Tag: 1x

Tuesday: Speedcoach Calibration and 14K of steady state

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Weather:  Crystal clear.  Very Sunny.  Cool and breezy.  Wind NW 2 to 5 mph.

The main objective today was to get the new impeller mounted for my speedcoach.  Once it was mounted, it needed to be calibrated.  So, I popped it in the water and headed out.  I usually row in the early morning, but today, I had some things to do at home in the morning.  So, I launched around 1:00 in the afternoon.  Since it was such a nice day there were a lot of kayaks, pedal boats, canoes and various other water craft out enjoying the day as well.  Even though I was looking around constantly, I still had to back down hard a few times when a boat zigged instead of zagging, or I missed them in my scans.  Despite this, it was a glorious day to be out rowing.

Plan:

  • Do 2x 1000m at r24 in opposite directions to calibrate the speedcoach.
  • 80 minutes of steady state

Leaving the dock, I started RIM and reset the speedcoach.  After I warmed up and got to the start of the straight part of the river, I realized that I really should be using Crewnerd for a autostart 1000m piece for speedcoach cal.  So, I flipped over and started up crewnerd, losing the first 1200m of rowing.

The 1000s went fine.  The first one was with the light wind and was done at an average pace of 2:11.4.  The second was upwind and the pace was 2:13.3.  I was winded but I didn’t push them all that hard.  After that, I did the river twice from the start to the moody street dam.  At first I was feeling like I was really struggling to hit any reasonable split.  But eventually, I started to row a bit better and sped up.  The main difference was focusing on getting way into compression at the catch.

Tomorrow:  Some more steady state.  80′ at r20.

Monday: 14K steady state r18

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Weather:  Stunning.  Sunny, cool, dry, light wind from the Northwest.  2 to 5 mph.  This was generally a cross wind, but always felt like a head wind.  :-O

Plan:

  • Easy steady state
  • r18
  • heart rate: 150 absolute, ease off at 145

The objective today was best stated by Dave C. in a blog post a couple years ago.

“Don’t piss off the boat”

Basically try to row smoothly, at low rate, in such a way to maximize the run of the boat and minimize the check.  This is what that looks like in RIM.

Screen Shot 2016-08-15 at 1.55.43 PM.png

The drive has a strong initial slope, there is no negative transient as I go from legs to body to arms.  There is no negative acceleration at the finish, and the recovery is very close to zero negative or positive acceleration.

The game is to try to maintain the stroke rate, and try to minimize the split time without driving up the heart rate.  I was happy with the way things felt, but I wish the boat was moving faster.  One thing at a time.

Tomorrow:  Schedule calls for a hard row, but I’m not feeling the love right now.  I think I will do another 70′ steady state session, at r20 and a 157 HR cap.

 

Wednesday: Steady State & Technique

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Weather: started sunny, then clouded up.  A bit of a breeze sprung up, seemingly from whatever direction I was trying to row.

Plan:

  • 4 x 2700m / 1′ rest
  • rate: 20 spm
  • pace: 2:25
  • HR limit: 155 (top of UT1)

myimage (61)

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_1040_|_05:12_|_2:30.1_|_110___|_21.1_|_09.5_|_128___|_dock to island
01051_|_2150_|_10:14_|_2:22.8_|_208___|_20.3_|_10.3_|_146___|_downstream piece
03201_|_0082_|_00:36_|_3:37.1_|_009___|_15.2_|_09.1_|_122___|_stop to talk to bruce
03283_|_0664_|_03:10_|_2:23.3_|_062___|_19.5_|_10.7_|_137___|_rest of downstream piece
03947_|_0064_|_00:22_|_2:48.7_|_005___|_13.9_|_12.8_|_116___|_turn
04011_|_2811_|_13:44_|_2:26.6_|_271___|_19.7_|_10.4_|_149___|_upstream piece
06822_|_0064_|_00:26_|_3:24.7_|_008___|_18.3_|_08.0_|_116___|_turn
06886_|_2754_|_13:34_|_2:27.8_|_274___|_20.2_|_10.1_|_150___|_downstream piece
09640_|_0074_|_00:28_|_3:05.8_|_007___|_15.3_|_10.6_|_131___|_turn
09714_|_0286_|_01:26_|_2:30.5_|_028___|_19.5_|_10.2_|_141___|_started upstream, decided I’d had enough
10000_|_0051_|_00:22_|_3:38.6_|_005___|_13.5_|_10.2_|_115___|_thought about life
10051_|_3685_|_21:26_|_2:54.5_|_390___|_18.2_|_09.4_|_136___|_drills

