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!

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.

Saturday: 4×20′ Steady State with lactate tests

September 21, 2015September 21, 201516 Comments

Based on feedback from Boris and Tom, I dialed back the steady state power from th 190W that I targeted last week to 180W this weekend. The goal was to get some meters in the bank and do another experiment to see what my lactate levels do over long pieces.

Plan:

4×20′ / 1′ rest (actually about 1:15 or so by the time I did the lactate test and had a slug of water)
Target rate: 18 to 19 spm
Target power: 180W
No HR cap, training to target power
Lactate tests after each 20′ piece.

Very interesting results. Kind of depressing really. I backed off power by 10W and the saw very close to the same picture for HR and lactate.

Output
Workout Summary – Sep 21, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_19268_|_80:00.0_|_02:04.6_|_181.1_|_18.3_|_142.2_|_ 69.6% _|_13.2_|_09.9
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI_|_Lac

01_|_04821_|_20:00.0_|_02:04.4_|_181.6_|_18.2_|_125.3_|_ 57.7% _|_13.3_|_10.0_|_1.7
02_|_04818_|_20:00.0_|_02:04.5_|_181.2_|_18.1_|_138.7_|_ 67.2% _|_13.3_|_10.0_|_3.3
03_|_04816_|_20:00.0_|_02:04.6_|_180.9_|_18.1_|_149.2_|_ 74.6% _|_13.3_|_10.0_|_4.1
04_|_04813_|_20:00.0_|_02:04.7_|_180.7_|_18.9_|_155.0_|_ 78.7% _|_12.8_|_09.6_|_5.2

Compared to last week, my HR took a little longer to hit each band. And my lactate at 20 minutes was lower than last week (1.7 vs 2.3), by after 20 minutes, my HR and lactate just kept on rising and rising.

Now, this is really intriguing. Based on what I was doing the past couple of years, I would have enthusiastically embraced the 1.7 reading and kept my training power at 180W, because I wouldn’t have taken any more readings.

So, this these results are a bit counterintuitive because it is generally thought that a lactate reading below 2.0 after 20 minutes indicates that the power level is low enough that it will stay there for the duration of the training session. I am not sure what is going on, but I have a few ideas. Lactate accumulation can result from two causes.

The ability to metabolize fat is low, therefore the transition from fat metabolism to glycogen metabolism occurs at a lower power than the training power. This causes the over production of pyruvate, which leads directly to lactate levels rising
The ability to metabolize lactate is low, therefore lactate accumulation happens at a lower power level than expected.

Of these, the more plausible is number 1. If I have been habitually training at too high an intensity, then I have been bathing my muscles in lactate and that would provide plenty of stimulus to improve lactate metabolism. But, the same hypothesis, too high a training power, would definitely cause fat metabolism to shut down and not be developed and improved. I’ve become an anaerobe by doing my steady state at too high an intensity.

I did some digging and found a thread over on Rowing Illustrated which is on point.

A rower with a 380W 2K (roughly 6:30) did a 20′ lactate test at 185W and got a lactate reading of 11.1mmol/l. He finally ended up down at 155W with a 1.85 reading after 20 minutes.

Anyway, I think another shot at this with the power down at 170W next weekend is my next step.

Saturday: 90′ Lactate Experiment

September 13, 201510 Comments

I was really tired on Friday night, so I decided to sleep in instead of rowing on Saturday morning. I needed the sleep, all 12 hours of it!

After running around, doing errands, I decided to do an erg session in the late afternoon. I had not eaten since 9AM, and I started around 4PM, so I was reasonably fasted. I wanted to duplicate my situation rowing in the mornings as closely as I could.

I wanted to get a better feeling for what my lactate and HR did in a longer session at constant power. I’ve been doing steady state sessions around 190W and I thought that was reasonably close to a 2.0 mmol/l intensity. So, the experiment design was simple.

Row a sequence of 9 – 10 minute pieces at 190W, and measure lactate after each during a 1:30 rest. Here is the RowPro view of the experiment

And the split data:

