Do you guys ever check your O2 saturation levels?

[Pablo]

Jim Fixx, the author who popularized jogging, died from a heart attack at age 52 on July 20, 1984, while on a run in Vermont, ironically after promoting exercise as a cure for heart disease, though his autopsy revealed severe blocked arteries and a family history of heart issues.

His genes were locked in.

 

[jadmt]

Assuming you are talking total time, not just riding time, you are freaking fast! Wow!

Scott

that is riding time..total time was 5:29 had to take a couple pee breaks...and what not. this is a route on the trail of the CDA bike trail so literally no having to worry about traffic or even other bikes..never had a flat on it either...I am the fat one 212lb and according to my dr I am obese trying to drop below 200 this year.I am only 5'9"my buddy is about 140 and 5'11 he can go up hills fast ...I met my buddy in Bend Or last year and we did some pretty nice fast rides there as well..

 

[jadmt]

His genes were locked in.

yup he probably would have died at 45 if he had not been a runner..

 

[Pew]

Oh man the last time I remember seeing O2 levels was at BAS in bootcamp with pneumonia, I was at 89.

 

[RitcheyRch]

I check mine often since I have asthma.

 

[jetman]

Its more than "determination and/or goal setting", one must have a "vision".
Original organizer/owner of the Leadville Race Series & Hall Of Fame inductee Ken Chlouber ( https://leadvillesportshall.com/ken-chlouber/ ) always gives a motivation speech before the Leadville races saying, " your capable of more than you think you are". He is so right

Another Ken phrase = "Pain Is Temporary". I used that one many a time

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Props to you for starting a walking program. Exercise is good for the mind as well. I'm a Type A personality with a mind that seldom rests. I get bored on vacations! The ONLY time in my life that I enjoy a total Zen is when I'm on my bike. Be mindful and train yourself to go full Zen on your walks. It can be a real luxury.

Scott

YES. I recall how I used to kick into the Zen mode after about the 1 mile mark on my runs. You actually could stop feeling your body and go into a floating type of mode. I used to do a full 10 to 12 hours work day. Get home and take off on a usual 3-4 mi run on week days. On the weekends it was 10 to 12 milers. I know just what you mean about going to "that place." It is hard for anyone who has not been there to understand what you are explaining. I got so obsessed at one point, I kept track and did an entire 365 days without missing one.
I had many times when it was cold and raining , feeling down etc... and I would tell the wife, "I am gonna skip today." Sit around and it would work on me so much that (she knew it) next thing I would be suiting up and out the door as late as 0900pm for a run thru the neighborhood more than once. I recall one crazy night I am cruising thru the streets and I hear this noise. I looked to my side and a giant German Shepperd is running along side of me! I did not even know where he joined up with me. Scared the stuff out of me until I realized he was a friendly. He finally just dropped off I guess when we got too far from where he lived.

 

[02SE]

I got a pulse oximeter when I was the full-time caregiver for my folks. They lived at 5k feet in elevation. The doctors and nurses were amazed by a 90+ year old guy with stage IV kidney cancer, a heart valve issue, and congestive heart failure, whose oxygen level was usually at 98-100%. He never smoked, and played the trumpet in several marching bands starting in junior high, briefly in the Army during the Korean conflict, at the U of U, and as a USC Trojan. He also spent most of his life singing. So he was healthy with great lung capacity for most of his life. My mom struggled more with oxygen saturation as she got older.

In my 50's, I don't check my own oxygen saturation regularly, unless I have a concern, such as the Flu I had over the Holidays, and still have a minor cough from. The lowest it got was 94%. I'm usually at 98-100%. I live at close to 6k feet.

 

[slo town]

that is riding time..total time was 5:29 had to take a couple pee breaks...and what not. this is a route on the trail of the CDA bike trail so literally no having to worry about traffic or even other bikes..never had a flat on it either...I am the fat one 212lb and according to my dr I am obese trying to drop below 200 this year.I am only 5'9"my buddy is about 140 and 5'11 he can go up hills fast ...I met my buddy in Bend Or last year and we did some pretty nice fast rides there as well..

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What an awesome picture! You two look great! I can feel your Zen!

A picture of me in that jersey I posted in #1.

