sarals 

I've heard most men have trouble getting blood to their (primary) brain.

I had to say that.

sarals 

Shovel, GC - I spent an hour or so with it last night. When I pulled up the graph function it gave me a look like an aircraft performance chart. There is a lot there, and I can see that I need to learn the fundamentals as well as the definitions. It worked a lot better once I got some data into it - importing earlier session .csv files from PowerAgent was a snap. It also uses the Garmin .gpx and .tcx files. Pretty cool!

sarals 

One hour in the gym this morning before work. Ex had me doing a 20 minute trainer warmup, then strength and core work (Tabata's), which I did for 45 minutes. I added some Bocu situps (leg up, twists, etc) to the fray. I like doing those exercises, I feel really good afterwards.

AzT, I didn't mean to tease, but I've had the same thing happen to me. There seems to be no common thread as to why, it just happens. I'm in excellent cardiac health, too, so it's got to be physiological.

sarals 

I qualify as a small woman, and it makes me wonder why people sit on MY wheel.

There can only be one answer.

sarals 

Yes, I'm feisty today!

AzTallRider

First time it happened, I wore a round-the-clock heart monitor, had a nuclear stress test, and a couple of MRI's. Everything came back fine. I'm "virtually certain" it's Orthostatic Hypotension. With a lowered HR, the blood doesn't get sent to your brain as quickly when it is triggered to do so. When you stand, it takes more beats before the blood is getting sent up there. If you tense your abdomen before standing, it signals your system to get the blood headed upstairs, and everything works out fine. If you don't, well, the biggest risk appears to be hitting something when you pass out.

Just a guess, but I'm betting my height is a contributing factor. Your blood doesn't have as far to go!

AzTallRider

Hey... we look for all the motivation we can find.

sarals 

Allegheny Jet

Rollers with the track bike today doing under geared sprints @ 120 rpm for 1" x 10. HR got to just under Z5 at the end of the intervals. On a scale of 1-10 today's effort fest was a 8.5. Holding form at 120 rpm near the end of sprint efforts on the rollers while blowing up is hard.

VanceMac

After about 6 months of mostly track/flat, starting to ease into some climbing again. Did about 10k over the long New Year weekend. And looks like this route (in reverse) tomorrow:

https://app.strava.com/activities/10983055

Feels good to shake that particular rust off... but looking forward to finding a good balance this year.

shovelhd

AZT, that happens to me all the time. Not lately while I have been in this training block, but when I am training hard and racing often. Hydration and nutrition affect it a lot. I have learned to grab things when standing up. I'm an old man, I can get away with it.

Racer Ex 

I get lightheaded all time when I've been training, have for years. Hit the floor a few times. No damage.

Trying some cruise intervals today. We'll see how the legs are.

shovelhd

Sara, if you ever want to do a walk through of Golden Cheetah over the phone, just let me know.

sarals 

Hey, thanks! Will do, Shovel.

sarals 

0525 this morning in the 43 degree garage for one hour aboard the Look/Blackburn combo. I did 40 minutes of Pace effort with three "push to failure" efforts in the middle of the whole thing. It took me right at a minute to blow up on each of them, but I was close to 300 watts when I did blow.

I spent some time yesterday watching crit videos on YouTube, picking the ones with the Dashware overlay on them. Don't do that, Sara, it scares you! The sustained power levels I see there are so much higher than I can do - of course, those riders are largely young, fit men - but still - woof!!!!

revchuck 

Sara - Are you woofin' at the power levels, or the young, fit men?

sarals 

Both.

Hermes

Did they have their power meter readout mounted below their belts?

VanceMac

Climbing legs not so far off. Some calf cramps at the 4 hour mark, but otherwise a very nice 75/7500. And a Spectacular day in the mts.

Hermes

1.5 hours mostly z3.

Hermes

That is some nice work VM. 100 feet per mile for 4 hours is excellent. Where did you do the ride?

VanceMac

Thanks, but I didn't say I finished in 4 hours. Ha. Though the cramping was pretty near the end. I rarely have cramping issues. Maybe not enough water in the cold weather.

Angeles Forest (Big Tujunga to Mill Creek, down to Acton, back via Little Tujunga). We did the route in June and it was a furnace with wicked headwinds. This was so much nicer.

sarals 

You've seen them!

Esteban58

I did Old La Honda then on up skyline to Kings Mountain today... to say I sucked big time would be an understatement, although my time was right around that predicted by Hermes' handy hill climb power calculator... Then I got so cold on the decent that I had nothing left by the time I got back to Foothill... struggled home in a most pathetic way. I guess one change to make right away is to get another layer so I don't freeze coming down the hills - it took me 2+ hours to warm back up afterward.

shovelhd

Keep a plastic bag in your jersey. At the summit, stop and put it under your outer jersey, handle side down.

I use them at those cold, raw early season crits.