Weather: Overcast, no wind, 57-60F. Drizzle when I launched, but it cleared up quickly.
Plan:
- Steady State
- r18-20
- HR cap of 155
- Work on getting full extension at the catch and try to keep my catch depth from going too deep. Also work on applying pressure more smoothly at the catch. Keep working on clean finishes.
Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_0858_|_04:43_|_2:45.0_|_089___|_18.9_|_09.6_|_123___|_warmup
00878_|_3040_|_14:46_|_2:25.7_|_277___|_18.8_|_11.0_|_142___|_down stream
03918_|_2997_|_14:33_|_2:25.6_|_276___|_19.0_|_10.9_|_148___|_up stream
06915_|_2927_|_14:06_|_2:24.5_|_268___|_19.0_|_10.9_|_148___|_down stream
09842_|_3032_|_14:51_|_2:26.9_|_286___|_19.3_|_10.6_|_149___|_up stream
12874_|_1288_|_07:06_|_2:45.5_|_133___|_18.7_|_09.7_|_147___|_cool down
Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00858_|_04:43_|_2:45.0_|_089___|_18.9_|_09.6_|_123___|_warmup
11996_|_58:15_|_2:25.7_|_1107___|_19.0_|_10.8_|_147___|_Main set
01288_|_07:06_|_2:45.5_|_133___|_18.7_|_09.7_|_147___|_cool down
14142_|_10:05_|_2:28.7_|_1329___|_19.0_|_10.6_|_145___|_Total
I felt pretty awful when I first launched. A bit sick to my stomach and I felt like I was out of breath before I even got going. But over the first 5 minutes or so, I relaxed, kept the pressure light and started to feel better. By the time I was through the cut and into the “real” rowing, I was ready to apply some more pressure and focus on technique.
I was working on really getting a feeling for what a good catch felt like. There are so many aspects to it. I want to be fully compressed. My heels should be lifted about 1″ off the foot plate. My knees should be slightly spread. My back should be straight. My hips should be rocked forward. My arms and hands should be relaxed, but fully extended. After I square the oars, my fingers should be hooked around the grips with my hands nice and flat with my forearms. Of course, I should be perfectly balanced as the blades are dropped into the water.
After the blades are buried, I should smoothly apply power with my legs by dropping my heels first and then pushing with flat feet and a forward body angle. As my leg drive continues, I should start to open my back and then finish with my arms. I need to remember to keep my elbows out. If I do, then I finish cleanly and avoid touching water as I feather the blades on recovery. Then sequence on the recovery with arms, then body, then once I am in a body forward position with my arms extended, slowly and smoothly up the slide to the catch.
The water was glassy smooth and I felt very good. Nice fast splits too.
Tomorrow: 8×500/500 rest – aim to get the rate above 30 on all of them.
Quantified Rowing 
You are like my friend in Eindhoven who complains he is a a slow snail with bad technique and rows all his steady state in 2:15! Speed is coming Greg. Don’t make rowing sound so overwhelmingly difficult. One thing at a time.
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Maybe my tone wasn’t quite right in today’s post. I was thrilled with how it went. I was happy with the pace, and happy that I was able to stay focused on technique.
I like to write out all the things I am trying to achieve at different phases of the stroke because I think it helps me keep them in mind.
I feel like if I can row with today’s quality, but at 30 spm, I will be much faster.
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Got it. It may be just me reading into it.
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