Thursday: 60′ Threshold – Take 2

November 26, 20152 Comments

At home. Static erg. About 60F

Limited time, so no warmup. Just started a bit slow and then settled into a pace. Wanted to hold 1:58, but 1:56 felt good. Then 1:55s started to appear, so I went with it. Got tough in the last 20 minutes, but no drama.

Workout Summary - Nov 26, 2015
--_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_--Avg--_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_--Avg--_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
--_|_Dist-_|_-Time--_|_-Pace--_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR--_|_-%HRR--_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
--_|_15692_|_60:00.0_|_01:54.7_|_231.9_|_24.6_|_161.4_|_ 83.3% _|_10.6_|_09.4
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01027_|_04:00.0_|_01:56.9_|_219.3_|_23.3_|_123.7_|_ 56.5% _|_11.0_|_09.4
02_|_01039_|_04:00.0_|_01:55.5_|_227.0_|_24.0_|_142.3_|_ 69.7% _|_10.8_|_09.5
03_|_01043_|_04:00.0_|_01:55.0_|_230.0_|_24.3_|_149.0_|_ 74.5% _|_10.8_|_09.5
04_|_01045_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.8_|_231.2_|_24.3_|_153.4_|_ 77.6% _|_10.8_|_09.5
05_|_01044_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.9_|_230.7_|_24.0_|_155.9_|_ 79.4% _|_10.9_|_09.6
06_|_01046_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.7_|_231.8_|_24.5_|_159.3_|_ 81.8% _|_10.7_|_09.5
07_|_01045_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.8_|_231.2_|_24.3_|_161.8_|_ 83.6% _|_10.8_|_09.5
08_|_01046_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.7_|_231.9_|_24.3_|_164.6_|_ 85.5% _|_10.8_|_09.6
09_|_01046_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.7_|_232.0_|_24.5_|_167.0_|_ 87.2% _|_10.7_|_09.5
10_|_01047_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.7_|_232.2_|_24.3_|_168.5_|_ 88.3% _|_10.8_|_09.6
11_|_01046_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.8_|_231.6_|_24.5_|_170.5_|_ 89.7% _|_10.7_|_09.5
12_|_01045_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.9_|_230.9_|_25.0_|_172.0_|_ 90.8% _|_10.4_|_09.2
13_|_01044_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.9_|_230.7_|_25.0_|_173.8_|_ 92.1% _|_10.4_|_09.2
14_|_01053_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.0_|_236.2_|_26.0_|_176.0_|_ 93.6% _|_10.1_|_09.1
15_|_01077_|_04:00.0_|_01:51.5_|_252.7_|_27.0_|_178.3_|_ 95.2% _|_10.0_|_09.4

Rest Day tomorrow.

Wednesday: 4 x 20/1’rest

November 25, 20154 Comments

I must admit, I was a little spooked when went to go sit on the erg. I was so far below my expectations yesterday for the 60′ workout that I didn’t have a lot of confidence that even today’s easy endurance session would go well.

But, after all, it was just an easy session. So, I got myself settled in and did it. I’m off work today (tomorrow is Thanksgiving), so this was at home on my static erg. Target pace was 2:03. Standard slow start. Heart rate and RPE were much higher than similar sessions. Lactate reading was high, but not ridiculous (2.5mmol/l). HR drift from 40′ to 80′ was 1%.

So, not a sublime aerobic adventure, but a reasonable workout.

Workout Summary – Nov 25, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_19399_|_80:00.0_|_02:03.7_|_184.8_|_19.0_|_141.6_|_ 69.2% _|_12.8_|_09.7
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01119_|_05:00.0_|_02:14.1_|_145.3_|_16.0_|_099.0_|_ 39.0% _|_14.0_|_09.1
02_|_01164_|_05:00.0_|_02:08.9_|_163.6_|_17.2_|_120.9_|_ 54.6% _|_13.5_|_09.5
03_|_02444_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.8_|_189.2_|_19.0_|_136.3_|_ 65.5% _|_12.9_|_10.0
04_|_04892_|_20:00.0_|_02:02.7_|_189.7_|_19.0_|_143.6_|_ 70.6% _|_12.9_|_10.0
05_|_04885_|_20:00.0_|_02:02.8_|_188.9_|_19.3_|_148.8_|_ 74.4% _|_12.7_|_09.8
06_|_04895_|_20:00.0_|_02:02.6_|_190.1_|_19.9_|_148.4_|_ 74.1% _|_12.3_|_09.6

Tomorrow: Training Plan calls for a HM, but I don’t think I have that much time, I might do another try at an hour at 1:58.

