Month: September 2015

Monday: Easy Rate Ladders

Leave a comment

It felt like fall this morning.  Sunny, cool (55F), a bit of breeze from the SW at about 8mph.  This was a stiff headwind while rowing upriver and a tail wind going down river.   SW and NE are really the only two wind directions that are not mostly sheltered  on the river.  It was a challenge to row lightly enough into the wind to make progress and keep HR in check.

Plan:  My training plan called for:

Rate Ladder 4 x (1000 @ 18, 1000 @ 20, 500 @ 22, 250 @ 24) / 2′ rest

But, based on how high my lactates got in my test on Saturday, even while my HR as reasonably low, I decided to drop the rate by 2 and try to keep the session more focused purely on endurance.  I also shortened the rests.  I took the full 2 minutes between the 2nd and 3rd piece, otherwise I just turned and went.

So, as executed it was:

Rate Ladder 4 x (1000 @ 16, 1000 @ 18, 900 @ 20) / 1′ rest

Screen Shot 2015-09-14 at 12.45.19 PM Screen Shot 2015-09-14 at 12.45.02 PM

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_0980_|_05:09_|_2:37.8_|_081___|_15.7_|_12.1_|_118___|_w
01000_|_1000_|_04:55_|_2:27.5_|_081___|_16.5_|_12.3_|_132___|_16
02000_|_1000_|_04:46_|_2:23.1_|_087___|_18.2_|_11.5_|_141___|_18
03000_|_0900_|_04:09_|_2:18.6_|_084___|_20.2_|_10.7_|_148___|_20
03900_|_0100_|_00:34_|_2:49.5_|_007___|_12.4_|_14.3_|_132___|_r
04000_|_1000_|_05:13_|_2:36.3_|_086___|_16.5_|_11.6_|_140___|_16
05000_|_1000_|_05:05_|_2:32.6_|_093___|_18.3_|_10.8_|_147___|_18
06000_|_0900_|_04:26_|_2:27.9_|_091___|_20.5_|_09.9_|_154___|_20
06900_|_0100_|_00:33_|_2:45.0_|_008___|_14.5_|_12.5_|_135___|_r
07000_|_1000_|_04:56_|_2:27.8_|_082___|_16.6_|_12.2_|_141___|_16
08000_|_1000_|_04:52_|_2:25.8_|_089___|_18.3_|_11.2_|_150___|_18
09000_|_0900_|_04:15_|_2:21.7_|_085___|_20.0_|_10.6_|_155___|_20
09900_|_0100_|_00:37_|_3:04.0_|_009___|_14.7_|_11.1_|_142___|_r
10000_|_1000_|_05:20_|_2:40.1_|_089___|_16.7_|_11.2_|_146___|_16
11000_|_1000_|_05:12_|_2:36.2_|_096___|_18.4_|_10.4_|_152___|_18
12000_|_0900_|_04:33_|_2:31.9_|_093___|_20.4_|_09.7_|_155___|_20
12900_|_1140_|_06:25_|_2:48.8_|_121___|_18.9_|_09.4_|_139___|_c

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00980_|_05:09_|_2:37.8_|_081___|_15.7_|_12.1_|_118___|_warmup
00300_|_01:44_|_2:52.8_|_024___|_13.9_|_12.5_|_137___|_rest meters
01140_|_06:25_|_2:48.8_|_121___|_18.9_|_09.4_|_139___|_cool down

04000_|_20:23_|_2:32.9_|_338___|_16.6_|_11.8_|_140___|_r18
04000_|_19:55_|_2:29.4_|_365___|_18.3_|_11.0_|_148___|_r18
03600_|_17:24_|_2:25.0_|_353___|_20.3_|_10.2_|_153___|_r20
11600_|_57:43_|_2:29.3_|_1056___|_18.3_|_11.0_|_146___|_main set

You can see the difference between headwind and tail wind.  It was a pretty consistent 9 second delta.  I’d guess the headwind was about a 6 second impact and the tailwind was a 3 second benefit.

But, I was really happy with how I managed to lighten up at higher stroke rates to keep my HR reasonable.  You can see it most clearly in the r20 sections with the plateau at 155.

Tomorrow:  Hell day…5 x 2000 / 5′ rest r28. Pace target 2:12

Sunday: Hard Distance on Quinsig

3 Comments

Cloudy, cool (60F), very light breeze from the east.  This was a light cross wind and not a factor.