Output
Workout Summary – Sep 13, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_19862_|_90:24.0_|_02:16.5_|_137.5_|_17.9_|_145.8_|_ 72.2% _|_12.2_|_07.7
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_02450_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.4_|_190.7_|_19.5_|_129.2_|_ 60.5% _|_12.6_|_09.8
02_|_00049_|_01:30.0_|_15:22.2_|_000.4_|_02.7_|_116.3_|_ 51.2% _|_12.2_|_00.2
03_|_02453_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.3_|_191.4_|_20.0_|_135.2_|_ 64.7% _|_12.3_|_09.6
04_|_00038_|_01:30.0_|_19:59.2_|_000.2_|_02.0_|_130.0_|_ 61.0% _|_12.5_|_00.1
05_|_02451_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.4_|_190.9_|_19.9_|_141.6_|_ 69.2% _|_12.3_|_09.6
06_|_00057_|_01:30.0_|_13:03.5_|_000.7_|_03.3_|_125.2_|_ 57.6% _|_11.5_|_00.2
07_|_02450_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.4_|_190.7_|_19.8_|_144.9_|_ 71.5% _|_12.4_|_09.6
08_|_00055_|_01:30.0_|_13:33.1_|_000.7_|_04.0_|_125.2_|_ 57.6% _|_09.2_|_00.2
09_|_02451_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.4_|_191.0_|_20.0_|_147.7_|_ 73.6% _|_12.3_|_09.5
10_|_00043_|_01:30.0_|_17:23.5_|_000.3_|_02.7_|_135.3_|_ 64.7% _|_10.8_|_00.1
11_|_02453_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.3_|_191.3_|_20.3_|_152.0_|_ 76.6% _|_12.1_|_09.4
12_|_00038_|_01:33.0_|_20:28.0_|_000.2_|_01.9_|_147.3_|_ 73.3% _|_12.6_|_00.1
13_|_02458_|_10:00.0_|_02:02.1_|_192.5_|_20.2_|_157.3_|_ 80.4% _|_12.2_|_09.5
14_|_00032_|_01:33.0_|_24:08.3_|_000.1_|_01.3_|_146.0_|_ 72.3% _|_16.1_|_00.1
15_|_02383_|_09:48.0_|_02:03.4_|_186.3_|_20.2_|_160.3_|_ 82.5% _|_12.0_|_09.2

This resulted in the following data:

Which, when graphed, looks like:

So, what does this mean?

190W is too high of a power level for me right now.
My HR takes a while to work it’s way up, but the lactate tracks effort pretty quickly
My endurance is suspect. The plateau from 20 to 30 is interesting. I was able to hold that for that period, but I guess I fatigued and started to rely on more fast twitch muscles, which started to generate more lactate. That’s also the point in the row where it started to feel like work.
I was still in my UT1 band until after 60 minutes of rowing, but my lactates were way above the 2.0mmol/l target. My rule of thumb of keeping it below the top end of UT1 is NOT a good guideline.

This was valuable enough that I think I will try it again next weekend at 185W. I suspect that the plateau will be lower and longer, but will break free again and start to climb.

Sunday PM: 2x5K/2′ rest

April 20, 2015Leave a comment

Just a quick session to loosen up the joints and to do a lactate test.

Power: 195.5. HR: 143.7, Rate: 19.1, Lactate: 2.6

Too high. Reduced power to 190W for next piece.

Output
Workout Summary – Apr 20, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_05000_|_20:14.3_|_02:01.4_|_195.5_|_19.1_|_131.9_|_ 62.3% _|_13.0_|_10.2
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01250_|_05:02.6_|_02:01.1_|_197.3_|_19.2_|_103.4_|_ 42.1% _|_12.9_|_10.3
02_|_01250_|_05:03.7_|_02:01.5_|_195.2_|_19.2_|_138.8_|_ 67.2% _|_12.9_|_10.2
03_|_01250_|_05:03.9_|_02:01.6_|_194.8_|_18.8_|_141.9_|_ 69.5% _|_13.2_|_10.4
04_|_01250_|_05:04.1_|_02:01.6_|_194.5_|_19.1_|_143.7_|_ 70.7% _|_12.9_|_10.2

2015-04-20_17-49-53

Output
Workout Summary – Apr 20, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_05000_|_20:24.1_|_02:02.4_|_190.8_|_19.2_|_143.1_|_ 70.3% _|_12.8_|_09.9
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01250_|_05:06.3_|_02:02.5_|_190.3_|_19.2_|_134.7_|_ 64.3% _|_12.8_|_09.9
02_|_01250_|_05:05.6_|_02:02.2_|_191.6_|_19.2_|_144.3_|_ 71.2% _|_12.8_|_10.0
03_|_01250_|_05:05.7_|_02:02.3_|_191.4_|_19.0_|_146.3_|_ 72.5% _|_12.9_|_10.1
04_|_01250_|_05:06.5_|_02:02.6_|_190.0_|_19.4_|_147.2_|_ 73.2% _|_12.6_|_09.8

Sunday PM: Bonus Session 3×20′ steady state -ish

April 12, 2015Leave a comment

I have to fly out early tomorrow morning to California, and I doubt I will have any time to fit in a workout. So, I thought it would be a good idea to do a second session today.

