Roger Bikes

Tag: workout

  • 100,000 meters so far

    I bought an indoor rowing machine a few weeks ago to keep my aerobic fitness going through winter. We took delivery on Dec 24th and I did a short 10 minute workout to test it out. Since then I have used it 10 more days and so far have rowed over 100,000 meters or 100km, also known as over 62 miles.

    I am still trying to take it easy and the longest single distance rowed was today at 15km. I broke it up into four 3750meter segments with a 3 minute easy break between each one. Breaking it up like that is something I learned from a 12 week training program I am going to start after my vacation.

    One might think that rowing in a room would be really boring and it could be. To keep things more interesting I have been listening to audiobooks during the workouts. So far I have listening to Sid Meier’s Memoir, which if you have played any Sid Meier games is a fun listen. Now I am listening to Range by David Epstein, which is a really fascinating review of how humans have changed due to the modern world.

    This is a change from my initial use of Apple Fitness+ workouts, but I found that those workouts were not as helpful as more traditional rowing workouts. In the Apple workouts you watch the video to match the instructors strokes per minute. That works fine but from reading about rowing workouts the stroke rate they are using around 26 to 30 strokes per minute is pretty high.

    The training program I am using now has my long easy workouts at 18 to 20 strokes per minute. This is a lot slower stroke rate which allows me to focus on my form much more. It also keeps my heart rate in a zone 2 area which is best for improving aerobic fitness. There are also more difficult interval workouts that use higher stroke rates to work on my strength and speed.

  • Snowtastic fun in the sun

    Snowtastic fun in the sun

    I like getting outside and being active. Movement makes me smile and laugh and helps me forget about everything I don’t need to be worrying about. With the recent snowstorms we have been getting it has been difficult to get outside and have fun.

    For over a year now I have been looking for cross county ski equipment so that I can go outside and play with snow on the ground. The problem we ran into last year was that everyone else wanted to do the same thing. There was a shortage of cross country ski equipment, similar to what the bike industry is seeing. I looked for used and new gear but nothing came to fruition.

    One option to cross country skis are a splitboard. A splitboard is a snowboard that comes apart into two pieces that resemble skis. The bindings are moved from their snowboarding position into a cross country ski position with the heel free to lift, just like a cross country ski. This allows the user to traverse flat sections of snow like a cross country skier. With the aid of climbing skins the user can go up steep hills. Once at the top they recombine the board into one and snowboard down in style.

    The problem with splitboards is they are expensive due to the added manufacturing work and lower demand as most people like riding up chairlifts to snowboard. The good new is that Craigslist is still in operation and still delivers the goods. Sure enough I though about getting a splitboard last Friday and searched on Craigslist for one. I got a hit from someone in my small ass town selling a 2 year old board with bindings for a steal. I contacted them and made the purchase Saturday morning. Within 20 minutes I was skiing around our property.

    In snowboard form here but it transforms! More than meets the eye!

    The main purpose of a splitboard is to allow people to get into the backcountry and snowboard. The problem with this is avalanches. The key is to wait until later in the season to start going into the backcountry. Once the snow settles it is safe from avalanche and is then safe for splitboarding. I figure that will be around April. Until then I will enjoy using the splitboard only as cross country skis on my land and other flat areas.

  • 1 year review – Apple Fitness+

    1 year review – Apple Fitness+

    A year ago Apple came out with its streaming workout video program known as Apple Fitness+. I have been using it off an on the the last 12 months and have found a lot of value from using it. You have to have an iOS device, an Apple Watch, and a subscription to Fitness+ to access the classes. There are a variety of types of classes, coaches, and music genres to choose from.

    When I first started using Fitness+ we were visiting Kate’s father in Virginia. There was a spare room where I was able to do my workouts. I used my iPhone as you cannot access Fitness+ on a Mac, only iOS devices. This is less than an ideal setup as the screen is so small. I used my Airpods to keep from annoying anyone else with the noise.

    My first workouts were Yoga and Core as I wrote about here. Once we got back to Colorado I started doing HIIT and Strength workouts as well. These kicked my butt. I got super sore for a while.

    Now we are in the house and I have an Apple TV connected to a projector it is much easier to follow along. Especially for the dance classes, where I need the most help.

    At the end of the day Apple’s streaming fitness video service is very polished. The camera work, coaches, and music are all well done and entertaining. The workouts I have done are all effective. I like some coaches more than others. You can do it on your iPhone but an iPad is really the minimum I would suggest. Ideally you have an Apple TV connected to a TV or Projector.

