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06-19-08, 03:22 PM
Yeah, another "look how much better I am, now, than I used to be" story. Well, why not?
OK, I have 2 climbs I do at least once a week.
I've been tracking them on my Garmin and finally went back to compare now to then, with "then" being a month ago.
I guess I could also track them as "30T" and "Post 30T", except I didn't have my Garmin when I was running my 30T. That will just have to be anecdotal.
I have Roberts Road.
That's a 1/2 mile. Front 1/4 is 11%-12%; back 1/4 is 5%-6%
It used to take me over 5 minutes to climb this. Using my 30/30 the whole way up.
Then I started using a 30/27. Then I slogged up the front with a 30/24 before dropping back to the 30/27 because I was gassed.
Now, I use the 30/24 all the way up and maintaining the same HR, I just did my personal best of 4:15.
This has me pretty stoked.
But what has me even more stoked is...
...Sharp Park Road.
8/10 mile at an average of 9% but there's actually damn little of it below 10%-11%.
There's just enough of the single digits to let get a good rhythm going before you hit a double-digit section.
This is followed by a 1/4 mile starting with a 12% hump leading to a 6%-7% grind.
I used to make it 3/4 of mile with my 30/30 all the way up.
Then I did that same 3/4s with my 30/27.
Then I started making it to the 8/10s mark with my 30/27.
Then I was able to start up in my 30/24 up to about a 1/4 mile when I fell back to my 30/27
The other day I made 1/4 mile in my 30/22, did another 1/4 in my 30/24 and the last bit to 8/10s in my 30/27.
I'm learning to keep my HR under "control" It's still high but not totally off the chart.
And the exciting part is that a month ago this took me 10:43... 2 days ago I did it in 9:13. Wow.
I'm actually thinking of trying to go past the 8/10s mark without a stop and see if I can keep my HR happy. I have seen in other contexts, that it can really climb but if you don't stop after the really steep part, your HR will actually drop as you continue on the flatter -but still uphill- parts. Why not here, too?
And, to think, not that long ago, climbing Sharp Park Road was literally unthinkable.
Well, not entirely... I'd think about it enough to say "I can't do it"
Liar.
And even better, my scale shows that I gained pound but my body fat has dropped by 2% and my muscle mass has increased by 2-4lbs. I know these numbers are not the most accurate but I do see a trend :)
I still have a lot of body fat to lose but, man, I like what I'm seeing.
OK, I have 2 climbs I do at least once a week.
I've been tracking them on my Garmin and finally went back to compare now to then, with "then" being a month ago.
I guess I could also track them as "30T" and "Post 30T", except I didn't have my Garmin when I was running my 30T. That will just have to be anecdotal.
I have Roberts Road.
That's a 1/2 mile. Front 1/4 is 11%-12%; back 1/4 is 5%-6%
It used to take me over 5 minutes to climb this. Using my 30/30 the whole way up.
Then I started using a 30/27. Then I slogged up the front with a 30/24 before dropping back to the 30/27 because I was gassed.
Now, I use the 30/24 all the way up and maintaining the same HR, I just did my personal best of 4:15.
This has me pretty stoked.
But what has me even more stoked is...
...Sharp Park Road.
8/10 mile at an average of 9% but there's actually damn little of it below 10%-11%.
There's just enough of the single digits to let get a good rhythm going before you hit a double-digit section.
This is followed by a 1/4 mile starting with a 12% hump leading to a 6%-7% grind.
I used to make it 3/4 of mile with my 30/30 all the way up.
Then I did that same 3/4s with my 30/27.
Then I started making it to the 8/10s mark with my 30/27.
Then I was able to start up in my 30/24 up to about a 1/4 mile when I fell back to my 30/27
The other day I made 1/4 mile in my 30/22, did another 1/4 in my 30/24 and the last bit to 8/10s in my 30/27.
I'm learning to keep my HR under "control" It's still high but not totally off the chart.
And the exciting part is that a month ago this took me 10:43... 2 days ago I did it in 9:13. Wow.
I'm actually thinking of trying to go past the 8/10s mark without a stop and see if I can keep my HR happy. I have seen in other contexts, that it can really climb but if you don't stop after the really steep part, your HR will actually drop as you continue on the flatter -but still uphill- parts. Why not here, too?
And, to think, not that long ago, climbing Sharp Park Road was literally unthinkable.
Well, not entirely... I'd think about it enough to say "I can't do it"
Liar.
And even better, my scale shows that I gained pound but my body fat has dropped by 2% and my muscle mass has increased by 2-4lbs. I know these numbers are not the most accurate but I do see a trend :)
I still have a lot of body fat to lose but, man, I like what I'm seeing.