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
01040_|_05:12_|_2:30.1_|_110___|_21.1_|_09.5_|_128___|_warmup
08665_|_42:09_|_2:25.9_|_843___|_20.0_|_10.3_|_147___|_Main set
00335_|_02:13_|_3:18.8_|_034___|_15.3_|_09.9_|_121___|_rest meters
03685_|_21:26_|_2:54.5_|_390___|_18.2_|_09.4_|_136___|_cool down
13725_|_11:00_|_2:35.2_|_1377___|_19.4_|_10.0_|_142___|_Total

I was quite stiff and sore this morning when I woke up.  I think I dug deep enough in yesterday’s session that I was not fully recovered by 5:15AM today.  But, since I had a planned a low intensity endurance session today, I wasn’t too concerned about it.

I was on the water before 6:30 and basically jumped right into a rhythm at r20 as soon as I was clear of the dock.  I slowed down to go through the cut, and then got back up to speed for the roughly 3K down river.

I noticed that I was struggling to get anywhere near the paces that I was holding easily on Monday.  And stupidly, instead of just accepting that and rowing for form, I worked harder to try to hit the pace.  It made the session a bit of a grind.

When I got to the bridge, I caught up to a guy that launches from the same place I do and stopped for a quick chat.  He turned around to head upriver and I continued downriver another 1000m or so to the dam.

I turned to head upriver and again was having trouble holding my pace target.  I experimented a bit and at times, I was able to get long smooth strokes and a good pace without a ton of effort.  But it was spotty at best.  I definitely felt like focusing on holding a body forward position during the drive, and then opening my back was more efficient.  It was a little difficult to focus on that and at the same time keep my finishes early and crisp.  I have issues chewing gum and walking at the same time, apparently.

I spun at the upstream end and headed down to the dam again.  Grinding it out.  When I turned at the dam, I had every intention of just finishing up normally, but within about 500m, I was sick of it.  I was working hard and not going very fast.  It didn’t seem very productive, so a change of plan seemed like a good idea.

I decided to finish up with some technical rowing.  500m of square blades, 500m of alternating square and feathered, 500m of feathered rowing focused on balance.  Five 500m blocks brought me to the upstream end of the river, then I paddled back to the dock.

Thinking about it, since I pushed so hard yesterday, I probably should have done the whole session as a UT2, technique focused row.

Tomorrow:  Schedule calls for another threshold row.  4 x 2700 at r24-26

Tuesday: 4 x 2700 / 4′ rest Threshold

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Weather: Basically perfect.  I launched at about 6:20, and I started my first piece around 6:45.  Here’s the weather data for the most reliable station near the waltham end of the river.  You can see it was basically flat calm and then the wind shifted and built into a gentle breeze from the northeast.  This was a light headwind in the 3rd interval and a light tail wind in the fourth.

Screen Shot 2016-08-09 at 9.46.21 AM

Plan:

  • 4 x 2700m
  • 4′ rest including a little paddling and a drink of water.
  • rate: 24-26
  • pace: 2:15
  • Heart rate: no cap.  maximize time in TR zone (>164)
  • Technique:  GET LONG AT THE CATCH.

Screen Shot 2016-08-09 at 9.40.50 AM

The map view shows the little paddles I took between intervals.

The speedcoach data shows the pace impact in the s-turn.  This was worst in 2nd and 3rd intervals when my line was less than ideal and I needed to turn a bit tighter.  You can also see the rate tick up in the turn.

