October.

This last month has been a disaster in more ways than one.The wheels have come in my preparation for the challenge and it is now doubtful that I will be at the starting line. Anyway,I look on the bright side. I have got myself fit and that was the primary motivation for doing the challenge. In life I always have a plan B, and this time it is to do the 'Rotorua to Taupo 100k. Flyer'.

The reasons for all this is that I have just been unable to get in any long rides. Elaine has been in and out of hospital several times this last month. Twice going in by ambulance. We decided it was better for her to go and stay with my daughter to be near the hospital till her situation stabilises. I have just brought her home today after two weeks. Well of course there were all the things she used to do in the nursery, cooking meals, and shopping etc,so that began to take a lot of time out of my day, and then of course there were visits to her in hospital. Something had to give. The weather didn't help me either. My training was confined to short intensive rides of around an hour at a time. This month was crucial and had to be done right.

The Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor.

I have just purchased a new Polar HRM. I have had several HRMs, and some have performed very poorly The worst has been the Union cycle computer combined with a HRM. The cycle computer is very good but the HRM is erratic to say the least.I also have a Sigma which is very good. It has a sixteen lap memory, recording the average HR for each lap.However I thought it would be nice to have one that recorded many more laps so I purchased a newer version of the Sigma HRM which had fifty laps. To my dismay it was no more than a lap counter giving no information about heart rates. I returned it post haste.

After a little research I found what I wanted in the Polar RS300X HRM. It records 99 laps giving max HR, average HR and heart rate at the end of each lap which of course is the same as the HR at the beginning of the next. What more could I want. It also tells me what year it is. However the instruction booklet keeps all this hidden and only after a week of trying did I find out where the laps were recorded, and when I found them couldn't quite remember how I had got there.
Well there is much more to discover and use but that is all I need for now.Its going to be great fun.

UPDATE
The Polar RS300X Heart Rate Monitor is working exceptionally well. I was able to record my eight hill lap intervals and then download them to my computer and had a printout. You can see the eight laps and the rest periods in between,showing my average HR for each lap and the HR at the end of each lap. Unfortunately it does not show the Maximum HR for each lap which occurs just a few seconds after the lap is completed. It is usually about three beats higher than the HR at the end of the lap. It also shows how my HR gradually increases with each lap. It is very difficult to do each lap in exactly the same time, so it is not possible to compare each training session but maybe in the long run I will be able to see a trend.



There are a number of graphs which show training zones and also a graph showing a half year or years training. Number of training sessions,distance, time and calories used.When seen as a graph it becomes a real challenge to try and improve.With my poor memory I hadn't quite realised that for several weeks my training had gone down the tubes so dramatically with Elaine's illness, but the graph really showed me up.

See also for the new print out

The Twenty Kilometer Club Race.

I competed in the twenty k club race last evening. It was difficult for me but I stuck with the main group, which was of course the slowest group, for all but the last 2 ks. I cheated by staying at the back most of the time and let the young ones do all the work. Anyway I was pretty pleased that I lasted the course and came eighth out of fifteen.

The pic is a a club race taken a while back. Starting right in front of my home.