Plan:

  1.  Long warmup, keep HR reasonable low
  2. Head race simulation, 5K from bottom of lake to the QRA docks (rate target: 26, Pace target: faster than 2:15)
  3. feet out cool down

Screen Shot 2015-09-13 at 11.08.23 AM Screen Shot 2015-09-13 at 11.08.37 AM

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_0240_|_01:19_|_2:44.6_|_023___|_17.5_|_10.4_|_113___|_drills
00260_|_3440_|_16:47_|_2:26.4_|_306___|_18.2_|_11.2_|_144___|_warmup
03700_|_0180_|_01:01_|_2:49.4_|_015___|_14.8_|_12.0_|_123___|_turn
03880_|_4940_|_21:51_|_2:12.7_|_561___|_25.7_|_08.8_|_176___|_4.9km hard
08820_|_2640_|_14:12_|_2:41.3_|_271___|_19.1_|_09.7_|_140___|_cool down feet out

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
03680_|_18:06_|_2:27.6_|_329___|_18.2_|_11.2_|_141___|_warmup
04940_|_21:51_|_2:12.7_|_561___|_25.7_|_08.8_|_176___|_Main set
00180_|_01:01_|_2:49.4_|_015___|_14.8_|_12.0_|_123___|_rest meters
02640_|_14:12_|_2:41.3_|_271___|_19.1_|_09.7_|_140___|_cool down
11440_|_55:10_|_2:24.7_|_1176___|_21.3_|_09.7_|_154___|_Total

I was lucky today in so many ways.  First, the water was perfect.  Second, the temperature was perfect.  Third, I was training with a mixed double.  They said that they were going to be aiming at 2:20 splits, so I gave the 40 second head start and then gave chase.  I caught up with them a bit north of the route 9 bridge, and we were side by side for about 1000m.  I pushed really hard in the first 2000m and I was pretty gassed, but I didn’t want to let them go.  With about 1000m left, I started pushing harder again and got a couple of boatlengths ahead of them by the end.

It was really good that I was chasing them.  If I was on my own, I think I would have bailed at the bridge.  The last 2000m were a real challenge.   My HR was above 95% HRR the whole second half of the row.

After we finished, we rowed up to the top of the lake, and did a few drills and had a drink.  Then we had a nice gentle row with feet out back to the docks at Regatta Point.

I’m very happy with the time, a 2:12.7 pace.  I don’t think I’ve come anywhere near that before, even in times with a tail wind.  Flat water makes a huge difference.

Tomorrow:  Back on my little stretch of the Charles River.  The plan calls for

Rate Ladder 4 x (1000 @ 18, 1000 @ 20, 500 @ 22, 250 @ 24) / 2′ rest

I think I might shift the rates down by 2 and row with a hard cap at 150, based on the lactate results from Saturday.

Saturday: 90′ Lactate Experiment

10 Comments

I was really tired on Friday night, so I decided to sleep in instead of rowing on Saturday morning.  I needed the sleep, all 12 hours of it!

After running around, doing errands, I decided to do an erg session in the late afternoon.  I had not eaten since 9AM, and I started around 4PM, so I was reasonably fasted.  I wanted to duplicate my situation rowing in the mornings as closely as I could.

I wanted to get a better feeling for what my lactate and HR did in a longer session at constant power.  I’ve been doing steady state sessions around 190W and I thought that was reasonably close to a 2.0 mmol/l intensity.  So, the experiment design was simple.

Row a sequence of 9 – 10 minute pieces at 190W, and measure lactate after each during a 1:30 rest.  Here is the RowPro view of the experiment

Screen Shot 2015-09-13 at 11.38.39 AM Screen Shot 2015-09-13 at 11.38.52 AM

And the split data:

