6K Threshold workout

March 7, 2015March 7, 2015Leave a comment

Plan:

20′ lactate test
6K hard distance piece, target pace 1:50
2K cool down

20′ lactate test: Thought I could get away with about 5w higher power because I was on a static erg. I was wrong. 185W…Lactate=2.2. Stick with 180 static and 178 on slides.

Output
Workout Summary – Mar 07, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_04853_|_20:00.0_|_02:03.6_|_185.2_|_17.9_|_134.6_|_ 64.3% _|_13.6_|_10.3
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01221_|_05:00.0_|_02:02.9_|_188.7_|_18.2_|_119.5_|_ 53.5% _|_13.4_|_10.4
02_|_01216_|_05:00.0_|_02:03.4_|_186.4_|_18.2_|_134.5_|_ 64.2% _|_13.4_|_10.2
03_|_01212_|_05:00.0_|_02:03.8_|_184.6_|_17.6_|_140.8_|_ 68.6% _|_13.8_|_10.5
04_|_01205_|_05:00.0_|_02:04.5_|_181.3_|_17.6_|_144.3_|_ 71.2% _|_13.7_|_10.3

6K Threshold

I could tell within the first 500m that the 1:50 target was not within reach. So I slowed down to around a 1:52 pace. Even that turned out to be too much. It makes sense, my steady state pace is at least 4 or 5 slower than where I was when I was able to row a 6K at a 1:48 pace. Twice during the row, I broke form and then got back on track at a lsower pace. I don’t see any real purpose to pushing deeply into anaerobic territory in these rows right now.

This was a good marker for me. Over the next couple months, I will try to slowing improve against this pace marker for middle distances.

Output
Workout Summary – Mar 07, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_06000_|_22:38.6_|_01:53.2_|_241.2_|_24.6_|_168.4_|_ 88.2% _|_10.8_|_09.8
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01000_|_03:42.6_|_01:51.3_|_253.9_|_24.5_|_145.3_|_ 71.8% _|_11.0_|_10.4
02_|_01000_|_03:42.3_|_01:51.2_|_254.8_|_24.8_|_165.4_|_ 86.1% _|_10.9_|_10.3
03_|_01000_|_03:45.3_|_01:52.6_|_244.8_|_24.5_|_171.5_|_ 90.4% _|_10.9_|_10.0
04_|_01000_|_03:48.7_|_01:54.4_|_234.0_|_24.7_|_173.5_|_ 91.9% _|_10.6_|_09.5
05_|_01000_|_03:50.0_|_01:55.0_|_230.1_|_24.3_|_176.5_|_ 94.0% _|_10.8_|_09.5
06_|_01000_|_03:49.7_|_01:54.8_|_231.2_|_25.1_|_177.5_|_ 94.7% _|_10.4_|_09.2

Thereafter, a happy ending cool down, starting at 200W and dropping 10W every 500m

Output
Workout Summary – Mar 07, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_02000_|_08:14.8_|_02:03.7_|_184.9_|_20.7_|_160.2_|_ 82.4% _|_11.7_|_08.9
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_00500_|_02:00.4_|_02:00.4_|_200.3_|_21.9_|_152.1_|_ 76.6% _|_11.4_|_09.1
02_|_00500_|_02:02.6_|_02:02.6_|_190.1_|_21.0_|_163.7_|_ 84.9% _|_11.6_|_09.0
03_|_00500_|_02:04.9_|_02:04.9_|_179.8_|_20.2_|_163.6_|_ 84.8% _|_11.9_|_08.9
04_|_00500_|_02:06.9_|_02:06.9_|_171.1_|_19.9_|_161.6_|_ 83.4% _|_11.9_|_08.6

Tomorrow: 20′ lactate at 180W, and then another 25′ or so to give me enough to keep me on track for the 10K a day version of Mud Season Madness

4×20’/1’r with lactate

March 6, 2015March 6, 2015Leave a comment

On slides.

Continuing to work on better posture and proper sequencing.

Tomorrow: Probably a harder 6K, target pace around 1:50.

