Monday: Steady State Rate Ladders

September 28, 2015September 28, 2015Leave a comment

Lovely morning. light mist on the water. Low 50s. No wind. While I rowed, I spotted a bald eagle. I saw him last week sitting on a branch. This morning I saw him flying over the river. Very impressive.

Plan:

4 x (1000m @ 16, 1000m @ 18, 750m @ 20) / 1′ rest
No pace target, but I get sad when I go slower than 2:30
HR Cap: Hard cap at 150

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_0980_|_05:40_|_2:53.3_|_093___|_16.4_|_10.5_|_117___|_w
01000_|_1000_|_05:04_|_2:31.8_|_083___|_16.4_|_12.0_|_135___|_16
02000_|_1000_|_04:56_|_2:28.2_|_090___|_18.2_|_11.1_|_140___|_18
03000_|_0900_|_04:16_|_2:22.5_|_086___|_20.1_|_10.5_|_148___|_20
03900_|_0100_|_00:37_|_3:05.5_|_008___|_12.9_|_12.5_|_138___|_r
04000_|_1000_|_05:04_|_2:32.1_|_083___|_16.4_|_12.0_|_138___|_16
05000_|_1000_|_04:57_|_2:28.4_|_092___|_18.6_|_10.9_|_147___|_18
06000_|_0740_|_03:35_|_2:25.5_|_072___|_20.1_|_10.3_|_151___|_20
06740_|_0260_|_02:39_|_5:05.0_|_036___|_13.6_|_07.2_|_121___|_r
07000_|_1000_|_05:10_|_2:35.1_|_085___|_16.4_|_11.8_|_132___|_16
08000_|_1000_|_04:56_|_2:27.9_|_091___|_18.5_|_11.0_|_144___|_18
09000_|_0600_|_02:53_|_2:24.1_|_060___|_20.8_|_10.0_|_149___|_20
09600_|_0100_|_00:53_|_4:25.5_|_010___|_11.3_|_10.0_|_116___|_r
09700_|_1000_|_05:11_|_2:35.7_|_085___|_16.4_|_11.8_|_126___|_16
10700_|_1000_|_05:02_|_2:31.1_|_094___|_18.7_|_10.6_|_143___|_18
11700_|_0900_|_04:22_|_2:25.4_|_089___|_20.4_|_10.1_|_150___|_20
12600_|_2480_|_13:55_|_2:48.3_|_243___|_17.5_|_10.2_|_130___|_c

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00980_|_05:40_|_2:53.3_|_093___|_16.4_|_10.5_|_117___|_warmup

04000_|_20:29_|_2:33.7_|_336___|_16.4_|_11.9_|_133___|_r16
04000_|_19:51_|_2:28.9_|_367___|_18.5_|_10.9_|_144___|_r18
03140_|_15:06_|_2:24.3_|_307___|_20.3_|_10.2_|_149___|_r20
11140_|_55:27_|_2:29.3_|_1010___|_18.2_|_11.0_|_141___|_

00460_|_04:09_|_4:30.4_|_054___|_13.0_|_08.5_|_122___|_rest meters
02480_|_13:55_|_2:48.3_|_243___|_17.5_|_10.2_|_130___|_cool down

04000_|_20:29_|_2:33.7_|_336___|_16.4_|_11.9_|_133___|_r18
04000_|_19:51_|_2:28.9_|_367___|_18.5_|_10.9_|_144___|_r18
03140_|_15:06_|_2:24.3_|_307___|_20.3_|_10.2_|_149___|_r20
11140_|_55:27_|_2:29.3_|_1010___|_18.2_|_11.0_|_141___|_

Mission accomplished. I was having fun trying to see how fast I could get the splits at r20 while keeping my HR at 150. A good exercise in efficiency. And I think the r16 parts could be potentially be counted as “strength endurance”. The main thing that I am happy about is just respecting the HR cap.

Tomorrow: last hard session before this Saturday’s race.

