Ever since my aortic valve replacement in 2017, I have been on the beta-blocker metoprolol. This is mostly to prevent possible heart arrhythmia but also helps control my blood pressure. It seems to be working fine and I have no noticeable side effects, other than my heart rate doesn't seem to go up quite as … Continue reading The Effect of Metoprolol on Exercise →

My problems with sciatica are pretty dormant right now so I have been able to bump up my training. I still get a little soreness in my right SI joint if I walk or stand around too much and it sometimes refers minor pain down my leg. I've researched how SI joint issues might cross … Continue reading Bumping Up Training →

Yesterday my group did a loop first heading to the southeast of Morgan Hill and then turning north to pick up the Coyote Creek trail. We headed North up to Metcalf Park and then south, finishing at Rosy's in Morgan Hill for lunch. A few of us also added a detour to check out a … Continue reading Group Ride For Taco Tuesday →

On Tuesday I did my long ride with my group, West of Morgan Hill and around both Uvas and Chesbro reservoirs with an out-and-back to Rancho Canada Del Oro Open Space on Casa Loma Road. We had pleasant weather for it although we had a pretty decent headwind in the southbound legs. Taking A Break … Continue reading Round The Reservoirs With My Group →

http://www.Amazon.com/books This is an excellent book I recently read by Matt Tenney. The title, and the message of the book, are reminiscent of Thich Nhat Hanh's classic The Miracle of Mindfulness. The magic, or miracle, happens when you spend more of your time paying 100% attention to what you are presently doing. This make you … Continue reading The Magic of Mindful Self-Awareness →

Although we are only a few weeks from the official start of summer, the weather has still been cool like late spring lately, a beautiful time to be riding. I'm able to pretty routinely go on brisk three hour rides lately, with no sciatica symptoms. I've been doing a lot of PT work to keep … Continue reading Late Spring Riding →

On Tuesday my group rode out to the end of Redwood Retreat road and back (to the Southwest of Morgan Hill). I did a long warm-up before meeting them, turning this into a 3 hour ride for me. The weather was a little on the cold and foggy side at first but it got nicer … Continue reading Relaxing Long Group Ride →

https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/wrist-vs-chest-strap-heart-rate-monitor-which-is-better-for-you/ This article has a good discussion of accuracy ot wrist (also called optical) measurements. They even mention that freckles can throw off the results. Guess what! I have freckles on my wrist. Devices that monitor our heart rates based on a measurement at the wrist are pretty prevalent nowadays, including Fitbit, Garmin watches, and … Continue reading Reliability of Wrist Heart Rate Monitors →

I finished up my round of antibiotics and have been asymptomatic for a few days now, so the last couple for days I've been able to workout for longer and with higher intensity and it felt great. Yesterday I went on a brisk long cruise of just under three hours. The only problem was it … Continue reading Finally Well Again →

http://www.Amazon.com/books I just read an excellent book The Beck Diet Solution by Dr. Judith Beck. I was looking for a book applying cognitive behavioral therapy to weight loss, and came up with this one in a search on Amazon. CBT is excellent for improving negative thought patterns that affect our behavior. I personally notice negative … Continue reading Psychological Techniques For Weight Loss →