    It would be nice if there were more filters for finding classes. Some are much more difficult than others and can catch you off guard if you aren’t expecting it. However, there is always one of the coaches in the background taking the moves at an easier level. I want to think I can always keep up with the main workout, but I have learned when to take it easy and not let my ego push me into getting injured.

  • Writing is Exercise

    Writing is Exercise

    I try to get up every morning and workout. It is not something I have been great at doing regularly until about 4 years ago. When I turned 40 I knew I needed to start paying better attention to my body, and keeping it working well. Since then I have a pretty good success rate at getting up and doing some type of exercise. This helps me feel good which generally means I am in a good mood and therefore more productive and pleasant.

    Writing has the same effect, by getting me to think clearly enough to write this sentence. As I write more the easier it is to put my thoughts together and convey what I am thinking. Doing this every morning helps me organize my thoughts about the day. Whether I am reflecting on something that happened yesterday, or planning something for next year writing helps review what is happening.

    When I exercise I am thinking about my next bike ride, hike, or rafting trip. I think about how a strength movement is going to help me in different circumstances. I may also be thinking about how much pain I am in and to keep breathing and get through it. Which is a huge thing to work on and apply to a bike, hike, or rafting trip. In the end I am doing these things because I enjoy them.

    Writing is also an exercise in thinking. When I am writing this sentence I am trying to organize my thoughts to convey something. I am also thinking about work, or a meeting about the trails group. Mainly I am thinking about what the heck am I trying to convey here.

    Where I get stuck with physical exercise and writing exercise is thinking about what others will think. When this happens everything freezes and I forget why I am doing this. Instead I am worrying about how I look, or if someone might think this sentence is silly. There is no benefit to this during exercise. If those things are important to an activity then it isn’t exercise, it’s work.

    The fun part about exercising physically or mentally is that it is just an exercise to get better. I have no delusions about going to the Olympics or being hired as a model, but I do want to enjoy a long bike ride. Physical exercise will ensure that I can physically complete the ride, and hopefully have a smile on my face. I have no delusions that I will be a New York Times bestselling author, but I do want to improve my writing for work. Writing exercise here on my blog gives me a place to practice writing, and expose it to whomever cares to take a look. I hope that it is enjoyable to read, but I try not to take it too seriously. I am writing metaphorical push ups and jumping jacks here with the intent that my writing elsewhere will get better.

  • Recovering from Thanksgiving

    Recovering from Thanksgiving

    The start of a new week after a big holiday is always a tenuous situation. On one hand four days off of work is very helpful for relaxing and remembering what is important. On the other hand it makes it more difficult to come back to work the following Monday, because even when work is great it is still work. My thoughts are of food and conversation with friends. Making the shift back to work thinking takes time and effort.

    The Thanksgiving holiday in the USA is a complicated thing to celebrate. Traditionally most Americans think of Thanksgiving as celebrating when the Native Americans helped the first settlers get through their first winter, and of American Football.

    Reflecting on this tradition is conflicting because it celebrates cooperation, but the consequential treatment of the Native Americans by the European settlers makes one question how much cooperation there was. My life is directly descended from these activities so I am a byproduct of them. I am thankful for living in the country and try to understand both the privileges it grants me and the tragedies it created.

    When I was younger I rebelled against all of it and thought that by rejecting everything I would absolve myself somehow. As I have aged I recognize that life is utterly and completely complicated. I am far from settled on the matter of how we treated and continue to treat the Native Americans. I cannot change what has happened but I can change how I think, act, and handle situations moving forward.

    Thanksgiving is also conflicting because of my own memories of Thanksgivings gone by. As a child it meant either hosting family or travelling to visit family. Some of those memories are good and some are less than good. In almost all cases there was a great food and overconsumption. This year we had friends come over and help us celebrate our first Thanksgiving in our new home. The food was great and I ate way too much.

    My solution for bouncing back from vacation is routine. Getting up early and getting some type of workout in is key. First of all this is important for staying healthy and happy but also because it helps to clear the cobwebs of vacation from the mind. Once the blood is flowing its time to focus on the dogs and getting them some breakfast and their exercise.

    This morning I got up and did 30 minutes of yoga. At one point in my life yoga was pretty much everything and helped me get through some interesting times. Now it is a tool I have that helps me remember how my body is changing but still the same. Each pose has a benchmark that lets me measure how much I am improving or declining.

    The more I practice the more I can check the benchmark and see where things stand. If I am not able to do a pose that I once could I do not feel bad, instead I see it as reason to keep doing more yoga. If I am able to still do a post I am happy but try to remain humble and know that there are other places I can still improve. Yoga also creates a flow by linking poses together in a way that mimics natural movement. This helps me feel confident in my own body, which then extends into everything else.

