This evening I went for a blast up Sa Colobra. Half an hour's seriously hard work. Legs know I've done it - though I think I could do it more intensively. Heart rate maintained at at least 85% threshold for over 20 minutes and over 95% for about 8. I never left the conservatory, of course.
Last week two new toys entered my life; a turbo trainer
Elite Volare review by Matt Williams
and a heart rate monitor...
Dangerous toys! Suddenly I find myself in 'training sessions' having measured my threshold heart rate and maintaining percentages of it because a youtube video clip tells me to do so. ...and it's fun.
I never was a fan of cycling in the dark, and when there's cold to add to it I'm not going to get motivated. Possibly; once or twice; but the last four years says no - not regularly. So I invested (spent) my Christmas and birthday monies on the new toys so that I can cycle in the dark with the lights on, in the cold (if I choose), but without going anywhere. For ages I looked at turbo trainers as something I'd hate, just sitting there, peddling away, same scenery, bored. Wrong! The list should read; pushing myself to the point of dripping all over the towel under the bike, matching cadence and effort to a well thought out schedule (thanks GCN Cycling), watching the scenery go past - tonight Majorca - and absolutely intensively involved. For any body that wants to try the session - here's the link...
GCN Sa Colobra climb video
Mind you - this technology has issues. Saturday morning I was out on a club ride. There were only four of us as the weather had been forecast to be terrible, though it wasn't. It was windy. Jim hadn't got long and went home early. That left three. Coming back across Puxton Moor into the wind I was leading with the other two (I thought) tucked in behind me. It was hard work. I decided that, as I couldn't maintain any serious speed into the wind I would motivate some effort via the heart rate monitor. I found a rate that seemed to fit with decent effort (about 160 bpm) and pedalled at a rate to maintain it. It was windy remember - this rate managed to maintain only about 14mph! Approaching the left turn at the end of the moor I turned to my companions to express some joy that we'd soon be out of the wind. They weren't there. They weren't close. They weren't within the half mile that I could see back across the moor. At this point I was bad - sorry folks. I knew it was supposed to start raining around midday and the sky was getting dark with associated drips. I decided to push on for home. The new toy took over again - I deliberately maintained a heart rate of 160-170 back to Clevedon with the effect that I was back at the car, changed and driving away when the rain started properly. It also served to do the threshold heart rate test.
So what now? The handlebars on my bike are starting to look like a plane cockpit - basic computer, Garmin, now the heart rate monitor and, at this time of year, the lamp holder even if not the lamp. Even these have had to be arranged so that I can fit the 'difficulty changer' of the turbo trainer on as well for those evening sessions in the dark. MAMIL I have been for a while, now it seems we have to add MAMWD - pronounced as Welsh of course (Mamuud) and meaning 'middle aged man with devices'. If I'm going to speak this new language of heart rates, thresholds, turbo trainers and percentage maximum effort then I may as well add to it. On Thursday GCN tell me I'm in for a high intensity workout. I'm just off to check the dictionary of 'CycleTrainingSpeak' to see what that means.
DP
Last week two new toys entered my life; a turbo trainer
Elite Volare review by Matt Williams
and a heart rate monitor...
Dangerous toys! Suddenly I find myself in 'training sessions' having measured my threshold heart rate and maintaining percentages of it because a youtube video clip tells me to do so. ...and it's fun.
I never was a fan of cycling in the dark, and when there's cold to add to it I'm not going to get motivated. Possibly; once or twice; but the last four years says no - not regularly. So I invested (spent) my Christmas and birthday monies on the new toys so that I can cycle in the dark with the lights on, in the cold (if I choose), but without going anywhere. For ages I looked at turbo trainers as something I'd hate, just sitting there, peddling away, same scenery, bored. Wrong! The list should read; pushing myself to the point of dripping all over the towel under the bike, matching cadence and effort to a well thought out schedule (thanks GCN Cycling), watching the scenery go past - tonight Majorca - and absolutely intensively involved. For any body that wants to try the session - here's the link...
GCN Sa Colobra climb video
Mind you - this technology has issues. Saturday morning I was out on a club ride. There were only four of us as the weather had been forecast to be terrible, though it wasn't. It was windy. Jim hadn't got long and went home early. That left three. Coming back across Puxton Moor into the wind I was leading with the other two (I thought) tucked in behind me. It was hard work. I decided that, as I couldn't maintain any serious speed into the wind I would motivate some effort via the heart rate monitor. I found a rate that seemed to fit with decent effort (about 160 bpm) and pedalled at a rate to maintain it. It was windy remember - this rate managed to maintain only about 14mph! Approaching the left turn at the end of the moor I turned to my companions to express some joy that we'd soon be out of the wind. They weren't there. They weren't close. They weren't within the half mile that I could see back across the moor. At this point I was bad - sorry folks. I knew it was supposed to start raining around midday and the sky was getting dark with associated drips. I decided to push on for home. The new toy took over again - I deliberately maintained a heart rate of 160-170 back to Clevedon with the effect that I was back at the car, changed and driving away when the rain started properly. It also served to do the threshold heart rate test.
So what now? The handlebars on my bike are starting to look like a plane cockpit - basic computer, Garmin, now the heart rate monitor and, at this time of year, the lamp holder even if not the lamp. Even these have had to be arranged so that I can fit the 'difficulty changer' of the turbo trainer on as well for those evening sessions in the dark. MAMIL I have been for a while, now it seems we have to add MAMWD - pronounced as Welsh of course (Mamuud) and meaning 'middle aged man with devices'. If I'm going to speak this new language of heart rates, thresholds, turbo trainers and percentage maximum effort then I may as well add to it. On Thursday GCN tell me I'm in for a high intensity workout. I'm just off to check the dictionary of 'CycleTrainingSpeak' to see what that means.
DP
