In this issue...
Quote on
Adversity
The Lab Rat Reports - Bob Jeffery rings in with his story
YTri workout schedule
Quote on Adversity
This is a simple truth that somehow rings truer going out into
the cold
these days!
"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant:
if we did not
sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."
-Anne Bradstreet
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The Lab Rat Reports - Bob Jeffery
rings in with his story
Here are some reflections on my experience of doing the study.
I have
included Nick so he gets a chuckle out of it.
"Like Mike I too underwent the study on "Pattern of
motor unit recruitment
and muscle oxygenation at Maximum Lactate Steady State and at
VO2max" with
Nick and here are a few non-technical reflections.
As many of you know I have been training for the last year
learning to swim,
bike, and run. Last year Mike Coughlin held a triathlon information
evening
and talked about phases of training, a training plan and recommended
the
Triathlete Training Bible. I bought the bible, and read bits
and parts of
the book to help with training over the winter. The bible gave
me my first
encounter with VO2max testing, lactate thresholds and long/short
muscle
fibre. As you may know the VO2 max testing is an important element
to
developing a training regime that maximizes time, effort and
performance.
Last winter I figure it would be cool to have this information
so this
summer at Delki Dozzi when Kerry Abols was asking if anyone
was interested
in participating in a study that measures VO2 max, and lactate
thresholds, I
jumped at the chance. This testing usually costs a few bucks
so if I could
get it free, I figured it would be worth the effort.
I have to say last evening, when I was shaving my legs, I seriously
questioned my previous assumption. Yeap, my third visit to Count
Nicholas's
lab involved coming sans leg hair so that he could hook up a
multitude of
sensors with sticky tape. Why call him Count Nicolas you ask,
well I figure
he pierced, jabbed, or stabbed me for blood around 20 to 25
times.
The actual test was not too bad, unless you don't like cycling
until your
body or mind screams you into stopping. Just to describe the
routine a
little, I showed up the first time to be weighed, measured (height
and fat
content), then put on my bike with a mask and requested to maintain
a steady
cadence as the Count Nick increased the resistant. Each increment
was to be
held for two minutes and I continued until I hyperventilated
and apparently
some system shut down, which my brain translated into, you can't
do another
two minutes of this so STOP NOW!!!!
The next time I arrived at the lab, after watching and encouraging
another
fellow cyclist to finish off the hour, I saddled up. Nick picked
the
resistance/wattage and I cycled, likely with a bit too much
cadence for 60
minutes. By the end I was pretty bagged but I was nicely asked
to keep going
until some system shut down and you guessed it, my brain said
STOP NOW!!
The final test, as I mentioned involved some additional preparation
in the
shower with my wife's assistance and gentle humour. After arriving,
being
hooked up to the various machines I was told I would need to
put on a black
nylon stocking. I did not recall the stocking being mentioned
in the
consent form but better to put this particular gear on to hold
things in
place than having to do another 60 minutes on the bike because
the contacts
came loose.
In reality, I found the whole process informative, and an excellent
way to
get some good information on my performance capacity. Nick was
excellent
and managed to provide just the right amount of encouragement
and distance
for each of the rides. Thanks for the opportunity however and
I will be
thinking of regularly, at least until the hair grows.
Take care
Bob
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YTri workout schedule
Wednesday Swim
6:00-7:30am - YMCA Pool
Friday Spin/Run/Core
6:30-8:30pm - YMCA Spin Studio
Sunday Run (outside)
11:45am (departs at noon) - YMCA lobby
Please note: Next week's Friday and Sunday workouts are cancelled
as they
fall on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.