Output
Workout Summary – Sep 13, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_19862_|_90:24.0_|_02:16.5_|_137.5_|_17.9_|_145.8_|_ 72.2% _|_12.2_|_07.7
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_02450_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.4_|_190.7_|_19.5_|_129.2_|_ 60.5% _|_12.6_|_09.8
02_|_00049_|_01:30.0_|_15:22.2_|_000.4_|_02.7_|_116.3_|_ 51.2% _|_12.2_|_00.2
03_|_02453_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.3_|_191.4_|_20.0_|_135.2_|_ 64.7% _|_12.3_|_09.6
04_|_00038_|_01:30.0_|_19:59.2_|_000.2_|_02.0_|_130.0_|_ 61.0% _|_12.5_|_00.1
05_|_02451_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.4_|_190.9_|_19.9_|_141.6_|_ 69.2% _|_12.3_|_09.6
06_|_00057_|_01:30.0_|_13:03.5_|_000.7_|_03.3_|_125.2_|_ 57.6% _|_11.5_|_00.2
07_|_02450_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.4_|_190.7_|_19.8_|_144.9_|_ 71.5% _|_12.4_|_09.6
08_|_00055_|_01:30.0_|_13:33.1_|_000.7_|_04.0_|_125.2_|_ 57.6% _|_09.2_|_00.2
09_|_02451_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.4_|_191.0_|_20.0_|_147.7_|_ 73.6% _|_12.3_|_09.5
10_|_00043_|_01:30.0_|_17:23.5_|_000.3_|_02.7_|_135.3_|_ 64.7% _|_10.8_|_00.1
11_|_02453_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.3_|_191.3_|_20.3_|_152.0_|_ 76.6% _|_12.1_|_09.4
12_|_00038_|_01:33.0_|_20:28.0_|_000.2_|_01.9_|_147.3_|_ 73.3% _|_12.6_|_00.1
13_|_02458_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.1_|_192.5_|_20.2_|_157.3_|_ 80.4% _|_12.2_|_09.5
14_|_00032_|_01:33.0_|_24:08.3_|_000.1_|_01.3_|_146.0_|_ 72.3% _|_16.1_|_00.1
15_|_02383_|_09:48.0_|_02:03.4_|_186.3_|_20.2_|_160.3_|_ 82.5% _|_12.0_|_09.2

This resulted in the following data:

lactate table

Which, when graphed, looks like:

Screen Shot 2015-09-13 at 11.37.52 AM

So, what does this mean?

  1. 190W is too high of a power level for me right now.
  2. My HR takes a while to work it’s way up, but the lactate tracks effort pretty quickly
  3. My endurance is suspect.  The plateau from 20 to 30 is interesting.  I was able to hold that for that period, but I guess I fatigued and started to rely on more fast twitch muscles, which started to generate more lactate.  That’s also the point in the row where it started to feel like work.
  4. I was still in my UT1 band until after 60 minutes of rowing, but my lactates were way above the 2.0mmol/l target.  My rule of thumb of keeping it below the top end of UT1 is NOT a good guideline.

This was valuable enough that I think I will try it again next weekend at 185W.  I suspect that the plateau will be lower and longer, but will break free again and start to climb.

Friday: Steady State on the HOCR course, a bit too hard

1 Comment

Interesting conditions this morning.  60F, raining, and a 10-15 mph wind from the North, gusting to over 20.  I cartopped down to the lower Charles to row the HCR course again.  I’m starting to get the hand of it, but I was still off the ideal line a number of times.

Here’s how the wind overlayed the course.

wind and course

So, you can see that for much of the row, it was a stiff cross wind, but at times it was a tail or head wind.  The toughest stretch was rowing upriver through the Powerhouse Stretch.

The Plan

  1. Steady state r18 to r20
  2. go downstream about 8km, turn at the start of the HOCR course.  Row the course upstream to the finish (about 5km), then cool down from there to the ramp (about 3km)
  3. HR cap at 157
  4. Work out navigation, technique and aerobic fitness

Screen Shot 2015-09-11 at 2.40.53 PM Screen Shot 2015-09-11 at 2.40.32 PM

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_0980_|_05:00_|_2:32.9_|_089___|_17.8_|_11.0_|_133___|_warmup
01000_|_7000_|_34:53_|_2:29.5_|_672___|_19.3_|_10.4_|_158___|_downriver
08000_|_0200_|_01:30_|_3:44.8_|_023___|_15.4_|_08.7_|_139___|_wide turn
08200_|_5320_|_27:17_|_2:33.8_|_552___|_20.2_|_09.6_|_161___|_up river
13520_|_2960_|_16:10_|_2:43.8_|_318___|_19.7_|_09.3_|_148___|_cool down

