NOTES: Shift of My Heart-Day1832 +Endurance Formula

July 13, 2015 Leave a comment

Shift of My Heart-Day1832
It’s been 5 years since my Stent #2 [tags: cardiac notes] and I’m still waiting and expecting Stent #3 soon. But I’m a half-full type of person so I will look at the brighter side instead. Many months ago, I’ve noticed during my bike rides that my heart rate can never go above 125 bpm [beat per minute] no matter how hard the effort or the workload is. Yesterday, I was totally surprised that my heart rate went up in the “green zone” [130 bpm] on the first climb [see Fig 1 at the beginning]. I had been pacing/limiting myself during my bike rides thinking that my heart did not fully recovered from my myocardial infarction in 2008. I’m still in recovery mode and will not execute abrupt changes in my exercise soon. Having the heart rate data available is really a plus for a cardiac patient. It is important that I don’t over exert myself in my endurance training. I will run another test this week and see if the data below is not just an anomaly and after that – heavy training is coming.

Tool Box:
Mio Strapless Heart Rate Monitor
Adidas micoach
MapMyRide

Endurance Formula
I came across a formula for long term relationship from Stosny’s book Living and Loving [youtube webinar]. Long term relationship = Passion + Intimacy. p160 But the topic that I’m sharing is about swimming and cycling endurance and not love relationship. That will be your homework – to prove that LTR = P + I is true or not. The “I” is very important. No wonder one-night stand seldom lasts…

“Passion is the fast food of love, immediately gratifying and filled with
calories but with little of the nutritional value of true intimacy. In
terms of relationship function, passion brings us together, but intimacy
keeps us together; passion moves us, but intimacy makes us grow.
Hence they dominate different stages of relationships, with intimacy
becoming prominent as passion wanes. This fact is hardly surprising.
The nuance of intimacy—truly knowing another person—can
scarcely emerge in the thrall of passion.” Stosny Living and Loving

While swimming today for 1 hour and 20 minutes, I have to think of something beautiful and challenging to occupy my mind during the long and boring swim. Today, I asked myself, “why am I doing this swim, it is 90”F in the pool and it is so boring”. A 2.4mile swim in a pool is easy in terms of physical effort, the pool is only 25 yards long but the hardest task is “mental” – which is surviving the boredom of swimming. In cycling it is easy for me to switch to a good song and sing along [yes, I sing during bike rides ;-{] or listen to TED Talks or change the route to make the ride interesting. Swimming for >1 hour non-stop is just not a very interesting exercise. While doing all the inquiries in my mind during today’s swim, I came home with the following formula synthesized from the LTR=P+I. I am not going to explain each item because I think the definition is very clear.

Why use formula? I started using formula lately just to keep myself reminded of what the solution of a specific problem is. It is hard to remember the stuff you learn without having a systematic way of memorizing facts. Once a formula is created, anyone can just simply recall the keyword and then attempt to regulate or investigate or define the underlying variables on how to cope, on how to solve or how to endure life. Please note that the formula mentioned here has fine prints, use at your own risk or craziness level!

Endurance=Passion + Knowledge + Fitness + Ability
Endurance-The power to withstand hardship or stress
Passion-A strong feeling or emotion
Knowledge-having extensive information or understanding; possessing or exhibiting knowledge, insight, or understanding; intelligent; well-informed; discerning; perceptive.
Fitness – Good physical condition; being in shape or in condition
Ability-Possession of the qualities (especially mental qualities) required to do something or get something done

Fig 1. My normal training heart rate during a long distance bike ride