Fitness accountability thread?

[inactive]

I wish I lived in the Tulsa area, if only for the trail running opportunities.

Weekend before last I ran the Oklahoma Endurance Run 6 hour at Earlywine Park in Moore. Very hot race, but I managed to put up 22x 1.55 mile laps, good for second place.

Very interesting experience, and something I'd like to do again.

Now I'm trying to tune up for the Stars and Stripes Forever 5k on Independence Day. Hoping to lower my PR like I did last year at that race.

Come try the Snake Run at Turkey Mountain next march. 3 and 6 hour options on the relatively flat part of the wilderness area. 3.75 loop/o&b and also a half mile loop to get a bit more distance end near the end of the clock (but this short loop is more technical so that's the catch).

I did it in 2016 and got 32.5 in just under six hours . It's a good time. Great aid stations you pass every 1.5 miles or so. It's a super easy way to try a trail ultra since you don't have to carry a thing. Not even water.

 

[Commander Keen]

Come try the Snake Run at Turkey Mountain next march. 3 and 6 hour options on the relatively flat part of the wilderness area. 3.75 loop/o&b and also a half mile loop to get a bit more distance end near the end of the clock (but this short loop is more technical so that's the catch).

I did it in 2016 and got 32.5 in just under six hours . It's a good time. Great aid stations you pass every 1.5 miles or so. It's a super easy way to try a trail ultra since you don't have to carry a thing. Not even water.

Sounds great, but I'm planning on running the OKC Memorial Marathon again next year. Maybe as an easy training run, if it's far enough away...

 

[Annie]

Sounds great, but I'm planning on running the OKC Memorial Marathon again next year. Maybe as an easy training run, if it's far enough away...

I had actually planned on walking/running the Memorial Marathon before my neck finally collapsed. I want that to be my first marathon. I have a friend who runs it every year and she REALLY enjoys it. I'll be ready next year. I think they've rebuilt everything that was worn beyond serviceable limits so I'm excited at the prospect. I even joined a gym so I can get some extra cardio in on the stationary bike, so I don't strain my ankle again.

Did my PT, drove about 3 hours today, and still had enough energy to go out in my mile and a half at the park. I still need to do some light weight training exercises they gave me for my shoulders and upper back but I gotta take a break for a bit.

I wish they would let me use my inversion table. I REALLY need to stretch out.

 

[Commander Keen]

I had actually planned on walking/running the Memorial Marathon before my neck finally collapsed. I want that to be my first marathon. I have a friend who runs it every year and she REALLY enjoys it. I'll be ready next year. *snip*

It is a great race, as long as you don't count the inevitable headwind up Classen. [emoji48]
Best of luck with the PT and training!


9 easy miles this morning.

 

[Annie]

Where are you guys??

Doc will only let me do so much resistance and weight-bearing training in a week. Walking is considered a weight-bearing exercise for people who have a fusion. 1 and 1/2 miles a day is my limit, for as long as I am doing PT every day.

That ain't gonna work. So ... yesterday I finally got the okay to use a stationary bike. I did HIIT on it yesterday for an hour. JEEZ ... I'm not sure I have sweated so much in my life. That is a serious workout. I was spent but it felt GREAT!!

So ... today, after walking my 1 1/2 mile at the park, and then going and doing my PT after I thought "Hey!! Let's go ride the bike at the gym!!"

Did the hour long HIIT training again and then decided to see what I had left in me. Wound up doing a other hour, starting at 6 resistance and knocking it down a number every 10 minutes, til I got to 2 and then just kept my heart rate at a nice light 100-120 for the last 20 minutes.

So ... I did my first 20 mile ride. It was a blast! I see a new addiction.

Then I came home, took a shower and a nice long nap!

I gotta work out a plan, since I'm kinda winging it right now. Today was the first day since I got out of the hospital that I've gotten more than 8-900 calories down me, and I'm pretty sure this is the first day I've gotten the carbs I need otherwise there is NO way I would have had the energy to ride that long, especially doing the HIIT program in the machine.

I get an awful lot of my nutrients from supplements right now because every time I try to eat solid food my throat still swells. (I had 4-5 bites of meatloaf and mashed potatoes 2 nights ago and if I hadn't already experienced that little adventure to the ER I wouldn't have known what was going on until it was too late. As it was, I stopped eating, took some meds to relax those muscles and some antihistamine to combat the swelling. It worked. Didn't wind up at the ER again.

Guess I'll just try something soft once a week until I can eat without trying to kill myself. But DAMN what I would give for a steak right now!

I'm having a BLAST! It's one thing to exercise because you know you need to, but you know it's gonna makes you hurt worse than when you started. It's quite another to feel better when you come out than you did when you went in AND know you aren't gonna wind up paying for it the rest of the day.

Sorry for the yakkity-yak. It's just I'm still not used to feeling good!! I can't even imagine how much better it will be when I can actually eat RIGHT and get some SERIOUS training in.

