Perceived Exertion? Ooohhhhhh....

The more we learn…yet…some things never change. Why is that?

After a full weekend of family, friend’s hosting, house-cleaning and my day-job of professoring, Brian and I have decided a veg-day was in order. Not leaving the house, unless perhaps for a preserve walk. My body wanted to move, however, so, I figured I’d go back to the Discover Your Power Zones program on the Peloton, the two rides I’d skipped because I had found them ‘elsewhere.’ 10-min prep ride for an FTP test (Functional Threshold Power), then the FTP test itself, a 20-minute ride beginning in Zone 3-4, moving into Zone 4, then finally into Zone 5. Whatever those zones mean at the start of this journey.

Which is where the rub lies for me here today. 

I’ve ridden enough now to have the bike estimate my zones, my fitness-push levels. I’ve enjoyed Christine D’Ercole’s rides a couple times–playlists, voice, presence, power, encouragement–so I tried her FTP test ride this weekend. Which I enjoyed. Which gave me a good-enough ride-workout-sweat for a Saturday. I dutifully stayed in the zones my bike-screen posited for me, as per her directions throughout the ride. … Except I wasn’t paying much attention to my own exertion levels, whether it was actually at my upper limits of exertion. I was following the script on my bike, not discovering my level of fitness.

Some things will never change, eh? How many times do I find myself following the pattern set by someone else, because they must know, right? This time a ‘they’ was an automated algorithm on a bike, for heaven’s sake. Those are the numbers on the screen, after all.

For whatever reason, this morning, I heard the invitation differently: to ignore the numbers on my bike and pedal from the perceived exertion in my body-mind instead. Yowza was that a different experience! And a good one! I noticed mid-way through that the Zone-scale had disappeared on my bike, leaving only the Output number, in large font. That’s when a laughed aloud, amidst my huffing-and-puffing.

I don’t necessarily care about all the categories here, but I was pleased with the marked change from “following the bike’s numbers” to “pushing perceived exertion.” Total output showed a marked increased of nearly 40 (161kj to 200kj), strive score went from 36.8 to 43.0. Average resistance only went up 3, from 41 to 43%; interestingly enough, average cadence was higher on the Saturday ride, 85 rpm to 82 rpm today. Whoop showed an 8.1 on Saturday, 11.1 today, strain. And this from a woman who used to not care about measurements.

It’s a different thing to put on my CrossFit engine mindset, to feel what my body can do, and then thrive in the challenge of it. Part of my gratitude to the CrossFit methodology and community, to be sure. Enjoying my ‘cup of courage’ several times a week has trained me to navigate my mental obstacle course with a bit more ease, success. It was fun to push myself today.

Mostly, I’m tickled to feel the post-workout, pre-breakfast sensations, with an easy day of reading, a doctoral defense this afternoon, then a preserve walk with Brian and Nala. I am thankful for the return into activity levels, clean eating, gentle companionship in it all. And no discomfort but all the best kind–wow are my legs spent.