Athlete Vaporists?

[CANtalk]

Great reads. The runners are out! What happened to all the cyclists? Hey you NY riders too! Been quiet on the cycling / MTB posts here. Love all the talk though. Where are the kayakers?



I can share another great week of exercise. I did three more MTB trail rides days this week and all were variations of the same ~19 mile trail loop that includes the #1 cardio killer trail and the #2 trail. And for the first time this year, I only needed to rest once on the cardio killer trail . And for all three of the rides this week too . There were no other stops on rest of the rides either. The quickest time was 96 minutes . I'm feeling really good and strong on the bike and the trail rides have been awesome.

How'd I go from 3-4 rests the cardio killer trail for the last 6 weeks (or more) to 1 rest break all of a sudden (and 3X in the last 3 rides)? I'm in a little better (excellent+) shape but afaict, the cooler temps and less humidity have been a boon to my lung oxygen intake .

After vaping Friday night last night, I got out today on the MTB for ~19 miles as part of those 3 rides. I went out at 8 AM early and before the heat wave came in. It was awesome . Busy on all the trails (aka Saturday long weekend great weather) and always an adventure . I got a big runners high and still have it hours later . These 3 big rides in 6 days is a summer highlight. And I seem healed again! I'm not as bonzai pushing it, but I'm still close to aggravating that historical core body muscle issue again (hopefully not).

It's time to get out and exercise! Wow, September already. My next big MTB rides, when not super hot, will be easier trails but 40+ miles... for a change. Will be great and the coming fall colors will make it extra excellent.

I have a big runner's high now in combination with post exercise strong sativa vaping! Trainwreck and Vortex are no joke awesome and it's been great! I feel like celebrating some of the best fitness I've had in my life (,my age is not old old like many inspirational members here , but I'm no spring chicken at all... call me old ).


Who else is out there hitting the outdoor exercise?

Have a great long weekend & am haf, so sorry for any grammar/spelling issues

 

[WisePenny]

Continuing to stretch my distance legs -my longest run is now 17km/90 minutes (as of yesterday).

It helped that it cooler weather than we've been having (18 degrees and overcast). It was a fun run - great tunes, great weather, and my body felt good, up until the last 1 1/2 kms, when my knees started aching.

 

[Siebter]

Kudos, @WisePenny!

Keep an eye on your knees, if it acts up regularly, you will have to take care of it in some way. A „runner's knee“ can have a whole bucket of different reasons, but they all relate to muscle strength and balance.

I had a short but nasty cold that canceled half a running week for me. Looking forward to hit the road again this evening. Weather is perfect here too, friendly & mild.

 

[Ganjora]

for the last couple of months i've been experiencing sciatica.
been going to the chiropractor, and he provides immediate relief, but gradually the problem returned.
the wife suggested physio - took her advice. and was there friday am.
after being bent, twisted and pummeled, he also gave a simple stretching routine.
it's probably too early to say but 3 days, 2 runs, 35km, and all is still well.
stretching... who would have thought.

 

[His_Highness]

Stretching....

Most of the organized sports I've been involved with included a warm up in preparation for matches / training and a warm down afterwards. The warm up included calisthenics to raise your heart rate, warm up the muscles and were followed by stretching. The "warm down" included just the stretches as the muscles/ligaments were already warm. The stretching during the warm up was meant to make the muscles loose and ready while the stretches during the warm down were slower and more elongated and concentrated more on increasing flexibility. So early on ..... I was taught that stretching played an integral part in improving and staying healthy.

As I got older (much ;-) I stayed with the above mostly out of habit and I'm glad I did because I've definitely noticed that aging has made it way harder to work on flexibility but is integral in maintaining it. I'm never going to be able to do a side kick above my head again but I'm trying to maintain and slow the loss of the flexibility I do have. Many of the folks my age that are runners/bikers will warm up but don't warm down with stretches and they don't seem to be in worse shape because of it so who knows......

Speaking of not stretching and just "walking it off"...... When you run you can buildup some nasty residue in your muscles, knees, etc. from the breakdown that occurs when your working out. Walking it off after a run can help increase the elimination of that build up and help in recovery.

