D61: 04.29.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~5.6mi/~30min
Driver: At The Gates: Slaughter Of The Soul
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Another awful allergy day, which has really been the spring trend. Air was trash today. Last night, stomach was a touch cranky, which is also persisting today, so I went super casual, more a saddle time and getting Legs worked a bit session. I was going to raise my baseline distance to 5 miles after the end of this month, but I don't think I've come in under that when the session has hit the time baseline of 30 minutes in a while. I really miss riding the actual bike, though, so definitely motivated to get my fat ass in shape enough to do that.

Speaking of which, I forgot weigh-in yesterday (or didn't want to do it) and stepped on today. 258, which is -3 from last week...

D60: 04.27.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~9mi/~45min
Driver: Hammerfall: Legacy Of Kings
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Another awful allergy day. Legs were no go yesterday and I have to take off tomorrow for a variety of commits, so I wanted to either work on speed or duration. I slept like crap last night, so my motivation was more for increased cadence, duration, and rhythm. I'm quite pleased to say this workout was mostly a breeze and I'm slowly getting to feeling like I'm at least back on the path to where I need to get. Definitely nowhere near earlier levels, but at least feeling like I'm on the right road...

The video today featured clips assembled out of order, which is a huge annoyance and one more thing I won't be doing, as that interferes pretty substantially with timed workouts. I should just rely on the Air Dyne timer, but I will take this as something I won't also be doing, should I get to the point where I start a biking video channel myself, which I'm still trying to resolve in my head how I see it going, if I do...

D59: 04.25.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~8.75mi/40~min
Driver: Eternal Lies: Spiritual Deceptions
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Another awful allergy day. Legs yesterday after walk around time were making me think today might be a push, but I got some good ass sleep (finally!) last night and they felt fine this morning. I've been wanting to get to more of a harder workout, even with air crap and I increased duration today and threw in a couple of sprints. Legs were not up for a lot of sprints and my cool down time got rather greatly extended, but I stayed in the saddle for longer, which was a win. Legs are absolutely not keeping up with the idea of pushing my cardio system, so it looks like this will be the way for a while. It's fine; I have a strong end goal in sight.

The weather today was such that were I in condition for it, I would have 100% went out for a ride and I'm kind of pissed that I couldn't (bike itself needs to be dug out and get some reconditioning and my shape is nowhere near ready for that). Definitely motivated to change that. Will definitely need different shoes for when I can get my ass back in that sdaddle. In fact, strongly thinking of switching out the Air Dyne pedals again to actual bike pedals, as these ones are better than before in conjunction with the new shoes but don't lock in the way I want, exactly. This might improve more as the shoes are broken in, though, so I'll wait for now.

D58: 04.24.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~5.85mi/~35min
Driver: Dearly Beheaded: Chamber Of One
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Another awful allergy day. Legs are still not as resilient as previously, naturally, I suppose, but were still go for today, even after the walk around time yesterday. Have a bit more today as well. Air is just atrocious, so I decided to go for a more casual workout, as I want to try for a more intense (or longer) workout tomorrow, if possible. I was going to run higher duration today, but motivation began to be a bit of a problem after the 28 minute marker or so (this is one of the main reasons musical accompaniment matters so much), with some slight abdominal cramping, which I also had a touch of prior to starting. Pedals and shoes are an improvement, but I think I may need to get different shoes for the actual bike riding, once I get to that. These don't seem to have the capacity to "lock in" with the pedal that I would like and I vaguely remember having specific riding shoes back in the day...

D57: 04.23.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~6.5mi/~30min
Driver: Enslaved: Vertebrae
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: New shoes, new pedals, but same old allergies. Yesterday there was no hope of a workout, which was fine as Legs needed it anyway. Legs, in fact, were question marks for today, but were good enough to go. Rhythm again was very strong and flow was excellent, even at the higher cadence. Air was awful all day, including in this workout, but I base go/no-go on whether or not Legs can go and they could today. Feels like a whole new Air Dyne after the adjustments I made Wednesday and once I get these shoes broken in...will be having some good walk around time the next couple of days, which should help.

Normally, when air is not crap, I noticed that I start to really hit the stride around the 18 minute or so mark, so in the near future, I will be hitting either sprints (wanted to today, but the video and music were not lending themselves to that well) or duration (out of the question today, as my allergies have been bad enough lately to start tagging Albuterol again).