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00980_|_05:00_|_2:32.9_|_089___|_17.8_|_11.0_|_133___|_warmup
12320_|_02:10_|_2:31.4_|_1224___|_19.7_|_10.1_|_159___|_Main set
00200_|_01:30_|_3:44.8_|_023___|_15.4_|_08.7_|_139___|_rest meters
02960_|_16:10_|_2:43.8_|_318___|_19.7_|_09.3_|_148___|_cool down
16460_|_24:49_|_2:34.6_|_1654___|_19.5_|_10.0_|_155___|_Total

The trip down river was largely uneventful.  There was tons of traffic on the river, but most of it was on the other side heading upstream.  And the stuff heading down river with me was roughly sticking around my pace.  I would have hoped to see a bit better pace with the tail wind sections, but oh well.  The two pace spikes were basically me misaligning to bridges and needing to make some sharper turns.

The water got quite choppy toward the end of the powerhouse stretch and continued to deteriorate as I made the turn to go under the BU bridge into the basin.  This seemed to be the time with the stiffest breeze, mostly a cross wind here, but it was trying to toss around my oars a bit.

I continued about 700m past the BU bridge to get to an even 8km, then did a wide turn to go back upriver in a roaring gale.  As I approached the cambridge side of the river, I got a bit of a wind shadow and the water was also much flatter, so it was easier going.  The wind was a bit more on my bow, so the splits suffered a bit.  I was hoping to tone down the exertion level a bit because I was above my 157 cap, but as I was lining up to go upriver, I saw that there was a sculler about 50m behind me and he was gaining on me.

They say that as soon as you have two boats, you have a race.  I don’t know if that is true, but I certainly didn’t feel like being passed, so I increased the pressure and tried to maintain the distance.  It was hard.  He was fast. And young.  And fit.

He also stopped at the riverside boat club, about 1500m from the start of the HOCR course.  I was a bit relieved, and surprisingly, a bit disappointed too.  But soon, I had another challenge.  There was an eight right ahead of me and they were sitting dead in the water, so I swung out toward the middle of the river to pass in front of the RBC docks.  When I was a couple of boat lengths astern of them, they started rowing.  I’m a man who knows his limitations, and I know I can’t out row an eight, but they looked like they were drilling, and the stern pair was setting the boat, so I pressed on.  The cox apparently saw some motivational value and called for more pressure.  Complicating matters was a bridge about 100m ahead of us.  I decided that I should get the hell out of dodge and cranked the rate and pressure to get clear of them and the bridge.  That’s the little band of purple.

After that, it was a long slow slog into the wind through the rest of the powerhouse stretch, and then under the bridge by the Weld boathouse.  As I passed the Harvard boathouse, they were boating 3 eights.  I think they were the heavies, but I’m not sure.  I was hoping they’d head down river, but they turned in behind me and started churning upstream.  Great.  See the little band of green?  That’s when I passed under the bridge, and was getting a bit of tail wind and just relaxing.  Then I kept pushing the pace more and more to try to stay ahead of these monsters.  I managed to make it to the end of the HOCR course.  By then, the lead boat was nearly on my tail.  The river is pretty narrow up here, so I pulled off to the side and had a drink of water.  The first 2 boats passed me and I started rowing more gently upstream.  I pulled off again for the 3rd boat a little later.  Then it was a bit of a slog into the wind for the finish.

It was a good outing, even with the wind.  The river is very rowable with a north wind, and learning all the steering points is definitely taking some time.  I hope I can do this every Friday.

Tomorrow:  Hard 5.5k on quinsig

Thursday: Short Rest Intervals – 4 x (5 x 2′ on / 30″ paddle) / 4′ rest

Leave a comment

I’m back in the boat.  Only my second row in the last 12 days.  Between travel and a quick bout with a stomach bug, I’ve missed 10 sessions in my training plan.  Now the work resumes where I left off.

The conditions this morning were lovely, but hot and humid.  It was 70F when I launched and around 75F when I landed, and 93% humidity!  It was generally close to flat calm, expect for a brief period when I was heading downriver for the last time when a little headwind kicked up.  It seemed to fade as quickly as it came.

The Plan:

  1. 4 x ( 5 x 2′ on / 30″ paddle ) / 4′ rest – This is designed for the length of the river.  I can fit in 5 2′ intervals as long as the rests are pretty short.  Then take a longer rest to turn the boat and grab a drink at the ends of the river.
  2. The “on” intervals target 26 SPM and pace faster than 2:15.
  3. The “off” intervals are a light paddle, but keep moving.
  4. The goal is to push a bit faster than head race pace and get practice maintaining technique at head race rates as I get deeper and deeper into fatigue.

