Training started this week

This week was the re-start of  a planned training program as opposed to doing whatever I felt like, whenever, if ever.

We managed 1 MTB ride of a "road ride on MTB" variety last weekend followed by a meal at the Basil Leaf Thai restaurant in Montrose...well worth a visit..truly yummy food.  It's BYO and we were fortunate to have gone early enough that  the bottle shop was still  open.

For the rest of the week the goal has been: concentrating on higher than usual RPM's..when I can remember!

With a planned top temperature yesterday of 38 C I got out early for the longest ride of the week.  The traffic at this time of the year is totally feral as well as much more numerous than usual so I opted again  to ride the toll road bike trail - the Eastlink trail.

I fell into the trap of not estimating just how strong the tail wind was on the way out  and so struggled big time on the way home.  No rats on the trail today, instead 2 very brave:

I have been well aware that the Garmin Edge 500 has been over calculating my wattage and so have given up using it on the road bike using instead the highly expensive SRM I have and so might as well use(!)  however  for this long ride I decided compare the 2 and so slipped the Garmin into my pocket.

Here are the 2 read outs downloaded to  WKO+..same ride, same everything:

SRM

Garmin

..nothing the same...although the temperature difference will be due to location..SRM in direct sun, Garmin in my pocket.  I trust the SRM power reading, neither are crash hot on cadence since at times I coasted and so it should be 0 and as for speed...I think I trust the Garmin more than the SRM and I don't really like the Garmin saying I only worked 311 kJ!!  However the point of the exercise was to see the variance in the power readings and, as I thought, the Garmin wildly overestimates with a max of 427watts to the SRM's 310 watts.  So for those of you with only a Garmin...you can only brag about your incredible wattage output to other Garmin users!

Vertigo
For about 4 years now I've had bouts of vertigo..Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV for short)..it's a problem of crystals in the semi circular canals of the ears getting stuck and giving wrong signals.   It's very fixable and I had it fixed 4 years ago then after hitting my head when on holiday in Italy last year it set up again.  It sorted itself out eventually but has grumbled on in a very low grade way  since then.  FINALLY I decided to do something as I was getting sick of occasionally looking like a drunk as I lurched around after suddenly changing direction(!).  Luckily for me the practitioners to go to are Physios and so I consulted with my friend Anne who specialises in neurlogical and vestibular issues and  who works out of Eastern Suburbs Physiotherapy in Nunawading . 30 minutes later all symptoms have gone..woo hoo!  now why didn't I go earlier?  you may well ask!