Sunday: Hour of not much power

November 26, 2017Leave a comment

God I hate this damn machine. Still at home on the dynamic.

Plan:

60 minutes
Rate: 22
Pace: ~2:00 or better

Should have been a piece of cake.

Started with a 5 minute warmup.

1 minute of pause at arms away and body over
1 minute at target pace
1 minute of pause at arms away
1 minute at target pace
1 minute of pause at arms away

Then in to the main event. 60 minutes. I set up a nice playlist on Pandora and got going. After about 5 minutes, my music stopped playing. I tried to fix it while rowing, but with no success. After a couple minutes of trying to hold the pace while fiddling, I ripped off the headphones and flung them across the room and kept going. It was the longest 50 minutes of my life.

As I suspected, holding a 2:00 split on the dynamic was too much for me and I had to slow down. I crossed the 30 minute mark right at 7500 meters, but by then i was seeing a lot more 2:01s and 2:02s. My HR was going pretty good, but plateaued in the low 170s for the second half of the row. When the music stopped, it also blew away my painsled session, so the only evidence of my pain is the PM picture.

Tomorrow: Scheduled rest day, but since I have business travel later in the week, I will do Tuesday’s session.

4 x 12′ / 1″30″
rate: 22
pace: 2:01 to 2:05
HR limit: 157

Saturday: 4 x (5′ Cat III + 5′ Cat VI)

November 26, 2017Leave a comment

I spent a couple of hours outside putting up the Christmas lights. Then around 4pm, I suited up and headed back to the dreaded dynamic erg for a hard workout. I was very worried about pacing for this one.

The plan:

2 x 20′ / 1′
Each 20 broken into 2 sections, 10′ each
- 5′ at Cat III (28 spm, 1:51 pace)
- 5′ at Cat VI (18 spm, 2:06 to 2:11 pace)

My paces are derived from testing that I did on the static erg, and it seemed like I was a couple seconds slower for the Cat VI stuff. But then yesterday, when I was doing the 20 stroke bumps, it felt much, much harder. Like 5 to 10 seconds off what I could do on a static.

I decided to try to hold the original targets. It was a very hard.

I started with a 5 minute warmup. This was a minute easy, then a minute at r24, then a minute easy, then a minute at r28. The minute at r28 was a bit scary because I discovered that it was far from easy to hold a 1:51 split. It was actually quite hard. Oh well.

Then I pushed on into the workout. The first one was OK, but I was annoyed that my HR sensor seemed to be lagging. It finally got with the program about 2 minutes into the first interval and was fine after that. But I was really tired by the end of it. I shifted down to the r18 and 2:10ish pace and recovered well. But the second one came around pretty soon and I found myself counting strokes with my eyes closed to try to get through it. I slowed down, just a little about halfway through and that helped me keep the wheels on.

I gasped my way through the 5 minutes at Cat VI, and then had a quick drink. My legs were shot, but I gave it a go. I told myself that 1:52 or 1:53 would be good enough and again counted strokes with my eyes closed. The slower pace seemed to help. The Cat VI section flew by and it was time for another 5′ sojourn in hell. Now my legs were pretty useless, and even 1:53 was hard to hold. But I counted strokes and got through it. It really felt like I was rowing through mud (despite a very reasonable 128 drag factor).

After I finished the main set, I did a happy ending 2k cool down.

This is a bit depressing. The workout should have 20 minutes of Cat III, but I had less than 12.

Over time, I am supposed to extend this workout from 4x to 6x the 10 minute sequence. I hope I can do it next time on a static erg. I’m very interested to see the difference in outcomes.

Sunday: The plan is an hour of power at r22. Cat V pace.

Friday: 20 stroke bumps

November 26, 2017November 26, 2017Leave a comment

Thursday: Rest day. Thanksgiving. We went up to Woodstock, Vermont and spent the day with my wife’s relatives. We had two cars full. My wife and I, our three adult children, and two significant others. Good food and good company.

Friday: We spent the night up in Vermont and had a nice brunch at the Woodstock Inn on Friday morning. Then we packed back into our cars and drove home. In the late afternoon, I settled in for an erg session.

The Plan:

3 x 15′ / 1′
Cat VI Pace: 2:06 to 2:11, r18-20
Every 5′ – 20 strokes at r32 (Cat I)
Also, insert 5 strokes of a pause at rocked over on recovery every 5 minutes or so.