March CTC – 3×250 / 2′ rest (plus additional 250s and lactate test)

March 5, 2015Leave a comment

First order of business today was to get a GOOD baseline power level for steady state training. So, I reset my training power down to 176 and did a 20′ lactate test. It finally did the trick. Average HR for the last 5 minutes was 134 (64% HRR), and the lactate measurement was 1.5mmol/l. And it felt very easy. Now, I can start the process of climbing the lactate ladder a watt at a time, keeping my levels below 2.0.

After that I did the March Concept2 Cross Team Challenge. This month’s challenge is 3×250/2′ rest. I increased the drag factor to 150, and did with the erg on slides. I really botched the start of the first interval, which probably cost me a second or two, but all the reps were pretty close to all out efforts. End result was 2:09.0 total time, or a 1:26.0 pace. Looking at the names around me, it looks like about what I should have expected. With practice, I think I can shave a second or so off the average pace.

To turn it into something more closely resembling training, I did 2 more sets of 3×250/2’rest, albeit at a slower pace. This was good practice for rowing at higher rates. I think this might be a good pick for short interval training this month, maybe increasing the number of reps even further.

Tomorrow: Steady State at 177W, with lactate test at 20′

Static Erg Stroke Analysis

March 3, 2015Leave a comment

Today was the first time I have erged without slides since trying to implement the changes to my stroke. It wasn’t a stellar session, but I thought it would be instructive to see how things compare between static and slides.

I did a rate ladder with 1 minute at r18, 1 minute at r20 and 1 minute at r22.

My feet were not strapped in and the erg is equipped with a core-perform seat which I had set to wobble to force myself to maintain upper body balance.

Looking at the film, I can see that I am struggling with the new stroke. I am trying to maintain a good upright posture, but tend to slump at the finish. I am also not completing the body swing before I break my knees. The stroke looks better at r22, but the sequencing is still wrong.

I may have to resort to some pause at body over drills to try to get the new positioning right.

Monday: 40′ steady state with lactate

March 3, 2015March 3, 2015Leave a comment

Just horrible. The first 20 minutes were awful. The second 20 were worse. I think I am not completely better. In any case, I need to dial back the intensity of steady state sessions to keep them as productive as possible.

First 20 minutes: Although Hr and lactates are not very well correlated, generally, I need to have the last 5 minute avg HR to be under 140 to have any prayer of the lactates being below 2.0. Obviously, that did not happen today.

Output
Workout Summary – Mar 03, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_04853_|_20:00.0_|_02:03.6_|_185.2_|_17.9_|_134.6_|_ 64.3% _|_13.6_|_10.3
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

Lactate test at end of 20′ –> 2.5mmol/l (way too high)

Then into the second 20 minutes. I should have slowed it down, but I want to play around a bit with different rates and pressures.

Output
Workout Summary – Mar 03, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_04852_|_20:00.0_|_02:03.7_|_185.1_|_18.2_|_149.8_|_ 75.1% _|_13.3_|_10.2
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01206_|_05:00.0_|_02:04.3_|_182.1_|_17.6_|_135.3_|_ 64.7% _|_13.7_|_10.3
02_|_01204_|_05:00.0_|_02:04.5_|_181.2_|_17.6_|_148.5_|_ 74.1% _|_13.7_|_10.3
03_|_01212_|_05:00.0_|_02:03.8_|_184.4_|_18.0_|_153.9_|_ 78.0% _|_13.5_|_10.2
04_|_01229_|_05:00.0_|_02:02.0_|_192.7_|_19.6_|_160.4_|_ 82.6% _|_12.5_|_09.8

After that mess, I setup and did a 3 minute rate ladder for video analysis

Then

Comparison of before and after rowing styles

February 27, 20152 Comments

Here is a frame grab from the video I posted on Wednesday. I am mid recovery. At this point, my arms are extended, my back should be in the catch position and I am starting to roll up the slide. I have drawn a line from my knee to my hip, then to my mid back, and then to the back of my shoulder joint. You can see the shallow angle that my hip is making. Essentially, my hips are rocked back in the same position through the whole stroke.

Compare that to the video I uploaded after figured out what was going on. I am consciously trying to sit up and hinge at my hips during the recovery. It is the same moment in the stroke. The yellow lines are from the picture above. The blue lines are the connecting to the same points in my mid back and shoulder as the first picture. So, this is about a 25 degree change in the angle that my hips are making with my back.