    Having a morning routine is somewhat new to me. For most of my life I have treated the morning with dread. Instead of seeing it as the start to the day, I saw it as the end of sleep. Changing this attitude took over 40 years but when it happened it was more like a light switch: I simply make the decision each morning to get up and out of bed.

    Having a routine to follow once I am out of bed also helps me get out of bed. Rather than laying there thinking about what I could do if I got up, I already have a plan and just need to get up and follow it. There is no thinking more than what t-shirt I am going to put on.

    While the routine is very important, being flexible with the routine is also important. Sometimes things come up and I cannot get a full workout in. In those cases walking the dogs replaces my workout. I am at least getting up and moving around. Plus walking my dogs is always an adventure.

    They smell so many things that I do not and it is fascinating to watch them explore. We have a good amount of wildlife around our home, so there are lots of tracks and scat that I imagine creates a cornucopia of smells.

    By the time work comes around I have been up for a few hours, have some type of workout in, have reviewed the days plans with the dogs, and made a nice cup of coffee. My mind may still be in vacation mode a little bit but I have removed a lot of cobwebs and am ready to go.

  • Monday Morning Ride

    Monday Morning Ride

    Had some hesitation for this morning’s ride. Its a strength day so I want to avoid over exercising, which is a lame excuse cause I don’t workout that hard. It is also dark longer in the morning so I was worried about visibility. However, once I was up and soaked in the hot tub I got over my concerns and decided to get in a nice 1 hour ride.

    The sunrise was just gorgeous this morning. I hit the road about 15 minutes before it came up over the San Juans and I was able to get a a few pre dawn photos in that came out great.

    As I approached the area where the Ute tribe raise a herd of bison there was a group of deer hanging out. They weren’t bothered by any of the trucks and cars flying by at 65 mph but lil ol me got them all startled and running off.

    Most of em headed east away from the road but a group of 3 were stuck on the wrong side of the fence. They were running along parallel with me and the road about 50 yards ahead. At first I was excited and enjoying the chase but then I had the realization that they each outweighed me by about double. If for some dumb reason they decided to double back at me it would suck.

    Fortunately my fears were even more dumb and they eventually managed to jump the fence and rejoin their group. Just another morning in Mancos I guess.

    Later buddy!

    The rest of the ride was uneventful except for the sun rays pouring out of the clouds like a heavenly vision. I was thankful my tail light was flashing to alert any sunrise distracted motorists of my presense. Car’s rear ending cyclists only make up about 10% of all car-cyclist collisions but I have to imagine they probably don’t work out well for the cyclist.

    They say that near death experiences make you appreciate living more. I try not to dwell on my close encounters but occasionally wonder what the distracted driver who gets me will be posting on Facebook at the time of collision. When people tell me to be careful while out riding I remind them that its really up to them and their driving if I am going to be safe or not. They seem to get my drift, mostly.

  • Lazy Coffee Rides

    Lazy Coffee Rides

    Some days I just want to get a nice easy ride in. Riding to town is about 24 to 30 minutes each way. There is a decent, a climb, and a decent and then I am at the main coffee shop in town: Fahrenheit Coffee Roasters . I grab an espresso and, if they have any, a tart. Today it was a cherry tart and it was delicious.

    It is starting to cool down in the mornings here. The weather report said it was 52F but it felt a little chillier than that. Especially when I hit the low points of the 2 valleys I have to cross into town. I guess I will have to start pulling out the warmer biking clothes: skull cap, tights, and warmer gloves.

    The sun is also coming up significantly later. In June and July I could leave home about 6am and the sun would be close to peaking over the San Juan mountains. Now it is after 7 until that happens. It’s always interesting to see how the seasons change because of that giant ball of fire in the sky.

    The ride home was very pleasant as the Sun was up and shining its warm rays on my back. Sometimes its nice to just easy pedal back home and get ready for the day.

    The house construction is coming along well. Drywall should be done this week and paint starts next week. The roofers finally showed up to finish the standing seam and I have to start planning my garage/workshop.

    Fortunately the Weekend Woodworker has added a new course for setting up a workshop. I have his first course and built some nice furniture. The videos are well done and he gives some helpful tips and tricks that this n00b needs. So far he has me rethinking the lighting and using these LED shoplights: Barrina LED Shop Light, 8FT 72W 9000LM 5000K . They are LED replacements of fluorescent shop lights, so no flicker, no exploding bulbs, and massive energy use reduction.

