Missed a couple of sessions over the last week but had some good ones to. Thursday evening had an hour or so kayaking.
Friday saw me on the bike going shorter with some higher heart rate efforts. Only 30 seconds efforts but had a heart rate up to about 85% max. Done at the wrong time an effort like this will bring on an arrhythmia but I know these sort of efforts will steadily improve the heart condition and ability to do them. So its progress carefully. Actually had only intended to go to 80% but it all worked fine. So did 33k and very pleased with the six efforts. Here is the workout though readings are every 20 seconds so can miss the higher or lower readings.The weekend was full of bad weather, rain, snow and high winds. Well thats my excuse. There were also other things to do like get the computer to work with our new large teli. And to an extent thinking over a post on the Cardiac Athlete website had me unsettled.

Tonight did my weights. I view weights as core training. It wont directly help the cycling but it will certainly help me. So at this time of year I want to maintain rather than push the weights. I had settled on 2 sets of 5 reps as a balance between strength, time and effort. I then reckoned that these were a proving a bit hard and did not want to reduce the poundage - obstinate.
So I have compromised a bit: one set of 5 lower weight, one higher - near max single rep then a set of 5 (or whatever for bench press) at the previous weight. Proving very good. I like it and it seems to have less overall body stress yet overall a higher strength component. Re the bench press I dislocated a shoulder almost six years ago - for the second time. Though I have worked it carefully I still get odd niggles so am careful to avoid them. Bench press and press ups can niggle.
1 circuit warm up (9 press ups)
Bent over Rowing 47k @6 57k @2 52k @ 5
Bench Press 47k @6 57k @1 52k @ 4
SL Dead Lift 87k @6 97k @1 92k @ 5
heals raise 87k @6 97k @1 92k @ 5
Squat Jump 52k @10
Press 13k @ 6 6
Lat raise 6k @ 6 6
front raise 6k @ 6 6
Abs 4 exercises 2 sets @ 20 25 30 30
This is the second session like this the first was last Wednesday.
Reduced one abs set to 20 reps which seems fine.

Its been a pretty mixed week.
I was due to do weights and a bike ride on Sat. But visitors and house tidying got in the way. Then late Sat night I said I would take their dog and ours out for a walk. Keeping an eye on the younger active dogs I failed to spot our old border terrier wandering off. Well she always comes back in about an hour. Five hours later at 5.30am I gave up waiting and searching and went to bed. My wife started searching in the morning and a local farm found her wandering on their lawn at lunch time. So for the early part of the week I was "dog" tired, arrhythmia sunday afternoon - Monday. Just a bummer got nothing done. Having found freedom the dog has tried the same trick each night since.
Finally got out on my bike yesterday. I was over collecting timber from an estate near Forres and this is a run I have wanted to do for ages. Over Dava Moor to Granton on Spey, down Speyside and back over to Forres from Knockando, 83k, 800 mtrs climbing 19.5 kph. It was just brilliant - even with my heart playing up - it cleared this morning in bed. At one point there were four buzzards circling, 2 curlews and several oyster catchers.
Today I got my weights done with no arrhythmias:
1 circuit of warm up exercises
Bent over Rowing 52k @ 5 5
Bench Press 52k @ 4 3
SL Dead Lift 92k @ 5 5
heals raise 92k @ 5 5
Squat Jump 52k@ 10
Press 13k @ 6 6
Lat raise 6k @ 6 6
front raise 6k @ 6 6
Abs 4 exercises 2 sets @ 25/20 2530 30
Morning pulse 59, blood pressure 116/68
9hrs sleep but I have not caught up yet.

