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A note on using HRV apps - I probably should have done this already.

There are a number of good sites on the web that explain what HRV is and how to use it for training.  If you are interested in the technical details, they are pretty easy to find.   Be careful though.  If you're a gearhead like me, you can fall in. Alan Couzens, James Heathers, and some other have some pretty good technical information out there but the websites for the apps will get you started. The general idea behind the apps is that HRV (heart rate variability) can be used as an  indicator of how ready you are to train.  By measuring the distance between heartbeats (the variability), you can tell if your body is rested or not.  Be extension, you can determine whether or not you are ready for hard training or need a rest day. This is the idea: https://www.alancouzens.com/blog/overtraining_HRV.html Generally speaking higher HRVs over time are better indications of aerobic fitness than lower HRVs. But everyone has a range, which among other things, is also related to age.  As
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To illustrate what I'm talking about with the HRV apps, I'm going to show you some screen shots from my last week.  (All of them have websites on which you can access your personal data).  So here we go: This is Bioforce: The graph is intuitive and easy to read.  It's an (expensive) one time expense, but the guy behind it, Joel Jamieson at 8weeksout.com is a quality strength and conditioning coach who knows HRV back and forth. If you're curious about HRV, I recommend his "Ultimate Guide to HRV Training," which came with the app when I bought it 4-5 years ago.  For the record, I don't know Joel, I just think he puts out quality stuff.  I like using Bioforce because Joel has basically explained how the app determine HRV load, which makes it easier for me to understand what the daily HRV scores mean. This is ithlete: It also graphs HRV intuitively.  This one was the first one I bought because it was the only one available.  It uses the same en
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The Gear

One of the benefits of being old(er) is the fact that you can start to afford all the toys you kind of always wanted but didn't really need.  Over the past few years I've managed to accrue a lot of these toys, which includes website subscription, watches, and all the accoutrements that come with it. The toys I still use are: * Garmin Fenix3 * Garmin Virb Ultra 30 Camera * Polar Bluetooth Heart Rate Strap * Iphone The websites I use are: * Strava - just so I can see how hard a few friends are training * Garmin Connect - data is automatically uploaded from the watch to the site * Training Peaks - this site pulls data from Garmin and puts it into the training calendar. It's expensive and I don't know if I use all its bells and whistles. The apps I use are all have to do with HRV: * Ithlete - this is the first one I bought way back when. *Bioforce - uses the same engine as ithlete but measures HRV differently. *Sweetbeat - slightly different way of calcul
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OK - I'm jumping into this in the middle of the summer.  Not quite sure how I'm going to track things.  Normally I take it easy in August - because its usually too hot to run much - but I haven't been running much lately.  Besides a tricky shoulder and back, my achilles has been complaining enough for me to stop running until it feels better.  Most of the exercising I'm doing is in the gym or on the paddleboard. I am tracking morning heart rate, hrv, and weight.  I'm also on a bit of a diet reset so I'm also tracking calories, macros, and sense of appetite. I'm in decent shape for a 47 year old desk jockey, but I'm carrying a few extra pounds mostly due to the lack of running but not entirely. . . . This August I'm just hoping to be generally active and take care of some of the nagging aches and pains. By the numbers this morning: SB: 49(20)(6.6)(4)     BF 55 (or)    IT 59 (Or)  This is all very low. WT: 170 RHR: 71 Appetite: Normal T
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The older I get, the faster I used to be. That's kind of the theme of my training these days. I don't think I'm really chasing races these days but I still like working out and the process of training.  Still, things aren't as easy as they used to be.  Just means I need to be a little smarter and a lot more reasonable about how I go about doing what I'm doing.  Hence the blog. I don't really expect much (if any) traffic but the thought of making my training journal public will keep me on my toes. Welcome aboard.
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