Nothing to taxing, but some more meters in the bank.

As usual, I started with a 20 minute lactate test. As usual for a Sunday, it felt easier than on any other day. Target was 193W, but I was having trouble getting it down below 195W. And my HR was nicely controlled and stayed below 140 throughout the piece.

Power: 195.1W, Rate: 19.4spm, AvgHR: 137.4bpm, Lactate: 1.4mmol/l

Output
Workout Summary – Apr 12, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_04938_|_20:00.0_|_02:01.5_|_195.1_|_19.4_|_132.8_|_ 62.9% _|_12.8_|_10.1
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01236_|_05:00.0_|_02:01.4_|_195.7_|_19.4_|_123.0_|_ 56.0% _|_12.7_|_10.1
02_|_01235_|_05:00.0_|_02:01.5_|_195.3_|_19.4_|_133.9_|_ 63.8% _|_12.7_|_10.1
03_|_01235_|_05:00.0_|_02:01.4_|_195.4_|_19.4_|_136.7_|_ 65.8% _|_12.7_|_10.1
04_|_01232_|_05:00.0_|_02:01.8_|_193.9_|_19.2_|_137.4_|_ 66.3% _|_12.8_|_10.1

So, then I setup for 2 more 20 minute pieces. I row these using rowpro, and I have gotten in the habit of just setting them up as a single continuous row. I started doing it that way because it is the way you have to do it for online rows, but it just works better for the spreadsheet to do it this way. For a 2×20’/1’rest, I set up a continuous row of 42′ and then set up the splits to be 21 minutes long. That way, the avg power for the split is accurate throughout. I row down from 42′ to 22′, then I grab a drink of water and a quick wipe of the towel. I start paddling with a few seconds to go before the 21 minute mark, and then I’m into the second piece. I row that down from 21′ down to 1′, and then I have to decide what I want to do with that last minute. Sometimes I just row it out at the target pace. Other times, I paddle it as a quick cool down. Most often, I do a quick 1′ at higher rate and pressure for a bit of fun at the end of the row.

You can do the same thing for 3×20′ (63′) or 4×20′ (84′).

Today, I dutifully did my next 20 minutes at 195W target power. My HR monitor was dropping in and out, but I had enough readings to see that my HR was staying nice and low. I also felt terrific. So, during the 1 minute break, I decided to row the last 21′ harder. I did the first 5′ at r22 and 220W, then 5′ at r21/210W, then 5′ at r20/200W, then 5′ at r19/190W. That left 1 minute to go. I bumped it up to r24 and tried to take long hard strokes. I was able to hold about 275W (1:48) at r24 comfortably.

This was a great way to make the time pass quickly and to get a bit more intensity. Through the whole thing, my HR never went above UT1. There is something magic about Sundays.

Output
Workout Summary – Apr 12, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_10339_|_42:00.0_|_02:01.9_|_193.4_|_19.6_|_138.2_|_ 66.8% _|_12.5_|_09.8
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_04952_|_20:00.0_|_02:01.2_|_196.7_|_19.3_|_131.1_|_ 61.8% _|_12.9_|_10.2
02_|_00060_|_01:00.0_|_08:22.1_|_002.8_|_05.0_|_128.2_|_ 59.7% _|_12.0_|_00.6
03_|_01297_|_05:00.0_|_01:55.7_|_226.1_|_22.0_|_137.7_|_ 66.5% _|_11.8_|_10.3
04_|_01273_|_05:00.0_|_01:57.9_|_213.8_|_21.2_|_147.5_|_ 73.4% _|_12.0_|_10.1
05_|_01250_|_05:00.0_|_02:00.0_|_202.5_|_20.0_|_146.9_|_ 73.0% _|_12.5_|_10.1
06_|_01231_|_05:00.0_|_02:01.8_|_193.6_|_19.0_|_145.3_|_ 71.8% _|_13.0_|_10.2
07_|_00277_|_01:00.0_|_01:48.1_|_276.9_|_24.0_|_150.7_|_ 75.7% _|_11.6_|_11.5

Tomorrow: 7am flight to LAX. Probably no training.

10k Threshold – Season Best

April 11, 2015April 12, 20154 Comments

Between dealing with getting my car serviced and having a customer in visiting at work, I didn’t have time for a workout yesterday.

Today is my weekly threshold workout. I’ve been working the ranking distances the past few Saturday’s and today, the 10K was on the menu. My all time best was a 36:33 set last winter when I was in tip top shape. I’m close to that now, but I based on the 5K time last weekend, I thought I would be a bit slower. I was still hoping for something a faster than 37:00 though, so I set 1:51 as my target pace.

