When not to ride

Somehow, I don't think this was a recreational rider. Why would you be riding your bike at 4:30 in the morning unless it was your primary means of transportation? Not wise.

Bicyclist hit by car as he waits for an ambulance
The Greenville News

I won't be able to ride today -- or perhaps a couple of days. Ever since I got my bike, I have had issues with the bottom bracket. There is a lot of play when you put pressure on the pedals. Thankfully, it is still under warranty and I am supposed to take it by Sunshine Cycle Shop and they are going to replace it.

Here is the next item I've collected to help me in my training. It is a Sports Instruments ECG Pro 7. I'll admit that I haven't learned how to take full advantage of the computer.

"Based on your Threshold Heart Rate or your Maximum Heart Rate the Pro 7 automatically calculates 5-training levels based on contemporary training philosophy. The Pro 7 then automatically tracks the amount and percentage of time you spend in each training zone during your workout." Now, what that means I'm not sure. I primarily focus on the time spent in the fifth zone, the average heart rate, and the workload.

There are lots of ways to use the computer that I have not even tried yet. However, just being able to see my heartrate during a ride has been a help. It causes me to focus on recovery between periods of intense output. I'm learning to control my system through breathing and altering my output.