The TCX data (processed on rowsandall.com) shows the rests a bit more accurately.  I wasn’t fastidious about the rest time.  I generally took between 4 and 5 minutes of rest.  myimage (60)

In terms of heart rate,  I got a good 34 minutes of threshold work.

myimage (59)

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_1129_|_06:25_|_2:50.5_|_115___|_17.9_|_09.8_|_119___|_
01142_|_2823_|_12:29_|_2:12.6_|_318___|_25.5_|_08.9_|_159___|_
03965_|_0395_|_02:53_|_3:39.0_|_051___|_17.7_|_07.7_|_116___|_
04360_|_2778_|_12:29_|_2:14.8_|_320___|_25.6_|_08.7_|_164___|_
07138_|_0357_|_02:23_|_3:20.0_|_041___|_17.2_|_08.7_|_125___|_
07495_|_2787_|_12:39_|_2:16.2_|_324___|_25.6_|_08.6_|_166___|_
10282_|_0353_|_02:40_|_3:47.1_|_046___|_17.2_|_07.7_|_126___|_
10635_|_2813_|_12:41_|_2:15.3_|_326___|_25.7_|_08.6_|_167___|_
13448_|_1205_|_07:42_|_3:11.9_|_144___|_18.7_|_08.4_|_126___|_

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
01129_|_06:25_|_2:50.5_|_115___|_17.9_|_09.8_|_119___|_warmup
11201_|_50:18_|_2:14.7_|_1288___|_25.6_|_08.7_|_164___|_Main set
01105_|_07:56_|_3:35.4_|_138___|_17.4_|_08.0_|_122___|_rest meters
01205_|_07:42_|_3:11.9_|_144___|_18.7_|_08.4_|_126___|_cool down
14640_|_12:21_|_2:28.3_|_1685___|_23.3_|_08.7_|_151___|_Total

And thanks to a blazing fast first interval, I managed to hit my target!  And no quitting!  This was a very good workout.  Good pacing.  Reasonable steering.

I’m starting to look forward to head racing.

Monday: 14K Steady State

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Sunday:  A much needed rest day.  I had rowed the 7 previous days and put in some serious volume (88K on the water and 20K on the erg).  On Saturday, after my tough threshold session, we went out to Listen to The Boston Symphony Orchestra in Tanglewood.  We got home about 1 in the morning.

Back at it this morning!

Weather:  Beautiful.  Sunny and Cool, around 60f.  Dry.  Very light wind just rippling the water, from the northwest, which is basically a crosswind.

Plan:

  • warmup to the little island
  • 4 x 2800m
  • brief rest to just turn around the boat.  Less than a minute
  • rate: 20 spm
  • pace: <2:30
  • heart rate: cap at 150

What a difference flat water makes.  On Saturday, my average pace was 2:22.7 at 24spm and with an average HR of 165.  Today, my pace was 0.4 sec slower at 2:23.1, but at a stroke rate of 20spm and an average HR of 147!

The main difference was the wind and waves, but there is also a loss in efficiency as my stroke rate goes up.  I need to keep at the threshold sessions to improve my technique at head racing stroke rates.

Tomorrow:  4 x 2700m / 4′ rest, pace ~2:15, rate: 26

 

Saturday: Tough Threshold work on Quinsig

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Weather:  Warm, starting in the low 70s and climbing.  Wind was gusty, swinging randomly around from the south to the west.  Average wind was around 4 mph with gusts above 6.  There was a fair amount of chop on the lake.  There were also lots of power boats.

Plan:

  • Warmup by heading to the north end of the lake (~2K)
  • 2 x 5.5K
  • 5′ rest
  • pace target: 2:20
  • rate: start at 22 for 2k, then to 24 for 2k then to 26 for the last 1.5K

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_2150_|_10:47_|_2:30.5_|_199___|_18.5_|_10.8_|_138___|_warmup
02156_|_0069_|_00:33_|_3:57.0_|_009___|_16.5_|_07.7_|_110___|_turn
02225_|_1404_|_06:40_|_2:22.3_|_152___|_22.8_|_09.2_|_157___|_head down lake
03629_|_0847_|_05:16_|_3:06.3_|_092___|_17.5_|_09.2_|_146___|_swamped
04476_|_2134_|_10:05_|_2:21.7_|_253___|_25.1_|_08.4_|_168___|_rest of lake
06610_|_0186_|_01:42_|_4:33.7_|_021___|_12.4_|_08.9_|_125___|_turn
06796_|_5724_|_27:19_|_2:23.2_|_669___|_24.5_|_08.6_|_165___|_full lake
12520_|_2246_|_14:22_|_3:11.9_|_265___|_18.4_|_08.5_|_139___|_feet out

