Author: dad

There were a total of seven workout session segments today. None of them were very long. The longest was 7,000 meters while rowing.

You can see all graphs and data for them via this link to my online logbook, looking for log entries that were made on today’s date and clicking their corresponding “+” signs in the Action column.

If you look closely at the RowPro-generated HR graph for the 7K, you’ll notice that it’s kinda crazy. Slope of the graph is descending though pace is fairly constant and rate is “impossibly” low for the effort level. It was graphed using data from the Garmin chest heart strap. The green-on-black graph below it looks totally reasonable so it was probably correct. It shows HR in normal range throughout the 7K. It used data from a Scosche optical heart strap. The Scosche is worn on the arm and I call it an “optical” strap because its method of detecting pulse relies on monitoring changes in the amount of reflected light instead of monitoring the body’s electrical current through the heart.

There was no atrial fibrillation just before, during or immediately following today’s rowing; therefore the weird Garmin HR graph was caused by something else. My guess is that it was averaging the strongest periodic pulses recognized by its algorithm and the heart was on the brink of atrial fibrillation, generating pairs of pulses instead of single pulses for each beat whose phase relationship did not remain constant.

Happy rowing to you!

Today’s main workout was 10,000 meters rowing at a steady pace averaging 2:33.3/500 meters.

In addition to the rowing 10K there were three other sessions. They were shorter, on both SkiErg and rowing machine, and they served as warmup before the 10K. You can see the graphs and data for those by visiting this link to my online logbook, looking for log entries that were made on today’s date and clicking their corresponding “+” signs in the Action column.

Today I tried to solve the problem of lack of good connection between dry Garmin heart strap and dry chest. Salty moisture like sweat is what the Garmin strap seems to need to get a good signal. Plain water doesn’t work well.

As a substitute for perspiration I added a few drops of water to a teaspoon of salt, mixed it together and applied it under the Garmin heart strap’s electrodes. It worked well and the signal from was good from start to finish.

Coincidentally, the heart worked well also in that it had none of that fluttery atrial fibrillation which tends to mess up the heart rate graph.

Happy rowing to you!

Today’s workouts consisted of two rowing sessions. A pair of rowing sessions, though of unequal time and distance. The first was an extremely slow, early morning 10,000 meter session done as a long warmup. The second was a moderately slow 30 minute session done online in the company of three other rowers. Only the 10K graph/data will be shown here but at this online logbook link you can see the other one if you look for the 30 minute session logged on today’s date and then click its little circle with a + sign inside it, in the column headed “Action”.

If the heart rate graph on the bottom-most screenshot looks weird, you are right. For the first 10 minutes or so, heart rate display was impossibly low on the RowPro display but normal on the wrist display. (RowPro display was from a heart strap on chest and wrist display was from a heart strap on the arm, as I’ve mentioned in a few other blog posts recently). After about 10 minutes, the RowPro heart rate display climbed up into normal range but when that happened, the wrist display, from the other heart strap on my arm, dropped to impossibly low readings. A few minutes later they both agreed with each other and they were in agreement for the remainder of the 10,000 meters. Go figure.

Happy rowing to you!

Today’s main workout was 10,000 meters rowing at a steady pace averaging 2:33.6/500 meters. It was preceded by a SkiErg warmup of 200 Calories and five short, gradually increasing rowing warmups. Only the 10K is shown here. Everything else can be examined via this link to my online logbook by looking for and finding log entries made on today’s date.

Since atrial fibrillation vanished yesterday after I spent 17 minutes sunbathing, I used the same approach today: Standing shirtless in direct sunlight for 16 minutes. That was split up into 8 minutes on the chest and 8 minutes on the back. Taking some sunshine was inspired by some of what I heard in a TED Talk by a doctor (MD type) who does research and controlled studies relating to sunlight and the human skin. I will try to “embed” that TED Talk video below this paragraph.

I’m happy to report that there was no atrial fibrillation today either during the rowing or afterwards.

Happy rowing to you!

Today’s workouts totaled 15,968 meters. Everything but a 10K rowing session was either warmup or warmdown. The day’s activity and graphs etc can all be viewed at this online logbook link by looking for the log entries done on today’s date.

The main workout was another 10K rowing session. It was done with the goal of averaging a steady pace of 2:33.8/500 meters.

Happy rowing to you!