Embracing the Suck: My Airdyne cross training for skating

Embrace the Suck

Verb, Military Slang: To consciously accept or appreciate something that is extremely unpleasant but unavoidable for forward progress

A little disclaimer. This actually does not have much to do with skating, but more about what worked for me to get in shape for skating. I don't like to use skating for exercise. Now, of course it IS exercise. But I would MUCH prefer to be in shape from doing something else, and hit the skating floor feeling good, and ready to kick butt for 1.5-2 hours. Being that skating has been my absolute constant vigorous physical activity for over 10 years now, I can compare how I felt in years past, to how I feel now. I also use skating to gauge how well my other exercises are doing in achieving the main goal: Make my skate night rock.

But first, let's back track a little. In June of 2018, I packed up my stuff and left California for Texas, my sister and her cat in tow. I believe it was June 8, when we got here. While living in an apartment, I knew that I needed to exercise, so I bought a Schwinn Airdyne AD2. This is the base model and costs around $499. I tried using it, but it was MISERABLE. Now, I also ride actual bikes, and know that 80 is a very common, and particularly efficient cadence, or, pedal rpm. I got on the AD2 and my cadence was between 40 and 50. Very low, very HARD, and very demoralizing. 4 or 5 minutes was about all I could manage, or put up with.

In December of 2018 I had a little incident, which I later figured out was an angina attack. Why was it hard to figure out? It wasn't easy to pinpoint because of all that was going on. The physical and mental stress of the move had me sick when I left CA. After a few weeks in San Antonio, I succumbed to all of the pollens and mold we get, and got sicker. So, the night of the incident, I was very low energy, and just struggling to get laps in. I'd skate maybe one song, and then rest. Well, a friend offered me a beer. Sure, what the heck. As the beer took effect, I skated 3 songs in a more energetic fashion. I got off the floor, drank some water, and started to where my stuff was to sit. Then I got a pretty intense tightness and pain in my face, chest and left arm, dizzines, and felt like I was going to throw up. This persisted for an hour and a half. Luckily I felt good enough to drive home before the rink closed. I chalked it up to me just being sick. Shortly afterward, I decided to try allergy medicines, and found Benadryl worked wonders for me.

Now I had felt that yucky tightness in the face and chest while I had been using the AD2, and I got suspicious. I Duck Duck Go'd* my symptoms and discovered I was one step away from a heart attack. (* If folks can Google stuff, well, my search engine is Duck Duck Go. LOL)

To make a long story a little shorter, I rode a recumbent bike all through the summer. What were the results on the skating floor. Pretty good. I did not get as much strength as I am getting now, but my cardio was great. I could hit the floor and skate straight through. (Typically 1.5 hour) I did have issues late summer with a supplement I take, Nitric Oxide, and had to skip it for a while, which brought on a blood clot. I biked a little less, but once I got back on my supplement, things were getting better. My conditioning dropped, but started picking up. Then the rain came.

So, by December, 2019, I was again, out of shape, and feeling very blah when skating. Not in the dire straights I was in before, but, I knew, depending on outside biking was only possible when the weather was good.

Come Janurary, 2020, I started biking again. I felt my best when doing 2 or 3 hour rides. While the rides are very enjoyable, that is kind of a long time, doing it several times a week, to invest. I wanted something compact, and weather proof.

Embracing the Suck 😣 It was time to revisit the Airdyne. It is hard mentally and physically. Mentally, because you feel like a schlep for not being able to do 80 rpm. Physically... well, it is just hard, and it works the arms and legs. I did a few sessions of 10 minutes. True to form, it sucked. I put on my headphones and did a 23 minute ride. Every time the "suck" would raise its' head, I'd just say, concentrate on the music. Just 2 more songs, or 3 more songs.

So I have been doing the Airdyne now for about 5 weeks at the 20 minute level. The last couple I have been doing a last 2 minute interval. My current rpm is 65. My last 2 minute rpm is 85! I have the notion to extend my end of workout interval to 5 minutes, and then see how high I can get it.

So how is my skating? Tonight, Wednesday, it was Awesome. Even more, I am 30 pounds heavier now than I was when I was skating this energetically. Gotta tweak the diet to shed pounds, and hit the Airdyne harder. Yeah, the last couple of weeks, I hit the skate floor feeling good. I did not even load up on caffeine. I went in clean. No stimulants. I only took a break on the reverse backward skate because my left ankle does not like going that way, and one other brief water break. I only took that 2nd break because I THOUGHT I should, not because I felt I needed it. (wanted to keep hydrated)

So, things are good in Rufus Land. I have a workout that can't be interrupted by weather, and is more intense, but not as long. Outside riding will kick in of course. But this year, I won't be dependent on it for keeping fit. 😎