D56: 04.21.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~7.2mi/~35min
Driver: Howl: Full Of Hell
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Hopefully, today is the last day for these shoes and the existing pedals on the Air Dyne. The ones I ordered should be closer to the flats I have on my actual bike. I wanted to give both the best send-off I could to those departing items, and try to extend a bit to make up for yesterday's bullshit with the batteries in the CD player and I'm not unhappy with things. Today was very smooth, very nice rhythmically, with an increased cadence pace, though air got tested a bit due to allergies.

Had I been listening to something more motivating, I would have either gone longer or kicked cadence up higher than I did, but I've also decided my musical library is just way too big (also, I was building it to pass to my son, but he doesn't relate to music in that way and I don't want to keep packing the shit around forever), so I'm starting to go through stuff with an eye towards putting up some stuff on eBay to try to clear out my physical media some. Accordingly, workout intensity may be a touch uneven, depending on what I'm listening to, but saddle time is getting a lot easier.

Weigh-in today was 261, which is -2 from last week and -1 overall. My body composition, however, is definitely changing, as clothes are fitting better and I feel stronger and much better...should start to see some better movement in the weeks ahead...just have to keep diet tight, if not tighten it further...

D55: 04.20.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~3.5mi/~20min
Driver: Hell-Born: Cursed Infernal Steel
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Yesterday was one of the worst days for me of this year. Dizzy for most of the day, with bouts of headache and I spent a good chunk of it in bed. I was planning on taking it anyway, to give Legs an actual rest day instead of a lighter day, to catch up, but damn. Today was very casual. I can't wait to get my new pedals so I can be done with both the old ones and these shoes. I could change shoes now, I suppose, but I want it all to be a lot more momentous. Battery ran out on the CD player before 20 minutes, but it wasn't there today, anyway. I don't think I'm all the way back yet.

What I formerly did was go for 4 weeks and then take a week off, sometimes 7 weeks, then one off. I have not yet decided what I'm going to do here, as I need to lose around 25% of my current weight. I don't think I'll take a whole week, but might go 2 days...I am still not fully "in the mode," so I need to be cautious I don't take so much time that it gets overly extended and I put another huge pause in there. Right now, it's overall going better than before and as I come up on the 1 month milestone since I resumed this year, I've already posted more than any other single year. By the time the 2 month milestone rolls around, at this pace, I will have posted more than all previous years combined...

D54: 04.18.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~6.2mi/~30min
Driver: Toxik: World Circus
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: I debated running this 45, but I chose too short of a video. Instead I just ran overall cadence high. I should have mentioned it before, but I always do a 5 minute warm-up and 3 minute cool-down, so the bulk of that mileage is coming in the other 22 minutes. 

Went to bed early last night with a headache and woke up this morning thanks to allergies. Legs are still not fully recovered, but were good enough to go. I'm thinking Friday off (kinda) was not quite enough of a rest for them to catch back up. Air got pushed a bit, but was not problematic. Definitely getting more used to the seat, but again, no real interest in pushing until I replace shoes and pedals. Keeping one on the other was of definite issue today.

D53: 04.17.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~5mi/~30min
Driver: The Haunted: One Kill Wonder
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Yesterday was one of the worst allergy days I had in a long time...I actually prepped to ride and then wound up going back to bed for a nap...as usual, it was a lot of walking around day as well. When under the weather, it seems like it takes a lot more energy to do anything and that was the case yesterday.

I still was not fully back today, so today's workout was low key. I should have new pedals hopefully by Wednesday, at which point I will switch out both shoes and pedals. I had a hard time keeping the former on the latter for this workout, which was a bit on the annoying side, but I meant it to be casual, so fine there. The video accompaniment (debating including those going forward) was pretty but not intense enough, which fit the mood, I suppose.

D52: 04.15.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~6mi/~35min
Driver: Ebony Tears: Evil As Hell
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: I was planning on not doing sprints today or extending it greatly, until I do a couple things. The first of those is to change out my shoes. The Sauconys I have now are at least 10 years old, probably more, have all the tread worn off of them entirely and have holes in the sides. I have gotten my money out of them, for sure. I also bought a new pair of Sauconys to replace these 3 or 4 years ago, which are still in the box. The second part is to replace the pedals. I'm not sure if the bent pedal arm or the lack of traction of my shoes or both is causing my foot to slip, but obviously that can be hazardous in the more intense parts.

Air was not tested for this workout. Legs bounced back better than I had anticipated from yesterday. When I was training people, I preached listening to your body and that is what I will continue with as well. I did run slightly over today, as the video I was watching was 35 minutes (and I forgot to set the bike timer). This was a 3 camera angle jobby, two of those angles I hated entirely, so it was useful in terms of research, if I eventually get to the point where I can more realistically considering launching that sort of thing. 