The good news is that this conforms more closely with what a stroke should look like and enables a great deal more back swing. The bad news is that trying to make this change after rowing 16 million meters on the erg is horrifyingly hard. It’s like walking with a stone my shoe. The other thing is that by hinging on my hips, I am rolling over my sitz bones every stroke. Today I tried a C2 seat pad with sitz bones holes and that helped a bit, but I am still sore in those spots.

This is a very hard thing to do. I hope it helps in the long run.

2×20′ + 1×10′ with lactate

February 27, 2015Leave a comment

First 20′ were r20 at 184W and tested for lactate. Result: 2.5…Too high. I’m not sure how many times I have to do this to convince myself to back off the training power and get myself back below 2.0 mmol/l.

Second 20′, I was really bored, and a bit fatigued, so I did an L4.

First 10′: 22/20/22/20/22

Second 10′: 4’@18, 3’@20, 2’@22, 1’@24

Power was: 18-160W, 20-180W, 22-200W, 24-220W

After I finished that, had a 1′ break and did another 10′ L4

18/20/22/20/18

At that point I was was out of time (and feeling pretty tired).

The main thing that I am dealing with is trying to fundamentally changing my rowing form. From the video that I posted, it became clear that my posture was terrible and I was working very hard to fix the problem, I think this drove my HR higher than if I was rowing more relaxed and by habit.

Tomorrow: Hard 6K, around 1:50 pace

3×20’/2′ rests with lactate

February 26, 2015Leave a comment

I was experimenting with a change in my posture. Trying to sit up straighter and hinge at my hips. This made things a bit tougher, since it was like walking with a stone my shoe.

I did the first 20′ at 183W like a good boy, and did my lactate test. I figured it would be high since I felt pretty tired and sweaty. It was…2.4mmol/l. too high. Definitely need to retreat back to 180.

So, I did that for the second 20′ piece. For some reason, probably because I was concentrating pretty hard to maintain my posture, I was really tired at the end of it.

I had a false start on piece #3. I briefly thought about just quitting, but that seemed like a wimpy thing to do. So I decided to do change it up a little bit. I bumped up the stroke rate to 22. If I was trying to maintain constant SPI, I would have been aiming for 200W, I instead aimed for about a 190, so it was a lighter stroke. It was easier to maintain better posture at this slightly higher rate, and even though my HR was higher, it felt more comfortable. The HR plateaued in the mid-150s in the last few minutes of the the piece.

Sit up straight! Suck in your gut!

February 26, 2015February 26, 2015Leave a comment

I was obsessing about how bad my rowing looked in the videos that I posted and I was really puzzled by why I could see no real lean forward even though it felt like I was doing it while I was rowing. Then it stuck me. I’m actually not as fat as I look in the video! 😀 It’s really that my posture sucks! I am really slumped over and my back is very curved at the catch. It also explained my hand position. My hands weren’t too high, my chest was too low!

The reason I don’t see layback or lean forward is that the bottom of my back (and my hips) are a not moving. All the movement is coming in the middle of my spine. With that in mind, I decided that the best coaching advice for me would be remember what I always heard in junior high.

“Sit up Straight!”
“Stop Slouching”
“Suck in your gut”

Did I mention that it was not a very nurturing environment?

So, I tried to keep that in mind today and, woo boy, was it hard. It was like writing with my left hand or trying breath on the wrong side when swimming the crawl. Entirely unnatural. But effective. I could sequence the recovery better. It was more taxing from a CV perspective since I wasn’t used to it, but I think it’s the right adjustment.

What do you think?

Video of rowing on slides

February 25, 2015Leave a comment

After my steady state session today, I took a little bit of video to see how I am doing in terms of “fixing” some things in my stroke.

Here’s the video:

Looking at the video, here’s what I see:

I am pulling in too high. Essentially, this seems to be caused by me not pulling my upper arms back enough at the finish. Could be a flexibility issue, or just a bad habit
My shins are a little past vertical at the catch, so I am over compressing at the catch. I am not sure how great a sin that is.
At the beginning of the recovery, I break my knees, just a little bit, and then recover with my arms and body and then my legs come up. I suspect that I should keep my knees locked down until I have my body in the catch position would be more efficient.
I have very little lean forward. Part of this is the excess weight I am carrying, but I suspect that it may also be related to body dimensions, and the angle that my thighs at at when my shins are vertical.

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