How the MIO Alpha compares......

Here is a quick comparison video of the MIO Alpha (No Cheststrap) tracking my heart rate along side with the MIO Energy Pro (Cheststrap) and MIO Quest (Cheststrap).  Like clockwork, right on the money.  Both the Energy Pro and Quest were getting heart rate info from a chest strap I was wearing.

New tunes to keep me moving

 So hear it is, pun intended.  Whether I am running, riding the rollers or swimming wearing my H2O Audio set up I will be listening to some great tunes. The playlist is almost 50 minutes long and consists of

• Headlines                      Drake  
• Brighter Than the Sun  Colbie Caillat   
• Ass Back Home      Gym Class Heroes  
• Blackout                   Breathe Carolina   
• I Like It Like That    Hot Chelle Rae   
• Ni**as in Paris          Kanye West & JAY Z   
• Turn Me On               David Guetta & Nicki Minaj   
• International Love      Pitbull   
• Right Above It           Lil Wayne & Drake  
• What's My Name?    Rihanna & Drake   
• Not Afraid                Eminem              
• Rhythm of Love       Plain White T's
• 4 Minutes                  Madonna               
• Crushcrushcrush       Paramore              

With the shuffle option on the iPod the order will never get old.
I tried looking at old CD's, yes I said CD's I purchased over the past 15 or so years but nothing seemed to keep my interest or sound good.

Rolling rolling rolling, winter training is rolling

The weather here in Arizona has been great this winter so one might ask why am I doing so much training indoors?  I did a great ride of 20.12 miles on New Years Day to start of the year, but really got my winter training off to a start about two weeks ago riding rollers, an indoor way of training on your bike. Riding the rollers allows me to stay close to home (how much closer can I get) and focus working on my heart rate training (Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) 70-80% HRM).  Riding the rollers is not easy and I have done a lot of research on them before getting them.  They have been compared to riding a bike on ice!  With the power being forced on the back wheel a belt drives the roller on the front so your front wheel rotates also. They help a rider overall perfect their form and balance. They also force to keep pedaling.  No coasting or you will fall.  The workouts I have done on them so far have been great.  Unlike riding outside, there is no stopping at "stop" signs or coasting to a stop.  They allow you to use your own bike, so the set up and feel of your position are exactly how my bike has been fit to me. They take a little getting used to, starting off holding onto a wall or object to get going.  Yes, I have fallen learning to ride and most likely will fall a few more times before I really get comfortable on them.  The first wreck I took with them was while riding along the couch while my wife and I watched TV.  Next thing you know I was flat on the ground with her laughing.  I am tall already on my bike and the rollers boost the rider about another five inches off the ground, making the distance to fall from a little farther.  I hope to soon post a video of myself on the rollers to show what it's all about.  There are plenty of videos on YouTube showing riders on them. 



Healthy Heart Zone -- 50-60% HRM
Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) 60-70% HRM
Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) 70-80% HRM
Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training 80-90% HRM
Red Line (Max Effort) 90-100% HRM

Moving right along

This week my swimming came together.  Time in the pool just seem to fly by.  Focused on drills in the pool and looking forward to scheduling a few open water swims in the new few weeks.
I have one more weekend of testing my sweat rate and should have that all figured out.  This weekends training schedule has a 30 mile ride and 6 mile run.  Will need to get out of bed just a little bit earlier, as the temperature is pretty hot after the sun is up.  Nutrition with my PowerBar Strawberry Crunch protein bars is working out well as my pre-ride/workout energy.

Mio Energy Pro

For the past week I have been training with the Mio Energy Pro. What a great training tool. I have been using the model with the chest strap, so I get an instant read out of my heart rate. For three rides this past week I worked out in Zone 3, meaning my heart rate was between 70% to 80% of my maximum heart rate. Yesterday I rode my first ride of 30 minutes staying in Zone 4, which is 80% to 90% of my maximum heart rate. The watch gives you a heart rate read out with small numbers next to letting you know your percentage of your max.