Screen Shot 2015-09-10 at 10.36.11 AM Screen Shot 2015-09-10 at 10.35.55 AM

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_0980_|_05:41_|_2:53.8_|_105___|_18.5_|_09.3_|_122___|_w
01000_|_0460_|_01:58_|_2:08.7_|_050___|_25.3_|_09.2_|_153___|_m
01460_|_0100_|_00:32_|_2:38.5_|_010___|_18.9_|_10.0_|_154___|_r
01560_|_0480_|_02:03_|_2:07.6_|_054___|_26.4_|_08.9_|_158___|_m
02040_|_0080_|_00:27_|_2:50.0_|_010___|_22.1_|_08.0_|_158___|_r
02120_|_0480_|_02:03_|_2:08.6_|_056___|_27.2_|_08.6_|_161___|_m
02600_|_0100_|_00:33_|_2:44.0_|_012___|_22.0_|_08.3_|_161___|_r
02700_|_0460_|_01:58_|_2:08.0_|_052___|_26.5_|_08.8_|_165___|_m
03160_|_0080_|_00:29_|_2:59.4_|_010___|_20.9_|_08.0_|_165___|_r
03240_|_0460_|_01:58_|_2:08.3_|_052___|_26.4_|_08.8_|_167___|_m
03700_|_0320_|_02:02_|_3:10.6_|_038___|_18.7_|_08.4_|_140___|_r
04020_|_0460_|_01:57_|_2:06.6_|_052___|_26.8_|_08.8_|_158___|_m
04480_|_0120_|_00:39_|_2:43.8_|_015___|_22.9_|_08.0_|_166___|_r
04600_|_0440_|_01:52_|_2:07.2_|_051___|_27.3_|_08.6_|_170___|_m
05040_|_0080_|_00:30_|_3:09.4_|_010___|_19.8_|_08.0_|_170___|_r
05120_|_0460_|_01:59_|_2:09.7_|_054___|_27.2_|_08.5_|_170___|_m
05580_|_0080_|_00:31_|_3:13.7_|_011___|_21.3_|_07.3_|_171___|_r
05660_|_0460_|_01:58_|_2:08.5_|_052___|_26.4_|_08.8_|_172___|_m
06120_|_0080_|_00:31_|_3:12.5_|_011___|_21.4_|_07.3_|_173___|_r
06200_|_0240_|_01:03_|_2:10.2_|_029___|_27.8_|_08.3_|_173___|_m
06440_|_0080_|_00:30_|_3:05.0_|_009___|_18.2_|_08.9_|_171___|_r
06520_|_0220_|_00:57_|_2:09.3_|_025___|_26.4_|_08.8_|_170___|_m
06740_|_0080_|_00:30_|_3:05.0_|_007___|_14.2_|_11.4_|_132___|_r
06820_|_0460_|_02:01_|_2:11.1_|_053___|_26.4_|_08.7_|_159___|_m
07280_|_0080_|_00:30_|_3:07.5_|_011___|_22.0_|_07.3_|_168___|_r
07360_|_0460_|_02:00_|_2:10.0_|_052___|_26.1_|_08.8_|_171___|_m
07820_|_0080_|_00:32_|_3:17.5_|_011___|_20.9_|_07.3_|_173___|_r
07900_|_0440_|_01:58_|_2:13.5_|_052___|_26.6_|_08.5_|_174___|_m
08340_|_0080_|_00:34_|_3:33.1_|_012___|_21.1_|_06.7_|_173___|_r
08420_|_0440_|_02:00_|_2:15.9_|_052___|_26.1_|_08.5_|_173___|_m
08860_|_0080_|_00:33_|_3:23.7_|_011___|_20.2_|_07.3_|_173___|_r
08940_|_0420_|_01:53_|_2:14.9_|_050___|_26.5_|_08.4_|_174___|_m
09360_|_0280_|_02:02_|_3:37.7_|_035___|_17.2_|_08.0_|_149___|_r
09640_|_0460_|_02:00_|_2:10.1_|_051___|_25.6_|_09.0_|_162___|_m
10100_|_0080_|_00:29_|_2:58.8_|_010___|_21.0_|_08.0_|_171___|_r
10180_|_0480_|_02:05_|_2:10.7_|_057___|_27.3_|_08.4_|_173___|_m
10660_|_0080_|_00:30_|_3:10.0_|_011___|_21.7_|_07.3_|_173___|_r
10740_|_0440_|_01:57_|_2:13.5_|_052___|_26.6_|_08.5_|_174___|_m
11180_|_0080_|_00:33_|_3:26.9_|_011___|_19.9_|_07.3_|_173___|_r
11260_|_0440_|_01:57_|_2:12.5_|_052___|_26.8_|_08.5_|_174___|_m
11700_|_0080_|_00:33_|_3:23.1_|_012___|_22.2_|_06.7_|_175___|_r
11780_|_0460_|_02:01_|_2:12.0_|_054___|_26.7_|_08.5_|_177___|_m
12240_|_1320_|_07:29_|_2:49.9_|_154___|_20.6_|_08.6_|_143___|_c

