Originally Posted by
texaspandj
I started my pre training to pre season today. In other words I'm trying to get in shape enough to start training in January.
I ran 3 Miles at a pedestrian pace that I could maintain the whole way. I can ride 20 miles easily enough so I figured I could run 3 Miles. I was trying to keep my heart rate down. I read that at my age it should be at 125 for aerobic Base. I think I stand up at that, actually my resting heart rate is 68. I don't use a Heart rate monitor but really considered it this time around. But I probably just do the ole usual of slow base running.
For now, you're not really missing anything if you don't have a Wahoo Tickr or something comparable. Training by heart rate may give us that additional 5% edge when we're already in nearly top condition. But for me, the feels-like gauge works well enough.
Reminds me, another lingering side effect of COVID was the effect on my heart rate. My resting heart rate before COVID was around 58-60 bpm, unless I took meds like Sudafed or drank coffee, both of which increase my HR a bit. After COVID my resting HR was in the low 70s.
But the most worrying change was how my heart rate would spike to 130 bpm just walking out the door to run, jog or just take a long walk. It was bizarre and made it difficult to train by heart rate. My maximum heart rate remained the same as a few years ago when I tested it methodically, 173 bpm. My Zone 4 range stayed the same, and I was still able to sustain around a 160 bpm effort for 20 minutes or longer.
But it was impossible to use HR data to estimate a Zone 1-3 workout, because it never dipped below 130 bpm even with low effort. So I just went by how it felt.
I've started taking a beta blocker -- carvedilol -- that seems to have fewer side effects than the others I've tried before. In the past 20 years I've tried metoprolol and propranolol, mostly for treating migraines, both of which wiped out my energy and I never could adapt to using them long term. But metoprolol is still my go-to for occasional migraines. I'm hoping the daily carvedilol will also be effective at preventing migraines. My blood pressure isn't particularly high, usually 120-70. But if the carvedilol keeps my heart rate more or less normal, I can resume training according to heart rate.
Meanwhile, I mostly just train according to how I feel. Monday I intended to just take a 5 mile walk, but felt good enough after a brief warmup to do running intervals. So my plans and "feels like" gauge don't usually cooperate.
Originally Posted by
texaspandj
Posting this pic for posterity's sake.
Last weekend at a music venue, Me with two of my grandsons. I'm 188 lbs! Meanwhile I was about the same weight as my grandson when I was a freshman like he is this Year.I'm determined to lose some Baby fat...so I can ride My Ironman FASTER.
Hey, I saw the notice for the family band on Facebook. Wish I could have attended but I've been battling occasional apartment floods since mid-August. One of these days I want to see y'all at a gig. Love the YouTube videos of those previous gigs. You're always humble about the family band, but y'all are among the best blues bands I've seen anywhere, and that includes lots of trips to Chicago in the 1980s-'90s.