Thanks Rob!

For last Saturday Rob had a test prepared to calculate my heart rate zones. The days before he had some easy rides planned for me and on Friday a preparation workout. On Friday I felt really strong and had a great time on the bike. Then later that day I started sniffing and sneezing. Great, hay-fever!  Not really what I was hoping for the day before the test but hey, a good night sleep and at least I’ll be well rested. Too bad some clients decide to show up late at night so I went to bed at around 03:00 AM. No worries, I’ll just sleep in and I’ll be fine! The next morning at around 08:00 AM, the phone rings! A potential customer calling about the availability of a certain holiday home… Well, there goes my rest 🙁

I got out of bed at 09:30 AM because I wasn’t able to sleep anymore. I had a decent breakfast and waited 2.5 hours before changing and getting on my Tacx (turbo). I felt like crap! I had jelly for legs and was already tired before starting the test.

I started the warming up and already had a hard time getting my heart rate to the required level. Then the 4.8 km of racing…. What a disaster: my HR didn’t go higher than 164 BPM(!). The same result with the second 4.8 miles. I got of the bike and was completely knackered (and very disappointed I might add)!

I contacted Rob on the chat and told him about the bad day I had. An hour later he wrote me back telling me not to worry: “A lack of sleep, allergies and allergy mess can really take a toll on performance. So I am not surprised. I wouldn’t let it get you down. Try to get 8-9 hours of sleep for a few days in a row and you will start feeling better.

No worries. You are progressing nicely and will continue to.”

This might be silly, but after a shitty day it was really nice to be cheered up by my coach. So, thank you Rob, I really needed that!

Don