One thing of note, which is a positive, for now, is that my stomach was quite growly. I have gone mostly back to the caloric loading I did pre-training before, in terms of overall caloric quantity, and I'm sailing through that well before these sessions, which makes a nice deficit. I usually get to a shake afterwards, once I type these up, which is seeming to work very well. So, breakfast is either yogurt/high fiber cereal OR raw honey/PB English muffin on go days. Off days, it depends on what is available, but usually one of those. Lunch, even on off days, is a protein shake. On go days, it is just concentrate, on off days, until I run out, it's half and half concentrate and casein. Mid-afternoon snack is usually apple with PB. Dinner is the one area where I can get in a bit of trouble, so that is the one I need to narrow in a bit more, but I'm pleased overall with the progress.

D51: 04.14.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~6mi/~30min
Driver: Sabaton: Art Of War
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Yesterday was a pretty awful day for allergies and with Legs on the border, I decided it would be a much better off day. Given how long just this cursory stuff is, I need not train myself into an injury, particularly if I want to advance to actual bike rides (and possibly videos of said rides). I did not do sprints today so much as increase the cadence incrementally from where I usually sit..I guess they were maybe mini-sprints. I really just worked more on the handle/pedal rhythm and had I not had some equipment technical difficulties earlier with my headphones, would have exceeded 6 miles. Air got tested a bit more than before, still not enough to work up a sweat, but was not particularly of issue.

Of much greater issue is that I discovered, upon closer inspection, that the left pedal shaft is bent, somehow (literally have no idea how or when that happened), which may explain the issues I'm having with muscle pings in my Legs on that side. I have ordered new pedals, but won't be pushing to either full-on sprints OR extended training until I get those replaced. I may also need to replace the fan wheel, as I notice that is also bent, but it is of less concern than being able to have my feet more properly positioned.

Weigh-in today was 263, which is +6 from last week. Back when I used to train people, they would often get frustrated at stuff like this, as they do this work, they have this diet and then one skid and it's bang back to before. In my case, I have not altered my diet, which gets ever closer to my former training one, but did have an abundance of salt yesterday, which caused me, once again, to spend time with my old friend bloat (water retention). Also, the Air Dyne does a very nice job of perhaps not building muscle, per se, but of creating a perpetual resistance, so I have no doubt my muscles are moving to accommodate that and muscles tend to weigh more than fat does...next week will be the 1 month mark since I started and I will re-measure then.

D50: 04.12.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~4.75mi/~30min
Driver: Meliah Rage: Kill To Survive
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Sleep was disrupted last night, again, which probably compromised recovery, again, particularly since I'm running a caloric deficit these days. Legs were not in great shape today, with both Calves not wanting to loosen up at all. Air was also not so hot. Tomorrow is kind of a question mark now. I initially planned on going for 35 minutes today, as that is roughly the length of the musical Driver, but it was not there today. I'm strongly considering doing that, keying to the lengths of the various albums, for next week rather than a strict 45 or 30 with sprints. Sprints obviously were not there today, either, of course. I watched another pack riding video, but that one wasn't cutting it, either. Still, on the positive side, ass is getting a lot better at being back in the saddle.

D49: 04.11.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~4.565mi/~30min
Driver: Sabaton: Carolus Rex
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Really bad allergy day (weather was great yesterday, but snapped back to cold), to the extent where it was making me physically ill and I had to lie back down for a bit until the medication took hold. I wound up having to take ibuprofen on top of that, which seemed to do the trick enough to get back on the bike. I also inadvertently have mostly fasted today because of it, which make the workout somewhat more of a challenge...I wound up with some minor abdominal cramping towards the end, which has happened on and off and is a combination of both my dietary adjustment ramping down carbs significantly as well as the increased activity with the Air Dyne. Yesterday was rather rubbish rhythmically, so I wanted to get locked back down into a groove today, but struggled with that a lot, particularly finding good foot positioning. Also, right Calf was oddly barking a bit. I have overall increased activity quite a bit, as I'm exciting for grilling season and getting back into previous conditioning, which may also be playing a bit of Hell with recovery. Legs didn't feel quite 100% today, but getting my ass used to that saddle is still staying at least a partial priority. 