5×1500 / 5′ rest (Pace target: 2:10, Rate target 28)

From Polarized to Optimized. New Lecture from Prof. Steven Seiler

September 27, 201511 Comments

I am trying to get a handle on periodizing my training. The book The Science of Winning by Jan Olbrecht makes a big point that an athlete will plateau after 8 to 10 weeks of consistent training and the training durations and intensities must be modulated to maintain progress. This lecture takes a different view. That periodization is highly variable from athlete to athlete and must be evaluated with a view toward individual progress. Changes have to be made if the desired training effect is not seen.

He describes an experiment conducted with well trained cyclists. The 69 cyclists were divided up into 3 groups. Each group followed an 80/20 polarized training plan, but the higher intensity training was varied between the groups. Here is the plot showing the average training hours per athlete per week in the study.

All three groups had 4 week mesocycles with varying workloads and you can see the difference in how well rested the athletes felt in those week.

Each of these three groups were given different a training plan.

Pretty neat experiment, huh? In the traditional group, the intensity build in each mesocycle.

In the hybrid group, each mesocycle had a mix of each type of training. This is very much like the Pete Plan or Wolverine plan.

In the Reverse group, it all started with hell week with 3 high intensity sessions, then moved to intermediate and longer intervals.

The results were interesting. In the traditional group 60% of the athletes made significant gains in VO2max power. The other groups significantly lower part of the group made big gains.

The main point that Seiler made though, was that significant portions of each group did not make progress with the plan that they were on.

As a scientist, the reaction is “Huh?”. As a coach, the reaction needs to be “Change the plan!”.

For me, the big take away is that the lowest level of success was with the hybrid plan and that is basically what I have been using for the past 4 years with very little variation. I think I will start to plan out training loads and intensities following the “Traditional model” for my winter training plan and track progress. Of course all of this is in the context that 80% of the training will be low intensity steady state, but the type and amount of high intensity work will change by mesocycle. The other take away is to monitor progress and make changes when things are not progressing as I expect.

Sunday: Hard 5.8km on Quinsigamond

September 27, 20153 Comments

We got tho the lake this morning and the fog was so thick that you could not see the opposite shore 500m away. We don’t launch under those conditions. A pity too because there was no wind and the water was oily smooth. We waited about 30 minutes and it started to clear. There was still very little wind, and it was quite cool, maybe around 40F. The water was fabulous! The featured image is at 8:30, right when I was finishing my main piece.

The plan for today was another head race simulation. My last before the racing starts next weekend up in Lowell.

Plan:

5.5km hard
rate: r28
pace: better than 2:12.7 (my previous best pace)
As always work on good reach at the catch, smooth drive and early finish.

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_3040_|_15:15_|_2:30.5_|_280___|_18.4_|_10.9_|_135___|_w
03060_|_5800_|_25:33_|_2:12.2_|_674___|_26.4_|_08.6_|_168___|_m
08860_|_2780_|_15:00_|_2:41.9_|_301___|_20.1_|_09.2_|_138___|_r

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
03040_|_15:15_|_2:30.5_|_280___|_18.4_|_10.9_|_135___|_warmup
05800_|_25:33_|_2:12.2_|_674___|_26.4_|_08.6_|_168___|_Main set
02780_|_15:00_|_2:41.9_|_301___|_20.1_|_09.2_|_138___|_rest meters
11620_|_55:49_|_2:24.1_|_1255___|_22.5_|_09.3_|_151___|_Total

In the warmup to the south end of the lake, I tried to keep the intensity low. I was rowing with another guy in a single and we basically matched pace. As I got closer to the end, I cranked up to target pace and just got loose and ready for the piece. I was pressed for time after our fog delay, so I took a minimal rest, drank a little water and set off on the main piece.

Less than 500m into the piece, I was hit by a massive wake from a waterskiing boat. It stopped me dead in the water for a couple of strokes. But, I got back in the groove and was pleased to see that I could hold under a 2:10 without going crazy. It felt like a nice pressure. About 400m later, I was hit with another wake. This one was smaller and I could keep rowing through it, but at half slide and with blades on the water.