 

[Annie]

Ok, you fitness gurus. I need some answers. New thread or ask here?? It's about using that stationary bike to build endurance because the doctor will only let me walk a mile a day (shhhhh, don't tell him Eldon Lyon is a mile and a half), and the only weight training I can do is downright ridiculously easy right now.

I did my mile and a half at the park and then drove straight to the gym this morning and did the "fat burner" workout that is pre-programmed into the bike. I don't know what that means but I was sweating like a whore on dollar day after that hour was over. I did a 30-minute 4-3 interval after that at 3 and 5 resistance and kept my heart rate between 120-140/bpm just because I enjoy moving more now that my head doesn't hurt all the time AND to distract myself from this damned bone stimulator I have to wear every day for 4 hours. I got home and STILL have an hour and then some to wear it. Blah!!

It's probably a good thing I'm more afraid of this fusion failing than I am irritated by this thing. I can COMPLETELY undertake how CPAP patients get fed up with their equipment.

So, tell me what you where you want me to ask and I'll get busy ...

Thanks, guys!!

 

[bigfug]

Go ahead and ask here. I'll make sure to come back and respond

 

[Annie]

Ok, well I guess my biggest question is am I supposed to get my heart rate "high" and keep it there on the lower resistance levels, or keep it at a moderate rate there and then when the resistance increases pump up my RPMs to get my heart rate high.

I've just now started playing around with the programs and the "4-3 interval" program yesterday (resistance alternated between 5 and 7 and I kept my heart rate at 140 at 5 and 160 at 7) and it really doesn't press me as much as I would like. In fact, I still felt good enough to take another hour long leisure ride at 7, with my heart rate 140-157 or so and it was no big deal.

Today I did the "fat burner" program for an hour and that one left me feeling like a wrung out dishrag. I could only manage a 30 minute 4-3 interval ride at 5 and 7 resistance after that hour ride. My heart rate stayed about 140 or so for that 30 minutes.

The 2-hour ride was a little more than 20 miles. The 1.5 hour ride today was about 14 miles, IIRC. I forgot to write it down.

I dunno what combo is more important to build endurance:

Miles/RPMs/time ridden/heart rate

I REALLY like the HIIT ride like the one I took today.

My plan is to walk my 1.5 miles at the park with my friend, then go to the gym and ride for at least 2 hours (I have to wear a collar that does this electromagnetic thing to help generate bone growth for 4 hours every day. It is awkward as hell and bike riding distracts me from the clicking noise it makes, the headache it causes (go figure!! Headaches are a side effect, BUT they go usually go away with a couple of Excedrin Migraine (I've only had to take a Percocet once so far) and the fact that it pushes my head forward "just" enough to bug the **** out of me.

I am looking at wearing this thing EVERY DAY for 6-12 months so if I could get my endurance built up pretty quick so I can just ride the 4 hours until I can take the ****** off and go on about my day that would be great.

I'm just not sure about what I'm doing and the internet is all over the place with advice -- none of it consistent, of course.

I REALLY appreciate you willing to take the time to help me out! I will owe you BIG TIME!

 

[inactive]

When cycling for aerobic fitness and/or fat burning keep your HR relatively low. A number is somewhat meaningless as everyone's peak and resting HR vary by age gender and fitness. You can take a max heart rate test or roughly estimate by taking 220 minutes your age. That's really a wild guess though so a test is better.

Once you know that, here's rough HR zones for running:

Training Run Type Percent of Maximal Heart Rate (% of MHR)
Marathon pace 79-88%
Long runs 75-85%
General aerobic runs 70-81%
Recovery runs <70%

This somewhat translates to cycling; as in a normal easy ride should be under 80% or so. I will add that most people, myself included, find they have lower HRs when cycling versus running at the same perceived effort. Meaning I tap out at a lower HR cycling than I do running. But YMMV.

I'd also recommend keeping resistance low and a higher cadence/rpm. It's generally better on your legs and tends to work you more aerobically versus anaerobically. The HIIT is good but Id not do it every ride. Easy steady effort over consistent workouts - week over week and month over month - is arguably better for aerobic fitness. So a steady to high RPM at the right HR for increasing durations as you gain fitness. Time matters more universally than distance as time can be used to limit overtraining regardless of fitness/distance covered. I think cycling you should keep it to 60-90 minutes max save for a single long ride a week; I say this because in running we say keep it 60 or less save for the weekly workout and the long run. I cycle though less than I run.

 

[Annie]

Ok, thanks, that makes sense and helps a lot. I'm gonna be lucky if the doc lets me start jogging in 12 months. Probably more like 18 months. All depends on how fast that bone fills in -- x-rays every 6 months until it's solid. I had too many high risk factors already. Them having to have me on steroids for the last month and a half (before the surgery even) and me not being able of eat solid foods were just the things that took me past the tipping point.

Still, even with all this, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It is SO nice to be without a headache all the time. I had NO CLUE what being pain free felt like. NEVER discount someone who is in chronic pain. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean they aren't suffering. The REALLY bizarre thing is you get so used to it that you really do convince yourself you have good days and bad days. Truth is, looking back, there are just bad days and less bad days. I wouldn't wish that stuff off on my worst enemy.