I did a 20′ steady state piece as a warmup.

193.8W, 138.1bpm, 19.1 spm, 1.9mmol/l. Nothing to complain about there.

Output
Workout Summary – Apr 11, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_04927_|_20:00.0_|_02:01.8_|_193.8_|_19.1_|_134.3_|_ 64.0% _|_12.9_|_10.2
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01231_|_05:00.0_|_02:01.9_|_193.2_|_19.2_|_125.5_|_ 57.8% _|_12.8_|_10.1
02_|_01233_|_05:00.0_|_02:01.6_|_194.5_|_19.4_|_135.5_|_ 64.9% _|_12.7_|_10.0
03_|_01233_|_05:00.0_|_02:01.6_|_194.4_|_18.8_|_138.1_|_ 66.8% _|_13.1_|_10.3
04_|_01230_|_05:00.0_|_02:02.0_|_192.9_|_18.8_|_138.3_|_ 66.9% _|_13.1_|_10.3

The main thing I have been working on in these threshold rows is trying to get my cruising rate up higher. Today for the 10K, I really wanted to hold 26spm.

I took off a bit fast, but quickly got into a groove around 1:50.5 and 26 spm. Then it was just a matter of counting to 26 over and over again. If I saw the rate drop down to 25, I would try to lighten up and focus on getting my hands away quickly. I was happy when I passed through the 30 minute mark and saw that I was further than my ranked 30 minute (8147 today vs 8128 ranking). I let my pace drift up to 1:51.5 or so because I was starting to feel pretty tired. I noticed just a little bit of a slow down got me back feeling like I was in control again. When I finally got down to 1000m left, I tried to inch the rate up a bit and get the pace down below 1:50. Then when I passed the 500m to go mark, I counted out 20 stroke for length, then 10 strokes, and then sprinted a 5-10-5 to the end. It was a good row. I was consistent and pushed close to, but not beyond my limits.

Output
Workout Summary – Apr 11, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_10000_|_36:46.5_|_01:50.3_|_260.7_|_25.9_|_170.4_|_ 89.7% _|_10.5_|_10.1
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01000_|_03:40.9_|_01:50.4_|_259.8_|_24.7_|_145.6_|_ 72.1% _|_11.0_|_10.5
02_|_01000_|_03:39.7_|_01:49.9_|_263.9_|_25.9_|_163.8_|_ 85.0% _|_10.5_|_10.2
03_|_01000_|_03:39.7_|_01:49.8_|_264.2_|_25.7_|_168.3_|_ 88.1% _|_10.6_|_10.3
04_|_01000_|_03:40.4_|_01:50.2_|_261.6_|_25.9_|_170.0_|_ 89.3% _|_10.5_|_10.1
05_|_01000_|_03:41.0_|_01:50.5_|_259.5_|_26.1_|_172.3_|_ 91.0% _|_10.4_|_10.0
06_|_01000_|_03:41.4_|_01:50.7_|_258.2_|_25.8_|_173.9_|_ 92.1% _|_10.5_|_10.0
07_|_01000_|_03:41.8_|_01:50.9_|_256.6_|_26.0_|_175.3_|_ 93.1% _|_10.4_|_09.9
08_|_01000_|_03:42.5_|_01:51.3_|_254.1_|_25.6_|_176.2_|_ 93.8% _|_10.5_|_09.9
09_|_01000_|_03:42.2_|_01:51.1_|_255.1_|_25.9_|_177.9_|_ 95.0% _|_10.4_|_09.8
10_|_01000_|_03:36.9_|_01:48.5_|_274.4_|_27.1_|_179.4_|_ 96.0% _|_10.2_|_10.1

After a couple minutes to catch my breath, I setup and did a long 5K happy ending cooldown. Starting at 2:05, then slowing by 0:05 every 1000m. Amazing how well that works to flush out the muscles. I feel great now.

Output
Workout Summary – Apr 11, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_05000_|_22:29.8_|_02:15.0_|_142.3_|_17.0_|_140.1_|_ 68.2% _|_13.1_|_08.4
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01000_|_04:09.8_|_02:04.9_|_179.6_|_19.9_|_143.9_|_ 70.8% _|_12.0_|_09.0
02_|_01000_|_04:20.0_|_02:10.0_|_159.3_|_18.0_|_147.7_|_ 73.6% _|_12.8_|_08.9
03_|_01000_|_04:29.9_|_02:15.0_|_142.4_|_16.0_|_143.6_|_ 70.6% _|_13.9_|_08.9
04_|_01000_|_04:40.0_|_02:20.0_|_127.5_|_15.4_|_136.3_|_ 65.5% _|_13.9_|_08.3
05_|_01000_|_04:50.1_|_02:25.0_|_114.7_|_15.9_|_128.5_|_ 59.9% _|_13.0_|_07.2

Tomorrow: I’m going to head off to Quinsigmond for my first row out there of the season.