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
02150_|_10:47_|_2:30.5_|_199___|_18.5_|_10.8_|_138___|_warmup
09262_|_44:04_|_2:22.7_|_1074___|_24.4_|_08.6_|_165___|_Main set
01102_|_07:30_|_3:24.2_|_122___|_16.3_|_09.0_|_139___|_rest meters
02246_|_14:22_|_3:11.9_|_265___|_18.4_|_08.5_|_139___|_cool down
14760_|_16:43_|_2:35.9_|_1660___|_21.6_|_08.9_|_154___|_Total

What an adventure.

The warmup was reasonably uneventful.  I launched and headed up lake.  The wind was behind me and I was cruising along nicely.  I pushed the pace a little until my heart rate was well up in the UT1 range, then backed off to save myself for the main event.

The plan was to do two complete lengths of the lake, 11k in total at a pace a bit slower than head race pace.  To try to conserve energy, I planned to start at 22spm, and then push the rate up to 24 after 2K, then again up to 26 after another 2k.

This plan lasted until my encounter with the new police boat on the lake.  This is a truly magnificent police boat.  Apparently a surplus open ocean patrol boat from the coast guard.  It’s big and I learned the hard way that it throws a massive wake.

I was pushing hard into the head wind.  At first, in the relatively sheltered north end of the lake, I was doing OK around 2:20 pace, but slowed considerably in the chop and breeze as I got into the second 1000 meters.  Then I saw the police boat over my shoulder.  It passed to my port side, about 40 meters away, and I steered a bit toward the wake to take it straight on my bow.  The wake was huge.  I rolled down either side of my boat, well above the gunwale and completely filled the footwell before it receded to stern.  At first, I thought I would just be brave and muscle on, but the water sloshing around was really bugging me, so I turned into the docks to empty it out.  My pace from the top of the lake to the point I got waked was a 2:22.3.

That part went just fine.  In to the dock. Out of the boat.  All the loose bits out of the boat.  Oars off, lift the boat, drain it out.  Back in the water. Oars back on.  Water bottle and shoes back in the boat.  Get back in the boat.  That is where things went awry.

I stepped into the boat and got my feet strapped in.  At that point, I noticed the dock was just barely beyond my reach to push off.  Oh well, I slowly pulled in my port side oar to push away from the dock.  I had to haul it all the way so that the blade was at the oarlock.  This position was apparently a bit unstable.  I started to push off with my blade tip, and the oar slipped under the side of the dock, and in a heart beat, I was in the water next to my boat wondering what the hell had happened.

So back to square one.  right the boat.  Repeat the drill to get the water out.  Get back in.  Feet in shoes.  Push off and row humbly away.  Very embarrassing.  I paddled out to the proper course and restarted my piece.  The wind must have swung more westerly in this section because the chop was less and my pace was better.  At least it was better until I was waked again about halfway to the narrows.  I got back up to speed and continued to the narrows before I noticed that my speedcoach seemed  to have been stopped during my whole docking/draining/flipping/draining exercise and I had not logged the prior 1000 meters or so.  Dohhh!  I restarted the speedcoach and continued.  Within a few hundred meters, I was waked hard again.  Not enough to swamp me, but enough to make me stop rowing for a couple strokes.  Things were nice and flat for the next 1000m, then another waterskiing boat nailed me with a wake as I was heading into the cove at the south end of the lake.  The last 2K was at a 2:21 pace.  I guess it must have been more of a cross wind than a head wind.