I also can't believe I'm just barely getting to fucking 50 posts for this blog...le huge sigh

D48: 04.10.21

 Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~4.44mi/~30min
Driver: PS4
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Air was fine, but Legs felt borderline today and I almost took it off as well, before deciding they were close enough. Thursday night I got shit sleep on top of everything else, so no way Friday was going to happen, considering it was shopping day and I woke up from a burning headache. I got a PS4 a bit ago with the idea that I could play video games if/when I got bored of music or wanted a lighter day and today, when I was going casual, seemed like a perfect opportunity. Had Legs been better, I would have probably extended the workout, but they were not and I did not. Also found out that games that require concentration really disrupt flow, so I may play around with this a bit more in future. Also kicking around the idea of 45s minutes OR 30 minutes with sprints...for now, I'm more focusing on chaining workout streaks together.

D47: 04.08.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~5mi/~30min
Driver: Sabaton: The Last Stand
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Air was awful again and definite bad allergy day, but the commit was as long as my muscles could go, so would I. Air is not of consequence currently and these workouts are not testing it. Left Hamstring was barking a bit, so I laid back. I was honestly just pleased to be able to extend things to 4 days (and I'm also highly doubtful tomorrow will be a go). My right Shoulder injury (Rotator Cuff) was also cranky again today, for some reason, but it might be a weather shift. I wound up not using my arms too much...definitely getting a lot more used to the saddle now, which I'm quite pleased about. It seems very unlikely I will be extending to 45s next week, however.

I spent more time also researching things like bike helmets (I have a Trek Vapor that I LOVE, but also want to make sure I can continue using it), as well as mapping out some nearby states to see where they might have rides I can also do in the future. I'm also thinking through methodology, etc, pre-planning before I get anywhere near pre-production. As it looks now, I probably won't be riding "live," as in on the bike, during on-season, exclusively, but will continue with the Air Dyne and do some event riding, which I will then film in order to have some cool cycling videos as well. I'm working out playlists, etc., as well as how I want to conduct the actual filming. It is not currently feasible, but it is something that is of very high interest to me, so it seems like that it's going to happen...probably not the full extent I would like it to this year, but one must start somewhere...

D46: 04.07.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~5.55mi/~30min
Driver: Sabaton: Heroes
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Despite air being trash again this morning (yay allergies), it was mostly fine for this workout, though I got a bit winded. I think a lot of what happened the previous two days was due to me not getting adequate sleep for recovery. I went to bed pretty early last night and woke up this morning good to go, with not even my left Achilles being problematic. Video was pack riding, which I generally don't like and probably will not continue with going forward, but it was an actual workout-oriented ride (kinda), so it was useful. Sabaton is also a very solid band for driving music. I'm also at Day 3 of this cycle. I'll go tomorrow, if I can, with probably sprints in the next cycle after my next off day. While I'm getting better at being in the saddle, my body does not feel ready to tackle 45 minute sessions just yet, so 30 with opportunistic sprints will be more what I have in mind. I might now get to 45s until May, tbh. While I don't generally pay much attention to my age, I am approaching 50 and that undoubtedly will have some bearing on things.

Did a weigh-in today and now at 257, which is -5 from last week. I kind of felt that might be the case (that there was some loss going on) and I just need to keep on as much as I can with keeping diet clean as possible and heavily weighted towards protein.

D45: 04.06.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~4.7mi/~28min
Driver: Kill II This: Deviate
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Struggle continuing a bit this week...air was lousy earlier, but again, not pressing too hard with these workouts, so fine there. Left leg was a bit better, but the tendons behind the knee took a while to warm up. Both the video and the music were not very hot drivers today, either.Workout overall was pretty smooth.

This is one of the major reasons I really want to be able to get back into shape enough to be able to take 2 - 4 hour long bike rides again, so I can film some good 30 minute video sessions for off-season. The quality level is so wildly disparate out  there, though maybe I'm just not searching well enough. Musically, it's kind of a crap shoot, but even once my leg was warmed up enough to do sprints today, I still wasn't feeling it. Again, not very great sleep last night, which is probably also not helping.

D44: 04.05.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~4mi/~27min
Driver: Hostility: Brick
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A
Observations/Intel: Today was the first day since I've returned in 2021 that was a bit of a struggle to get through. I've decided my bare minimum going forward is going to be 4 miles. Air was not impacted, as this was a very off workout, but I'm off today, so...fits, I suppose. 

I apparently was much more active on Saturday than I realized, as my left Achilles required me to step up to a much more restrictive brace on Sunday and also had some pinging in my left Hamstring. Legs post workout today are still feeling it a bit as well. 

