradually increased training rides, I will be able to work around the fatigue issue and ride further and longer, or longer and further, I really don't care which.

This is where my "Walter Mitty" reference comes into play.  The  Prairie Path offers a number interesting 20 to 30 mile long rides. If I were really adventuresome I could try to ride the entire 149 mile route (Red line). However my goal for this summer is more reasonable.

I have signed up to ride in the Bike MS Tour de Farms 2014 in the latter part of June. There are a couple of different distance options to select from: 12, 35, 50, 75, 100 or 125 miles. I have chosen to ride the 35 mile course for now, but if my current training efforts are successful, I might try to ride the 50 mile route.

My 27 mile excursion around Nantucket last fall is the longest ride I've done to date. That was an all day affair that included a couple of beach side rest-breaks and browsing around the fishing village of Sconset, but the actual riding time was a little over 3 hours.
If I remember the ride correctly there was one long (2 mi?) gradual uphill section, some time spent sightseeing   and a couple of detours along sandy unpaved beach trails which accounts for the 9mph average speed.



The routes for the 2014 Tour de Farms ride haven't been posted yet, but I found the 2013 route on Mapmyride.com. Not surprisingly, the route follows paved roads and highways as it runs through relatively flat north-central Illinois farmland. Although this ride is not meant to be race, the Mapmyride review notes that best time for this route was 2.75 hours which equates to an average speed of 12.68mph. (Presumably by a bicycle) I feel confident about the 35 mile route and I still have 5 months to try to build up to the 50 mile ride.

Earlier this week I watched a movie that really has my Walter Mitty imaginary juices flowing.
 "Ride the Divide" chronicles the 2700 mile race along the Great Continental Divide from the Canadian border down to the Mexican border. I realize that this is not in the realm of possibilities given my age and condition but it sure is something to dream about.


MUSIC
"On the Road Again" Canned Heat
"Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way" Waylon Jennings

#22) Pocketa Pocketa Pocketa

First things first:

Today's workout

So I can better track my progress, I broke my exercise session down by activity:

I) Matrix CrossTrainer (pseudo running):

20mins; 1.05 miles* (pr); 243 calories; HR max=156 avg=138

II) Weights

26mins: 234 calories; HR max=141 avg=121

Abs, chest, deltoids, leg press, quads

III) Scifit Handbike (sprints level4.5)

32min; 408 calories; HR max=169 avg=144

Why the pocketa pocketa pocketa "Secret Life" allusion?

I'm afraid that my imagination may be "running" ahead of my capabilities.

I realize that I have used the cross trainer only a handful of times, but I can't help but fantasize about one day running again. The reality of my limitations (spastic weak legs, balance and fatigue issues) might be too difficult to surmount, but one never knows unless....

Anyway, I'll give myself a few more weeks of training before I take the next step.

Today's Music  

Slap And Tickle Squeeze 

(The video is so 1979)

I'm Going Home (Live Woodstock) Ten Years After 

(OK I admit it, I spun this track over and over again, playin' air guitar a la Walter Mitty) 

#21) Know Limits > No Limits

I know it doesn't seem like we have turned the seasonal corner, what with the recent "Polar Vortex" phenomenon of record low temperature readings and heavy snowfall that has all the climate change deniers crawling out of the woodwork, but if you  take a moment you can see that each morning daybreak comes earlier and evening the sun dips below the horizon a minute later than.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I will be outdoors riding any time soon, but it's a comin' so I feel the need to become more disciplined with my training routine.

I continue to alternate between strength training of my slow twich muscles and cardio workouts. My primary focus is on my arms, shoulders and chest but I throw in some abdominals and leg exercises. To help motivate myself with my weight-training routine I think back some of the hills I encountered last season and how tired I got as I neared the crest.

The Polar heart monitor I received as a Christmas gift is helping me monitor and refine my cardio training efforts. Hence the title "Know Limits > No Limits" (As in, it's better to know your limits than to blindly forge ahead.) I have had little experience tracking my heart's performance prior to getting the heart monitor gift.

Using the standard 220-age=Max Heart Rate, my MHR is 164bpm.
And what I am learning in writing this blog is that I might be pushing a bit too hard. Take my last 60 minute spinning only workout. I rode 12.30 miles, burned 848 calories, my maximum HR was 167bpms and my average hr was 143bpm. Meaning my training was at the upper end of the anabolic threshold range, nearly to the Red-Line zone.

I don't know why but every time I go for my 60min spin I try to increase either the distance traveled or calories burned. On some days I combine a mini-strength workout with a 30 minute interval training program....

I have just begun using the elliptical cross-trainer for  a change of pace. Damn, it's almost like running but the stride
motion doesn't require you to utilize your hamstring muscle when you lift your heels while taking a step. Its more of a sliding shuffle or maybe like cross-country skiing. I loved running, but MS induced spasticity in my hamstrings makes that impossible. I never thought that I would be happy with a twenty minute mile, but that's what I did on my second session.

I was so disappointed with my performance that I tried to do a 30 minute interval session at level 5 instead of level 4... I made it through (barely) but it took a full 5 minute cool-down 

before I felt like standing up...

Again KNOW LIMITS is of greater importance than NO LIMTS

MUSIC

Billy Idol White Wedding Live

Fleet Mac Tusk