The downside of the above....when I run with someone who doesn't do a standard warm up they typically ask me to get my warm up out of the way before we meet up because they're going to do a few jumping jacks, touch their toes and warm up during the first part of the run.

What's your warm up and warm down approach?

 

[Siebter]

What's your warm up and warm down approach?

I used to be a *very* dogmatic stretcher for many years and had a set of three different routines that I did after every run. My brother taught me so, so... About a year ago I read several articles that stated that static stretching (which was what I did) would have no benefits at all for runners and even represent a bit of an injury risk. I guess my brother forgot to tell me about those findings. Since then I do some light dynamic stretching before a run instead and haven't had any issues with that.

I have the Scheuermann's disease, that makes me have to do some back exercises. Then: coffee & a Dynavap. Then some light dynamic stretching, mainly directed at my calves. Nowadays I am working on my knee strength, so I added stuff like 90/90 Knee Rolls, Floating Heel Split Squats or Under-loaded FFE Split Squats (yes I chose the ones with the most fancy names, still experimenting with which one I'll keep in my warm up rotation).

I don't really have a cool down routine I must admit. When I get home from a run, I need a protein shake, a shower and food, more exercise would delay that heavily. :-)

 

[CANtalk]

My warm up is getting on the MTB, and warm down is getting off the bike . Actually, the first part on my MTB rides are pavement roads and trails, making it easy to warm up as part of the trip. I always liked that biking is easier on the body than most other types of exercise.

Running 17 km in 90 minutes is not messing around @WisePenny, nice !

It's good to see members getting out exercising and posting up .

Lately, I've been regularly getting out... and I went out again this morning on the local trails . It was another ~18 mile MTB ride and I finished before it got too hot out. I included the cardio killer trail and only stopped once on it again. And I can tell it's getting a little easier for me to manage my cardio and heart rate on that trail . After that, I never stopped again on the bike and made sure to include the #2 killer trail in the area. The trails weren't as busy today as Saturday.

Overall, I was out for ~96 minutes and the whole trip was great . I felt good, strong and had lots of endurance. Managed to blow off some steam and focus the mind. Great weather all long weekend here!

Hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend and thx for sharing experiences!

 

[His_Highness]

Question for the MTB folk.....

My main form of exercise for a good bit of time has been running and strength training. I do some MTB when I run into arthritic foot issues or just want to cross train. My MTB skills aren't great so I may get high for a super simple/comfortable trail I've done before but even then I don't get nearly as high as I do when running and often times I don't get high at all when biking because......

One thing that makes MTB less fun for me is the possibility that I'm holding up the better bikers on these single rider trails. Its not like it happens all the time but ...... I have started on a trail and have had several bikers come up behind me and I feel bad that I'm holding them up. Sometimes I'll pull off to the side to let them by and at other times I keep my position and speed up to a point where I'm not as comfortable as I'd like.

Do any other MTB users run into the above and what do you do?

 

[CANtalk]

Question for the MTB folk.....

My main form of exercise for a good bit of time has been running and strength training. I do some MTB when I run into arthritic foot issues or just want to cross train. My MTB skills aren't great so I may get high for a super simple/comfortable trail I've done before but even then I don't get nearly as high as I do when running and often times I don't get high at all when biking because......

One thing that makes MTB less fun for me is the possibility that I'm holding up the better bikers on these single rider trails. Its not like it happens all the time but ...... I have started on a trail and have had several bikers come up behind me and I feel bad that I'm holding them up. Sometimes I'll pull off to the side to let them by and at other times I keep my position and speed up to a point where I'm not as comfortable as I'd like.

Do any other MTB users run into the above and what do you do?

With MTBing, try enjoying cannabis after the trails rather than before. I enjoy cannabis after MTB rides as it's a much safer way to go with the trails I frequent. Only once this year so far did I have some cannabis as part of a cycling ride. It was at a festival and fun, then I took it easy for the trip home on the MTB. I don't miss being high pre-ride (or while on the bike) and I find cannabis really great after exercise... it feels awesome in combination with the runner's high. One way or another, people should be able to incorporate cannabis and mountain biking in ways that are enjoyable, safe and work well. Off the top of my head, options include riding easier trails, taking more rest breaks during a ride, more carefully timing cannabis intake, etc..

