Quote Originally Posted by RoadRaven View Post

I seriously think it is most likely a sign of your fitness level... you are not sick, you are on mo meds, you have been "pushing" yourself on some of your training rides... I think your body has responded to your requests and increased its ability to cope with stress (ie, exercise) more effectively!

It would be nice to assume it is fitness level. But then the question is why does the heart rate not go up on long, vigorous rides? A person can be fit, but when you push yourself and continue to do activity that is more vigorous than what the body is accustomed to, then the heart rate will go up. That is what I am saying, that Suzie is continuing to increase her miles, riding more often, climbing more hills, and for everyone else, despite what level of fitness, their heart rate will increase when they push themselves to do more than what they did previously.

To say it is fitness level almost implies that Suzie can do more on her rides, like go faster, or go more miles, or climb more hills, that she isn't doing enough. I ride with her, and she looks pretty tired to me at the end of the long rides. There are times when she leads, and times when she falls behind. Sometimes she gets to the top of the hills first, and other times she doesn't. What I am saying is she appears to be just like Ellen and myself, pushing herself as much as she can, but being sensible about it so that she can finish the distance.

On the 73-mile event ride I mentioned, Suzie and I were both exhausted. We had a long car drive home, so I was with her during that time and could see for myself how tired she was. It shows she gives her rides her maximum effort.

Darcy