Over the next 1500m, I started to feel the effects of my fast start, and the splits started to climb into the 2:10 to 2:15 range. I just focused on mechanics. Reach far and finish clean. Reach far and finish clean. This got me to the narrows where I was waked one more time. Again not so bad, but it cost me a few strokes at full pressure.

From there to the bridge was pretty painful. I was hurting and just trying to keep it together. There was a stretch where I was struggling with a cross chop from the wakes bouncing off the shore lines and coming back in unpredictable ways. At steady state pressure these would have been no big deal, but I was tired enough that they really made it hard to stay in a smooth rhythm. I was glad to get under the bridge and know that I had about 2K left.

I lifted the rate after the bridge. I wasn’t hitting the target rate in the south end of the lake, but now I was. I was also desperately counting strokes, trying to make sure that I didn’t get ahead of myself and trying to stay in the moment, just focusing on mechanics and technique. I hit all the milestones at the right stroke counts and I knew that I would finish up right at about 700 strokes for the whole piece. I started a final push with about 400m to go and finished with a 2:00 split on the speedcoach.

I was gassed. I panted for a half a minute then paddled up to the top of the lake. I had a drink, took my feet out and then paddled back toward our dock. I did about 1000m of steady rowing, then 500m of slow roll ups, then 500m of square blades and that was about it.

Even with the 3 wakings, I managed to beat my previous best pace by half a second (2:12.2 vs 2:12.7). Excluding the one big wake, the pace was 2:10.8. Even better, the average HR for this piece was 168 versus 176 for the piece where I did 2:12.7. I’m happy with that and I think I’ll have a beer.

Tomorrow: Steady State. Training plan calls for rate ladders. I plan to do them

1000 @ 16, 1000 @ 18, rest of the distance @ 20

I will also row with a HR cap at 150.

What is the right way to cool down at the end of a hard session. Two articles worth reading

September 27, 20154 Comments

Blood lactate clearance during active recovery after an intense running bout depends on the intensity of the active recovery

Blood lactate removal during recovery at various intensities below the individual anaerobic threshold in triathletes.

The first article compares the lactate clearance rate for different intensity of cool downs. The experiment was a 10 minute warm up, then a 5 minute test at 90% of VO2Max, then straight into one of the cool down scenarios ranging from passive to 100% of LT power for 32 minutes with lactate tests performed during the cool down.

Here is the key graph.

It shows that a cooldown at 60% or greater of LT power clears lactate significantly faster than passive or 40% of LT power. LT power is about the power that can be sustained for a 30 minute time trial. For me on the erg, right now, LT is probably around 250W, so a cooldown power greater than 0.6*250 = 150W (2:12.6 pace).

The second paper is based on triathletes. The protocol here was very similar. A 3 minute warmup, followed by a 6 minute test at about 90% VO2Max, then straight into the different cool down scenarios. This paper defines the cool down intensity in terms of above, at or below the IVT (Individual Ventilatory Threshold), basically an intensity where your breathing gets very regular and deep. This was all a bit too mumbo-jumbo-ish for me, but luckily they included a handy translation table to get from their weird units to % of VO2max.

The findings were that the lower intensity IVT(-50%delT) provided optimal lactate clearance.

So, if you use 2K power as a rough equivalent to VO2Max power, then you can come up with “real” numbers to use for comparison. My current 2K is probably around a 6:50, which is 1:42.5 pace and 325W. So, these intensities would be:

67% * 325 = 218
59% * 325 = 192
51% * 325 = 166

So, this paper says 166W, which is a 2:08.2 pace

So put it together, these two papers say that I should go faster than 2:12.6 and no faster than 2:08.2. I think 2:10 is probably a good pace for my cool downs based on my current fitness level.

Saturday: 4×20’/1′ rest with lactates

September 26, 20152 Comments

I got home from California around 6pm, and then my wife and I headed straight out to meet my sons for dinner in Cambridge. We were home early though, apparently they had an party to go to. The life of a 22 year old can be so challenging at times.

