Revised Video Project ~ Smoke & Reciep

Smoked Chicken!  It tastes very good!!

Indoor activities

   Recent posts were mainly outdoor / hiking related articles.   I have not posted about some other topics recently.   A couple years ago, I could not do much outdoor activities due to an injury, stress fracture on my left leg.  I spent a lot of time for indoor activities.  One of them is cooking.  Especially smoked food.  I used to have a smoker and had been smoking meat, fish and other stuff some time in summer time as a part of BBQ.   The taste was good and I like smoked food.  However, the problem was cleaning smoker.   I though it was not big deal and I can continue to use without much cleaning.  However, the smell was getting worse when I used many times.   I guess it could be all right, but after a several use, the taste won't be the best.

Easy smoker!

   After a couple try & error, I found a good way to make smoked food.  That is a disposal smoker with aluminum trays.  If I go to Costco, I can get many trays less than US $10.   Then, we can use 2 trays to make a smoker.  I name it as "Easy Smoker" and I posted some video to YouTube a few years ago.  They are videos with Japanese.   I know many people who probably do not understand Japanese watched videos.   Also the way I made them was not very well.  Since I started shooting some videos during hiking, then I have a better idea to make such video as well.

   So I will plan to make some revised video for smoking / cooking to YouTube and explain a bit more detail in this blog.   Also, I would like to support English version since I got some questions.

Plan for the first revised video

   For Japanese people, I probably do not have to explain some traditional seasoning in Japan.  I used the seasoning / marinate meat and fish.   However, I do believe I probably need to explain what they are and how people who are in outside of Japan.
   They called "Shoyu-Koji, which is soy-sauce with malted rice" and "Shio-Koji, which is salt with malted rice".  They can be used may ways including just as a replacement either Soy-sauce or Salt.  I often use for marinating meat and fish.   It will make food , such as meat and fish, more delicious and tender.
   I posted how to make them in a video before.   But I guess that would be the first one to revise.

 Other than the outdoor activity, I will post some smoking and cooking stuff as well!!

Training / Hiking tracking data analysis ~ Meaning of Average Heart Rate

Heart Rate during Mt. Whitney Hiking Day 1 in 2016

Meaning of Average Heart Rate

   When I set the maximum heart rate during hiking, I use "average heart rate" during my training as a reference data.  I think it is useful information to understand a relationship between my heart rate and the strength of exercise.   However, we probably need to be careful to use "average heart rate".
   The first plot shows my heart rate data during Mt. Whitney Hiking Day 1 this year.  The average heart rate is 144 (bpm) and the maximum heart rate is 160 (bpm).   During the hiking, my heart rate stayed relatively higher something around 150 (bpm).  However, the average heart rate is lower because this average heart rate includes resting period.  Since resting period, my heart rate is getting lower and the average value is lower.  This is a matter of course be considered well.  Therefore, when we use an average data, we need  to be careful.

Some of example heart rate during training

Example 1: Heart Rate Data during LSD (Long Slow Distance)

  The first example is my heart rate data during LSD (Long Slow Distance) for 3 hours.  This case, the average heart rate is very close to my actual heart rate during the training.  I did not stop and kept running during the training.  This case this average value could be used to show the strength of the training.  There is some offsetting from the average, but I would say it is close enough.  The average is 153 (bpm) and the maximum is 177 (bpm).

Example 2: Heart Rate Data during build-up Training

  The second example is my heart rate data during 10km build-up. The average heart rate is also 153 (bpm) and the maximum is 179 (bpm) .  Just looking at the average and the maximum, the both cases are similar.  However, the strength and the exercise type are different.  This is not really far off from the average.  I tried to increase the heart rate as even as possible.  The offsetting from the average in the beginning and the end is bigger, but it is still reasonably close enough.  Therefore, I could consider I might continue to do the exercise with 153 (bpm).

Example 3: Heart Rate Data during an interval training

  The last example is my heart rate data during an interval training.  The average heart rate is 155 (bpm) and the maximum is 181(bpm).   Since my heart rate is much higher during high intensity part, but the heart rate is much lower during the low intensity (rest) period.  But the average heart rate is still  a similar as the other examples.  This type of training, the average heart rate value is meaning less.  Because the average value is just between the high intensity and low intensity heart rate value.  The average value might not be a good information to set the maximum heart rate value during the hiking.  Since this average value does not really indicate a strength of the training.   The strength in the high intensity and the low intensity has a huge gap.

What is the best way to look into the training data?

