Fun & Fitness over 50

I started a training program this week. I've wanted to do this for awhile and now seemed the right time.
I'm using the program suggested in my HRM manual and I'm starting at the beginner level with modifications.
I modified their training because it's just too easy for me. I've been working at a harder level for months. It actually requires some discipline to hold yourself back. As I said in my previous post "Be Less Than You Can Be", it's important not to just work flat-out as hard as you can. It's a common mistake that highly motivated exercisers and even athletes make. The body requires adequate rest and recovery between workouts otherwise there is a great risk of injury and burnout. Rest doesn't have to be doing nothing. Easy exercise for fun is ok as long as you keep the intensity down. This can be harder than you think once your fitness level increases because you get a lot of your "fun" from the intensity. I guess I should differentiate between fun and the enjoyment and satisfaction you get from physical achievement.

Anyhow, the beginner's training program consists of 3 days a week with 1 day (or more) of rest in between. The workout days are as follows:
1. 10-15 minutes warmup at or slightly above ambient heart rate (walking pace)
2. 20 minutes workout in the Health Zone (50-70%MHR)
3. 10-15 minutes cooldown at or slightly above ambient heart rate

Increase time in Health Zone by 5 minutes each week until you are doing 45 minutes in the zone.

What I have been doing in addition to this, is a morning upper or lower body strength training workout at the gym on workout days, plus an easy walk, cycle, xc ski or downhill ski on "rest" days.

My ambient heart rate is already in the Health Zone according to my monitor. The monitor says that 50% of my MHR is 88bpm and I'm usually over that once I get out of my chair! :-) So really, I'm already doing 50 minutes in the zone but I'm only counting the 20 minutes. Not sure about that.

The final mod I'm making to the plan is that I will work out Sat and Sunday. An hour bike ride on Sat and 1-1/2 hours on Sunday.
This is kind of a compromise between the HRM manual beginner's plan and a starter plan I got from a cycling book that I think is geared toward fitter, younger people. It suggested 70-75%MHR for 45min to 1 hr, 4 days a week plus a 1-1/2 hour ride on Sunday @70-80. So I'm kind of using their frequency with the lower heart zone of the beginner's program. I do intend eventually to advance to the more aggressive plans and achieve as much as I can. I would like to be able to compete in a half-century by the end of summer.