A Coach !! A Coach !!! A Coach !!!! Blogged September 2011

Blogged September 2010 If you cant tell from the header, Im getting a coach. Im very excited, as you can see. Now I can actually get some structure and guidance for my cycling/racing season.
My method before was simply ride my bike. "Oh, youre doing intervals up Highway 9? Can I come?" or "the Noon ride?... ok". I would glom onto my fellow freind's workout plans if I happen to ride the same day/time they were out. Got some good training in but it was probably no where near what I , Rene' Baker, a unique individual should be doing to benefit *my* bod. Power? Lactate thresholds? Yeah, Ive heard of them but wouldnt know what to do with them if they flew by and smacked me upside the head. I have a Polar HR (Heart Rate) monitor and the HR strap. Its very nice. It was my husbands years ago but he just used the cyclometer. He gave it to me last year. I use the computer but not the HR stuff. Why get HR data, I cant down load it anyway and I dont know my zones. So I started wearing it this season to watch my HR as I rode. I recently figured out how to program and toggle thru the goddamn thing. Holy hell!! The number of menus and combinations of button pressing to get where you want to be is unreal. Many a temper tantrum ensued on Foothill as I was pulled over for several minutes screwing with the thing trying to figure out why it decided to stop recording my heart rate. Ask Carole how many times i muttered the F -word in said 20 minute pull-over on Foothill. I finally sat down with the 30 page manual a few weeks ago and went thru it and then used the Polar right away to create small files that I could figure out. Ahhhhhh 03 24 is not some wacky mileage its the freaking date !!!!! Ahhhhhhh. And who WROTE this manual? Could you BE anymore wordy and confusing. I think you need an advanced degree, a full nights sleep and the Rosetta Stone to figure it all out. Lucky for me, Im sharp and was well rested so I did figure it out. So I know how to use my Polar 720i now. Sweet. So for the months of January and February I simply watched my "live" HR on the cyclomter as I rode. It was interesting to watch the numbers and I could tell what my HR was from my perceived exertion after awhile. I would ride and say "hmmmm this feels like 135" and I would be pretty close. Excellent, Im in tune with myself. This is a good thing. Last week, however, the HR would not record. IT would pick up my HR and as I rolled out it would go away. I would relube the sensor, and actually LAY across my Polar to try and get the two to communicate. That is a nice image- some chick on the side of the road squashing her boobs into her handlebars. No dice. I think its the strap- its old, probably on its last leg. I NEED my HR monitor!! So I go to this sports shop in Los Gatos and bring my Polar and strap. Its one of these ritzy, Los Gatos, over priced, tiny space, yes its ok to charge $49 for a tank top kinda stores. But the guy was intelligent and was very helpful. Well, it works in the store! Murphys Law. I tried to explain to the guy that I am not retarded and that I swear it wasnt working before. He beleived me, or so he said to make me not feel like a moron. Fine. So today Im going to get on my rollers and see if it actually keeps recording. I have a feeling the battery is dying and its just a matter of time. I SHOULD have just spent the $50 on a new HR strap and then I could stop worrying. But the store is around the corner and thats where Im going this eve if that HR monitor gives me any crap this afternoon. I do NOT or shall I say CANNOT dick around with my cyclometer while rolling. Trainer yes. Rollers no. I can see the tragedy now- screwing around with the computer and tipping over and crashing myself out on the brick patio. Not pretty.

So Im getting a coach. A real, live coach!! Im going tomorrow to get my fitness and Lactate Threshold measured so that my new coach can use that data to figure out my zones and structure my workouts.