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00980_|_05:41_|_2:53.8_|_105___|_18.5_|_09.3_|_122___|_warmup
09120_|_39:37_|_2:10.3_|_1052___|_26.6_|_08.7_|_168___|_Main set
02120_|_13:28_|_3:10.5_|_267___|_19.8_|_07.9_|_160___|_rest meters
01320_|_07:29_|_2:49.9_|_154___|_20.6_|_08.6_|_143___|_cool down
13540_|_06:14_|_2:26.7_|_1578___|_23.8_|_08.6_|_160___|_Total

So, that was really hard.  I was glad to see that my stomach bug seems to be behind me.  I wasn’t entirely happy with my technique.  I caught myself doing a couple things wrong multiple times during the row.  I was opening my back early (which I could see as a hump in the RIM boat acceleration curve).  And I was also getting sloppy about getting to full compression and reaching reaching for the catch.  When I noticed this, and corrected it, it was essentially a two second improvement on the pace almost instantly.  There were, of course, numerous other flaws.  Sloppy finishes, wobbly balance, etc, but these are lower priority to fix than the other two.

I was happy to see Brandeis back on the water today.  They were out with 4 boats and 2 launches.  They were working on drills today, and I managed to pick the wrong side to try to pass a four.  They turned toward the bank and cut off my path in one of my intervals.  I should have steered under pressure to go around the other side, since this is basically a perfect head racing practice moment, but I pulled the plug, maneuvered around and then picked it up again after I was clear. I was very talkative since I couldn’t spare any oxygen, but I was really glad to have some company.

Tomorrow:  Another steady state session on the HOCR course.

Wed: 5×10’/1′ rest

1 Comment

I had a hole in my schedule so I squeezed in an hour in the gym.  I wasn’t sure how well it go, so I started slow and sped up in each interval.

The targets were:

  1. 2:08
  2. 2:06
  3. 2:04
  4. 2:02
  5. 2:00

Actual results were:

5x10

First interval was interrupted about 2 minutes in.  I was rowing on slides and it was horrible.  I think the shock cords are going, or the slides were out of alignment or something.  I couldn’t get a smooth stroke in to save my life.  I jumped off the erg, yanked it off the slides and finished the session that way.

Heart rate data was wonky in the first interval, but calmed down after that.

Screen Shot 2015-09-09 at 6.01.09 PM

I liked to see the plateau at 151 for a 2:00 pace.  Maybe my aerobic fitness isn’t as bad as I fear.

Tomorrow:  Back on the training plan…

Short rest intervals:  4 x (5 x 2′ on / 30″ paddle) / 2′ rest

Target r26 and 2:15 pace

Sick.

4 Comments

What a disaster.  I got back from Taiwan on Friday night, went for a row on Saturday which was mostly delightful, except for it being a bit choppy in the basin.

Then things went downhill.  Because of jetlag, I did not sleep at all on Saturday night.  Not a wink.  It didn’t help that I needed to get up at 4:30am to catch a plane to St. Louis, but nothing I could do would help me fall asleep.  I finally gave up at 3:30, took a shower and headed off to the airport.

I had a nice time in St. Louis.  My daughter is living out there and we hadn’t had a chance to see her since the spring.  There was no time for any training.  My wife and I jetted back home on Monday morning.  By late afternoon, I was down with a stomach bug.

