Day 296.17, Magic

Really?

There is no magic. There is no mystery. There is no conspiracy.

If (that BIG if) we actively, consistently and with awareness and grace,

EXERCISE DAILY
EAT GOOD &
MANAGE STRESS….

…we will get fitter, feel better, look better, run faster, ride longer and sleep deeper.

There is also some evidence that the BIG THREE listed above will also make you smarter, more appealing to the opposite sex (should this be your preference), more cheerful (handy this time of year) able to focus more on the job, and, at the end of the week, have more money in the bank (or wherever you choose to store your cabbage.)

I bring this up because this morning one of our regulars shared some scientific data with us regarding a home test he has been conducting of late.

Seems our cycling scientist has been experimenting with the juice/no juice factor. One day he rides after a 'regular' night of IPA consumption and the next with 'just' water the night before. Wanna take a stab at the results? Even without knowing any additional specifics (age, fitness level, diet, exercise schedule, work stress) we can safely make some educated guess' as to the results.

This morning, after my comments, he blurted, "Its all a mystery."

I thought, no, it really isn't. You have isolated ONE of many elements that contribute to the success of your training (and the quality of testing). You have moved up another rung on the ladder by creating a protocol that allows you to measure, test, manage and train. We have tools that record precisely this effort (photo above). In order to PROVE that what you feel as change, progress, growth, speed, advanced recovery, is real, not mere perception.

Do one thing better and you better the whole. Remove one 'limiter' and you streamline your execution. You are more aero, carrying a lighter load through space and time and running on a higher quality (octane) fuel mixture. The result becomes your place on your fitness timeline. Today's ride.

No magic here*. Nothing mysterious. No unknown diabolical powers at work.

Really.

*There IS magic, but of another kind altogether. Maybe we'l talk that up some tomorrow.

ALSO, for the first time, I went OUT of A-Fib and back into sinus rhythm during our set the morning. HR was all over the place to start, but (magically?) returned to 'normal' at minute 32 (during a 500 watt sprint). I have no idea as to the the why and how of this. But I'll take it.

Really.