    Next I am thinking of putting an epoxy coating on the garage floor to protect the concrete from stains and stuff. The concrete floor looks so good that this will hurt a little to do, but in the long run it will stay more clean.

    Now I just need the builders to finish. 🤣

  • Strength Training and Recovery Ride

    Strength Training and Recovery Ride

    Today we are back in the gym, aka the living room, and doing some strength training. The prescription workout is for 1 hour of various exercises to strengthen the entire body. 2 sets of 20 reps per exercise is what is called for but I would lose my mind doing 20 reps of anything. It also calls for core work and stretching.

    I mentioned yesterday that last year I did my bodyweight routine when doing these workouts. There are a few issues I currently have with the bodyweight routine:

    1. It’s still cold here. It was 13F this morning and the bodyweight routine needs to be done outside with my pullup bar. Thats what they call a no-go for probably another month, or a third of the 12 week Training Program.
    2. The bodyweight routine is the same workout every time. I have done that routine over 100 times at this point. I need some variation and there are proponents of using variety to get even more gains from strength training.
    3. You need to track your progress on the bodyweight routine. The focus is on progression of strength by increases in reps and then altering the exercise to be more difficult, and continue. This means you need to count during the workout and then write them down. I use Google Sheets on my iPhone and its not a huge deal, but it is still one more thing to do.
    4. Pull Ups are still my kryptonite. I have been working on my pull ups off and on for a few years now and while there has been some progression I am still in the 2 to 3 rep range and its frustrating.

    The good news is that Apple Fitness+ workout’s solves all of these problems.

    1. I can do them inside.
    2. There is a lot of variety: The category of workouts are: HIIT, Yoga, Core, Strength, Treadmill, Cycling, Rowing, Dance, and Mindful Cooldown. There are 21 coaches many of whom teach multiple categories. The sheer volume of classes that Apple started with and continues to release is very impressive.
    3. Tracking is done by my Apple Watch. Sure I can see the numbers while I am working out; it can be interesting to know what heart-rate I have when I am in total agony. A bigger benefit is that I can then send that data into TrainingPeaks and compare things to what my Training Program wants me to be doing.
    4. There are no pull up bars, and therefore no pull ups in Apple Fitness+.😎

    Today was the second day that I used the Fitness+ classes for my prescribed strength workout. There are no 1 hour long classes in Fitness+. The longest classes are 45 minutes but the longest Strength classes are 30 minutes. So I build a combination of classes to get my workout done.

    On Monday I did a 10 minute Yoga class to warmup, then a 30 min strength class, followed with a 10 minute Core class, and finished with a 10 minute Cooldown class. It was challenging though never discouraging.

    Most classes have 3 people in the video with the main coach and 2 coaches from other disciplines to the left and right. Pretty much always the coach to the left on the screen is doing easier modifications of the main move.

    Today I changed it up and started with a 30 min Strength class, then two 10 minute Core classes, and closed with a 10 min Cooldown. This was a good challenge, and while I enjoy my Yoga I am also trying to adhere more closely with my overall Training Program. While some Yoga has a lot of strength work it is proportionally less than a specialized Strength or Core class.

    In the Strength classes the coaches use light and medium weight barbells most of the time. We do not currently own any barbells so I have just been clenching my fists. We are in the market for some barbells so I will eventually have those, but for the moment it seems like a benefit to not yet have them. Let me explain.

    The Strength classes are based around repetitive compound movements. You are squatting while holding barbells by your shoulders. When you stand up you also extend your arms up. You are working many major muscle groups at the same time.

    Using weights allows you to push the upper body workout further and there are studies that show it helps strengthen bones and all types of good things. They also allow you to overtrain and injure yourself especially if you haven’t been working out with weights in a long time. Right now I can go through the motions, focus on my form, and let my legs get torn up first.

    The amount of leg soreness from the Monday workout was still with me when I started todays classes. One good thing about working out though is that as soon as you start the soreness becomes a memory. (If it doesn’t then you are overtrained and need to take a break immediately.)

    The Core classes were challenging but kept things changing up enough that you didn’t dwell on how out of shape things are. The Cooldown class is becoming my favorite. They are like Yoga but even more simple movements and then a couple of minutes of stillness and meditation at the end. It definitely helps calm the mind and reflect.

    Then Kate and I went for a 30 minute recovery ride this evening just before sunset. A recovery ride is a really easy ride for letting the legs move and get the blood flowing. You get into a really easy gear and just let your legs fall over the pedals.

