Loving Autumn Riding – BionicOldGuy

I enjoyed several long, easy rides. After some further research, I realized that a long ride is good for my heart as long as the pace is not too fast, as it lowers diastolic blood pressure slightly compared to resting. Diastolic, the lower value in a reading like 120/80, is more important for leaky aortic valves because it is the value at which the valve is closed. I did one long ride per week (my group ride) and short rides on other days, but last week I added a few longer rides. It felt great, I had none of the symptoms that my heart would have if it was overworking due to excessive valve leakage.

A few days ago we had our “Taco Tuesday” ride, which included a fun stretch on the Coyote Creek Trail. On Sunday I took a brisk ride through Coyote Valley on Santa Teresa Boulevard, including some short intervals and some strength training on the bike. I also did my upper body strength training before the ride. All of this is well tolerated if it is short enough. Also, some exercises I did isometrically require me to do multiple reps of strength training instead because isometric exercises can raise blood pressure. Overall, I’m still sticking to the amount approved by my cardiologist. It’s a good feeling to be able to work around restrictions and still get a good workout.