They say that, in training, you need to push your heart rate in the red now and then; that is, into its maximum zone. It’s been a long time since I did much of that, if any. Often my legs are crying uncle before I can get my heart rate in the red. Is it like that for every cyclist; or does it mean that my fitness level is lower than I think?

Yesterday morning I worked to ride 16-17 mph for 3 minutes at a time. Outward-bound I was against a 5-6 mph wind; and wasn’t able to get quite that fast. During the second effort, my Garmin’s screen showed that I was in HR zone 5. That’s when I start gasping for breath; and even after several minutes to recover, I couldn’t quite finish the third interval.

That fast and hard breathing presents a hazard. We\’re in a \”buggy\” spell; and all those insects flying around make me worry that I\’ll inhale a bug and choke. Those little bugs can also get behind the lenses of my glasses, and threaten to get into my eyes.

In fact, yesterday I encountered one kamikaze bug! I felt it hit my face; but didn\’t know until after I was back home that the impact had killed it. That insect was smeared on my cheek.

More Red?

I thought I might get more \”red\” this morning. Today I worked on force; and now I\’m aiming for 40-second intervals. Incidentally, such workouts are helpful for cyclists who don\’t have time to put in the miles that they would like.

I thought that this morning’s force efforts would send my heart rate in the red; but they didn’t. Not enough for it to count, anyway; just one second. I suppose those 40-second intervals were too short to get my heart rate that high.

I hit a max speed of 20.85 mph, and thought it was respectable enough; but I looked up some old ride notes from August 2018. One day when I did force work, I got up to 19.35 mph; so am I really that much stronger now — three years later?

After work I had to visit the bike shop. My Garmin\’s sensor needed a new battery; and I always have a lot of trouble getting the battery compartment\’s cover off. When I left work, I saw a big, black could in the Southwest; and as I rolled up to the bike shop\’s door, I heard thunder.

I rode somewhat harder than usual, because I didn\’t want to get caught in the rain. I didn\’t get in the red; but at least I stayed dry.