Scott

 

[shortyb]

I credit my high sats. with the breathing exercises I had to do after bypass surgery. I had a collapsed left lung and to help keep it inflated, along with building capacity back, pulmonologist gave me an incentive spirometer. Within a month, I killed that one and got one with a much larger dynamic max capacity. Been using it ever since and never get "winded" anymore. Even after sprinting up several flights of stairs.

 

[gfh77665]

I got a pulse oximeter when I was the full-time caregiver for my folks. They lived at 5k feet in elevation. The doctors and nurses were amazed by a 90+ year old guy with stage IV kidney cancer, a heart valve issue, and congestive heart failure, whose oxygen level was usually at 98-100%. He never smoked, and played the trumpet in several marching bands starting in junior high, briefly in the Army during the Korean conflict, at the U of U, and as a USC Trojan. He also spent most of his life singing. So he was healthy with great lung capacity for most of his life.

He won the genetic lottery.

 

[jadmt]

What an awesome picture! You two look great! I can feel your Zen!

A picture of me in that jersey I posted in #1.

Scott

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nice. you still look fit...Moots stem and Seven bike that is the way.....that has to be a nice riding bike.

 

[slo town]

nice. you still look fit...Moots stem and Seven bike that is the way.....that has to be a nice riding bike.

Thanks. It's a Seven Axiom. It's a custom frame because of my size. I originally built it in 1999 with 10-speed Campy Record (always been a Campy guy), then upgraded to 11-speed Record 7 or 8 years ago. No matter how hard I tried I could never get the 11-speed Record setup to shift consistently. It had a nasty habit of ghost shifting while under full power on climbs. I feared snapping a chain and rupturing a testicle on the top tube or rupturing my achilles so I switched it to 11-speed Dura Ace and haven't looked back. I dialed the Dura Ace setup into perfection in just 15 minutes.

The real warrior in my fleet is my Saso (not to be confused with Salsa). It's a fillet brazed Tange Ultimate steel tube set. Check out the bottom bracket brazing. It had my Eurus winter wheel set on in this picture. I normally ride Shamals.

Scott

 

[Needleman]

Hola:

I'm an old guy at age 73 with an extensive history of ultra endurance bicycling. During the peak cycling season in my heyday I used to train - and train hard - for 300 to 350 miles per week. I regularly competed in mass start, timed, 200+ mile single day racing events that saw me on the saddle for 12 to 14 hours. At my peak I participated (twice) in a ride across the continent that saw us ride over 1,000 miles per week for three straight weeks - along with over 30,000 feet of climbing per week. This was some serious cycling!

Long story short, about 10 years ago I found out I had permanently damaged my heart from this stuff, me being diagnosed with an enlarged heart with stiffened heart walls - an "athlete's heart" as it's commonly referred to. I have an "ejection fraction" in the 40s. Ejection fraction is the amount of blood pumped out of the heart chambers per heartbeat. Normal is 70% plus, even for the elderly. Also too, I have an unusually low heart rate, my resting heart rate sometimes dropping into the high 40s or low 50s. I take a low dose of Atenolol for mild cardiac arrhythmia. I have a lifetime history of low blood pressure, typically 110-ish over 70-ish.

Even so, I remain physically active with even the most challenging landscaping chores, etc. And I still have good speed on the bike, which is probably because of my competitive attitude and leg strength more than anything else.

Do any of you old guys check your O2 saturation levels? My "normal" in a resting state is 94 to 95. I just checked mine two minutes ago while sitting at my desk composing this message; 94 with a heart rate of 56.

Do you gentlemen ever test yourselves? If so, what do you old guys see?

Scott

PS A jersey from "the day". It would be an understatement to say this was a long and challenging day on the saddle. Plus I saw a fellow competitor have one of the worst high speed cycling crashes imaginable. 50+ mph. Broken bones and blood everywhere. I'll never be able to un-see that.

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Typically, O2 should be 97%+. Have you tried Coq10 or Ubiquinol for possibly improving your EF? Hawthorn in the form of Nature's Way Heartcare may help as well, as may Vitamin D, Magnesium and Fish Oil. Ask your cardiologist though, before starting anything.

 

[jadmt]

Thanks. It's a Seven Axiom. It's a custom frame because of my size. I originally built it in 1999 with 10-speed Campy Record (always been a Campy guy), then upgraded to 11-speed Record 7 or 8 years ago. No matter how hard I tried I could never get the 11-speed Record setup to shift consistently. It had a nasty habit of ghost shifting while under full power on climbs. I feared snapping a chain and rupturing a testicle on the top tube or rupturing my achilles so I switched it to 11-speed Dura Ace and haven't looked back. I dialed the Dura Ace setup into perfection in just 15 minutes.

