During “test week”, I am doing 3 x 20′ steady state on the off days.  I’m trying to home in on the right training power and also do something that I think will be easy to keep up with in future test weeks.

Today, it was chilly outside, so with open windows, it was quite cool, maybe mid-50s, and it was quite breezy, so I had a lot of air flow.  I’ve noticed a very strong correlation between HR and temperature, so I expected my HR to stay low and it did.  It also felt incredibly easy.  I had intended to back off from 193W to 190W for todays session, but it just felt so incredibly easy, I couldn’t do it.  I stuck with 193W.

As usual, I did the slow start.  I’m more convinced every day that this makes a big difference

Workout Summary – Nov 14, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_14589_|_60:00.0_|_02:03.4_|_186.3_|_18.9_|_130.6_|_ 61.4% _|_12.9_|_09.9
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_04745_|_20:00.0_|_02:06.4_|_173.1_|_17.9_|_122.7_|_ 55.8% _|_13.3_|_09.7
02_|_04919_|_20:00.0_|_02:02.0_|_192.9_|_19.4_|_132.8_|_ 63.0% _|_12.7_|_09.9
03_|_04924_|_20:00.0_|_02:01.8_|_193.5_|_19.4_|_135.7_|_ 65.0% _|_12.7_|_10.0

But lactates don’t lie.  When I used this power on Thursday, I tested at 3.0mmol/l.  Today, with my HR so low and a low RPE to match, I expected to test out well below 2.0, but that is not what happened.  I tested out at 2.5mmol/l.

That’s a bit better than Thursday’s reading, but still above target.  It just goes to show you how variable HR is as a guide for steady state training.  If I was using HR as a guide, I would have pushed the pace much harder and my lactates would have probably been above 5.0 by the end.

There is a little nagging doubt in the back of mind that maybe this test was wrong.  Maybe I contaminated it with a bit of sweat.  But I’m pretty careful, and it isn’t that far off.  I only have to be a little bit above target to start to accumulate lactate and over 60 minutes, the difference between 2.0 and 2.5 is very small.

So, I have to earn the right to train at 193W.  I have to back off and get 3 tests below 2.0 before I push the pace up.

Here are my 60′ lactates

Later today I’ll be doing my 6K test.  Target is sub 1:50 pace.  SB last year was 1:49 pace.  PB is 1:47.6 pace.  I think a PB is out of reach, but if today is a good day, I might be able to match last season.  I need to remember that this is just a marker for the beginning of winter training.

More deviations from the test week plan.  As I drafted the plan, I had decided that between test days, I would do 2×20′ of steady state.  Today I changed my mind for a couple reasons.

1. I wanted to take a lactate test at the normal 60′ minute point to check if a step up in steady power was justified.
2. I didn’t really see the harm as long as I made it a consistent change for future test weeks
3. I felt like rowing, dammit.

Plan:

1. 3 x 20′ / 1′ rest
2. Rate: <20 spm
3. Pace:  Slow start at 2:15 for 5′, then 2:10 for 5′, then target pace thereafter (2:02)
4. Lactate test immediately after last 20′ piece

Workout Summary – Nov 12, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_14583_|_60:00.0_|_02:03.4_|_186.1_|_18.6_|_139.3_|_ 67.6% _|_13.1_|_10.0
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_04741_|_20:00.0_|_02:06.6_|_172.7_|_17.8_|_124.6_|_ 57.2% _|_13.4_|_09.7
02_|_04922_|_20:00.0_|_02:01.9_|_193.2_|_19.0_|_143.0_|_ 70.2% _|_13.0_|_10.2
03_|_04920_|_20:00.0_|_02:02.0_|_192.9_|_19.1_|_149.4_|_ 74.8% _|_12.9_|_10.1

Lactate Reading after finishing was 3.0mmol/l vs target of <2.0.

So, 193W is a bit too much for right now.  I will back off to 190W and monitor.  When I get 3 readings under 2.0, I’ll push again.

It’s tough for me to remember that there is little downside to going too slow, but pushing too fast reduces the effectiveness of the training.  That’s why lactate testing is such a useful  tool for me.

Tomorrow:  2K time trial.  I’d like to beat 6:50.

Sunday:  Rest day

Monday:

Weather:  It doesn’t matter 😦

Plan:

1. 4×20′ / 1′ rest
2. slow start 5′ @ 2:15, 5′ @ 2:10, then 2:03 the rest of the way
3. rate: 19-21 (on slides)
4. lactate test at 60 minutes

Nothing unusual in the HR chart.  I increased speed by about half a second for the last 20 minutes to see if I could hold the higher power without my HR running away.

In the first interval, you can see the steps at 2:15 and 2:10, then the rise after the step to 2:03.  I was actually pulling around 2:02.7.  Then for the last 20 minutes, I pushed to 2:02.

So, this is the third lactate in a row at or below 1.6mmol/l for a power between 185 and 190.  I’m going to target 2:02 (193W) for a few workouts to see how that goes.

Tomorrow:  I will be starting a series of assessments to get a baseline before starting my winter training plan.

Today, I had a doctor’s appointment at 11am, so I decided to work from home before that.  That made getting to the river for a real row a hassle, so again, I opted to do my steady state session on the erg.  It was a lovely fall morning, but it was a bit blustery, so I wasn’t to disappointed to miss the OTW.

