flahute » lungs

2011 Ride #15 (Looking for redemption)

flahute — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 19:34:36 +0000

… but didn’t find it today. Lungs and heart rate were even less cooperative today than they were yesterday; throw in a charlie horse in my left hamstring, and strong winds blowing out of the south, and this ride was a challenge from the get-go. Just gotta keep telling myself that any day on the bike is better than a day off the bike.

2010 Ride #38

flahute — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:57:53 +0000

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Felt much better than yesterday, at least legs and lungs. Heart rate was still through the roof when I wasn’t pushing myself, though. I did take three weeks off the bike for the Tour of Utah, and family visits, and was just plain lazy, so that may very well have a little to do with it … we’ll go again tomorrow, and if I can haul my butt out of bed early enough on Tuesday, we’ll try a little commute time as well before my work schedule changes.

2010 Ride #16

flahute — Sat, 15 May 2010 21:08:45 +0000

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Felt like complete shit today … think my lungs may have worked better in the 1990s when I was still a smoker … I had multiple people ask me if I was doing okay; one woman who was running even turned around and came back up to me to make sure … I was stopped at the side of the road at the time, although I have no doubt that even if I was riding she would still have been able to catch me.

Neck and right shoulder are killing me too … feel like I may have a pinched nerve or something, and my rotator cuff is grinding like you wouldn’t believe. Time to make an appointment to get an adjustment with Greg Freebairn at Back In Motion, I think; the other option would be to go see a full-blown orthopedist to get my shoulder scoped, which I’d rather avoid if at all possible.

Not a good day on the bike today. At least I got to see Cadel Evans prove that he IS a hard man this morning during the Giro; there were two sections of stradas bianches, which means “white roads” in Italian; these are unpaved dirt/gravel roads. Because of the rain, however, those sections were stradas fangosos (muddy roads), if not i fiumi di merda (rivers of shit). Good on ya, mate. You’re definitely doing the rainbow stripes proud.

2010 Ride #13

flahute — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 20:31:38 +0000

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Felt like complete shite today … isn’t it supposed to get easier when you ride more and get into better shape? My legs are feeling good, I’m shedding a little weight, and yet my lungs seem to be getting worse. Couldn’t breathe today to save my life, which probably explains why I couldn’t get my HR above above 167. In a way, that’s probably actually a good thing, considering how much I feel like dying when it gets above 175 and starts pushing 180/185 … but I also really hate gasping on essentially flat ground too.

Just have to keep pushing through and hope that this is just a brief lull and that I’ll start getting stronger; and at least I’m ahead of last year’s mileage and number of rides at this point in the year, so I’m still on track to have a better season, but definitely need to pick it up if I’m going to meet my goal of doubling last year’s mileage.

I think maybe it’s time to go get a stress test at TOSH just to make sure there’s not something else going on.

2010 Ride #4

flahute — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:14:27 +0000

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Caught a bit of a cold, but the weather is absolutely gorgeous out today … I couldn’t allow myself to waste the day on the couch; so out for an easy 15 miles through Holladay, Murray, and Millcreek. Legs were a little heavy, lungs were a bit tight, but ultimately, it felt good to get out there.

2009 Ride #33

flahute — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:21:36 +0000

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Oh my God … I actually felt good today … legs were a little stiff when I first started off, but by the time I hit the mouth of Emigration Canyon, they were nice and loose, and my breathing was going fairly well too … I didn’t have to pull over to catch my breath in the canyon until the upper end of Pioneer Ridge Road, about 4 1/2 miles from the mouth of the canyon, which is outstanding for me … and even then it wasn’t a full-blown asthma attack like I’ve been experiencing most of the summer.

Got a late start today because of an almond overload after yesterday’s ride, so I turned around at the Pinecrest fork, and dropped back down the canyon to head for home to do a couple loads of laundry before heading off to a little summer croquet social … but if I can have more days like today, it seems like perhaps I’m finally starting to chip away at one of the barriers to fitness and can get back some of my old form.

Ultimately, it felt good to be on the bike today, and that hasn’t really happened in quite some time.

2009 Ride #29

flahute — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:58:26 +0000

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Felt better than yesterday, both in legs and lungs … the tailwind going up Emigration Canyon certainly helped on the climb when I made the turn and Pinecrest to head to Little Mountain summit, the full wind in the face put paid to my plans to finish the climb. Turned around, and pushed to try get above 30 on the way back down the canyon. I don’t think I succeeded.

2009 Ride #26

flahute — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:45:26 +0000

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Slightly abbreviated Wasatch Loop for me today … it’s hot out there! Lungs felt good until climbing up out of Parley’s on the bike path. Even managed to keep my heart rate below 160 until Sunnyside just before the zoo; which for me is great.

Really wish I had the cash to spare to go see Max Testa at TOSH for a stress test; see if he can figure out why my pulse is always so high … it can’t just be an out of shape thing, because even when I was in shape (for me), my HR was always on the high side.

In any case, this marks three days in a row that I’ve been on the bike; which is a rarity … feels good. Gotta keep pushing though; consistency is the key.

2009 Ride #19

flahute — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:32:15 +0000

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Lungs felt like crap, had an asthma attack, and when your HR is pushing 175 on flat ground, it’s time to call it a day. Will try again tomorrow.

2009 Ride #16

flahute — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:44:06 +0000

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Not sure why I don’t listen to myself. I told myself that I wouldn’t attempt Emigration again on Sunday after Saturday’s aborted attempt. Sunday was supposed to be about spinning easy for a fair amount of distance trying to loosen up the legs, which still felt tight.

But no … started spinning, and the legs felt okay; figured I’d head up to the zoo and do Wasatch. Got to zoo, and instead of turning right and heading back south, I just kept going forward … first to Ruth’s Diner, then to the Sun & Moon, and finally to the hairpins. While my legs felt okay, my asthmas was acting up and my lungs were searing. Kept having to stop and catch my breath; even had to hit the inhaler a couple of times.

I should have turned around several times, but I just kept pushing on to the hairpins before I finally admitted that I shouldn’t be doing this to myself. Turned around, bombed back down the canyon, and headed for home.

Adding insult to injury? I forgot sunscreen, so now I’m sunburnt; although thankfully not as bad as it could have been … it doesn’t hurt, but I’m itching like crazy.