Friday: Rate Ladders and too much to think about

May 8, 20151 Comment

Conditions: Perfect. 60F, sunny, wind 1-3 mph from the North. Water flat and lovely.

Plan:

Rate ladders (3′ @18, 2’@20, 1@22) repeat again and again. Stop whe I runout of river to turn and grab a drink and then right back into it.
Pace: no real target
HR: generally aerobic, but no cap
technique: work on cleaning up finishes and improving posture. Main feedback from prior videos is that my finishes suck. You can see the water pouring off the top of my blades as I pull them out of the water. I need to learn to release-then feather, not do them both at the same time. I have also gotten feedback that I am slumping. My hips stay in in the bow as I recover. I need to sit up straight and swivel through the hips.

To try to make finishes a bit easier, I decided to move my feet 1cm toward the bow to give myself a bit more room. I think it helped a bit.

Here is the rate based data. There’s a lot of it.

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_1060_|_05:27_|_2:34.2_|_102___|_18.7_|_10.4_|_130___|_w
01080_|_0620_|_02:56_|_2:22.2_|_054___|_18.4_|_11.5_|_145___|_18
01700_|_0440_|_02:00_|_2:16.4_|_040___|_20.0_|_11.0_|_155___|_20
02140_|_0220_|_00:58_|_2:12.5_|_022___|_22.6_|_10.0_|_160___|_22
02360_|_0640_|_03:04_|_2:23.4_|_056___|_18.3_|_11.4_|_154___|_18
03000_|_0440_|_02:01_|_2:17.5_|_041___|_20.3_|_10.7_|_158___|_20
03440_|_0220_|_00:58_|_2:10.9_|_022___|_22.9_|_10.0_|_162___|_22
03660_|_0600_|_02:57_|_2:27.8_|_052___|_17.6_|_11.5_|_148___|_18
04260_|_0420_|_02:00_|_2:23.0_|_040___|_20.0_|_10.5_|_156___|_20
04680_|_0220_|_01:00_|_2:16.8_|_022___|_21.9_|_10.0_|_163___|_22
04900_|_0620_|_03:02_|_2:26.7_|_056___|_18.5_|_11.1_|_159___|_18
05520_|_0420_|_02:01_|_2:23.6_|_041___|_20.4_|_10.2_|_160___|_20
05940_|_0220_|_00:59_|_2:15.0_|_022___|_22.2_|_10.0_|_164___|_22
06160_|_0600_|_02:59_|_2:28.8_|_054___|_18.2_|_11.1_|_160___|_18
06760_|_0420_|_01:59_|_2:22.0_|_040___|_20.1_|_10.5_|_163___|_20
07220_|_0160_|_00:43_|_2:14.1_|_017___|_23.8_|_09.4_|_138___|_22 (turn around)
07380_|_0620_|_03:03_|_2:27.6_|_054___|_17.7_|_11.5_|_154___|_18
08000_|_0420_|_01:59_|_2:21.4_|_040___|_20.2_|_10.5_|_157___|_20
08420_|_0220_|_01:00_|_2:15.5_|_023___|_23.2_|_09.6_|_162___|_22
08640_|_0600_|_02:58_|_2:28.0_|_055___|_18.6_|_10.9_|_157___|_18
09240_|_0440_|_02:04_|_2:20.6_|_042___|_20.4_|_10.5_|_161___|_20
09680_|_0220_|_00:59_|_2:14.5_|_022___|_22.3_|_10.0_|_164___|_22
09900_|_0580_|_02:58_|_2:33.4_|_053___|_17.9_|_10.9_|_148___|_18
10480_|_0420_|_02:00_|_2:23.2_|_040___|_20.0_|_10.5_|_155___|_20
10900_|_0220_|_01:01_|_2:19.1_|_023___|_22.5_|_09.6_|_159___|_22
11120_|_0600_|_02:59_|_2:29.2_|_054___|_18.1_|_11.1_|_156___|_18
11720_|_0420_|_02:02_|_2:25.7_|_041___|_20.1_|_10.2_|_157___|_20
12140_|_0220_|_00:59_|_2:13.6_|_022___|_22.4_|_10.0_|_163___|_22
12360_|_0600_|_02:59_|_2:28.8_|_055___|_18.5_|_10.9_|_158___|_18
12960_|_0200_|_00:57_|_2:22.2_|_020___|_21.1_|_10.0_|_158___|_20
13160_|_0040_|_00:37_|_7:43.8_|_006___|_09.7_|_06.7_|_135___|_r (turn around)
13200_|_0100_|_00:27_|_2:16.5_|_010___|_22.0_|_10.0_|_140___|_20
13300_|_0220_|_00:57_|_2:09.8_|_021___|_22.1_|_10.5_|_157___|_22
13520_|_0620_|_03:02_|_2:26.9_|_057___|_18.8_|_10.9_|_158___|_18
14140_|_0400_|_02:00_|_2:29.9_|_038___|_19.0_|_10.5_|_153___|_20
14540_|_0220_|_00:59_|_2:14.5_|_022___|_22.3_|_10.0_|_158___|_22
14760_|_0620_|_03:05_|_2:28.8_|_057___|_18.5_|_10.9_|_156___|_18
15380_|_0420_|_02:00_|_2:23.3_|_040___|_19.9_|_10.5_|_150___|_20
15800_|_0220_|_00:58_|_2:11.4_|_022___|_22.8_|_10.0_|_153___|_22

01100_|_06:04_|_2:45.4_|_108___|_17.8_|_10.2_|_130___|_Other Meters

stroke rate summary
07320_|_36:00_|_2:27.6_|_657___|_18.2_|_11.1_|_155___|_r18
04960_|_23:31_|_2:22.2_|_473___|_20.1_|_10.5_|_157___|_r20
02580_|_11:31_|_2:14.0_|_260___|_22.6_|_09.9_|_159___|_r22
14860_|_11:02_|_2:23.4_|_1390___|_19.6_|_10.7_|_156___|_

I was pretty happy with the paces that I was hitting at these rates. There were some stretches where I was really relaxed at 18, and the boat was really moving well. It was a struggle to keep all of the things I was working on in mind at the same time.