My technique objective was to work on correcting my problems with breaking my knees too early and also maintain the right back posture. I did the pause drill as the first 5 strokes of each 5 minutes to get myself setup right, then rowed continuously until there was 2:50 seconds left in the 5 minute segment, then I would do 40 seconds of rowing at r32. This ended up being about 23 or 24 strokes. Then I would finish out the last 2:10 seconds at r18. After three sets of that, I took a quick swig of water and did the pause drill during the rest of the break.

It was a very enjoyable workout. I was happy to see my HR coming back down nicely at the Cat VI pace.

One thing I did not enjoy was doing this workout on the dynamic erg. When I crank up to a 32 rate on the static erg (or on slides), the pace tumbles easily down to 1:35 or below. On the dynamic, I was pulling as hard as I could at 32 and it was a massive struggle to get down below 1:45.

After I finished the main set I did a 2k happy ending cool down.

Wednesday: 3 x 20′ / 3′ Cat VI

November 23, 2017November 23, 2017Leave a comment

Easy session. Good thing too. I’m feeling a bit tired. Lot’s of rowing over the past 6 days. But I am really excited. I feel like I am making progress on my stroke, and with the exercises that the PT has given me.

Today, I was doing the session at home, in the mid-afternoon. The plan was:

3 x 20′ / 3′
Cat VI
Pace 2:06-2:11
rate: 18-20
HR limit: 145,150,150

My hr was high today, and ended up marginally higher than the limits as I went along.

          Workout Summary - media/20171122-2120290o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|15020|69:00.0|02:17.8|152.1|20.0|142.7|154.0|10.9
W-|13977|60:00.0|02:08.8|163.9|19.6|144.5|154.0|11.9
R-|01046|09:00.0|04:18.1|056.6|23.5|128.3|154.0|03.7
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|04676|20:00.0|02:08.3|165.2|19.1|138.7|146.0|12.3
01|04652|20:00.0|02:09.0|163.6|19.7|146.0|152.0|11.8
02|04650|20:00.0|02:09.0|162.8|20.1|148.9|154.0|11.6

Tomorrow: Rest day! Happy Thanksgiving.

On Friday the plan is:

3 x 15′ / 1′
Every 5′ – 20 strokes at r32
Otherwise: Cat VI: 2:06 to 2:11, r18-20
Also, Insert 5 strokes of pause at hands away to try to work on keeping knees down on recovery in the first minute after the fast strokes.

Basically, I will do this as 4:20 at Cat VI pacing and then 40 seconds at r32 or higher. I’ll be at home on the dynamic for this session.

Tuesday: 5 x 2000 (1500 @ 22, 500 @ 24) / 2′

November 21, 2017November 21, 20172 Comments

The Plan:

5 x 2000 / 2′
1500m @ r22, pace 2:01-2:05
500m @ r24, pace 1:55 exactly
Additional notes:
- Try to hit rates exactly.
- Try to hit 2:01 exactly.
- Concentrate on back position at catch and finish
HR limit: Stay below 155 in the 1500

I did this workout last Friday and I enjoyed it. It was not too hard, but a little spicy. Trying to stick at 2:01 at r22 is a challenge. I tend to naturally pull about a 1:59 at r22, so I have to concentrate on lightening my stroke and keeping my hands moving. These are both good things.

I started with a 2k warmup and finished with a 2k cool down so I could do the whole thing as a single interval workout. I think it makes for a particularly satisfying summary plot.

          Workout Summary - media/20171121-1345370o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|15452|70:47.0|02:17.4|182.1|21.3|143.7|164.0|10.3
W-|10000|39:46.0|01:59.3|206.7|22.4|147.9|163.0|11.2
R-|05454|24:58.0|02:17.4|128.2|19.2|135.2|163.0|14.6
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
01|01500|06:02.8|02:00.9|198.6|22.0|143.8|152.0|11.3
02|00500|01:54.2|01:54.2|233.7|23.8|155.8|159.0|11.0
03|01500|06:02.9|02:01.0|198.1|21.8|143.7|152.0|11.4
04|00500|01:54.6|01:54.6|231.5|23.6|157.0|161.0|11.1
05|01500|06:03.7|02:01.2|196.5|21.8|145.6|156.0|11.3
06|00500|01:54.4|01:54.4|233.2|24.0|157.1|161.0|10.9
07|01500|06:03.8|02:01.3|196.2|21.8|145.3|153.0|11.3
08|00500|01:54.1|01:54.1|233.7|24.0|157.3|161.0|11.0
09|01500|06:04.6|02:01.5|197.4|22.2|146.4|153.0|11.1
10|00500|01:51.3|01:51.3|251.7|24.1|158.9|163.0|11.2

I felt like the workout had gone a lot easier than when I had done it last Friday. A comparison of the two workouts helped me figure out if that was true.