60′ Threshold – Horrifyingly bad workout

November 24, 2015November 24, 20151 Comment

My plans for a second workout yesterday were destroyed by a meeting that was supposed to go from 4 to 5, but instead lasted until after 6PM. Finding time for second sessions is going to be a continual challenge.

But on to this morning….

I had a bad feeling about this workout. One of my steady state workouts is that they are busted up into nice digestible 20 minute chunks. Pushing that to 30 minute or even 10K over 40 minutes is not so bad, but I have gotten out of the habit of doing long distances, either at steady state or at a more intense level. So, I have lost some of the memory for pacing these efforts, understanding how hard to push, and, frankly, how to pass the time.

So, for today’s effort, I was unsure about the right pace. I did a 30′ piece at 1:51.0 on Sunday, and that was less than all out. In fact, I did a second 30′ at 1:52.4 after a 5 minute rest. I guessed that I could probably hold a 1:50 pace for an all out 30 minute time trial. By Paul’s Law, that would forecast a pace of 1:55 for a full hour. This seems to hold up pretty well for me in general.

There was an argument for a more aggressive pace. I was very close to my PB pace for my 6K, and not that far off for the 30′. In that PB season, I also set a new best for my 60′, and that was a 1:53.1 pace. And I did that without it being an all out effort. Afterwards, I really thought I could have held 1:52.5 or better. So, by that logic, it was possible that today I could push the pace to 1:53 or something.

So, I decided to start at 1:54 and see what happened.

What happened was ugly.

I started with a nice 10 minute warmup. 5 minutes of slow steady state, then 3 – 20 stroke bursts at 1:54, with paddling between them.

Then into the main event. I held 1:54 through the first 10 minutes, but from the HR and how I felt, I knew that was too hard. At 10 minutes, I backed off to 1:55 for the next 10 minutes, which stabilized my HR, but it stabilized at a pretty uncomfortable level and by the time I hit 20 minutes, I was very unhappy, frustrated and I was unable to relax and get into a groove at a slower pace.

I HD’ed a couple of minutes after the 20 minute mark. I paddle a few strokes and tried to regroup at a slower pace. I tried to hold 1:58, which should have been a piece of cake. It wasn’t, and when it started to pinch, I HD’ed again, in the first couple of minutes after I passed the halfway point.

After that interruption until I got to 40′, I basically rowed at my steady state pace of 2:03 and started to feel a bit less despondent. I lowered my rate and tried to focus on taking good strokes.

When I hit 40′, the end was in sight and I pulled the pace down to 2:00, then continued to push it faster in the last 10′.

I’m gonna chalk this one up to a too ambitious starting pace and a shitty day. I have to do more 60′ and HM sessions to get some mental toughness back.

Tomorrow: 4 x 20′ at 2:03

Monday AM: 10K steady

November 23, 2015November 23, 20153 Comments

I had to get a little car work done this morning so I was pressed for time. I cut my morning workout down to a 10K. I was feeling pretty good, so I pushed the power a bit more than I should have (196W vs 190W)

I didn’t do a lactate test, but based on the HR drift, I think it was probably above 3.0mmol/l by the time I finished. I’m going to try to hold back a bit more this afternoon in a second session.

Today PM: another 10K at 193W

Tomorrow AM: 60′ hard. Target pace: 1:53. If I am feeling good at halfway, I might try for the mythical 16K hour.

2 x 30′ / 5′ rest Threshold

November 22, 20152 Comments

So, a slight change in plan. I was supposed to do 4 x 15′, but I found the idea of trying to beat 8K twice in a row. I thought it had a certain badass-ery to it that was more motivating.

