SteveT
Maximum Pace
- Nov 11, 2007
- 241
- 40
After a weekend spent in the office I was desperately missing my weekly ride so I decided to forgo work today and head to Yamanakako. Having read about the benefits of Long Slow Distance I set up my Garmin to show only my heart rate, and I tried to keep it under 155. Didn't bother looking at speed / elevation / etc at all. I actually managed quite well apart from the some of the steeper climbs, and I'll admit it was a joy to slow down and take it easy. But not only that - there were a few other benefits I noticed:
- When I got to Yamanakako I found I still had plenty of energy to enjoy the ride back. With the various little diversions I allowed myself I ended up with 220km on the clock and almost 2500m of climbing. Yet when I arrived home I felt pretty good. Instead of collapsing on the sofa and barely managing to order a Dominos pizza like I usually do, I could go out and enjoy a curry and a beer !
- During the ride I didn't need to eat anything like the quantity I usually do. Yet I didn't come close to "bonking" once.
- Because I didn't sweat so much I didn't go through the typical cycles of too hot (up) or too cold (down). I was comfortably cosy the whole way.
This is a revelation ! I wish I'd found out about this LSD thing earlier. And I to be honest, all in, I don't think it really took me any longer than it would normally (though maybe this would be different for a shorter distance). Anyway, now I'm going to sit back and let the fat burn off...
As an aside, although the roads were mainly free of ice, there was a lot of what looked like white "salt smears" on the road. They were pretty slippery - a motorcyclist slammed straight over 5 metres in front of me, him and his bike scraping across the road. Lucky there was no traffic coming, and apart from torn clothes (and knackered bike) he was fine.
So, be careful !
-- Steve
- When I got to Yamanakako I found I still had plenty of energy to enjoy the ride back. With the various little diversions I allowed myself I ended up with 220km on the clock and almost 2500m of climbing. Yet when I arrived home I felt pretty good. Instead of collapsing on the sofa and barely managing to order a Dominos pizza like I usually do, I could go out and enjoy a curry and a beer !
- During the ride I didn't need to eat anything like the quantity I usually do. Yet I didn't come close to "bonking" once.
- Because I didn't sweat so much I didn't go through the typical cycles of too hot (up) or too cold (down). I was comfortably cosy the whole way.
This is a revelation ! I wish I'd found out about this LSD thing earlier. And I to be honest, all in, I don't think it really took me any longer than it would normally (though maybe this would be different for a shorter distance). Anyway, now I'm going to sit back and let the fat burn off...
As an aside, although the roads were mainly free of ice, there was a lot of what looked like white "salt smears" on the road. They were pretty slippery - a motorcyclist slammed straight over 5 metres in front of me, him and his bike scraping across the road. Lucky there was no traffic coming, and apart from torn clothes (and knackered bike) he was fine.
So, be careful !
-- Steve