  • FTP (Feel The Pain) test day

    It’s been since last October that I’ve done an fitness or FTP test. After a good warmup you go as hard as possible for 20 minutes. Then use a calculator to figure out what your heart rate or power meter zones should be for training. This personalizes you training zones not just to your body but to your body at this time.

    As we improve our fitness our muscles get stronger and more efficient. This applies to the heart as much as the bicep or hamstring. In aerobic training the focus is one getting the heart to maintain a high level of output while being as efficient as possible. Science has shown that training the heart at a percentage below maximum is best for improving the hearts capabilities.

    If you are interested in this stuff I recommend researching Joe Friel. He wrote the book on this stuff and is a very successful athlete and coach. He created TrainingPeaks.com which is software for compiling your workout data and then analyzing it.

    Personally I’m touch and go with this level of training. It has the ability to wipe out all the fun of bike riding. It also has the ability to make you into a jerk. Currently I’m back on the wagon because we have a house being built and this will help distract me from thinking about that too much. There are also going to be bike races this year and I’m thinking of doing some of them.

    That said while I’m going to be following my workout routine I’m not going to be obsessed with it. I’m going to do my best to get all the workouts done first. Then I’ll try to hit the goals of each one.

    One big change this year is that I’m using Apple Fitness+ to help me with the strength workouts. Last year I was using my body weight workout routine which works great but it’s too cold outside to do that just now. Instead I’ve started using the Functional Strength workouts in Fitness+ and let me say this: ouch.

    I did my first class yesterday and I’m still sore. Turns out that you need to keep doing squats and deadlifts in order to be able to keep doing them. I was so sore this morning I was a little worried about being able to do the ride.

    The good news is that once I was on my bike the magic kicked into gear. Sure it was 30F and I had pretty much all my cycling gear on but I was grinning ear to ear the whole ride. One thing I was taught years ago in sports was to smile. It throws your competitors off but also gives you a psychological boost. If you can smile then it can’t be that bad.

    It is recommended that you try to do your fitness tests on the same route to reduce variations and try to keep the results neutral. My route starts on road 40. It’s about 4 miles from my house and gives me a nice warmup to get to it. Then I use road 40 to push myself as hard as possible.

    It’s a nice route because it doesn’t have a lot of traffic and it is uphill. Another recommendation is to have a route that climbs a little so that the challenge is more consistent. There are a few sections you may call steep but in Colorado that’s just a hill!😂

    At the top of my route you take a right into the Nordic Center parking lot and then onto the roads and trails of the Nordic Center. Unfortunately there is still snow in the Nordic Center so the top end of my route is not yet rideable.

    So today when I got to road 40 I kept going on by. This gave me a nice downhill to spin my legs out on and further my warm up. A couple miles down is the turnoff for road 41. I turned around there and started my test from there. This gave me a few miles on pavement before hitting the dirt on road 40. It was a perfect call as I hit 20 minutes about half a mile before the Nordic center and had a solid effort.

    Some instructions for a good fitness test is to go hard in the first 10 minutes but keep it back just a touch from full effort. Once you hit 10 minutes you reassess how things are going. Do you feel good or are you starting to wane?

    If you feel good then you should continue what you have going and consider stepping things up a bit. Remember there’s still 10 minutes left so you have to do what you just did. You want to finish the test strong.

    If you are starting to wane then consider pulling back a little. Give it a minute or two and reassess how that feels. Again the goal is to finish strong not spent. It’s only a 20 minute test so you should not be collapsing before the finish. After the finish?

  • Fitness Test Day : 89/100

    Fitness Test Day : 89/100

    Today was day 2 of my cycling training program. Yesterday was a strength day, and today is the fitness or FTP test. I wrote about the fitness test on May 16th on the 16th post of this blogging challenge. I know I had said I was only going to watch my time on workouts but I have added heart rate back. This is more helpful for telling me when to reduce my effort. It is amazing how often we are working way too hard in aerobic workouts. The purpose is to train your heart, and science has shown us that training from 85% to 94% of your lactate threshold heart rate (LTHR) is where you make your heart stronger.

    Determining LTHR is done by going as hard as possible for 20 minutes. You take your average heart rate during that effort and have an approximate of what your LTHR is. From there you use a guide or calculator to determine your training zones.

    On today’s test my LTHR came out to be about 6bpm less than the last time I did the test. There is a possibility I could have pushed harder but I am tired tonight which I attribute to pushing pretty hard this morning. This isn’t exactly ideal but since I haven’t been doing aerobic training for over 2 months it should not be a surprise. I guess I know why I am doing the training now.

    Overall it was a beautiful morning and a great ride.