At this point the thought doing another piece just like that one was filling me with dread.  I took a nice rest, a bit longer than 5 minutes and told myself that a nice tail wind would make everything feel much better.  This lie was exposed almost immediately.  The wind was coming just about from exactly sideways, and now I was on the leeward side of the lake, so the chop was bigger.  I gave up on trying to rate down at 22 because it was easier to balance at 24.  It was a real challenge to try to keep my strokes long at the catch because the chop was throwing off my balance.  I was also having trouble finishing clean on some strokes because my oars would come out of the water at different times with the wave action.  Strangely enough, after getting waked 3 times going down lake, I was completely unscathed going uplake for the entire 5700 meters.  I was slower going uplake, with an average pace of 2:23.2.  I blame the chop!

I was very tired by the time I finished the piece at the north end of the lake.  I had a drink, pulled my feet out of the shoes and took it really easy coming back down lake to the dock.  I crawled out of the boat onto the dock.

It wasn’t easy, but I have to say it was a productive session.  Need to get practice in crappy water, and I need lots of minutes at threshold to get ready for head racing.

Friday: Long UT1 row

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Weather:  Awesome!  Sunny.  It started cool around 60F, but warmed up fast.  It was in the mid 70s by the time finished.  The wind was just like yesterday, around 2-4 mph from the West.  A tailwind going downriver and a headwind heading up wind.

Plan:

  • 90′ of steady state
  • rate: 20
  • pace: ~2:30
  • HR: <155

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00003_|_1201_|_06:00_|_2:30.0_|_124___|_20.6_|_09.7_|_132___|_warmup
01204_|_2784_|_13:14_|_2:22.6_|_268___|_20.3_|_10.4_|_147___|_tail wind
03988_|_0055_|_00:20_|_3:04.5_|_005___|_14.8_|_11.0_|_140___|_turn
04043_|_2818_|_13:54_|_2:27.9_|_280___|_20.2_|_10.1_|_151___|_head wind
06861_|_0078_|_00:31_|_3:20.6_|_009___|_17.3_|_08.7_|_133___|_turn
06939_|_2775_|_13:29_|_2:25.9_|_269___|_19.9_|_10.3_|_152___|_tail wind
09714_|_0077_|_00:34_|_3:42.7_|_012___|_21.0_|_06.4_|_143___|_turn
09791_|_2798_|_14:05_|_2:31.0_|_286___|_20.3_|_09.8_|_154___|_head wind
12589_|_0054_|_00:21_|_3:13.5_|_005___|_14.4_|_10.8_|_121___|_turn
12643_|_2822_|_13:54_|_2:27.7_|_279___|_20.1_|_10.1_|_153___|_tail wind
15465_|_0061_|_00:32_|_4:22.3_|_009___|_16.9_|_06.8_|_142___|_turn
15526_|_2315_|_11:46_|_2:32.4_|_238___|_20.2_|_09.7_|_153___|_head wind
17841_|_1683_|_09:14_|_2:44.4_|_183___|_19.8_|_09.2_|_146___|_back to dock

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
01201_|_06:00_|_2:30.0_|_124___|_20.6_|_09.7_|_132___|_warmup
16312_|_1:20:21_|_2:27.8_|_1620___|_20.2_|_10.1_|_152___|_Main set
02008_|_11:32_|_2:52.4_|_223___|_19.3_|_09.0_|_144___|_rest meters
19521_|_1:37:54_|_2:30.4_|_1967___|_20.1_|_09.9_|_150___|_Total

I’m happy with this session.  I worked within the HR cap and felt like the boat was running well.

Tomorrow:  2 x 5.5K / 5′ rest, rate r24, pace <2:20 on Lake Quinsigamond

Thursday: Easy Technique

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Weather: Sunny, hot – in the 80s, light wind around 4 mph from the west, generally a head wind when going up river.

I was out late for dinner with a customer on Wednesday night, so I decided to sleep in, and maybe catch a row in the late afternoon after work.  I was able to get out around 4:30PM and I was on the water by about 5:15.

I was originally planning to do a hard threshold session, but I’m still feeling a bit worn down.  I’m also working through some lower back pain.  I was dreading the session enough that I found myself trying to come up with reasons to not row.  Once I figured that out, I decided that it was too nice a day to miss getting out on the water to enjoy it, and reset my plans.  I would do a low intensity technique session.