First, I was much better at keeping rate this time, especially for the r22 sections. I mean look at the fourth one!

In terms of target power, I did a better job hitting my targets this time, especially at r24, but that did help make the workout easier. You can see me consciously bleeding off power toward the end of the 1500m segments to try to hit 2:01 exactly. I let myself have some fun in the last interval today, just like last time.

Now for Heart rate. This shows that it was an easier workout. I started at a higher HR because I warmed up today, but my HR did not drift up during the workout.

So, that’s a happy thing.

Tomorrow:

3 x 20′ / 3′
Cat VI
Pace 2:06-2:11
rate: 18-20
HR limit: 145,150,150

I’ll be doing this one on the dynamic, so I’ll probably work at about a 2:09 pace.

Monday: 4 x 12′ / 1’30” Cat V

November 20, 2017November 20, 20172 Comments

In the fitness center around noon.

The plan:

4 x 12′ / 1’30”
Rate: 22
Pace: 2:01 – 2:05
HR Limit: 155

The intent of this session is to work at a specified pace and stroke rate. For me, it is also a chance to focus on the new stuff that I need to fix in my posture and technique.

The biggest challenge I had was getting to the target stroke rate and rowing lightly enough to avoid going too fast. I ended up failing on both accounts. My stroke rate ended up a bit low, and my pace ended up a little fast.

         Workout Summary - media/20171120-1800320o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|12812|54:00.0|02:06.4|186.5|21.1|143.9|154.0|11.3
W-|11907|48:00.0|02:00.9|197.9|21.3|144.6|154.0|11.7
R-|00909|06:00.0|03:18.0|064.4|18.7|135.6|154.0|08.1
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|02989|12:00.0|02:00.4|198.5|20.8|137.7|149.0|12.0
01|02980|12:00.0|02:00.8|198.7|21.4|146.2|153.0|11.6
02|02970|12:00.0|02:01.2|197.6|21.4|146.9|154.0|11.6
03|02967|12:00.0|02:01.3|196.9|21.5|147.5|154.0|11.5

It got a bit better as my legs got a bit tired. But I feel like I can do a better job with it. I was happy to see my HR plateau around 150 in the workout. That’s a hopeful sign.

Tomorrow:

5 x 2000 / 2′
1500m @ r22, pace 2:01-2:05
500m @ r24, pace 1:55 exactly

Sunday: Back on the erg – 4 x 20′ / 3′ Cat VI

November 20, 2017November 20, 20172 Comments

Busy day. I did a couple hours of raking and cleaning out the flower beds early this afternoon. Then, around 5:30 I settled down for a long easy Cat VI workout.

The only tricky part was I was at home with my nemesis, the dynamic erg. For those of you who have not followed the saga. I have not been a fan of this piece of equipment, and I was convinced that it was defective in some way. I am less convinced since I sat on a dynamic erg at the HOCR and it felt basically exactly the same. Also, since then, I have received with less enthusiasm, pretty direct feedback about possible flaws in my technique that could explain why I can hammer out better times on the static erg, but not on my nemesis.

This situation gives me hope. If I can get better on the dynamic, maybe that will translate better to the boat too. So, it is time to embrace the suck. No better session to embrace the suck with than a nice easy Cat VI workout. The guidelines are simple.

4 x 20′ / 3′ rest
rate: 18-20 (the lower the better)
pace: 2:06 to 2:11
HR limit: 145,150,155,155

On the static erg, I am doing these just about at the fast edge of the band. On my nemesis, I figured I should go out slow, maybe 2:10 and see what happened.

I started and things felt good between 2:08 and 2:09. Rate felt good between 20 and 21, so I had to work on keeping it at 20, with mixed success.