New Plan:

2 x 30′ / 5′ rest
pace 1:52.5 (8k target)
rate: free rate probably around 26

Workout Summary - Nov 22, 2015
--_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_--Avg--_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_--Avg--_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
--_|_Dist-_|_-Time--_|_-Pace--_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR--_|_-%HRR--_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
--_|_20476_|_79:00.0_|_01:55.7_|_225.7_|_24.2_|_154.7_|_ 78.5% _|_10.7_|_09.3
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_00995_|_04:00.0_|_02:00.5_|_199.8_|_21.0_|_118.3_|_ 52.7% _|_11.9_|_09.5
02_|_08104_|_30:00.0_|_01:51.1_|_255.5_|_25.6_|_157.2_|_ 80.3% _|_10.5_|_10.0
03_|_01035_|_05:00.0_|_02:25.0_|_114.8_|_18.8_|_126.0_|_ 58.1% _|_11.0_|_06.1
04_|_08006_|_30:00.0_|_01:52.4_|_246.3_|_25.9_|_162.4_|_ 84.0% _|_10.3_|_09.5
05_|_02336_|_10:00.0_|_02:08.4_|_165.3_|_19.1_|_143.2_|_ 70.4% _|_12.2_|_08.7

1st 30 minute piece - 5 minute splits
02_|_01347_|_05:00.0_|_01:51.4_|_253.2_|_25.2_|_140.1_|_ 68.1% _|_10.7_|_10.0
03_|_01345_|_05:00.0_|_01:51.5_|_252.3_|_25.4_|_154.4_|_ 78.3% _|_10.6_|_09.9
04_|_01341_|_05:00.0_|_01:51.9_|_249.9_|_25.4_|_157.3_|_ 80.3% _|_10.6_|_09.8
05_|_01347_|_05:00.0_|_01:51.4_|_253.3_|_25.6_|_160.6_|_ 82.7% _|_10.5_|_09.9
06_|_01347_|_05:00.0_|_01:51.4_|_253.3_|_25.6_|_162.9_|_ 84.3% _|_10.5_|_09.9
07_|_01378_|_05:00.0_|_01:48.8_|_271.5_|_26.6_|_167.5_|_ 87.6% _|_10.4_|_10.2

2nd 30 miute piece - 5 minute splits
09_|_01313_|_05:00.0_|_01:54.2_|_234.8_|_24.8_|_146.3_|_ 72.6% _|_10.6_|_09.5
10_|_01325_|_05:00.0_|_01:53.2_|_241.0_|_25.2_|_159.3_|_ 81.8% _|_10.5_|_09.6
11_|_01325_|_05:00.0_|_01:53.2_|_241.3_|_26.0_|_162.5_|_ 84.0% _|_10.2_|_09.3
12_|_01325_|_05:00.0_|_01:53.2_|_241.0_|_25.8_|_164.4_|_ 85.4% _|_10.3_|_09.3
13_|_01337_|_05:00.0_|_01:52.2_|_247.7_|_26.0_|_167.3_|_ 87.4% _|_10.3_|_09.5
14_|_01381_|_05:00.0_|_01:48.6_|_273.4_|_27.4_|_173.2_|_ 91.7% _|_10.1_|_10.0

I started with a 4 minute warmup, then right into the first 30′ piece. I got halfway through it and I knew that 8000 was easily in the bag so I kept going at the same pace. With about 5 minutes to go, I saw that the projected finish was around 8050 or so, so I got carried away chasing the split down to try to get the projected finish to 8100. I really had to drop the hammer in the last minute to make it.

After that, I was spent. I paddled through the rest and told myself it was OK to just row out the second piece at 1:55. When I started, 1:54 actually felt kind of OK, so I held that for the first 5 minutes. Then I pushed it a bit further and tried to keep the pace bouncing between 1:53 and 1:54. With 10 minutes to go, I could see my projected finish was around 7900, so I started to push a bit more. By 5 minutes to go, I was around 7950, so I needed to push harder, and held around a 1:50 split for the first couple minutes which had me at 7980 with about 1:30 to go. So, I pushed the splits down to until I saw 8000 on the screen, then a bit faster to get some insurance on the distance.