I didn’t have a ton of time, so I decided to just do one lap of river, about 9km.  It’s been a while since I did a bungee row, so I opted to row from the dock to the end of the river with the bungee and then take it off for the row back.  The main thing I try to do when I row with a bungee is to work on my form during the drive.  I want to accelerate smoothly while maintaining a body forward position, with my shoulders relaxed and my arms not bent at all, then swing my body through, and finish smooth and early and get my blades out of the water cleanly.  The big thing is avoiding opening up my back early.  Paradoxically, doing this session with a bit of lower bak pain was helpful.  Essentially, my back would remind me with a twinge anytime I opened early.

I was surprised by the pace I was getting with the bungee.  I usually lose about 15 seconds or more off pace, but today it was less than 10.  Once I turned the boat around and took the bungee off, I understood why.  I was rowing with a gentle tail wind.  Now I was rowing into the wind and frankly, it felt a lot like rowing with the bungee.  I tried to just stick at an easy 18 spm, and ignore the pace as much as I could to focus on getting the drive right and enjoying the sunshine.

 

Wednesday: 13K LIT Technique

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Weather:   cool and misty.  Around 60F, quite foggy at the start, but cleared up as I went along.  Light wind <2mph, seemingly from every direction of the compass.

Plan:

  • 2′ Square Blades
  • 2′ alternating square and feathered by stroke
  • 2′ feathered – r20
  • Objectives:  clean finishes, balance during recovery (blades high!), full compression at the catch
  • HR guideline:  Top of UT1 (155), maximize time in UT2 (137-143)

This was a nice relaxed session.  Good balance and some very nice strokes.

75′ LIT

Tomorrow:  4 x 2700 / 4′ rest @ r24, pace target <2:20, HR limit 170

Tuesday: 10K OTW threshold

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Weather: mid 60s, overcast, intermittent light rain. Light SE wind, 4 mph with gusts to 6. This was a head wind going downriver and tail wind going up river.

Plan:

  • 4 x 2700 / 4′ rest
  • rate: 24-26
  • pace: ~2:15
  • No HR cap

I had a bad feeling about this workout from the moment I woke up.  I slept well, but apparently not long enough to catch up because I was sore and lethargic.

Another bad sign.  I forgot something right before I left the house and needed to climb the stairs to go back and get it.  I felt noticeably winded by the time I got to top of the stairs.  Uh oh.

Well, those intervals are not going to do themselves, you know.  So I pressed on regardless.  I got to the dock around 6:10 and I was on the water by 6:15.  It was then I noticed that my phone had not charged overnight and was completely dead (just like me!).  Today would be a speedcoach only session.  Too bad, I was looking forward to looking at acceleration curves for r24 and r26.  I’ll loop back to that later this week I guess.

When I launched, it was raining lightly, but it stopped by the time I finished warming up.  As I paddled through the cut, I heard and felt a significant thump.  I jammed my oars to stop the boat and heard a much softer bump when the log hit the impeller, and then an almost imperceptible bump when it hit the fin.  I saw it bob to the surface behind me, a weed encrusted log, about 6 feet long and 6″ in diameter.  More about that later.

I got myself setup to go in front of the island, and took off at r24.  The boat felt heavy, probably because of the light head wind, but also I was feeling a twinge in my lower back.  I got up to speed, and was counting strokes.  Looking over my shoulder I saw a single and launch coming the other way, so I stopped after about 50 strokes, hailed them, and paddled back to the launch.  I asked if he would go looking for the log and get rid of it for me.  He seemed happy to do it.  I doubt they want to lose a fin on it any more than I do.

Anyway, back to work.  I started again and was counting strokes.  It felt like a ton of effort to maintain any reasonable pace, and by the time I came out of the S-turn, I was discouraged and very tired.  I costed to a stop, paddled a little, and then brought it back up to an r24 and rowed the rest of the way to the Moody street dam.

