The A of the O

There must be a lesson in here somewhere. As you  know, I finished up a 2,700 mile (over 10 days) trip last Tuesday. Out of my regular exercise routine for this seemingly small block of time should have meant little in terms of overall, general fitness.  On Wednesday we were back in the club for the usually 0530 spin class which was followed by a 2x20 set later in the evening. Maybe I was anticipating more delayed onset of muscular fatigue, or waiting for my heart rhythm to return to stasis, or possibly being over cautions, I don’t know. But I did take Thursday and Friday off getting caught up with video and household chores. And then there was yesterday.

As chronicled in yesterday’s post, our Woodstock theme powered a workout that would match the intensity of a nasty Hendrix solo. I told one of the regulars afterwords that it felt like someone had stuck a knife in my lung. (To her credit she, without hesitation, said all my classes make her feel like that!) I was cooked and needed rest, but the day was just beginning. A smallish sized lawn hand mowed and a weight session with Junior later and I was drooling over the prospects of a Saturday night on the couch. And then came this morning.

The boys were wanting to rip a quick 40 miler. I figured that this might be the perfect opportunity to grab a some video that I feel necessary for the current project (you know the one), so I tucked my doubts under my helmet and said let’s go.

A ambitious verbal start to the ride that would quickly show just how far my cycling fitness had fallen in just 10 days. As mentioned above, it might have been yesterday’s sessions, the layoff, or the fact that my birthday is in two weeks, or that I have chronic atrial fibrillation or that I am back to 168 pounds, or that I have been sleeping on an uncomfortable couch as I dog sit for a sweet young Chocolate Lab with a penchant for barking at shadows in the night, or a hundred other combined excuses. A least I got some decent video.

The lesson pulled from this is a simple one. I will try it out tomorrow on my Monday class and see how far she flies. It is this: If you, as many do, have a challenging time setting your proper level of exertion, consider determining what you are doing prior to matching your degree of intensity in doing it. There is only one consideration when we race. It is start at point A and get to point B as fast as you can. Simple and straightforward. As soon as we toss in training, fitness, spin class, real world responsibilities, stress, motivation and the thousand additional elements that each contribute to our ACQ, Athletic Character Quotient, things get distorted. The question of ‘how hard should I go?’ has long been one of the most common - and the subject of an incredible amount of ridicule and misinformation - asked of coaches and teachers. It is the reason why we have the Borg Scale where we can rate an activity on a 1-10 scale in order to more accurately set optimum intensity levels. Anyone going out the first 5K of a marathon too fast (as we all have) knows the value of this.

From Jimi to Pre this has been an experiment of one. Taking the mythical, the magical and the motivational into serious consideration we create another interesting and potentially powerful rhetorical equation. One that I am calling The A of the O.

The next time you are about to begin a workout, a spin class, a training session, a ride or a race, ask  yourself about the A of the O.

The Appropriateness of the Occasion. Where A = the appropriate intensity and O = your desired result. Are you here to win? To win at all costs? Are you here to burn calories and enjoy class camaraderie? Are you here to get stronger, fitter, faster? Are you here to build endurance? Are you here to listen to the world’s best rock music and manage your stress? Are you here to control cholesterol and blood sugar? Are you here as penance for your over consumption?

In every case questioned above knowing your A of the O will significantly assist getting to the correct level of intensity, your output, required to achieve a successful result.