I enjoyed the happy ending cool down after. This felt harder than the HR suggests. Maybe it was the wonderfully cool room (around 60F).

I ranked the first piece. 25th of 715 (97% percentile). I have a bit more in the tank if I do an all out 30′.

Tomorrow: 4 x 20′ and maybe a second 30′ session.

Saturday: 4 x 30 / 1′ rest

November 21, 2015Leave a comment

I didn’t get a chance to row yesterday after I got back from Dallas. So, I ended up with 2 rest days in a row. That doesn’t happen very often. Being that well rested made me want to push the endurance stuff more.

I toyed with the idea of a Marathon, but the idea of doing it but not aiming at a PB seemed disappointing somehow, and my 2.0 mmol power is definitely lower than when I did my last marathon PB. So, I dialed it back to a two hour row instead.

Plan:

4 x 30′ / 1′ rest
pace target: 2:03
rate target: 19
slow start: 5′ at 2:15, 5′ at 2:10

Workout Summary – Nov 21, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_29231_|_120:00.0_|_02:03.2_|_187.4_|_19.4_|_135.5_|_ 64.9% _|_12.6_|_09.7
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01123_|_05:00.0_|_02:13.6_|_146.8_|_16.4_|_108.6_|_ 45.8% _|_13.7_|_08.9
02_|_01164_|_05:00.0_|_02:08.8_|_163.6_|_17.8_|_123.1_|_ 56.1% _|_13.1_|_09.2
03_|_04888_|_20:00.0_|_02:02.7_|_189.2_|_19.5_|_133.1_|_ 63.2% _|_12.5_|_09.7
04_|_07336_|_30:00.0_|_02:02.7_|_189.5_|_19.4_|_137.9_|_ 66.6% _|_12.6_|_09.8
05_|_07326_|_30:00.0_|_02:02.8_|_188.8_|_19.7_|_137.0_|_ 66.0% _|_12.4_|_09.6
06_|_02448_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.5_|_190.2_|_19.6_|_136.6_|_ 65.7% _|_12.5_|_09.7
07_|_04946_|_20:00.0_|_02:01.3_|_196.1_|_19.9_|_139.8_|_ 68.0% _|_12.5_|_09.9

I stuck to 2:03 like glue through the first 3 pieces. After 10 minutes in the last 30′ piece, I wanted to see what would happen with my HR if I boosted the power just a little, from 189 to 195 watts, a little more than a second off the pace. The answer was that nothing happened to my HR.

I measured lactate at 60′. It was exactly 2.0mmol/l.

I had very little HR drift today, even over the whole 120 minutes.

Tomorrow: With thanksgiving week, I am probably going to miss a couple of days, so I think I might get a jump on the first mesocycle. This one is working on long distance rows. The session I have planned for Tuesday is 4 x 15’/2′ rest at 95% of LT power, which is 267W (1:49). This seems a tad ambitious, so I think I will dial it back to 250W (1:52).

Aerobic and Anaerobic thresholds

November 18, 20155 Comments

There is a nifty table in chapter 6 of Rowing Faster which provides targets for aerobic threshold (AeT) and Anaerobic Threshold (AnT) for different classes of rowers.

Since I have these wattages from my recents tests, I thought I’d look at how I stacked up.

I weight about 195lbs (88KG). So, in watts per Kg, my results were:

AeT : 2.16 W/kg
AnT : 3.20 W/kg

So, this lines up with my other tests, that my AnT is “better” than my AeT, and I should work to develop my aerobic base.

Wednesday: 4 x 20′ / 1′ rest

November 18, 20151 Comment

Base building week continues. So, another aerobic endurance session. Today, I had the time and energy to do the full 80 minute session.

I made a couple of tiny adjustments to reduce intensity because yesterday’s reading was so high, but they were more window dressing than real change. First thing was I went back to looking at pace instead of watts. The pace impact of that was only a couple tenths of a second during the main part of the session, but it also slowed down my 10 minute built in warmup. I think it also changed things up enough that I stopped thinking about hitting magic watts numbers and relaxed a bit.