I'd say don't worry about other people on the trails and try not to be very self conscious with other trail users. Meeting others out on the trails is very universal... and thus so is passing as well as getting passed. Happens all the time and every trip, so no one should get upset about being held up for seconds on a trip using public trails. Plus when overtaking, trail etiquette puts the onus/responsibility on the passer and not the person being passed. More specifically, a passer should alert others when passing (by bell or call-out), and do so before coming close to anyone being overtaken. These actions give people being passed enough time to process the notification, then figure out how/where move over or stop.

Trail etiquette is fairly well known... and regardless, 98% of people out there are very accommodating, friendly, chill, considerate and understanding. Getting through or letting through people shouldn't bother anyone unless someone is being an ass (there is the 2% ). And if it happens, it doesn't sound like you'll be the ass in that encounter . If you have a bed encounter with an ass, brush it off, don't let it ruin your trip or enjoyment and don't dwell on it. @His_Highness, ride your ride/pace, continue to be considerate of others, enjoy the MTB trail rides and don't sweat overtaking encounters. I like to see other people on the trails... and they pretty much all involve passing or being passed.

Cheers & hope that helps!

 

[His_Highness]

If you have a bad encounter with an ass, brush it off, don't let it ruin your trip or enjoyment and don't dwell on it. @His_Highness, ride your ride/pace, continue to be considerate of others, enjoy the MTB trail rides and don't sweat overtaking encounters. I like to see other people on the trails... and they pretty much all involve passing or being passed.

Cheers & hope that helps!

Thanks for the great advice. I've never had a bad encounter the few times bikers have caught up behind me and I've never been an ass when I've come up behind someone. I worry that those stuck behind me are thinking "C'mon man! I'm trying to get a workout here." I guess the concern is all in my head and even if it isn't I should .... just stay the course, pull off if convenient and get out of my head. Thanks again!

 

[CANtalk]

Hope everyone is out exercising. Some fall weather is already here where I'm at.

I've been out a few more times on the MTB doing ~17 mile trail rides. And I've been including the #1 and #2 challenging trails in the area. Today, I took it easier on the trails this morning than most other rides. I tried to feed the many squirrels I came across with some peanuts. I later lost the front end on a switchback, but it ended up being a relatively minor get-off. After that I had the seat bag break off and I figured it was going to be one of those days . Put the bag in a side pocket of my cargo shorts and kept going. Things went smoothly overall. I wasn't feeling it 100%, so I walked one skinny feature on the loop back and then fell off another skinny (no biggie to fall off it). Good thing I took everything down a notch. I didn't stop again after that and near the end of the trip noticed I didn't have a lot of gas in the tank. Haven't been eating very much or very hungry lately. Back home I ate, showered, cleaned up and vaped some strong sativa. Feeling good now . And there's not much strength in the legs right now. Home stairs are a bit of a challenge both up and down, lol.

What's happened to the eMTB riders who were posting here earlier? Hope ur all well!

Get out and have a great weekend. Share some stories here too, cheers.

 

[Polarbearboy]

With MTBing, try enjoying cannabis after the trails rather than before. I enjoy cannabis after MTB rides as it's a much safer way to go with the trails I frequent. Only once this year so far did I have some cannabis as part of a cycling ride. It was at a festival and fun, then I took it easy for the trip home on the MTB. I don't miss being high pre-ride (or while on the bike) and I find cannabis really great after exercise... it feels awesome in combination with the runner's high. One way or another, people should be able to incorporate cannabis and mountain biking in ways that are enjoyable, safe and work well. Off the top of my head, options include riding easier trails, taking more rest breaks during a ride, more carefully timing cannabis intake, etc..