Out on Wed evening using a fixed wheel. Promised myself to go steady in a strong wind. OK got carried away in a tail wind to see how fast I could pedal. 178 is not bad without shoe plates. I have been using a mid shoe position over the pedals & changed to look pedals. I don't have a set for my fixed bike and anyway the toe overlap concerns me. So platform pedals & no shoe plates. Must fix the back brake though! Anyway it set off an arrhythmia. So had a disturbed nights sleep.
Arrhythmia still going on Thursday but I felt OK. I think because I have been getting more rest. Despite the arrhythmia I went out on my planned ride. A beautiful run round north Formartine into Buchan.Sightings of a flight of geese overhead, a dear & heron beside the road just adding to the day.
Took care to manage my effort, never push too hard and to fuel all the time. With the arrhythmia I can keep my pulse broadly in the 120-160 range. It bounces about. On hills I can generally keep within a 169 max with occasional bounces above and still climb at 450 metres per hour. I can live with that. So 75k, 700 metres of climbing and 18+kph.
If my arrhythmia becomes permanent & I can still do days like this life will still be good. Just made a brilliant evening. Dinner was ready when I got in and the arrhythmia cleared. What more could I ask.

Tuesday

Well got a good nights sleep last night, we all slept in and had a bit of a rush for school and work. But felt better for a 10hr rest. Often after a good sleep its as if my body does not want to get going for the whole day. My pulse can be low and I am liable to arrhythmias. However pulse was 57 this morning, which is middling and ok. I have been fine.
Home from work late so missed out on the cycling.
Did my weights the same as Sunday. Kept the same because I have limited goals for the weights - its more about maintenance now. And I reckon I have been over doing it recently.
1 circuit of warm up exercises
Bent over Rowing 52k @ 5 5
Bench Press 52k @ 4 3
SL Dead Lift 89.5k @ 5 5
heals raise 89.5k @ 5 5
Squat Jump 52k@ 10
Press 13k @ 6 6
Lat raise 6k @ 6 6
front raise 6k @ 6 6
Abs 4 exercises 2 sets @ 25 20 30 30
about 40 mins
Here's to a good nights rest.

catching up a little

Back again and hopefully will be better at keeping things up as a training log.

I keep a daily log of all that seems linked to arrhythmias so I should be able to use it easily for this - I hope.
I will skip most things just now except to say I have regular arrhythmias which knock the stuffing out of any real training.
However I still manage to enjoy myself and I would like to share it all with you.
Biggest aims are overall fitness and cycling related. I did 3,900 kilometres last year and aim for 5,000+ this. Not too concerned about speed but yes would like to be faster! Currently mostly about 20kph but depends on the hills.
Have done about 500k in each of January and Feb and probably pushed a little hard towards the end in Feb. Do some weights training and had a target for winter end ie Feb which probably had me pushing a wee bit to hard. Together they suggest over training plus I have had more arrhythmias so far this month and not been able to manage them. Out of 35 sessions cycling this year 10 have started arrhythmias and four of those this month. So more reason to think I have overdone things a little.
So Sunday did the following:
weights down very slightly from previous session:
Bent over Rowing 52k x5 &5
Bench Press (still affected by dislocated shoulder 5yrs ago) 52k x4 & 3
straight leg dead lift 89.5k x5 &5
heals raise 89.5k 5 5
Squat Jump 52k 10 (1set only I do enough cycling)
Press 13k x6 &6 (single arm dumb bell press each arm)
Lateral arm raise 6k x6 &6 (lying on side raise arm away from side)
front arm raise 6k 6 6 (lying on back raise arm)
Abs 4 exercises, two sets
1 lying on front, support to thigh, secure legs & bend trunk down then raise up 25 then 20 (aim is 2x 25)
2 same only lying on back. 25 then 25 they are easier
3 turn round repeat raising straight legs while lying on back and then on front. 30 twice for each.
Felt OK not too pushy though I note pulse was lower than usual.
Then cycled 11K. Using a fixed wheel bike I have just fixed up. Aim was a low gear and pedal quickly and not work to hard. Worked fine except I let my pulse go high 124 bpm on the hill to our house (its 10%) and being passed by a big machine got an arrhythmia just as I stopped. Damn.
Got just over 9 hours sleep. I reckon sleep is a crucial factor and for me even 9 hours is not really enough.
Arrhythmia cleared this afternoon so lasted 20 hours and did nothing today. I had planned about 20k.
By the way max pulse is believed to be about 165. Aim at the moment is to not go higher than 115 or 70% with most of a run below 110. Have been going to 120 or so which requires extra recovery and I have not been allowing for it.
OK thats a start.
My son wants help with his car, dogs need walked and I want to go to bed.