Rematch

Endurance level 5 today. A repeat of the infamous Friday session that caused me so much angst. This time I did much better. I made sure I mixed up my cadence and as I was warming up I noticed I could keep my HR in the desired zone just as easily as I did Friday by getting into 39-23 rather than the 53-25 I was using then. The cadence was a littler lower (~93 rpm) but I did rev up to 100, down to 90 and in between every 5-10 minutes to avoid utter monotony. I also made sure to drink both water and electrolytes this time. As a result, the session went much better. 

The need to really focus didn't hit until ~ minute 55 this time (a 15 minute improvement) leaving just a mere 2 minutes of having to close my eyes and concentrate because the 3 minutes to go mark now acts as my "ye haw, I've done it!" trigger for the attendant adrenaline and dopamine rushes.

I think pushing through that session Friday might be significant for me, especially since it occurred so early in the season. I now have something I can think back to when I'm in a tough spot. You could say I've become more one with my bike.

During the cooldown it was also interesting that I lost my rhythm again. It did not last as long as last time and I was able to bring it back but I'll have to note if this starts to happen regularly and what may bring it about.

Finally, the session lasted a little longer than last time since 10 minutes into today's warmup the riding the Garmin froze and I had to restart the whole workout. So I actually did ~26 minutes of warm up rather and the planned 16, I went further and avoided the problems I experienced last time. I think that qualifies as a success.

Distance: 28.58 km

Speed:  20.06 kmh

Cadence:  93 rpm

AVG HR:  128 bpm

Weight:  210.6lbs