         Workout Summary - media/20171120-0000300o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|19668|92:00.0|02:20.3|157.4|20.3|140.9|153.0|10.5
W-|18693|80:00.0|02:08.4|165.1|20.1|142.5|153.0|11.6
R-|00978|12:00.0|06:08.2|065.0|22.7|124.1|153.0|01.5
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|04673|20:00.0|02:08.4|164.4|19.9|136.9|145.0|11.7
01|04667|20:00.0|02:08.6|165.1|20.1|142.5|148.0|11.6
02|04675|20:00.0|02:08.3|165.4|20.3|144.4|149.0|11.5
03|04679|20:00.0|02:08.2|165.7|20.1|145.9|153.0|11.6

So, I think right now I have about a 2 split difference between dynamic and static, maybe 10-15 watts.

Monday’s session:

4 x 12′ / 1’30”
Rate: 22
Pace: 2:01 – 2:05
HR Limit: 155

Saturday: 2 x 5 x (800m on / 200m paddle) / 5′ rest in the 2x

November 18, 2017Leave a comment

Out at Lake Quinsigamond. Very light breeze from the south. Cold as hell, about 25F, when we launched. Hazy sunshine. It warmed up to about 30F by the time we finished.

The Plan:

Session: 2 x 5000m (alternate 800m on/ 200m easy)

Rest between: 5’

Rating/Pace: 800m “on” = Cat IV

For the #1 “on” SR 24

For the #2 “on” SR 26

Notes: Stay as close as you can to the target stroke rate

We launched around 8:30 and headed to the north end of the lake. The lake is about 6km long so we wanted to be able to do all five reps going south, and then spin during the rest and do 5 more heading north. We just rowed steady up to warm up. It felt a bit weird being in a boat after almost a month, but we settled in and started to take some good strokes.

          Workout Summary - media/20171118-203730-Greg Smith 20171118 0918amo.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|15020|84:24.0|02:48.6|000.0|24.0|159.7|180.0|07.4
W-|08000|36:32.0|02:17.1|000.0|25.3|166.1|179.0|08.7
R-|07020|45:24.0|03:14.1|000.0|22.5|151.8|179.0|06.3
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
01|00800|03:38.1|02:16.3|000.0|24.4|161.6|170.0|09.0
02|00800|03:45.2|02:20.7|000.0|24.3|165.5|174.0|08.8
03|00800|03:45.2|02:20.7|000.0|24.8|168.2|176.0|08.6
04|00800|03:43.3|02:19.5|000.0|24.3|168.3|176.0|08.8
05|00800|03:44.3|02:20.2|000.0|24.6|168.4|177.0|08.7
06|00800|03:37.7|02:16.1|000.0|25.9|158.4|168.0|08.5
07|00800|03:38.0|02:16.2|000.0|26.0|164.3|173.0|08.5
08|00800|03:33.8|02:13.6|000.0|26.0|168.0|176.0|08.6
09|00800|03:35.0|02:14.4|000.0|26.2|168.3|177.0|08.5
10|00800|03:32.5|02:12.8|000.0|26.5|169.7|179.0|08.5

The workout was tough. It would have been easier on the erg, I think. I was working very hard in the last couple pieces of each section. I really wanted the “easy” bits to last longer by the end.

I started out with pogies on and I took them off after the first half of the workout. It was a lot easier to control the finish without them on.

It was a wonderful thing to be out on the water with Joe. He is a great partner in the double. He steers, I row stroke and he follows whatever weird stuff I do in terms of rate. He also never complains about me splashing him, even when It’s 25 degrees out.

Not sure what is in store for tomorrow.

Friday: 5 x (1500m @ 22, 500m @ 24) / 2′

November 18, 2017November 18, 20172 Comments

Thursday: No training. Colonoscopy! I guess we’ll call that a rest day?

Friday: Since I didn’t sleep more than 2 hours on the night before my “procedure”, I decided that getting as much sleep as possible on Thursday night was the best thing to do. So, I slept late and rushed off to work. I went to the gym around 4 in the afternoon.

The Plan:

Session: 5 x 2000m

Rest between: 2’

Rating: For each piece alternate (1500m @ Cat V: SR 22/ 500m @ Cat IV: SR 24)

Training effect: Mix of 75% Cat V extensive endurance, 25% Cat IV intensive endurance

Pace targets: