Heat management 12/24/11

After reading my new buddy Alex Barnett’s concerned comments about my “aero” workout from yesterday, I got thinking. Maybe I should start the living room fan. My training buddy/husband Tony does when he rides with Tour de France buddies. Coach Troy always reminds us about hydration and getting enough fuel, but another thing that I have to be aware to avoid cardio drift (Wednesday’s entry) is to keep your core temperature under control. Maybe you have seen riders in big races in Europe in summer use water in the water bottle not just to drink, but pour the water from the head. One thing I did when I first experienced this funky rightness in chest was to go find a shade and stay there for a while.

And what have I learned about heat management while riding? I live and ride in Plano, Texas, USA (where young Lance Armstrong grew up). If you know Dallas only as a place to change airplanes or where beautiful people lived in soap opera in the 80’s, I would like to inform the following. This summer Dallas just missed braking the consecutive days of record high of 100 degrees (38 C) or higher, 42 days, made in 1980 by two days, 40days! If that was disappointing, we managed to break 1980 record of over 100 degrees record of the season, 69 days, by two days, 71 days!

I never did 100 miles in public rides in 2011, but I did a few inside and also one of the hottest day outside at White Rock Lake on 8/3. When I finished riding, the temperature was 107! (Garmin Record Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

During the summer riding season, our freezer has a few big bags of ice at all times. At public rides, I don’t line up for water nor Gatorade. Just add ice in concentrated Accelerade in my Camel bak and bottles with GU Brew Peach Tea (strict on flavor here). Ice in Camel bak also helps cooling my back. During our own Saturday long rides, we stop by CVS store on route and buy a bag of ice and a gallon water. Keep adding ice into bottles and about half the time, iced water goes over my head. I don’t even bother drying myself as the clothes and shoes will dry themselves before I notice any discomfort.

Hence today, first I turned off the heater all the way down. (Poor hubby. Thank goodness he is always warm and I am always cold.) Turn on the ceiling fan in the living room. Then forget riding in style; get rid of the pink hat. Then took out the cake pan and filled with iced water (pictured above) and set right next to my bottles and foods. Initially I had paper towel to use (which people sometimes give away on public rides), but forget the formality, just use the towel. Today the towel’s main job was not to wipe off sweat, but rather soak it in the iced water, transfer quickly on my back then move to back of the neck. Then I remembered I heard that triathletes use cooling wrap around neck when they run. At the post office stop, I ran in the kitchen and grabbed husband’s McDavid Reusable Cold/Hot Pack,the ones he uses to ice shoulders, knees and so forth. When my heart rate starts to climb zone 4, I put these cooling device on back of my neck and observed my heart rate go back down!

So here is the data from today. think it is the heart rate has fewer spikes than yesterday’s except of course, final I decided to go overboard as I was feeling strong and I knew I could finish safely. Rick Sobona kindly commented maybe my heart is in overtraining mode, but at this point in time, I do not have luxury to have normal taper period to complete the challenge, so I will keep up with this heat management scheme. Now I am more convinced I can never be in Spinervals’ shoots like Nancy Hill did because I am going to have to demand HUGE feeding tables right next to me!

NewLeaf and heart rate zones 12/23/11

Disclaimer: I am going to sound like a sales rep explaining the services that I have been receiving and happy through Lifetime Fitness.

I decided that it is OK to do this for two reasons. First, I got into Coach Troy’s programs all because I participated with Lifetime Cycle Club ride and they were giving away his DVD in goodie bag. After all, he is the National Triathlon Coach of Lifetime!

Second, my fellow challenger, Rick Sobona posted the following question. “Based on my results from day 1 and the neat little calculator for the zones, My Sub Thresh range is 165 - 177 bpm & Super Thresh is 178-186. So the last question is: What exactly is my threshold? Sub threshold implies to me that it's "below" my actual threshold and Super threshold implies it's "above". Is my threshold 177.5? Searched Coachtroy.com and spinervals.com for the answers, but couldn't find the article. I can say that I start feeling LA burn at about 168...” So I scrambled some references and documents for him to review. Because in newer DVD’s, there are a feature about NewLeaf metabolism testing, I thought it is possible that people have been wondering about. The following link is not from NewLear, but it explains very well about eNewLeaf.

I first got into NewLeaf testing because I wanted to lose weight. Back then there was no eNewLeaf. Jeff Monaco from then Plano gym, did resting heart rate testing (Calorie Point) to determine how many calories that I need just to maintain life. From there, how many pounds I wanted to lose within so much time frame, and figure out how many calories I should be burning from exercise for how much I eat. That was determined by treadmill test (Cardio Point).

What is relevant for us athletes is cardio point part to determine heart rate zones. I know we started the challenge with Spinervals 27.0 - Threshold Test & Sufferfest (boy, it feels like eons ago!) and Coach Troy pointed us to an online tool to figure out power levels and heart rate zones using Training and Power Level Calculator.