I'd say don't worry about other people on the trails and try not to be very self conscious with other trail users. Meeting others out on the trails is very universal... and thus so is passing as well as getting passed. Happens all the time and every trip, so no one should get upset about being held up for seconds on a trip using public trails. Plus when overtaking, trail etiquette puts the onus/responsibility on the passer and not the person being passed. More specifically, a passer should alert others when passing (by bell or call-out), and do so before coming close to anyone being overtaken. These actions give people being passed enough time to process the notification, then figure out how/where move over or stop.

Trail etiquette is fairly well known... and regardless, 98% of people out there are very accommodating, friendly, chill, considerate and understanding. Getting through or letting through people shouldn't bother anyone unless someone is being an ass (there is the 2% ). And if it happens, it doesn't sound like you'll be the ass in that encounter . If you have a bed encounter with an ass, brush it off, don't let it ruin your trip or enjoyment and don't dwell on it. @His_Highness, ride your ride/pace, continue to be considerate of others, enjoy the MTB trail rides and don't sweat overtaking encounters. I like to see other people on the trails... and they pretty much all involve passing or being passed.

Cheers & hope that helps!

Started being a real biker(bicycle, mostly road and mtn) when I was 19 or 20. Your analysis and prescription viz. passing on trails is sage. You are knowledgable and a clear writer. I'm impressed!

On the other hand, I'm still a serious rider at 74, albeit on an E-mtn bike now, still looking for a serious workout and going to remote places, which are the reasons that I live where I live, at both my homes. And I get stoned 93.6% of the time, just before I start riding. I had a nasty bike accident as a kid and another in my twenties, and was an urban bike commuter for years, and so try to be careful. But I love being stoned and free, my body pumping nearly to its max in stunningly beautiful surroundings(north side of White Mtns. of NH and northern tip of Newfoundland). Neither place gets very hot. Both are very hilly and the later hilly and very very very windy. At least it nearly always keeps the bugs away.

Back to our commonality. I try to bike 4-6 days a week, though depending on weather its sometimes only three. I usually go out for 60-90 minutes, typically 60-70 minutes on the bike computer. I shoot for at least 40 minutes a session, because that's what I read in the NYT achieves 90% or some such of the health benefits of exercise. Latest stuff seems to be saying at 20 minutes may be enough, or even less of you shoot for absolute max repeatedly. I should be a member of the Trapp family or John Coltrane's: Dope and exercise are among My Favorite Things!

 

[CANtalk]

Started being a real biker(bicycle, mostly road and mtn) when I was 19 or 20. Your analysis and prescription viz. passing on trails is sage. You are knowledgable and a clear writer. I'm impressed!

On the other hand, I'm still a serious rider at 74, albeit on an E-mtn bike now, still looking for a serious workout and going to remote places, which are the reasons that I live where I live, at both my homes. And I get stoned 93.6% of the time, just before I start riding. I had a nasty bike accident as a kid and another in my twenties, and was an urban bike commuter for years, and so try to be careful. But I love being stoned and free, my body pumping nearly to its max in stunningly beautiful surroundings(north side of White Mtns. of NH and northern tip of Newfoundland). Neither place gets very hot. Both are very hilly and the later hilly and very very very windy. At least it nearly always keeps the bugs away.

Back to our commonality. I try to bike 4-6 days a week, though depending on weather its sometimes only three. I usually go out for 60-90 minutes, typically 60-70 minutes on the bike computer. I shoot for at least 40 minutes a session, because that's what I read in the NYT achieves 90% or some such of the health benefits of exercise. Latest stuff seems to be saying at 20 minutes may be enough, or even less of you shoot for absolute max repeatedly. I should be a member of the Trapp family or John Coltrane's: Dope and exercise are among My Favorite Things!

Very inspiring & thx for sharing ! As I've said, I'm no spring chicken but y'all >70 YO's with these numbers are super awesome. Keep sharing stories... even trips/rides . Yup, there's no replacement for lots of saddle time on a bike . Brings fitness and improves riding skills . Plus, there's never any regret when getting out on the bike for another ride (same 4 u runners!). I love ur locations... been settled here for more than a decade, for its quality of life as well as a top notch outdoor MTB trail network .

