[alexgauthier]

alexgauthier on May 29, 2019 at 8:35 am · in reply to: Zone 2 training – better to go by heart rate or by respiration ease? #22660

With a difference like that, I would probably slow down in either case. If you’re trying to do an AC capacity type workout, crossing over AeT will start to limit the efficacy of the intended goal of the workout whereas slowing down below AeT would still get you the benefits you’re after for that workout.

For a workout like that (assuming AC Capacity) during Base building I think even a well-trained athlete would opt to slow down because runs of that type done during that time would need to be closer to zone 1 anyway to avoid going too fast and leaving them too depleted to get the most out of more intense workouts.

[alexgauthier]

alexgauthier on May 29, 2019 at 8:29 am · in reply to: Training After Illness (common cold) #22659

Thanks for the feedback,(Scotts)

This is pretty much what I was thinking but sometimes it’s nice to just have reassurance. It feels really lazy not to run when I feel fine (except the cough). I’ll do 30 min at recovery pace today and see how it goes.

[alexgauthier]

alexgauthier on May 28, 2019 at 3:15 pm · in reply to: Zone 2 training – better to go by heart rate or by respiration ease? #22630

Have you completed an AeT test? If not, I would do that and use AeT as the marker for much of your training. There’s going to be variability in HR to a certain degree but in time you’ll be able to match perceived effort to HR almost without looking at your watch. This is useful too because I’ve had runs where my monitor reported 155 or so when I was running at an easy recovery pace and 155 is about my AnT. I even checked my pulse the old fashioned way against a second timer.These devices aren’t perfect.

[alexgauthier]

alexgauthier on October 23, 2018 at 6:00 pm · in reply to: Smart Scales #14095

I have a Nokia (previously Withings) one. It works well and I like it for monitoring weight. I tend to worry about it more trying to manage power to weight ratio for pure rock etc. My weight takes care of itself when focused on a more endurance related goal.

[alexgauthier]

alexgauthier on October 15, 2018 at 10:08 pm · in reply to: Belay Parka–Down vs. Synthetic #13973

I get away with down here in Colorado but I’m seldom out for a very long time and Colorado is quite dry compared to my last home (Oregon). In Oregon, I routinely went to full gore-tex and synthetic insulation.

I haven’t tried much Patagonia stuff as it never seems to fit me quite right but another respected brand to check out for parkas with synthetic insulation is NW Alpine. They make a pretty nice belay jacket and their climbing apparel tends to be stripped down as possible but still equal to many tasks. It’s also pretty durable which cannot be said about much that is made these days. Oh, it’s also completely made in the US if you’re into that. Not warm enough for 8000m peaks etc but great for the cascades, Alaska etc.

[alexgauthier]

alexgauthier on March 21, 2018 at 7:42 pm · in reply to: 8 Weeks to Liberty Ridge #8804

Haha, Scott I was sober but Rainier was decided after I already told someone I’d join them for a bit and I hate to go back on my word. The way things are going I won’t have to feign injury! On the upside, I am finding it’s helping with mobility, especially in my shoulders.

I’m sort of viewing it as a strength transitional phase. My intent is to go back to my regular strength workouts once this period is over perhaps at a normal gym. Maybe move into Max Strength from this crossfit phase?

Another option I was considering is to mix in some doubles with an early AeT workout and an evening recovery run (depending on fatigue etc)

[alexgauthier]

alexgauthier on December 20, 2016 at 2:48 pm · in reply to: HR quickly climbs out of Zone 1 #3729

I don’t use HR zones for most of my training. My understanding that it’s more useful to focus on Aerobic Threshold. Zones can be tricky to calculate accurately. I trail run exclusively and yes this means I am often just hiking in order to keep HR below AeT. I treat my AeT as a red line that I do not cross for aerobic capacity workouts, even if it means hiking slowly. This pace can become agonizingly slow with the addition of weight or high temperatures. I can say that with time, the glacial pace becomes less painful.

[alexgauthier]

alexgauthier on November 15, 2016 at 3:15 pm · in reply to: Respiratory Rate Limitations #3445

Brandon, I have allergy issues that often make the nose breathing test more difficult as well. If you’re trying to find your AeT accurately though, there are a few other ways of doing it. The best is probably to just find a lab that does the testing. Scott recommends using one connected with a university or similar. You could also buy a lactate tester and just test yourself while running to find the point at which you have 2mmols of lactate in your blood. Also, there is a MAF method of figuring it out which Uphill Athlete actually has an article about. https://uphillathlete.com/maf-method-for-determining-your-aerobic-threshold/

[alexgauthier]

alexgauthier on November 15, 2016 at 3:10 pm · in reply to: HRM Threshold Testing – Do you trust it? #3444

I find that much of the data generated by my watch (also a Fenix 3) seems to be in the right ballpark. I still do my own testing separately to find AeT and AnT. The one thing I noted that DID seem to be of help that my Fenix looks at is how recovered I am. I notice that it lines up fairly well with how I actually feel. My understanding is that they calculate recovery based on HR variability. Incidentally, my own AeT and AnT line up pretty well with the Calculation you list as last in terms of accuracy.

I don’t really use HR zones so much and I basically shape all my cardio around AeT and AnT. With those data points, everything else just kind of falls into place for me without fussing with HR Zones.

[alexgauthier]

alexgauthier on November 14, 2016 at 10:52 am · in reply to: Recommendation for a food tracking app #3438

Loseit! is pretty decent as well. Good web front end. Ability to create custom recipes with whatever dietary attributes you wish to enter. It doesn’t integrate with Training Peaks but does work with Apple Health Kit and some other APIs.

[alexgauthier]

alexgauthier on November 1, 2016 at 2:47 pm · in reply to: Training HR zone comparison #3338

Hi Scott!

Can you suggest a lab for this testing in Colorado? I was looking at this one:

Pricing & Services

Specifically, the “Sports Performance” item seems to be the appropriate item on their list of services.

I’ll be at the workshop in Boulder too so we’ll finally meet up again in person.

Cheers!