What I decided was that I would do sprints if I was feeling it for this week. Definitely wasn't today, but we'll see how tomorrow goes. I've moved my macros much more heavily towards protein and away from carbs for this week, at least until I clean up what's left of the grilling action from this weekend, and that might be part of the adjustment today as well. Also didn't sleep great last night, which never helps.

D43: 04.03.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~5.3mi/~30min
Driver: Sabaton: Coat of Arms
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A

Observations/Intel: Today, I wound up hitting it a touch more aggressively. Air was awful pre-workout, but after a little allergy medication, it cleared up significantly. I didn't wind up needing it, as these are still fairly casual workouts for the most part.

I was pleased to see that the walking about yesterday did not infringe on the workout today and for the first 22 minutes or so, felt I could have extended it, but things started to wear down shortly after that. I probably still could have, which bodes well for next week, either 30s with sprints or 45s (I may alternate the two)...as it is now, after the next off day, I think I'm going to be adding in sprints, as coming near 5 miles is becoming considerably less of issue, which means I can start pushing cardio a bit harder. I'm not going full blast, though, as I'm still carrying far too much weight for that to make much sense to attempt...

D42: 04.02.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~4.85mi/~30min
Driver: Kill II This: Another Cross II Bear
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A

Observations/Intel: Today, I kind of just let it flow, worked a bit on cadence, but nothing too much in mind for this session. Fridays are firmly fixed in my mind as an off day, so whatever workout winds up happening will be on the more casual side. I will note that both the video I was watching and the musical driver left something to be desired towards motivation also...

 The ultimate direction will be to try to work things so that I can go 6 on and 1 off, with the off being Friday, but that's more on the eventual side. Air was a bit iffy before this workout, but fine during. My ass is the only thing really complaining at all at present and it is taking further and further into the workout before it starts to get numb. As long as I remember to keep my ankle sleeve on prior to using my leg for extended periods, left Achilles doesn't give me too much grief.

Looking ahead a touch, depending on how next week goes, it might be the last week of the 30 minute sessions. I was thinking of doing some sprints today, but would rather I get muscles in the mode where they can handle 45 minutes before I do that. If I'm able to stick to 3 (or more) on and 1 off through next Friday, I might add in some sprints during the remaining 30 minute sessions and then pick up 45s after whenever the next off day is. Today is grocery day, so I'll be adding a chunk of walking in as well. Last Saturday was a no-go, we'll see about tomorrow.

D41: 04.01.21

Workout: Cardio
Equipment Used: Schwinn AirDyne
Duration: ~5mi/~30min
Driver: Kill II This: Mass Down Sin Drone
Calories: ???

Quality Level: N/A

Observations/Intel: Today, I pushed a touch more, enough to have to breath through my mouth instead of my nose the entire time and I finally got past what is nominally a running speed. Everything was fine today. 

Yesterday was a combination of a bad allergy day and I had enough sore parts, plus a touch of running around to do, that it seemed prudent to take the day and let the muscles catch up. I wound up doing a lot of research on Go Pros, just in case I do decide to haul out the Trek and start shooting some biking videos. In the past, I would go on 3 - 4 hour adventures, but I doubt that will be the case these days. I might try to find some interesting rides, but I'm in no way ready for mountains (especially if those roads have drivers on them, which makes it very far from safe)...we shall see, I guess. Lot of miles between here and there. 

Anyway, the off-day and researching YouTube biking videos proved to be a good move, as I was definitely ready for today and it was the best session I've had yet. In the past, I tried to always progress with each workout, but that isn't the case with this time. This time, I'm building muscles to get them acclimated to start working on cardiovascular, which means endurance. My inclination is to speed, which is fairly worthless in this current pursuit. I need to both improve my air and drop a shitload of weight.

Speaking of, I did a weigh-in and I held pretty steady at last time, 262. I didn't really expect much of a change initially, as I'm not crash dieting, but rather tuning my diet to incrementally push into a more protein-centric macro variation. Right now, I'm trying to front-load carbs (high fiber, good quality, healthy ones) in the morning, then biking before lunch, then a protein shake for lunch, then maybe some almonds for an afternoon snack, if I feel hungry, then for dinner, back to a higher fiber something. I need to clear out all the shit foods I have left, which I'm doing, as one of the biggest fail points is people courting disaster by leaving those around for temptation. I have paid little attention to my diet over the last decade, other than my natural predilection, so getting out all the garbage is absolutely in order. Obviously, while I tend to put weight on very quickly, this extremely shit physical condition of mine did not happen overnight and will not be cured in that speed either.