1 hour 10 minutes on the trainer

I finally got on the bike. This morning I had two sausage links, a stick of string cheese, and coffee with 4 T of cream for breakfast. That cream was spread over 2 cups of coffee by the way.

Then I got on the bike around noon. I decided to ride steady for a half hour. I tried very hard to keep my heart rate below 160 and my pace at 16 - 16.5 mph. This meant either quick legs in an easier gear, or not so quick cadence in a heavier gear. I alternated. And I tried to focus on belly breathing. I had fun watching my heart rate fluctuate. I could take some deep breaths and bring it down a few points. Interesting.


So here's the ride, all done to my mix:

Time: 1:10:00
- 30 minutes of warmup then steady pace 16 - 16 mph with HR below 160.
- 20 minutes of playing with the music, pacing differently, pushing. Still trying to keep HR down.
- 20 minutes of heavier pushing. Got HR up to 171. Includes cool down (probably 5 minutes)

Max HR: 171
Avg HR: 159

Summary: Good workout. Felt strong. Felt when I was weak, but don't think it was abnormal.

After all that time, I felt fine. No crashing, well yet I guess. I had a salad with walnuts, cheese and cucumbers drenched in walnut oil and vinegar. I had a cheese stick right after I got off the bike. I'm about to make some tea because I'm very thirsty.

Spinning Allowed Today

So LA Fitness bought Urban Active and now LA Fitness doesn't have me in their files. I was told "they're working on it" again this morning. Hell I don't care as long as they keep letting me spin.

Spinning! Yay! It's now a 55 minute class under LA Fitness. Fine by me, but it was noticeable today! We did intervals...and honestly I don't even remember what they were. Some increasing surges and seated climbs and standing climbs with surges... it just felt like we were all over the place.

I wore the heart rate monitor. It was interesting. I don't know if there is something wrong with me or if people's bodies can just be really really different. It is sooo easy, and common, for my heart rate to be above 170. I made it get to 180 once in class. During hard pushes, especially on hills, it was at 178/179. Now, it does drop fast. But, based on my age and general heart rate calculations, my max heart rate is 185. 70% is 129. 85% is 157. 90% would be 167. Um....I'm usually at near max. 97%ish.

So what does this mean? It sounds like all of my work is anaerobic.

It's something that's been in the back of my head for a while. I've checked my heart rate on treadmills before. Usually I'm around 182 or 185 when pushing. So is that bad? I'm NEVER at 160. I can't possibly push less.

Today I wanted to check out the biking side of it, since I know I'm always maxed out when running. I wondered if it was just running, or other cardiovascular. I certainly am not at 178 the entire class, while I bet with running I'm at 180 the entire time.

I guess I'll look a little more into this and also go running with the heart rate monitor for comparison.