I rescheduled my hard row from this morning to Sunday so I could accept delivery of a new couch at home this morning. Instead, I did an easy 80′ endurance session. Another edition in the lactate experiment series.

The session was done mid-afternoon. The temperature was lovely, mid 60s and I had a fan running. It was nicely cool.

Today the plan was:

4 x 20′ / 1′ rest
rate: 18
pace: 176W
lactate tests at the end of each 20′ interval

Output
Workout Summary – Sep 26, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_19217_|_80:00.0_|_02:04.9_|_179.7_|_17.8_|_129.9_|_ 61.0% _|_13.5_|_10.1
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI_|_lac

01_|_04773_|_20:00.0_|_02:05.7_|_176.2_|_17.8_|_127.7_|_ 59.3% _|_13.4_|_09.9_|_1.2
02_|_04786_|_20:00.0_|_02:05.4_|_177.7_|_17.7_|_131.3_|_ 61.9% _|_13.5_|_10.0_|_1.2
03_|_04812_|_20:00.0_|_02:04.7_|_180.5_|_17.8_|_131.0_|_ 61.7% _|_13.5_|_10.1_|_1.4
04_|_04846_|_20:00.0_|_02:03.8_|_184.4_|_17.8_|_129.9_|_ 60.9% _|_13.6_|_10.4_|_1.6

It was insanely easy. My HR rose up a little faster in the first 20 minutes than last time, but stopped rising when it hit about 130. After 20 minutes I did my first lactate test. 1.2mmol/l…That’s nicely low.

I decided to nudge the power up by 2 watts and aimed at 178. It still felt like coasting. My HR drifted around between 128 and 136. It seemed I could make it rise a bit by slowing down the rate to 17, and make it drop back down by picking it back up to 18. At the end of this 20 minutes my lactates were still 1.2mmol/l…Cool.

So, I decided to keep nudging up the power. The next 20 minutes I did at 180W. This felt like a little bit more work, but my HR was still locked in the 130-135 range with no discernible drift. Lactates at the end of this one were 1.4mmol/l… Interesting, so adding a bit more power was enough to start nudging it up.

For the last 20 minutes, I added another 4 watts to see what happened. In terms of HR, nothing happened. I stayed right in the 130-135 range again with zero drift. But the lactates noticed. The test at the end were 1.6mmol/l…Still well below the threshold of 2.0, but again showing the effect of slightly higher power.

Here is this test compared to the others

So, what conclusions can I come to from this data.

I think that easing off on the steady state power for all my OTW and erg endurance training for the past couple weeks is already starting to pay off in terms of improved watts @ lactate performance.
Cool weather helps a lot.
Boris’s theory about older athletes needing more time to get their metabolic machinery going is making more sense to me. I think today’s results would have been very different if I had just started at 184W. By starting at a lower power, my theory is that I limited the ultimate rise in HR and lactate later in the workout. I think I will start doing the first 20 minutes as a power ramp, maybe start about 15 watts down from target and bump up 5W after each 5 minutes.

Tomorrow: Hard 5k on Quinsig. The weather is supposed to be beautiful. Clear, sunny, calm and a chilly 44F. I’m very psyched!

Thursday: Fitness Center Biathlon

September 25, 2015Leave a comment

In the fitness center at the Fairmont Newport Beach.

30 minutes, incline treadmill. 15% incline, Started at 3.5mph, slowed down slightly to keep HR under 145 (UT2) about halg]fway through.

30 minutes, stationary bike. Set effort level to keep me in UT2.

Nothing fancy, nothing taxing. Just trying to maintain aerobic fitness.

Now I am on a plane heading back to Boston. I’m arriving around 3:30.

Saturday: Hard 5K on Lake Quinsigamond

Wednesday: 4×20’/1′ rest – lactate test at 175W

September 23, 2015September 23, 201514 Comments

This morning I had a meeting with a customer so, I was unable to get out on the water. Pity, because it was a beautiful, cool, sunny, windless day. But I was able to make time for an erg session in the early afternoon.