Big exercise and getting outdoors has been a huge push this year personally again. Enough so, I had some trouble on home stairs for a while after the trails today ... doing better now. I've been 'fueling' myself better this year, but like @Siebter , I should eat and eat and eat, but it can get to be a real chore. Been doing a lot of eating for the last 2-3 weeks, so for a change I went with more appetite-based eating this week, and I haven't had much of an appetite . I've already lost notable weight, even in the face so I'm not surprised I'm a little bagged.

Fall is here and I don't have a lot of MTB weather left... hope we have nice weather coming. My outdoor exercise season is already almost over . I'll be missing it shortly and will lean into living vicariously through y'all

Vaped this late Saturday evening, so sorry for any spelling/grammar awkwardness

Have a great weekend

 

[CANtalk]

Quiet here still, I hope everyone is getting out and enjoying some exercise.

Not much new. Last week I mentioned how I changed to appetite-based eating and hadn't been taking in near as much food... well it bit me hard. I crashed energy-wise for a week, and the couch got a workout . Didn't get out exercising much either, though the weather here turned cool as part of that. I'm trying to eat more, with variable success. It's already been a cool fall and my outdoor exercise season is almost over . Still, can't complain much as it's been a great year overall .

Hope ur all well and and have a great weekend.

 

[WisePenny]

I had Covid last week, but didn't want to lose my streak, so I did an 'easy' 5k last Sunday. Toughest run I've done in a while

Back to normal energy now - nice 10k yesterday, maybe a bit longer today?

Love the cooler temperatures overnight this time of the year.

 

[GetLeft]

Do any other MTB users run into the above and what do you do?

For the most part, I ride tough trails. All wooded, all up or down, all rocky and rooty. Most folks on the trails either hike or run them. And they are always courteous to riders and make way for them. I'm always amazed by that and appreciate the thoughtfulness. The riders who ride the trails are experienced mtb riders (novices won't even make it to the trail head). I ride off peak mostly (mid day, mid week) so I don't come across too many riders. When I do there is some basic etiquette, like downhill riders have right of way. But my experience is that common sense prevails. The rider who can dismount most easily at the moment usually does so and yields right of way. Sometimes both riders are in "can't dismount at the moment mode" and both find a way to stay in the saddle and pass each other while carefully maneuvering off the trail. With regard to holding up riders who are behind you, my recommendation is to yield to faster riders even if you have to dismount. It's no fun having stronger riders breathing down your neck anyway. And it's definitely no fun being held up by a slower rider who won't yield.

I won't ride without vaping beforehand. I'm a better, more focused rider when I'm buzzed. More aware of everything I'm doing (breathing, balance, leg strength, momentum, readiness or not to jam into overdrive if needed, etc.). I'm more focused on my riding and more able to ignore distractions. And I enjoy it much much more.

Won't enter a gym either if I'm not high. Nothing more unpleasant than a gym in my mind. Unless I'm high. Then I easily block out everything except what I want to focus on. And I enjoy myself, which incentivizes me to continue to go

 

[GetLeft]

Life got in the way of my riding this summer. I was able to stay somewhat active with hikes and trips to the gym, just not on my bike. Started back up last week. This was ride 2 of the reboot (Fall is prime riding time in PA).
Painful! But I'm always extremely appreciative to be able to ride.

 

[GoldenBud]

LDL went from 146.2mg/dl (March) to 96.5mg/dl (few days ago)
thanks protein
thanks veggies
thanks aerobic&anaerobic trainings!

 

[CANtalk]

Hey, nice to see some new and familiar members here . NIce @GetLeft and thx for sharing, hope you get out some more! Congratulations @GoldenBud and sweet @WisePenny.