Boy that was hard work.  I felt miserable.  Like I was rowing in mud.  I hoped that going the other way, with the light tail wind would be a bit easier.  It wasn’t.  I rowed up to the s-turn and bailed out again.  I paddled through the turn, and then did the last 1100m original start point.  Ugh.

I thought about quitting, but that would have made me feel even worse about this session.  Onward and downstreamwards!  The wind felt stronger, but it probably wasn’t, and I was having trouble just keeping the boat going faster than a 2:25.  And in the s-turn, I saw the pace popping above 2:30 a few times.  But I had had enough of bailing out.  I started to feel a bit hopeless in front of the watch factory, but eased up the pressure a bit and tried to maintain the stroke rate.  Within 10 or so strokes, I was back on track.  Once I was through the bridge, I pushed the pace a bit harder to the Moody Street dam.  I was feeling a bit better now.  At least I had completed the full rep, even if it was slow as hell.  One more to go.

Again, I focused on rate, not pace.  I was hoping that there would be a helpful tailwind.  Maybe there was a little bit, but not enough to help me.  I did OK up to the s-turn, but slowed down a lot through that.  Coming out of it, I gradually increase pressure and rate as I counted strokes.  It takes me about 300 to 320 strokes to get from end to end in these intervals, and coming out of the s-turn, I counted my 200th stroke.  Now, I just needed to get through another 120.  You can see the HR climb through this last section as I sensed the end was near.  Thank God!

After I finished, I pulled my feet out of the shoes and paddled home, working on clean finishes and balance.

Not my best work, but partial credit for sticking it out.

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_1197_|_06:48_|_2:50.4_|_123___|_18.1_|_09.7_|_124___|_warmup
01206_|_0454_|_02:00_|_2:12.3_|_050___|_25.0_|_09.1_|_147___|_head wind
01660_|_0162_|_01:02_|_3:10.7_|_016___|_15.5_|_10.1_|_144___|_stop to chat
01822_|_1181_|_05:17_|_2:14.4_|_135___|_25.5_|_08.7_|_159___|_head wind
03003_|_0137_|_00:45_|_2:42.8_|_016___|_21.5_|_08.6_|_138___|_bailed
03140_|_1129_|_05:19_|_2:21.5_|_125___|_23.5_|_09.0_|_155___|_head wind
04269_|_0037_|_00:27_|_6:10.3_|_007___|_15.3_|_05.3_|_127___|_rest
04306_|_1457_|_06:39_|_2:17.1_|_164___|_24.6_|_08.9_|_159___|_tail wind
05763_|_0239_|_01:41_|_3:31.3_|_030___|_17.8_|_08.0_|_135___|_bailed
06002_|_1094_|_04:51_|_2:13.1_|_121___|_24.9_|_09.0_|_163___|_tail wind
07096_|_0051_|_00:47_|_7:37.8_|_010___|_12.8_|_05.1_|_117___|_rest
07147_|_2798_|_13:29_|_2:24.5_|_323___|_24.0_|_08.7_|_165___|_head wind
09945_|_0117_|_01:21_|_5:44.9_|_020___|_14.9_|_05.9_|_120___|_rest
10062_|_2760_|_13:05_|_2:22.1_|_320___|_24.5_|_08.6_|_165___|_tail wind
12822_|_1212_|_07:43_|_3:10.8_|_143___|_18.5_|_08.5_|_132___|_feet out

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
01197_|_06:48_|_2:50.4_|_123___|_18.1_|_09.7_|_124___|_warmup
10873_|_50:41_|_2:19.8_|_1238___|_24.4_|_08.8_|_162___|_Main set
00743_|_06:02_|_4:03.7_|_099___|_16.4_|_07.5_|_131___|_rest meters
01212_|_07:43_|_3:10.8_|_143___|_18.5_|_08.5_|_132___|_cool down
14025_|_11:13_|_2:32.3_|_1603___|_22.5_|_08.7_|_152___|_Total

Today’s session: 50′ HIT, 20′ LIT

Tomorrow: The plan calls for r20 steady state, but I think I need a very low intensity session.  So I think I will switch it with my Planned Friday session, which is:

  • Square Blades / Slow Roll Up / r20 2 minutes each, repeated