I didn’t ride my bike yesterday. For the first time in 8ish days, I didn’t get on the bike. Instead, I did a full-body kettlebell workout followed by some Yoga. and it was awesome!
I usually workout 4 days a week in the gym. While I’m there the coaches always correct our form. My form is terrible and therefore I’m always being corrected. I realized that my coaches haven’t had the chance to correct anyone all week. Let alone the member who needs the most help. So I made this video for my coaches.
Today was a race day for me on Zwift. So, depending on who you listen to Zwift Power or Zwift, you get two different stories about how I finished. I either finished in 100th place out of 132 racers in my division (Zwift) or 20th out of 29 (Zwift Power).
Overview of results from Zwift.com
The race was on Watopia and was the “Whole Lotta Lava” Route. Which as you can see is 7.63 miles and 503ft of elevation gain (there is a lead-in, where you get the extra distance. I stopped immediately after the finish and collapsed on the floor :-).
Map of “Whole Lotta Lava” Route on Watopia
Above is a map of the route. As you can see you start in the city, in the upper right of the image above and race towards the volcano, when you get there you start to circle up at an average of about 3.5% incline. You get to the top and power down all the way.
The red line is heart rate, blue is cadence and white is power, below all that is the grey, which is elevation.
I pushed hard on this race. My average watts were 157, which is a push for me. In places, I pushed very hard, hitting 535 watts.
How did I do, again depends…
Zwift places me in 100th place. It’s a nice round number!
Zwift’s got me in 100th out of 132 riders. But not all the riders are on Zwift Power, which you have to sign up for. That is used as the official standings.
On Zwift Power, I got 20th out of 29. Not great, but a good effort for me. I pushed hard all 36 minutes of the ride.
But wait, there’s more…
Yoga Time!
Yoga is a great way to wind down after a hard race on Zwift or anytime for that matter. Describing Yoga as advanced stretching is probably underselling it, but that’s how I think of it.
Yoga set-up
Yoga is great because it is so easy to set up and you hardly need any equipment at all. Read this older post to see what equipment I use.
While there is not much that you need for Yoga at-home (yeah) I do recommend getting the nice stuff because then there will be no “upgrades” later down the line.
Hyrdoflask – You should always stay hydrated when doing any kind of workout. I like the hydroflask because it keeps cold water cold all day long. I use the 18-ounce bottles as they fit nicely in the car cup holders. Try to drink 3-4 of these a day for your recommended 64 ounces daily.
Manduka Yoga Mat – These are the best. Nice and thick so you get the support you need and slip-resistant. Better than any other mat I have tried. These are pretty pricey, but they come with a lifetime warranty.
Yoga Workout Cards – These are great when you have no idea what you are doing and perfect for when you do, but you’re not sure how to put together a sequence or how to warm up before beginning. These take the guesswork out of what to do after you have everything set up.
Maduka Cork Yoga Block – Not all of us are super flexible and it takes time to get that yoga pose just right. The important part is to just start trying. A good yoga block will help you get close enough to that yoga pose that is difficult. I like the Manduka cork ones as they are made from a sustainable material.
Manduka Yoga Strap – Similar to the block, this will help you get to those stretches where you can’t reach just yet. For me, those stretches are hamstring folds. I have never been able to reach my feet, but if you stop trying you will never get there. This helps you get started and start making progress on those poses right away.
And that’s it. You really don’t need any of these things. That’s the magic of Yoga, it’s a works anywhere anytime kinda workout. I love it. But if you want to make it that much more comfortable and/or you plan on doing Yoga often, then these things will make it a better experience. Put on some relaxing music from your streaming service of choice and get your stretch on!
With all these Veestro posts I thought I should take a break and do some updates on how my exercising has been going. Saturday was great because I got in a 20 mile ride and it was a blast. Sunday we got really busy and I didn’t have time to workout. My Zwift bike had very low tire pressure so I did get a new pump and fixed that on Sunday, but I didn’t have time to ride after that.
Somehow on Sunday I did manage to hit my Fitbit steps, but not any of Amy Apple Watch circles.
Yesterday, Monday was a good day I fit in some steps/walks and also did Yoga at the gym. Today will be a good day because we have a step class. I always look forward to those!
Two workouts today. I had some trouble with my Apple Watch today. It quickly drained down to 13% power all before noon today. So I had to put it back on the charger. I had already tried resetting it three times prior since this has happened a lot this last week. Today in addition to a restart I also unpaired and then re-paired it to my phone.
Somehow when I did this it messed up the tracking. I got the Zwift workout fine, since that is sent from Zwift to Strava then to the Apple Watch automatically. So the watch really doesn’t do any tracking. It is all Zwift. But when I did my Yoga workout pictured above with the cards, which are great by the way. The Apple Watch says Yoga 0 Cal. So it didn’t capture any calorie burn on there. Maybe because the health app needed to be reconnected. I’m not sure, but I did do that. We will have to see what happens on my next watch workout.
My Zwift ride today completed my Richmond 15 mile requirement for eh Ride the Worlds Mission. That means only one more world to go. But it is the one that is available the least this month. It is only available on the 21 and 22 of this month. That means I will have only those two days to get 15 miles in that work to be eligible for the mission sweepstakes. Wish me luck.
The Harvard Medical School Guide to Yoga: 8 Weeks to Strength, Awareness, and Flexibility
I grabbed this at my local library after seeing it from the corner of my eye. I’ve been doing yoga since last year at least twice a week. It has really helped with some chronic pains in my back and other places that I thought were just older age setting in. But after regular yoga these pains are gone for good. I feel a bunch better after a quick 30 minute session and complete rejuvenated after a good 60 minute session.
The Harvard Medical School Guide to Yoga is an excellent primer. Covers everything in depth. The best part is at the end where the authors have included an 8-week guide including sequences to get you going. This is a great place to start your yoga practice and will answer many of your questions.
This is a book to buy and keep as a reference if you have an interest in yoga. It earned 5 stars from me.