I decided that today would be a good day to run the next installment of my lactate level during endurance session experiment. Last time, I was running at 180W and my HR and lactates blew through the roof! Today, the plan was to back off the power to 170W and measure lactates every 20 minutes during an 80 4×20’/1′ rest session.

Here is the plots for watts, SPM and HR. As it appears, it was incredibly easy. My HR nudged into the UT2 zone, and only by a beat or two and only in the last 25 minutes or so. I tried to do 170W, but it I was in a groove in the first piece at 173W, and then, after that, I just decided to hold 175W. My HR was so ridiculously low, I didn’t see much harm.

Output
Workout Summary – Sep 23, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_19047_|_80:00.0_|_02:06.0_|_175.0_|_17.8_|_128.1_|_ 59.7% _|_13.4_|_09.8
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_04745_|_20:00.0_|_02:06.5_|_173.1_|_17.8_|_120.3_|_ 54.1% _|_13.3_|_09.7
02_|_04766_|_20:00.0_|_02:05.9_|_175.5_|_17.6_|_125.8_|_ 58.0% _|_13.5_|_10.0
03_|_04766_|_20:00.0_|_02:05.9_|_175.4_|_17.9_|_132.1_|_ 62.5% _|_13.3_|_09.8
04_|_04771_|_20:00.0_|_02:05.8_|_175.9_|_17.8_|_134.2_|_ 64.0% _|_13.4_|_09.9

When you compare these results to the last two tests, it becomes clear just how sharp the between training at an intensity below the aerobic threshold and above it. At 181W, I was producing just a little bit more lactate than I could process and the levels steadily climbed. At 176W, I was able to process all the lactate produced and the levels stayed low and actually declined after 40 minutes.

The other thing that is clear from these results is that when my lactate levels are stable, the amount of HR increase is lower than if I am accumulating lactate, but the effect is not that pronounced. A big difference is the HR after 20 minutes. And then the rise from 20 minutes to 80 minutes was 13% or 21% for the higher wattages and 10% for the 175W.

But, I think this illustrates that the best way to train at or below 2.0 mmol/l lactate level is to actually measure lactates. At best, there will be a short term, loose correlation between HR and lactate, and one of the primary effects of endurance training will be to increase the HR at which you are not accumulating lactate.

Here the plot comparing HR and Lactate for the 3 trials.

Pretty remarked the difference 6 watts makes! Now, I just need to slowly inch up the power and keep testing at 20 minute intervals to make sure I stay at or below 2.0mmol/l.

Now I am on a plane to California. I plan to do an easy endurance session tomorrow morning (HR cap of 70% HRR, 145). And then take a rest day on Friday since I have an early flight and don’t arrive home until evening.

Tuesday: 4 x 2500 / 5′ rest – Workmanlike workout

September 22, 2015September 23, 20153 Comments

Weather: cool, 55-60F, wind NNE 5mph (head wind going downriver, felt worse than it really was)

Plan:

4 x 2500 / 5′ rest
rate target: 28
pace target: 2:12
Technique: work on getting a good reach at the catch and crisp finishes with not much layback.

I’ve done this workout twice as part of the training plan.

July 21st: avg pace…2:14, rate: 24.7, avg HR: 167 (flat water conditions)
August 25th: avg pace…2:12.9, rate: 26.3, avg HR: 168 (flat water conditions)

So, today, I wanted to get another second off the pace, get the rate a bit higher and hopefully keep the level of effort, as shown by avg HR about the same. Despite the light breeze, which slowed me down for half of the reps, I succeeded with the goals.