Plan:

4 x 20 / 1′ rest
10′ warm up at 2:15, then 2:10, then target
pace target: 2:03 (189W)
rate target: 22
On slides

So, today, at virtually the same power and rate as yesterday, my HR drift was lower, and my lactates were back in target range. I’m guessing that the fatigue from Sunday’s 6K is finally out of my system.

The abnormally long rest between the 3rd and 4th pieces was a quick work phone call that I needed to take.

I think I will do a bonus 30 or 40 minutes steady state this afternoon. Tomorrow morning, I am flying off to Dallas on business. So thursday will be a rest day. I fly home on Friday, so I might be able to get in a short session Friday evening once I am home.

Tuesday: 3 x 20′ / 1′ rest

November 17, 2015Leave a comment

Feeling kind of tired this morning. I guess lack of rest is starting to catch up with me.

Plan:

4×20′ / 1′ rest
slow start 150W/175W/190W
on slides
20-22 spm

HR just kept climbing today, and lactate reading was off the chart too. RPE was very high. I felt like I was working very hard.

I’m going to back off another 5 watts or so on steady state power for now.

I am scheduled for a second session this afternoon. I think extra rest might be beneficial instead. Tomorrow morning is another endurance session.

Autumn Test Results

November 16, 2015November 16, 201513 Comments

So, with the 6K test I did yesterday, I completed my first thorough fitness assessment. The tests that I did were:

2 speed lactate test
1 minute peak power test
2K test
6K test

Results

The 2-speed test doesn’t tell anything now. It is something that can be repeated easily to measure progress over time.

For the other tests:

The first take away from these tests is that I have a bigger gap between aerobic threshold and VO2Max. Basically, this means that my 2K is faster than “should” be based on my aerobic threshold power. I’m guessing that this means that my lactate tolerance is higher than some and allows me to overachieve on the 2K. The diagnosis is that I should build a better aerobic base.

The second take away is that the ratio between my V02Max (2K power) and my anaerobic threshold (6K power), is very small. In terms of pace, my 2K pace was 1:42.6. My 6K pace was 1:47.5. That’s a difference of 4.9 seconds. In general, for heavyweights, the rule of thumb is 5 seconds slower pace when you double the distance (Paul’s law). If you plug in my 6K pace, the predicted 2K pace is 1:39.5, about 3 splits faster! So, the take away from this for me is that my 2K is pretty damn slow.

Now consider the VO2Max to 30 sec avg power. My ratio is much higher than the “Ideal”, essentially meaning that my peak power is low relative to my VO2Max. So, even though my 2K is slow, if I was to use peak power as a predictor it should be slower still! This again points to me leaning more heavily on lactate tolerance than anaerobic power to get through the 2K distance

In essence, none of this should be surprising. I designed a training plan to focus on head racing. I wanted to optimize my performance at the 5K to 6K distance, and it looks like that is what happened. In retrospect, I would have done better if I had been able to maintain and build my aerobic base, but the deficits in peak power are entirely expected and entirely fine with me.

So, how do these results impact my training plan? Honestly, not much. I already suspected that my aerobic base was weak from the lame ass 2.0mmol steady powers that I could hold, and I baked a higher amount of endurance into the plan for that reason. I also had baked in a training block with a lot of peak power work in the last month before 2K competition since I know that those gains are temporary and tough to maintain without killing my aerobic base.

The interesting part of this (at least to me) is to see what happens when I do the test block after the Crash-Bs to see if what I’m planning to do actually works. The other thing that the testing gives me is a clue about what to do next summer to get ready for head racing season. My thought now is to replace one high intensity session per week with more endurance training. I’ll have to think some more in terms of a block periodization strategy.

Quantified Rowing

Measure – Adjust – Improve

Thursday: 60′ Threshold – Take 2

Wednesday: 4 x 20/1’rest

60′ Threshold – Horrifyingly bad workout

Monday AM: 10K steady

2 x 30′ / 5′ rest Threshold

Saturday: 4 x 30 / 1′ rest

Aerobic and Anaerobic thresholds

Wednesday: 4 x 20′ / 1′ rest

Tuesday: 3 x 20′ / 1′ rest

Autumn Test Results