But the wording of this confused Rick, I think. So I referred to the document that has the chart I see in group fitness room with some answers to friendly questions. So when he got interested in getting tested, I shared my latest bike assessment data sheet. What you may want to take time to read is probably not my numbers, but other explanation.

As of today, I am on what I call “severe heart rate watch”. I could be blaming on Garmin heart rate monitor being not accurate, but if it is accurate, my heart rate goes up and stays high for too long. It is probably classic sense of cardio drift (yesterday’s entry). Almost feels like heart is not keeping up with legs that have gotten so strong during this challenge. My biggest goal is to complete this challenge safely now because I knew how effective Coach Troy’s program was coming into this cycling season and this challenge is just another confirmation. That deserves another entry. For now, happy holidays to Coach Troy, and fellow challengers, who are so close to be finishers who are trying to fit this challenge into other holiday fun activities and non-finishers, who are in good spirit to hang out to keep an eye on challengers and get the most out of the challenge.

Not Cardiac drift? 12/22/11

Maybe what I thought Cardiac drift is not what really Cardiac drift is. After it happened on Tuesday, I decided to do some research again and it does not totally fit. But I am going to describe what happens to me and pass onto general advice to my fellow challengers because Coach does mention in some DVD programs. It happened first in Melon Patch ride on August 7, 2010.

In Texas, there is a famous ride called Hotter’N Hell Hundred in late August. Therefore a lot of long-distance rides to get ready for the event happen in horrible Texas heat in August. As I was riding, trying to catch up with people as I didn’t lose the course and get lost, I found my chest suddenly feel tight. First I checked the heart rate monitor strap was too tight. Then I checked my workout bra. Then I checked my jersey. Nothing was snag or anything. I checked my heart rate and it is not even zone 4. It was under AT. I stopped at the next rest stop and commented on the video and then I completed the ride just fine (although I missed the turn for 72 miles and made it to 42 mile-ride instead.)

The following time when I met with my cycling coach Keith, he gave it a name, Cardiovascular drift. Surpringly, the first thing he mentioned was that I was not hyderated. He learned about this while he was going through Coaching certification. I also read Wikipedia entry of Cardiovascular drift.

Now I learned that my tightness in chest may not be different from cardio drift. Or maybe because of it, my heart cannot sustain then my riding intensity comes down then the heart rate comes down, but the tightness stays. Coach Keith said cardio drift is common in early period in the season and you can easily imagine why Coach Troy warns to indoor cyclists. Have plenty of fluids and use a fan or work out in a well-ventilated area. It will all lead into his ultimate advice of “Train safe and train smart.”

Keiko’s checklist for New Year’s Day 12/21/11

Today’s workout was 25.0- Aero Base V / Compilation. If I remember correctly, the concept of this workout would loosely look similar to the first disc of 26.0, Hardcore for New Year's Day. I probably won’t make 100 miles at all. Assuming from today’s heart rate and speed, I don’t think I can maintain 18mph in order to reach 100 miles in five and half hours. When I hit 18 today, my heart rate was on the higher end of “blue zone” and to me it is in the middle of zone 3. This is not exactly all-day going heart rate. I probably should put “completing the workout safely” to be the number one priority.

When I saw Coach Troy’s challenge calendar, I checked out the final day of workout. As he was hinting before, It IS 26.0 - The Hardcore 100!But what struck me more was that the day before is Have Mercy variations (tough 2 hours) and the day prior to that is 36.0 - Warrior Training (Tough 1 hour)

Last season, I trained all summer to get ready for a century ride. My Coach Keith instructed me to build distance on Saturday ride, increasing by 10% every week. Considering people who are in the challenge are fit, but the reason behind the concept is not only for the physical endurance, but also to play around with bike fit, nutrition and hydration as well. Granted we are doing this challenge with our own bike or better, more comfortably constructed indoor spinning bike, we still have to be cautious as the distance and the time riding is extending. You may recall some of us got a taste of it on Day 17 with 3-hour Tough Love. Knees and back as well as numbing hands are quite common.

In real outside ride century ride, it is common to see rest stops every 10-15 miles. For most of us, that is somewhere around every hour or less. Well, not everybody stops at every rest stop, but I am known to add an extra hour to 60 mile-ride at the rest stops and that is what organizers think what they need to support riders. So on New Year’s Day, if I need, I am not going to hesitate to pause the DVD and head to the spontaneous rest stop. Luckily for us on New Year’s Day, the rest stops show up anytime we need for bathrooms, food and hydration.