  To assess a heart rate during the training is  probably better to use something similar as the example 1.  Because it is a good data a person continue to the exercise with the heart rate.  If we can maintain the heart rate something similar as the training of Example 1, people could continue hiking.
  Although the average data of the interval training is not probably very useful, the data of the interval training has a value.   Since actual hiking is something like interval, the slope of  a trail is not constant and it means the strength during hiking is changed like interval.   Also, when people take a rest, the average heart rate value is getting lower like the first data.  It is a good data to consider such situations.
   The other thing, if you look at the interval heart rate data carefully, the heart rate during low intensity part is increasing.   If I continue to do a similar iteration, I won't be able to continue because the high intensity part strength could be too high.  In this example, if the my heart rate is some thing like 175~180 (bpm), I won't be continue with the same low intensity duration.  I might need longer low intensity duration or resting.   Or I might need to limit the high intensity strength.

Important thing

  Data in different conditions might help to understand how people's heart rate react to an exercise.  The important thing is we cannot look at the data just the average and the maximum heart rate blindly.  People needs to understand what each value means and what the data profile / distribution look like.   Then we can understand how each persons body react in his / her heart rate range.

YouTube Video for Hiking

Mt. Dana ~ The last video I posted for hiking

It is getting a bit better but I have not establish my "style"

   Some people are probably aware that I started posting some video for hiking.   Since my son got an action cam recorder, I borrowed it and I brought it to hiking.  However, it is not really easy to make a good video so far.   I am still on the way to learn how to make a nice video for hiking.

   One of my goals to start this blog is to share nice hiking experiences with photos.   There are not many photos in guide books here.   I had a hard time to imagine what a trail looks like, especially for non-native English speaker like myself.   Therefore, I put as many photos as possible when I post an article for hiking.   However, once I started shooting video, I also watched videos posted by other people and I found it was very useful.   Also, many kids look for YouTube video when they are looking for solutions, how-to-do, other than looking for books and / or some information in writing.  So the way to find the information is getting changed.

   A video has more information than photos.   When I select photos in my article, I tend to pick nice photos and probably not to pick if photos are not really show impression.  Also, I might need to add some notes / explanation other than just putting photos.  It is still much better than just writing something, but video is totally different.   Even if there is no explanation, people will get more information from the video.   Also, a photo is not really impressive, but it can be a part of impressive video.   It is totally different way to edit a video from developing a photo.

 First video for a hiking (actually back country skiing)

I used a head mount to shoot this video, but it is not very good.   It is not really stable and it is not very comfortable to watch it.   Maybe next winter, I will try to take a better video.

   I am still learning how I can present a hiking with a video, but I really want to revisit many places where I have been.  Then, I will try to shoot a video to share.   I did 3 different hiking recently and I am looking for something to make another video.....

Mt. Dana hiking ~ Data analysis

Mono Lake from Mt. Dana

   Although I did not wear heart rate monitor during the hiking, I tried to look into the tracking data in detail.

   Based on the comparison I did for the three hiking data, I concluded there might not have clear impact of the elevation.  Let’s see how the detail data tells.

 Average moving speed every 50m elevation change

 Average slope every 50m elevation change

   I normalized the data by using averaging value with a section of 50m elevation change.  I did not see any clear speed drop during the hiking.  The slope number is a ratio for the distance and the elevation difference which indicates the amount of steepness.  A positive number shows ascending and a negative number shows descending.

   Here is the notes, in the middle of the ascending, there is a bit flat portion (plateau), and therefore the moving speed is increasing.  After the section the moving pace is slowing down due to the steep slope.   The last section of ascending is getting steeper.  However, there might be some error data because the slope profile is not really symmetric.   But there is relatively steeper section near the summit on the ascending and descending and it is enough to say the section near the summit is steeper.  The speed drop near the summit was due to a short rest when I took some video and photos on the summit.  I did not exclude the resting time on the summit.

I did not have the heart rate data for this hiking, but from the moving speed data with slope data, I do not see a clear speed drop in this hiking.   I also see slowing down in steep sections on descending as well.  Since I could not walk faster on the steep sections.

 Average moving speed every minutes

   This is different way to normalize the tracking data.  This one is calculated average moving speed every minutes (or 60 seconds).  It is very clear for the resting at the summit.

   I did not really tell this is because of acclimation with Mt. Whitney hiking or not.   As I mentioned in the comparison article, this ascending is a similar as ascending from Trail Camp to Trail Crest on Mt. Whitney Trail.    However, duration above 3,500m elevation is only one hour on ascending which is much shorter than the section on the Mt. Whitney Trail.   Also, the two hiking are two weeks apart.   Based on this, it might be hard to believe the acclimation was still valid.  Therefore, I guessed that I was not really acclimated.  But I do not have clear data and probably need to collect more data to prove it.

Mt. Whitney Hiking Guide “Hiking the highest mountain in California”

·         Go to Amazon.com

(Or you may go to your local Amazon site and search “ASIN: B01IFSFBV6”)

How long is the training effect last?