I was basically in bed from 4pm Monday until 2pm Tuesday, and very wobbly for the rest of the day.  I decided to sleep instead of training this morning.  I still feel under the weather, but I might try a short erg session later today, and try to get back on the water tomorrow.

So, this represents a 3 day break in training, and a lot more days off over the past two weeks than normal, and hardly any rowing.  I’m not sure how far back this puts me in terms of race prep, but I’m sure it won’t be pretty.

I was wondering how much effect it would have so I did a little digging.  On the Rowing Illustrated boards, I found a discussion about the topic.  This was a report out of how a high school team detrained over christmas break.  The thread included a reference to a review article on detraining.

This said that the main effect over the first week is loss of blood volume…

With detraining of endurance-trained athletes blood volume is reduced by 5-12% within the first two days. This reduction in blood volume is the primary reason for the observed rapid decline in cardiovascular function. As a direct result there is a decrease in cardiac output (amount of blood pumped per minute) and stroke volume (amount of blood pumped per beat) with an attendant increase in heart rate during sub maximal exercise – consistent with the equation

This doesn’t completely address how long it takes to restore blood volume, but the rule of thumb that I’ve read is 2x the number of days off.  So, the bottom line is that I should be back on track in a week or so.

Saturday: 2 hours, 22.5km Steady State

2 Comments

Scouting the HOCR course again.  Beautiful weather.  High 70s, wind 8-10mph from the SE, which was a cross head wind heading down river and a cross tail wind heading up river.  I launched about 1pm and there was an astounding amount of traffic.  Kayak, SUPs, Sailboats, Motorboats.  The only people not on the river were rowers.  The whole 2 hours I was out, I saw 3 scullers, one of whom nearly ran me down.

The plan for today:

  1. Steady state r18 to r22
  2. Concentrate of technique since I’ve been out of the boat for 8 days
  3. No pace target
  4. Try to keep HR in the high UT1 zone

Screen Shot 2015-09-05 at 9.13.04 PM Screen Shot 2015-09-05 at 9.12.50 PM

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_7980_|_40:00_|_2:30.4_|_798___|_20.0_|_10.0_|_154___|_headwind
08000_|_0100_|_00:39_|_3:15.5_|_010___|_15.3_|_10.0_|_137___|_water break
08100_|_2580_|_13:49_|_2:40.6_|_272___|_19.7_|_09.5_|_150___|_headwind choppy
10680_|_3920_|_21:50_|_2:47.2_|_428___|_19.6_|_09.2_|_134___|_very choppy
14600_|_4940_|_24:11_|_2:26.8_|_553___|_22.9_|_08.9_|_153___|_HOCR course
19540_|_2960_|_15:59_|_2:42.0_|_330___|_20.6_|_09.0_|_144___|_sbr sru

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks

19420_|_39:50_|_2:34.2_|_2051___|_20.5_|_09.5_|_149___|_Main set
00100_|_00:39_|_3:15.5_|_010___|_15.3_|_10.0_|_137___|_rest meters
02960_|_15:59_|_2:42.0_|_330___|_20.6_|_09.0_|_144___|_cool down
22480_|_56:28_|_2:35.4_|_2391___|_20.5_|_09.4_|_148___|_Total

The conditions were lovely on the upper 8K of the river and deplorable on the last 3K.  Almost unrowable.  There was a lot of chop from the wind, plus wakes from power boats and especially the “duck boats”, which are amphibious craft that are used for tours of Boston.  You go riding through the historic streets, and then plunge into the Charles and churn up the river to continue the tour.

I launched from the public ramp by CRI, and headed downriver, into a bit of a head wind.  I just plodded along covering the full HOCR course, and then stopped for a water break.  Then I continued downriver through the basin to the Museum of Science.  This was a big mistake.  The basin was close to unrowable with a confused chop and lots of sailboat and powerboat traffic.  At one point I just gave up and waited for the water to simmer down a little bit.  The water improved considerably when I was about 500m downstream from the start of the HOCR course.  From there to the end the only thing I had to worry about was traffic.  Kayaks seemed to have a death wish.  I would look and it would seem like I was going to avoid them, then look again and they had turned into my course.  One of the only single I saw today I saw when he came around a corner on a collision course with me on my side of the river.  Mind you, this was a point on the river that was nearly 400m wide.  We clashed blades and exchanged pleasantries.

