I mentioned in my previous post that I decided to reduce my exercise volume to what my cardiologist actually thinks is doing. The average bike ride is 90 minutes a day, and the 3 upper body strength meetings per week are 30 minutes. This still allows me to do a longer cruise of 2 to 2 1/2 hours. The main thing that changed is that my longest days were no more than 2 1/2 hours, and the tough days were shorter than before. A few days later, it felt very far away. And it's much easier to get used to everything.

Last Tuesday, my group and I rode southeast of Morgan on the hill, eventually reaching the Gilroy Sports Complex, and then back to Santa Teresa Blvd to our lunch station. This is my upright and it feels great. Now, I can tolerate upright riding time well, including standing pedals, no SI joints or sciatica. I think all the back-related PTs I've been doing pay off.

On Wednesday, I had my first hard ride on a new schedule, shorter than the last 90 minutes. This means doing a 40-minute cruise, then doing some intervals. To avoid excessive breathing, I wasn't sure if it would be good for my aortic valve, and I no longer do intervals, but instead opt for shorter sprint intervals and intensity training on the bike. I tried something new that stood high on the way uphill. The "stand bar" I mentioned was established hereI can be very upright. This pulls up the bar while doing it, which loads the back very well, so it’s good for the spine and legs. It's fun, so I added it to the track. Yesterday was a tough day for the upper body, it was a 30-minute arm cycle plus an isometric training with the resistance band, and then a 45-minute recovery ride.