   I did very similar training for Mt. Whitney hiking this year.  However, I felt my fitness level was not as good as last year.  One of factor could be my condition was not very good including not having enough sleeping in the previous week.  To understand more detail, I did more study and analysis of the training a few week before the hiking.

Cardio function

 First of all,  I use a stair master training data to assess my cardio performance before the hiking.   In the both years, I did stair master training 3 times within 2 weeks right before the hiking.  The equipment setup is exactly the same, 75 steps per minutes for 1 hour.   The average heart rate during the exercise is 153 bpm in 2016 and 2015.  The maximum heart rate is 167 bpm in 2016 and 166 bpm in 2015.  Based on this, the cardio performance at the hiking would be the same level.

   Also, I checked average heart rate right after resumed the regular exercise and a few weeks after resumed the exercise.  Overall, right after resumed exercise is a bit higher than after a few weeks.  This indicates, the performance might be lower without exercise.   If there is a period not to have exercise more than a few weeks, then I do see the average and maximum heart rate is getting slightly higher.  But the amount is probably not much.   So I would think the cardio performance might be smaller impact with small period not to have exercise if missed period is short.

Muscle strength

   On the other hand, the muscle strength could be easy to get lower performance in a short time.  If I do not do any exercise just one or two weeks, then I feel it is getting hard to do the same menu right after I resume the exercise.   For example, Stair Master Exercise is one of a good example.  If I do not do it for 2 weeks, then I might not be able to do the same menu which is 75 steps per minutes for 1 hour.   I might need to stop around 30 to 40 minutes with the same setup.  This is not due to too many heartbeats, this is because of muscle weakness.   But after 1 week of exercise, even the duration is shorter in the first week, I can do the same duration which is 1 hour in the second week.   Stair Master is not really strength exercise, it is a part of cardio exercise.   However, it needs to have some muscle strength on legs.   So it shows hiking with a heavy backpack needs more strength.  If I do not do a similar stress during hiking when I do the training, the muscle might not be strong enough for the hiking.  I think the muscle strength is getting lower performance even the period not to have training is short.

Mt. Whitney hiking data again

   If I looked at the summit attempt data for 2015 and 2016, it shows there is not much difference.  They are almost the same time.  As I mentioned in my report of Mt. Whitney hiking this year, I was intentionally slowing down for descending.   But the time difference between the trail head and Trail Camp is much bigger than the summit attempt.   The difference for ascending to Trail Camp is 36 minutes and the difference for descending from Trail Camp is 29 minutes.  They are much bigger than the summit attempt.   Thinking about the distance, there is obvious difference. (The round trip of the summit attempt is about 15km.  The distance between the trail head and Trail Camp is about 10km.)

Time for the summit attempt

	2015	2016	Notes
Trail Camp	--	--
Trail Crest	1:42	1:49
John Muir junction	0:06	0:07
Summit	1:28	1:29
John Muir Junction	1:08	1.11
Trail Crest	0:07	0:13
Trail Camp	1:16	1:21
	6:13	6:22	Including time at the summit.

    I originally the slower time is due to my condition.  However, the primary factor could be muscle strength for a heavy backpack.  Because I do not see big difference for the summit attempt that I did not have a heavy backpack.  However, between the trail head and Trail Camp, I had a heavy backpack with camping stuff.  Yes, the muscle strength for descending is not strong enough.  But overall, my muscle strength for a heavy backup is also not enough.

   All training I had done was no “load”.  So with a light load, I was probably all right.  This is probably true with the summit attempt data.  However with heavy load, I was not strong enough.  That is my conclusion.   Overall training menu was very similar.  Or this year could be better since I also had treadmill running which stress more.  However, the injury in January could be a big thing in terms of muscle strength.   Since I did not do any training in January / February.  Since then I did not had heavy load.  Also, much less real hiking after the injury.

The other fact

   Since all planed hiking this summer had done.  I did not have any other “long” hiking.   So my training has been slowing down last a few weeks.   I slowly resume the regular training now.   Just a few weeks, I did less training with more resting days.   Then I did treadmill running yesterday, I got muscle ache today.   This also indicates muscle strength is getting weaker in a short period.

   Based on this study / analysis, I think the cardio performance could be longer to keep a similar level.  Of course, it will be getting lower performance for long term for sure.  But muscle strength is getting weaker soon if people do not give any stress.   Based on this data, it is better to keep reasonable training regular basis even if people do not have any plan for a big hiking.   Then, it is easy to reach the target performance sooner.   Also, other than the regular training, it is better to have a similar load what people plan, such as a similar “load” with the target hiking.

 

Mt. Whitney Hiking Guide “Hiking the highest mountain in California”

·         Go to Amazon.com

(Or you may go to your local Amazon site and search “ASIN: B01IFSFBV6”)