I tried to row nice and light and let the rate drift up as I continued up the HOCR course, trying to cement in my head how far apart all the landmarks are.  Once I reached the finish of the course, I had a bit more water, and then did the last 3K up river alternating between 500m of square blades and 500m of slow roll ups.  I was trying and not succeeding to keep my blades off the water.

Note to self.  Next time row the HOCR course twice instead of going into the basin!

“Rowing Faster” <– Great book. Here are some thoughts on Chapter 6

15 Comments

I’m on a business trip and found myself without internet and had some time to kill, so I was rereading a terrific book.

Rowing Faster, by Volker Nolte

Chapter 6 in the book is by Ed McNeely who has been associated with the Canadian Rowing team and is titled “Rowing Physiology”. This single chapter is worth the price of the book in my opinion.

He provides references for the split of aerobic vs anaerobic in 1K, 2K and 5K races.

– 1k about 50/50
– 2k about 80/20 (could be up to 30%)
– 5k about 90/10

He includes the definitions and explains aerobic threshold, anaerobic threshold, and VO2Max. Then things get very interesting.

He describes a diagnostic test to measure anaerobic fitness. I think I will need to give this a try sometime when there isn’t enough suffering in my life. It is a modification of the wingate test which is usually done on a stationary bike. Here’s the procedure.
– You need a way to record the erg stroke by stroke. I think you can do this with ergdata. I know you can with rowpro. Worst case, you can set up a video camera to watch the PM.
– 10 minute warmup
– set up the PM for 1 minute work, and 1 minute rest.
– row the first minute as you did your warmup, nice and easy
– during the rest, grab a sip of water and continue to paddle lightly until there are 3-5 seconds left in the rest.
– Then crank it up. The objective is to pull as many watts as possible in every single stroke. You can use any rate as long as you are rowing full slide. Do not pace yourself. This is an all out test.

What will happen is you will get about 15 seconds in and you will begin to fade. Then you will fade some more. Then eventually, it’s all over and you can puke in the bucket you stationed next to the erg. From the stroke by stroke data you can get:
1. Peak power: Your highest wattage any any single stroke
2. Avg power for 60 seconds
3. Anaerobic Alactic Critical duration: This is how long it takes to drop off 10% from peak power.
4. Anaerobic lactic critical duration: This is how long it takes to drop off to 35% below peak power.
5. Drop off: percentage difference from peak power to lowest power

The test is most useful when used as an indicator of progress. So, a training program would use this test every 4 weeks or so to see if anaerobic performance was getting better. But just as a diagnostic, here’s what the book says.

– Peak power: There’s a table of benchmarks for men and women. For a heavyweight 52 year old rower like me, peak power should be 850-1050W
– Avg power: 680-820
– AACD: should be longer than 20 sec
– ALCD: Should be longer than 40 sec
– Drop off: Should be less than 35%

If you miss on these parameters, it might be a good idea to include more peak power and short interval work in your routines if you are focusing on 1K and 2K races.

But wait, there’s more! Then he goes on to his suggestions for the best balance of fitness variables for rowing. The variables he is talking about are:
– VO2Max
– Aerobic Threshold
– Anaerobic Threshold
– Peak Power

He suggests the following tests to determine the wattage associated with these thresholds.
– VO2Max: The dreaded 2km test
– Anaerobic threshold: 6km test
– aerobic threshold: 75 minute test
– peak power: 30 second sprint

Based on his measurements of the perfect specimens available to him, he asserts that the ideal ratios of these different paramaters are:

VO2Max to peak power: 40 to 45%
Anaerobic Threshold to VO2Max: 80 to 85%
Aerobic Threshold to VO2Max: 65 to 70%

So, he suggests that at the beginning of a training block, you do these tests over a week or so, with adequate rest between them, and then use your results to figure out if you should prioritize aerobic, anaerobic or power training. Which I think is pretty cool.

He goes on to talk about training volume, a subject that we’ve touched on in a number of threads. He is definitely in the “miles make champions” camp.

Anyway, I think that I will probably do the suite of tests at the end of the head racing season to help me figure out a training plan for indoor racing. I highly recommend the book, especially to OTW rowers. Only about a third of the book would be useful to indoor rowers, but it is a well researched and concise description of strategies to train for the unique demands of racing 2k.