3×20′ / 1′ on slides – Back home

April 9, 2015April 9, 20153 Comments

I got to my hotel around midnight and was up at 5am to catch my flight back to Boston.

I had hoped to get on the water today, but the weather conspired against me at both ends of the trip. First, my departure from Chicago was delayed by an hour, compressing the time available for a real row. And once I arrived at Boston and was greeted by drizzle, wind and 35F temperatures, the decision was basically made for me. I decided that an hour on slides would have to suffice for today.

My training power has been all over the place over the past couple of weeks. And the fact that so many of my sessions have been on a static erg confused me further as I tried to figure out the right target pace. I decided that 193W was a reasonable place to start. It turned out that I would have done better with 190W, but it wasn’t far off.

The stats: 193W, 144.6BPM, 20 SPM, 2.4mmol/l (above target)

So, after the first 20 minutes, I reduced my target power down to 190W for the rest of the workout. That slowed down the HR drift and made the rest of the ride pretty easy.

Based on my schedule tomorrow, I am not sure if I can fit in a workout at all. If I do, it will likely be a quick 40 minutes of steady state on slides.

4×20′ – Amazing difference

April 6, 20151 Comment

I had intended to take today off, but then I remembered that I was taking off for Chicago first thing Monday morning and would probably not have time for a workout. Of course, by then it was 6 at night and I had consumed a big easter lunch, along with beer, wine and other spirits. I didn’t feel too full, so I thought an easy session would be OK.

Besides, I was interested to see what happened.

Well, it was stunningly easy. I had to work hard to slow down to 185W, and when I did, my HR just ticked along, barely teetering along the bottom UT2 range through the second half of the 20 minutes. And the lactate test was similarly low –> 1.7mmol/l

Output
Workout Summary – Apr 05, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_04869_|_20:00.0_|_02:03.2_|_187.0_|_19.0_|_131.6_|_ 62.1% _|_12.8_|_09.9
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01222_|_05:00.0_|_02:02.8_|_189.1_|_19.0_|_119.4_|_ 53.5% _|_12.9_|_10.0
02_|_01220_|_05:00.0_|_02:03.0_|_188.1_|_19.4_|_135.5_|_ 64.9% _|_12.6_|_09.7
03_|_01214_|_05:00.0_|_02:03.6_|_185.4_|_18.8_|_136.3_|_ 65.5% _|_12.9_|_09.9
04_|_01214_|_05:00.0_|_02:03.6_|_185.5_|_18.6_|_135.1_|_ 64.6% _|_13.1_|_10.0

So, after that happy result, I dialed in a 63′ minute rowpro session, with 21 minute splits. That way, I can row 20 minutes, take my 1 minute rest, and then start up a new 20 minutes with a new split so I can watch the avg watts. It makes it a lot easier to hit the 185W target. The rest of the session was exactly the same. Easy and anything, and my HR never really rose much.

Output
Workout Summary – Apr 05, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_15027_|_63:00.0_|_02:05.8_|_175.9_|_18.7_|_138.6_|_ 67.1% _|_12.8_|_09.4
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_04857_|_20:00.0_|_02:03.5_|_185.7_|_19.1_|_135.7_|_ 65.0% _|_12.7_|_09.7
02_|_00102_|_01:00.0_|_04:53.9_|_013.8_|_09.0_|_127.2_|_ 59.0% _|_11.3_|_01.5
03_|_04859_|_20:00.0_|_02:03.5_|_185.9_|_18.8_|_139.9_|_ 68.0% _|_12.9_|_09.9
04_|_00107_|_01:00.0_|_04:39.4_|_016.1_|_11.0_|_128.1_|_ 59.6% _|_09.8_|_01.5
05_|_05101_|_21:00.0_|_02:03.5_|_185.8_|_18.9_|_140.7_|_ 68.5% _|_12.8_|_09.8

So is this a new workout secret? Have a couple beers and a big slice of lemon meringue pie a couple hours before each workout? Perhaps I can start a new trend?

Tomorrow: Off to Chicago. Looking for a rowing machine somewhere near Buffalo Grove.

Quantified Rowing

Measure – Adjust – Improve

Tag: Lactate

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