Training Log Archive: iansmithIn the 7 days ending Oct 4, 2020:
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Saturday Oct 3, 2020 #
2 AM
Biking 6:05:00 [1] 152.88 km (25.1 kph) +394m
The plan for today was to repeat my Niagara trip of August 8. The skies were clear, the moon was full, and my weekend was free of plans. Unfortunately, the low temperature forecast for the trip was 4 C, and even as I was setting out, it was 5-6 C in Toronto.
I prepared in the usual way: clothing was SLS shirt, quarter tights, and a windbreaker in reserve; about 5000 calories with 3 Kit Kats, 4 granola bars, 180g of goldfish, 200g of M&Ms, a sandwich, and the usual 3.75 L of gatorade. I carried two innertubes and my usual mechanical kit.
Immediately upon setting out, I felt cold. I resolved to go for an hour to give myself a chance to warm up. Getting low on my aerobars helped my stay warm by reducing my exposure to the wind. I felt ok physically for the first hour, but when I stopped in Oakville at 1:29/41 km, I immediately started shivering. Given that completing this trip basically tested my limits of endurance, I figured that the energy drain from being cold would put the expedition in serious jeopardy. While my core was generally warm enough, my extremities were quite cold. I couldn't seem to keep my calves warm, and my lower legs were cramping when I planted my foot at traffic lights.
Anyway, after my fueling stop, I resolved to cut my trip by about half. I picked Burlington as my turnaround point, but as I hit Burlington, I decided to add a circuit of Hamilton Harbour. This was fine, but the temperature continued to fall, and I was quite cold at my second break at 4:09/110 km despite putting on my jacket at 80 mins. The rest of the trip home was a bit of a struggle, but my return was inevitable. The sun started to come up at about 5:00 into the trip, but I was unable to really push, as I apparently had already drained my available energy reserves.
The lesson here is pretty clear: nighttime starts are difficult when the temperature drops below 10-12 C. A 7 am start today might have been feasible, though the more limited daylight makes 12h expeditions questionable.
I prepared in the usual way: clothing was SLS shirt, quarter tights, and a windbreaker in reserve; about 5000 calories with 3 Kit Kats, 4 granola bars, 180g of goldfish, 200g of M&Ms, a sandwich, and the usual 3.75 L of gatorade. I carried two innertubes and my usual mechanical kit.
Immediately upon setting out, I felt cold. I resolved to go for an hour to give myself a chance to warm up. Getting low on my aerobars helped my stay warm by reducing my exposure to the wind. I felt ok physically for the first hour, but when I stopped in Oakville at 1:29/41 km, I immediately started shivering. Given that completing this trip basically tested my limits of endurance, I figured that the energy drain from being cold would put the expedition in serious jeopardy. While my core was generally warm enough, my extremities were quite cold. I couldn't seem to keep my calves warm, and my lower legs were cramping when I planted my foot at traffic lights.
Anyway, after my fueling stop, I resolved to cut my trip by about half. I picked Burlington as my turnaround point, but as I hit Burlington, I decided to add a circuit of Hamilton Harbour. This was fine, but the temperature continued to fall, and I was quite cold at my second break at 4:09/110 km despite putting on my jacket at 80 mins. The rest of the trip home was a bit of a struggle, but my return was inevitable. The sun started to come up at about 5:00 into the trip, but I was unable to really push, as I apparently had already drained my available energy reserves.
The lesson here is pretty clear: nighttime starts are difficult when the temperature drops below 10-12 C. A 7 am start today might have been feasible, though the more limited daylight makes 12h expeditions questionable.
Thursday Oct 1, 2020 #
Stationary biking 45:00 23.2 km (1:56 / km)
Stationary bike workout on the balcony. It was pleasantly cool at around 7 C, but I nevertheless became quite sweaty even though I was in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt.
I warmed up for 15 minutes on settings 4 and 5, did 10 x (1 min on, 1 min rest) at settings 7 and 4 respectively, then cooled down for 10 minutes on setting 3. I tried to keep my cadence at around 90 RPM by feel alone, and it was quite intense at setting 7. My heart rate just after the last bout was over 172 (measured directly by me counting, not the bike). I also found that the flywheel housing was very warm to the touch at the end of the session.
I warmed up for 15 minutes on settings 4 and 5, did 10 x (1 min on, 1 min rest) at settings 7 and 4 respectively, then cooled down for 10 minutes on setting 3. I tried to keep my cadence at around 90 RPM by feel alone, and it was quite intense at setting 7. My heart rate just after the last bout was over 172 (measured directly by me counting, not the bike). I also found that the flywheel housing was very warm to the touch at the end of the session.
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020 #
Stationary biking 1:00:00 31.5 km (1:54 / km)
In anticipation of a cloistered, isolated winter, I purchased a folding stationary bike for my apartment. My road bike is not really suited for adverse winter conditions, and while it's only a rough approximation, the stationary bike hopefully can help me stay in cycling shape. The stationary bike was inexpensive, and because it folds, it is quite compact.
My first impressions are that the bike will be excellent for the niche of a low to moderate intensity, regular workout. It's very convenient to step out onto my balcony, bike for an hour, and come away feeling better and in a good mental place.
For my workout, I warmed up for 25 minutes exploring the different difficulty settings. I then did 5x 4 mins intervals with 1 minute rest; the intervals were at roughly 90 rpm on difficulty setting 6.
The reported metrics from the bike are clearly nonsense; the bike reported over 900 calories expended on this workout, and 19.6 miles. A particular problem with distance as a metric is that you accumulate distance faster at the lowest difficulty setting. I'm logging them to provide metrics, but I don't have much confidence in them. Power would be most informative.
My first impressions are that the bike will be excellent for the niche of a low to moderate intensity, regular workout. It's very convenient to step out onto my balcony, bike for an hour, and come away feeling better and in a good mental place.
For my workout, I warmed up for 25 minutes exploring the different difficulty settings. I then did 5x 4 mins intervals with 1 minute rest; the intervals were at roughly 90 rpm on difficulty setting 6.
The reported metrics from the bike are clearly nonsense; the bike reported over 900 calories expended on this workout, and 19.6 miles. A particular problem with distance as a metric is that you accumulate distance faster at the lowest difficulty setting. I'm logging them to provide metrics, but I don't have much confidence in them. Power would be most informative.