Today: September 22nd: avg pace: 2:11.1, Rate: 27.2, Avg HR: 167 (5mph NNE wind)

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_0280_|_01:38_|_2:55.4_|_030___|_18.3_|_09.3_|_115___|_w
00300_|_2500_|_10:54_|_2:10.8_|_293___|_26.9_|_08.5_|_162___|_m head wind
02800_|_0500_|_03:31_|_3:31.2_|_058___|_16.5_|_08.6_|_124___|_r
03300_|_2500_|_10:42_|_2:08.5_|_292___|_27.3_|_08.6_|_168___|_m tail wind
05800_|_0400_|_02:56_|_3:40.1_|_050___|_17.0_|_08.0_|_135___|_r
06200_|_2500_|_11:16_|_2:15.2_|_307___|_27.3_|_08.1_|_169___|_m head wind
08700_|_0300_|_02:00_|_3:20.7_|_036___|_17.9_|_08.3_|_138___|_r
09000_|_2500_|_10:50_|_2:09.9_|_296___|_27.3_|_08.4_|_169___|_m tail wind
11500_|_1440_|_08:09_|_2:49.9_|_167___|_20.5_|_08.6_|_136___|_c

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00280_|_01:38_|_2:55.4_|_030___|_18.3_|_09.3_|_115___|_warmup
10000_|_43:42_|_2:11.1_|_1188___|_27.2_|_08.4_|_167___|_Main set
01200_|_08:28_|_3:31.5_|_144___|_17.0_|_08.3_|_131___|_rest meters
01440_|_08:09_|_2:49.9_|_167___|_20.5_|_08.6_|_136___|_cool down
12920_|_01:57_|_2:23.9_|_1529___|_24.7_|_08.4_|_157___|_Total

I forgot to start the speedcoach until after I finished my 1000m warmup, so that’s missing from the data.

The 1st and 3rd reps were mainly headwind, and the 2nd and fourth had the tail wind. It felt like the wind was freshest during the second and third reps. I was struggling with keeping the pace below 2:20 for the parts of the 3rd rep where there is no wind shadow. I feel like I am getting a better idea of how to maintain a “constant effort” pace with a head wind and not burn myself out trying to hit the target splits. Same thing for the tail wind sections. The thing I liked to see was how similar the HR response was in reps 2,3 and 4. I would have been a bit happier to see some red at the end of the fourth rep, but I guess I didn’t did quite that deep today. I was pretty spent at the end of the workout though.

Very happy with the session overall.

Here is a map view of the 4 intervals. 1 and 3 into the wind, 2 and 4 with the wind.

Tomorrow: Steady state: 4 x 3000 / 1′ rest r20 (HR limit at 75% HRR)

Originally I had this planned with a cap of 80% HRR (157), but with the lactate test results I’ve been seeing, I want to ratchet down the intensity of the steady state stuff, so I would like to do about the first half of the session tomorrow as UT2 (< 143) and the other half in the lower part of UT1 (143 to 150). I’m hoping that will help repair my aerobic capacity over the next couple of weeks. I have plenty of intensity in the three hard sessions a week. I think I’m being foolish to push the steady state stuff too hard.

I’d welcome opinions, should I do these steady state rows with an even lower cap? Do them entirely as UT2? I’d find that a real challenge and I would end up going VERY slow by the second half of the session, but if that is the best strategy, I’ll give it a try.

Monday: 15K steady state

September 21, 2015Leave a comment

Sunny, cool (low 50s), wind N 6-8mph. This was a head wind heading down river.

Plan:

4x3K with short rests
rate: ~20 spm
pace: no target
HR: Keep it under 150, well under 150 if possible.

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_1680_|_09:15_|_2:45.1_|_175___|_18.9_|_09.6_|_119___|_w
01700_|_2700_|_13:06_|_2:25.6_|_274___|_20.9_|_09.9_|_138___|_m
04400_|_3180_|_14:59_|_2:21.4_|_306___|_20.4_|_10.4_|_140___|_m
07580_|_2980_|_14:34_|_2:26.6_|_301___|_20.7_|_09.9_|_144___|_m
10560_|_2860_|_13:28_|_2:21.2_|_277___|_20.6_|_10.3_|_143___|_m
13420_|_1660_|_08:06_|_2:26.4_|_175___|_21.6_|_09.5_|_141___|_c

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
01680_|_09:15_|_2:45.1_|_175___|_18.9_|_09.6_|_119___|_warmup
11720_|_56:07_|_2:23.6_|_1158___|_20.6_|_10.1_|_141___|_Main set
01660_|_08:06_|_2:26.4_|_175___|_21.6_|_09.5_|_141___|_cool down
15060_|_13:28_|_2:26.3_|_1508___|_20.5_|_10.0_|_139___|_Total

Very comfortable row. Felt better when I finished than when I started.