The plan for today was a steady state endurance session.  The objective is to do the whole session with lactates below 2.0 mmol/l.  To test  that, I did a lactate test at the end of the 3rd interval, so after 60 minutes of rowing.

I am also sticking with the slow start plan.  It’s a relaxing way to start and I think it has a measurable impact on how well my HR plateaus, and results in lower lactate readings.

Last few of these sessions, I have been working at a 2:04 pace, and I’ve been reading around 2.0 for lactate readings, which is a bit higher than I really want.  I decided that if today was above 2.0, I would slow down the pace by a second.

But as it turns out, today’s lactate reading was a delightfully low 1.5mmol/l, and HR was equally low.

The other thing that I would like to think is going on is that the change that I made to reduce the intensity of my steady state rowing and ergs is actually having a beneficial effect on my endurance and reducing lactate levels.  There isn’t enough data to support that, but I think the trend is good.

Workout Summary – Oct 30, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_19284_|_80:00.0_|_02:04.5_|_181.6_|_18.1_|_133.3_|_ 63.3% _|_13.3_|_10.0
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01116_|_05:00.0_|_02:14.4_|_144.3_|_15.4_|_107.8_|_ 45.3% _|_14.5_|_09.4
02_|_01163_|_05:00.0_|_02:09.0_|_163.2_|_17.2_|_119.7_|_ 53.7% _|_13.5_|_09.5
03_|_02423_|_10:00.0_|_02:03.8_|_184.3_|_17.9_|_130.3_|_ 61.2% _|_13.5_|_10.3
04_|_04860_|_20:00.0_|_02:03.5_|_186.0_|_18.1_|_133.8_|_ 63.7% _|_13.4_|_10.3
05_|_04854_|_20:00.0_|_02:03.6_|_185.3_|_18.6_|_136.7_|_ 65.7% _|_13.1_|_10.0
06_|_04868_|_20:00.0_|_02:03.3_|_186.9_|_18.8_|_139.2_|_ 67.5% _|_13.0_|_10.0

While I rowed, I was listening to the Teaching Company audio course on “Turning Points in American History”.  I learned a bit about the King Philip War, the court case that laid the legal foundation for freedom of the press in colonial america, and the Boston Tea Party.  The time passed very enjoyably.

Tomorrow:  Head Race Simulation on Lake Quinsigamond.  Hard 5.5km.

It was freezing this morning.  About 28F, so I decided to erg instead of rowing outside.

Plan called for steady state. So…

1. 4 x 20’/1′
2. ramp pace over first 10 minutes (5′ @ 2:15, 5′ @ 2:10, then 2:04 the rest of the way)
3. lactate test at 60 minutes.

So, in a nutshell, here is a real life example of how uncorrelated HR and lactate can be under different circumstances.

So compare yesterday and today.  power within 2 watts.  Same exact warmup process. Lactate reading was 0.3 higher today, but HR was 16 beats higher.  Thats more than 12% of HRR different.

I was in a different place, at a different time of day, and the room was definitely a bit warmer.  I had good airflow in both cases.

The conclusion that I am drawing is that I will continue to use 60′ lactate readings as a measure of intensity.  2.3 is above the high end of what I really want to see, but I don’t want to change training intensity based on a single reading above the limit.  So, I think I will hold at 185W, and continue to test.  If I read above 2.0 for the next workout, then I will drop 5W.

Tomorrow:  Back on the water for a 5x2K / 5′ rest at head race pace and r28.

My wife and I had plans in the afternoon, so I jumped on the erg as soon as I got up to get some meters in.  I was quite sore from the race on Saturday.  My ribs, my adductors and my arms were all quite sore.  I guess there was a lot of “conventional” movements.

Like Saturday afternoon, I started at lower power and ramped up over 15 minutes.  Again, my HR stayed nice and low.  A little bit of drift in the last 20 minutes.  Lactates were 1.2 at 20′, 1.1 at 40′, and weirdly 3.2 at 60 minutes.  It might have been a blown reading, but it might indicate that I had crossed over to building up some lactate in the last few minutes of the last 20′.  No matter.  I think rowing at a 2:04 (183W) pace for steady state until I see <2.0 at 80′ is the safe bet for now.

Output
Workout Summary – Oct 06, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_14337_|_60:00.0_|_02:05.5_|_176.9_|_17.9_|_129.5_|_ 60.6% _|_13.3_|_09.9
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01118_|_05:00.0_|_02:14.2_|_144.9_|_16.2_|_105.0_|_ 43.3% _|_13.8_|_08.9
02_|_01159_|_05:00.0_|_02:09.4_|_161.4_|_17.4_|_119.3_|_ 53.4% _|_13.3_|_09.3
03_|_01204_|_05:00.0_|_02:04.6_|_181.1_|_18.2_|_127.4_|_ 59.2% _|_13.2_|_09.9
04_|_01208_|_05:00.0_|_02:04.2_|_182.7_|_18.0_|_130.2_|_ 61.1% _|_13.4_|_10.2
05_|_04822_|_20:00.0_|_02:04.4_|_181.7_|_18.2_|_131.0_|_ 61.7% _|_13.2_|_10.0
06_|_04827_|_20:00.0_|_02:04.3_|_182.2_|_18.1_|_136.2_|_ 65.4% _|_13.3_|_10.1