Speaking of food: I know this group contains lot of endurance athletes, so I think we all have our pick of poisons, but here are mine. The night before, I eat enough so that I make sure not to feel hungry like I was doing in diet days. My unpaid coach/husband Tony can probably tell me about old-fashioned carbo-loading, but these days, riders eat basically healthy, protein and carbo enhanced food. Here is what was shown from Leopard Trek team from this year’s Tour of France. Some even say, you don’t have to pig out, just rest several days prior to the event (which we are not getting in the challenge). On New Year’s Day morning, I plan to eat pretty good amount of food soon after I wake up, walk around and chuck down GU gel about 15 minutes before I start riding. I stock two kinds and they work differently on me. Energy Gel is for energy and Chomps for leg strength. I also make pickles ready. The liquid is supposed to be good for curing leg cramps and while you lose sodium through sweat, I occasionally chuck down a pickle with no problem. (I am from a land of sodium anyway.) In outside ride and training, I make sure to eat real food around 60-70 miles. I am thinking this needs to be done after the second disc.

Speaking of hydearation: I already went on how much liquid I need on Wednesday's entry. This year’s greatest finding was Accelerade. It has 1:4 ratio on protein and performance during the ride and recovery have drastically improved. I make sure to drink it as first thing in the morning and early drinking is all Acclerade. We probably have favorite brand with favorite flavor that doesn’t bother your stomach, but lemonade Accelerade is mine.

If this were real outside rides, I will also make sure to dump myself with (iced) water anytime after the temperature hits 90 degrees (not uncommon at all in Texas) to help me cardio drift. I think I will write about it tomorrow.

I am honored to be completing the challenge with such talented athletes. This is only my third season riding, but my main activity has been endurance cycling, so if this reminder to myself can also benefit anybody in the group, I would be very happy. Good luck to us all!

Online Training Software 12/20/11

Coach Troy is using Training Peaks to manage 32-day Spinervals Challenge participants. It sends email of the program Coach programmed for the next two days as well as displays in calendar form. I use DigiFit from iPad to directly send workout data.

While I was doing today’s workout Spinervals 41.0 - Ascending Mountains, I was thinking about virtual hill that I could be competing on Strava.com. The Windhaven hill, in the video I shared earlier, is one that automatically processes.
http://www.strava.com/segments/windhaven-hill-666802
I currently hold 26th out of 36, but I only see a couple of women’s names ahead of me!

When I first started to train with Coach Keith, he wanted to see my progress on dailymile.I still use this one because the interface is friendly and cute. I usually share it on Facebook.

Then of course, if you use Garmin product, Garmin Connect is very through, yet simple and easy to see. Here is 41.0 - Ascending Mountains data from Day 20.

I am a paid customer for MapMyRide (last ride of the season in San Antonio) and Tony and I use it quite a bit for both pre-ride planning and post-ride analysis as well as searching for new routes. We like hybrid satellite street map to make sure what the turn should look like and even hunt for rest stops at gas stations and pharmacies by comparing with google maps.

If you have noticed eNewLeaf metabolism feature in recent Spinervals DVD’s, the data is maintained in eNewLeaf. The top picture is from the data from 19.0 - Bending Crank Arms. The advantage of eNewLeaf is that I can download program that my trainer programs into my Garmin. Then when my heart rate is not within the range, the watch sounds alerts.

So this is what I was thinking for future Troy’s training software. I download workout profile for particular DVD and I start the DVD and my Garmin simultaneously. And it beeps with heart rate and also cadence. The watch screams, “Fast leg, fast leg” if my cadence is too low and lets me know the end of the interval by saying “Push, push, push.” It will also give me an unevenly long 5 seconds to the end of interval!

Coach Troy asks, “How is it going?” 12/19/11

Day 19 of 32-day Spinervals Challenge and mandatory rest day. Although I have a wrong color on my compression socks, I am following Coach’s instructions diligently and even throw in massage.

For today, to be honest, I feel more tired than I would like to admit. But this is Monday. But I got finally done with the semester. It has been a rough semester. Unlike my buddy Bob Lockwood, my desk is still piled up with various paperwork to sort out and file.

As today is a weigh-in day, lots of fellow challengers are commenting. I weigh myself everyday and compared to the last program weigh-in, my weight today was up, WAY up. I am not freaking out because 1) during the season, my weight always went up over the weekend to prepare for long rides, 2) it is that time of the month and 3) the clothes are actually fitting better. For the last few years, my unpaid health advisor/now-husband Tony scratched our heads why I get dizzy. At this time, I came to the conclusion that I am a very dehydrated person. So you can imagine the amount of water I prepare for inside rides. You may recall my Day 3 video when I prepared for two-hour Have Mercy. I actually used most of that liquid while riding and finished everything up to replenish after the ride. (At 1:40 into the video) So my weight comes down assuming a lot of it is water weight.

Because I didn’t have my speed sensor working and I don’t have power meter, there is no way to compare before and after with accurate numbers to present. However I can say that my legs feel so strong especially after finding out that I had to change the cog set because it was warped at the heaviest part and the big chain ring was so torn my favorite lady mechanic and Kiwi challenger Steve Gray got kicked out of the photo. As far as my heart, I started to think that my threshold has shifted recently. I would definitely need to verify, though.

Now that the school is done, I have no more work related issues, I expect easier second half of the challenge. I have a lot to write, so will try to find the time everyday to catch up.