Tomorrow: 4 x 2500 / 5′ rest r24. Target pace: 2:15.

Sunday: Head Race Simulation – Hard 5K on Quinsig

September 21, 2015September 27, 20151 Comment

Cloudy, wind NE at 7-10mph. This was a cross/head wind for the 5K piece. It also kicked up some nasty chop for most of the row. On the plus side, I wasn’t waked during the piece, only during the warmup. Very sporting of them really.

Plan:

5K hard
rate: r28
pace: better than last weekend’s 2:12.7
HR: There is no cap on race simulations.
Technique: Work on really reaching for the catch and keeping my finishes clean and avoid too much layback.

As I got my boat in the water, a couple guys from the club at the north end of the lake came by and asked me if I wanted to do a race piece with them. Damn right I did! We rowed steady state down to the south end of the lake. I tried to keep my HR basically in UT2 the whole way down, but finished with about 500m of head race pace just to get comfortable with the rate.

Then we turned, and futzed around a bit. I asked the guy I was going to row with what his target pace was. He said 2:15 in flat water, which seemed about right to me. I didn’t want the pressure of starting off side by side, so he let me go and he started right behind me. It seemed like we were pretty even in pace, but over the first 1000m I started to put a little distance between us. The wind was gusty and flukey, and the except in the lee of the islands, annoyingly choppy.

By the 2K mark, I was up about 30 seconds or so, and the row was basically pushing a bit faster when I got some flat water and slogging along when it was choppy or I got a bit gust of wind. I was a lot slower than last weekend, but I think with the conditions, and the lower HR, this was actually a better row.

I ended up about a minute ahead of the guy I was rowing with. It sure is easier to keep pushing hard when someone is chasing you! I really wanted to stop or slow down around the rt 9 bridge, but pride kept me going.

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_3980_|_21:29_|_2:41.9_|_388___|_18.1_|_10.3_|_132___|_w
04000_|_5000_|_22:45_|_2:16.5_|_585___|_25.7_|_08.5_|_169___|_5K piece
09000_|_4720_|_25:15_|_2:40.4_|_502___|_19.9_|_09.4_|_137___|_r

1000m splits for the 5K. Pretty flat paced.

04000_|_1000_|_04:36_|_2:18.2_|_114___|_24.7_|_08.8_|_157___|_m
05000_|_1000_|_04:31_|_2:15.7_|_119___|_26.3_|_08.4_|_168___|_m
06000_|_1000_|_04:33_|_2:16.5_|_116___|_25.5_|_08.6_|_171___|_m
07000_|_1000_|_04:31_|_2:15.7_|_119___|_26.3_|_08.4_|_173___|_m
08000_|_1000_|_04:33_|_2:16.5_|_117___|_25.7_|_08.5_|_176___|_m

After that, I did some square blades, some feet out and rowed with a quad from my club back to the dock. Very good outing.

Quantified Rowing

Measure – Adjust – Improve

Monday: Steady State Rate Ladders

From Polarized to Optimized. New Lecture from Prof. Steven Seiler

Sunday: Hard 5.8km on Quinsigamond

What is the right way to cool down at the end of a hard session. Two articles worth reading

Saturday: 4×20’/1′ rest with lactates

Thursday: Fitness Center Biathlon

Wednesday: 4×20’/1′ rest – lactate test at 175W

Tuesday: 4 x 2500 / 5′ rest – Workmanlike workout

Monday: 15K steady state

Sunday: Head Race Simulation – Hard 5K on Quinsig