The real warrior in my fleet is my Saso (not to be confused with Salsa). It's a fillet brazed Tange Ultimate steel tube set. Check out the bottom bracket brazing. It had my Eurus winter wheel set on in this picture. I normally ride Shamals.

Scott

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beautiful. fillet brazed welds look so nice..i like how my Canyon CF8 performs but I really want a new steel bike. steel is real and looks so much better than CF.

 

[alarmguy]

You backed it up with data from the Cleveland Clinic, but their EF numbers look low to me. Also too, does a person's EF vary by a wide margin? I've been told it doesn't.

With respect to the 89% O2 sat while sleeping, maybe you should investigate a CPAP machine...? Yeah, I know, they're the sexiest thing in the world.

I may buy a new Apple Watch to get realtime O2 sat levels. My watch doesn't have that capability.

Thanks for your feedback.

Scott

Well, the Cleveland clinic is the Cleveland clinic, one of the top medical facilities in the nation.
A simple web search will show you the same results as far EF score range. Mayo Clinic included, American Heart Association included. I mean just about anything or within a a percentage or two.
There is no set number, actually the number is a best guest estimate. Also, some people might think a high EF score significantly above 70 is good when that can be quite the opposite. All this information is available online or with your cardiologist.
… and I stress any concerns and questions should be directed to your doctor or a cardiologist, they can advise.

Endless references from nationally, recognized medical centers and organizations if anyone cares to look it up. I should note and previously stated I have had multiple echocardiograms, multiple nuclear stress tests, and one cardiac catheterization. Three methods mentioned in the article below.
https://www.heart.org/en/health-top...e/ejection-fraction-heart-failure-measurement

https://www.healthline.com/health/ejection-fraction

Everything that you want to know about EF
https://analysisforge.com/articles/normal-heart-ejection-fraction-age-analysis/

 

[slo town]

Well, the Cleveland clinic is the Cleveland clinic, one of the top medical facilities in the nation.
A simple web search will show you the same results as far EF score range. Mayo Clinic included, American Heart Association included. I mean just about anything or within a a percentage or two.
There is no set number, actually the number is a best guest estimate. Also, some people might think a high EF score significantly above 70 is good when that can be quite the opposite. All this information is available online or with your cardiologist.
… and I stress any concerns and questions should be directed to your doctor or a cardiologist, they can advise.

Endless references from nationally, recognized medical centers and organizations if anyone cares to look it up. I should note and previously stated I have had multiple echocardiograms, multiple nuclear stress tests, and one cardiac catheterization. Three methods mentioned in the article below.
https://www.heart.org/en/health-top...e/ejection-fraction-heart-failure-measurement

https://www.healthline.com/health/ejection-fraction

Everything that you want to know about EF
https://analysisforge.com/articles/normal-heart-ejection-fraction-age-analysis/

Appreciate the links. I'll check them out.

Scott

 

[slo town]

beautiful. fillet brazed welds look so nice..i like how my Canyon CF8 performs but I really want a new steel bike. steel is real and looks so much better than CF.

With my two bikes at least, titanium rides and handles just like steel. Although I am 100% happy with both my Saso and Seven, if I were to build up a new bike I'd try something from Moots.

The bottom bracket on my Seven. Just look at those welds!

Scott

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

With my two bikes at least, titanium rides and handles just like steel. Although I am 100% happy with both my Saso and Seven, if I were to build up a new bike I'd try something from Moots.

The bottom bracket on my Seven. Just look at those welds!

Scott

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Seeing that shames me for the welds I did. A mighty many years ago! That is a flat out beauty of a job they did.

 

[jadmt]

With my two bikes at least, titanium rides and handles just like steel. Although I am 100% happy with both my Saso and Seven, if I were to build up a new bike I'd try something from Moots.

The bottom bracket on my Seven. Just look at those welds!

Scott

View attachment 319841

very nice indeed..A Moots would be nice..Every once and a while I see one come for sale used in my size range. Unfortunately there are a lot off fake Moots out there...I sent them a photo of one that was for sale about 200 miles away for what looked like a good price and Moots said it was a fake.