I'm still struggling with energy and weather but recent posts are inspiring. My outdoor MTB season is probably a few weeks from over, so I still got out on the MTB twice in the last 3 days as weather improved , including today . I rode the ~17 mile trail loop again, with the #1 & #2 cardio killer and technical trails in the area to. 105 minutes total trip time w <4 minutes rest. Managed to do the #1 cardio killer trail w/ only one stop to break (rest) and lower my heart rate from too high. I rode the #2 trail on the loop back. In the stop time were three quick stops to take some pictures of the outdoor fall colors. Big wind today, gusting to 40 mph. It doesn't affect most of my trail riding as I go on rocky rooty single track trails with good tree cover, but I did get a strong tail wind assist on a fast paved section and reached 40 mph top speed, lol. Felt okay for the first 3/4's of the ride. but was quite bagged by the end of it. I took it down a notch in seeking out a nice sustainable pace. The legs felt weak all ride, but handled everything I dished out. I felt off enough to avoid a some of a skinny feature and one rock garden. Trail wear is pretty significant at this time and end of year... the dirt is getting packed hard hard and rocks are becoming more exposed. Traction was a little sketchy at times. Better safe than sorry. Not many trail users today considering it was Saturday, pretty nice on these trails and it's end of year. After the ride today, I had a cold cold shower, ate some food and carbs to recover and then low temp vaped me some strong sativa for the first time today. One draw and I'm really high right now .... love the combo of the cannabis and runners high . I'm not a daily cannabis user and get too high to MTB the difficult trails in the area. My tolerance is pretty low .

The weather looks okay next week so I have some more MTB trails to get to. I haven't put on as many miles as last year, but it's still a lot (though @His_Highness runs farther than I MTB ).

Happy I got out. I hope everyone is also getting out and enjoying good weather and exercise. Cheers and have a nice weekend.

 

[His_Highness]

The weather looks okay next week so I have some more MTB trails to get to. I haven't put on as many miles as last year, but it's still a lot (though @His_Highness runs farther than I MTB ).

Happy I got out. I hope everyone is also getting out and enjoying good weather and exercise. Cheers and have a nice weekend.

Thanks for the kind words my friend! I'm consistent as of late but I'm definitely not breaking any land speed records. Lets see if I can outrun this hurricane

 

[GoldenBud]

too much THC can cause high triglycerides in blood test? I've got higher triglycerides, it's strange, LDL is reduced by 34% and triglycerides went up 10%.. weird..will take a break and see after that.. interesting to see.. the internet have some studies about it will be reading it soon..

 

[WisePenny]

Nice cool day yesterday, I got out and did a half marathon (21kms) for the first time. Felt really good for the most part - some joint soreness in my hips and knees from about 16kms on, but it didn't become painful, so I pushed on. Glad I did - fairly proud of that accomplishment, which just started with curiosity - "I wonder if a could..."

 

[VapeEscapist]

Hey you NY riders too!

Hey hey! My ears are burning....

Conditions are near ideal this time of year. I've not been properly motivated in the last month or so but I've been nudging friends to join me and hoping at least a couple of them follow through. @vapirtoo let's do my 50 mile loop to the Rockaways! Double dog dare you. Drive your bike over to the start line (my place) and save your legs, why not...?

Fall safety reminder - watch out for slippy leaves and squirrely squirrels and use lights when commuting home in the dark.

 

[GetLeft]

Yea this 60 degree-ish weather is perfect for mtb riding. A little harder to get motivated with the coolness but once you're on the bike you realize it's beats riding in the heat! Ride 4 of my autumn reboot coming up in a couple of hours. Ride 3 yesterday was more enjoyable than the previous one. Went further with less pain. Unfortunately (for me) my garmin vivoactive 4 failed to connect to gps (happens occasionally but wtf it's a fairly expensive device it should work all the time!) so I couldn't quantify improvements but you know when you've ridden better than the last ride.

An interesting thing about riding mtb in my experience: comfort on the bike, (balance, control, steering) can be random, fitness aside. Sometimes I feel 100% in control after a long layoff, like the bike is an extension of my body. Others I feel like I've never ridden when I just rode a day ago... It's all relative cause I don't ride recklessly and stay in control but feel varies for one reason or another.

@His_Highness hope things are ok down in FL!

 

[His_Highness]

@His_Highness hope things are ok down in FL!

Thx for asking! All good here! I'm in North Florida and in an area not prone to flooding. Ian was kind to my area. Got lucky....