Tomorrow: Hard distance – 4 x 2500 / 500m rest

Techno-Thursday – 14K of technical rowing

May 7, 20153 Comments

Yesterday was a rest day. When I woke up this morning, I was still stiff and sore from my run on Tuesday.

After all the good feedback that I got after I posted the side view videos, it seemed like a good idea to do a session focused on technique. I also wanted to keep the intensity low. The data indicates that many of my steady state sessions are pushing toward “black hole” type sessions. I need to dial it back so I can train the right stuff on the right days.

Conditions: Sunny, Temps started in the mid fifties and were up into the sixties by the time I finished. There was a light breeze that was generally a tail wind going down river and a head wind heading up river.

Plan:

Workout divided into 4 sections. Each one takes me the length of the river.
To start,
- Start at the finish with blades buried. With no pressure go through the whole recovery with blades buried to the catch position. Feel the pressure on the blades and allow it to pull you further into the catch. Feel the pressure go down as the boat coast to a full stop. Then with no pressure, go through all the phases of the drive in slow motion, properly sequencing legs, then body, then arms. Keep blades buried at the finish. Repeat.
- 10 to 20 reps of “King of the Mountain”, trying to focus on keeping my shoulders relaxed and isolating the arm movement. Maintain balance at the catch without getting all tense.
- Go straight into “Top Quarter”. Try to get 10 strokes using only 6″ of slide without getting all caught up at the finish. Try to extend to 12″ of slide (this is really hard)
500m of rowing with square blades. Watch the boat acceleration on RIM. Try to work on clean finishes by looking at the “bump” in the boat acceleration that happens at the finish if I gets caught up.
500m of rowing with a slow roll up. Finish into a feather and immediately start to slowly roll the blades to fully square by the time arms and body are in the catch position. Work on balance and firm control of the blade position.
500m of normal rowing 18-22 spm. Try to translate what was going on with the SBR and the roll ups into normal rowing. Work on getting blades clear of the water on recovery. Work on smoothly squaring the blades in the last quarter of the recovery. Work on smoothly accelerating from the catch. Work on finishing early and crisply.
repeat to the end of each length
For the last leg home, do the whole thing at 18-22spm steady state rowing.

It was a nice morning. I forgot my HR strap, so the plot looks a bit different. The drills went quite well.

King of the mountain: I was getting so I could really get the blades high above the water and hold for a beat before dropping again. I pushed it too far one time and nearly flipped, but good progress on balance

Top quarter: I had a couple of good strings where I was cleanly popping the blades out and getting back to the catch, but I was definitely hanging up on the finish as soon as I was using more that 6″ of slide. I think I had trouble with the additional boat speed.

SBR: Sometime messy, sometimes clean. I was definitely getting hung up at the finish. I may need to give my self some more room by moving my feet another notch into the bow.

Slow roll up: This was the first time I really tried to do this in a single. It was hair raising for the first 10 strokes or so, but then I got the hang of it. I really liked it when I got a perfectly clean recovery, without touching any water and slowly rolling to square. I felt like a “real rower”. Of course I only felt that way on about 5 strokes out of the 200 that I took that way.

Steady state: The big thing here was trying to work on the connection through the whole drive. Looking at the RIM display I could see the instantaneous acceleration display had a real hook in it during the first phase of the drive. I was trying different ways to try to smooth it out. If I did a softer catch and accelerated through the leg drive a bit more slowly, I could smooth it out. Interestingly, I also went faster. Depressingly, it felt very foreign. I was also trying to keep in mind to keep my shoulders and hands nice and low during the catch to try to avoid the “over the barrel” effect. During the last leg of the river, I was seeing some really nice boat speed for the rate I was rowing. I suspect I was working a bit hard, but things felt silky smooth.

Perhaps there is a light at the end of this very long tunnel.

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_0340_|_01:56_|_2:50.9_|_030___|_15.5_|_11.3_|_000___|_arms & body
00360_|_2960_|_14:48_|_2:30.0_|_268___|_18.1_|_11.0_|_000___|_2x(500 of SBR, roll ups, SS)
03320_|_3220_|_19:50_|_3:04.7_|_300___|_15.1_|_10.7_|_000___|_2x(500 of SBR, roll ups, SS)
06540_|_0480_|_02:12_|_2:17.1_|_041___|_18.7_|_11.7_|_000___|_500m ss @ 18
07020_|_1000_|_05:14_|_2:37.1_|_094___|_18.0_|_10.6_|_000___|_1x(SBR, Roll ups)
08020_|_0500_|_02:15_|_2:14.7_|_048___|_21.4_|_10.4_|_000___|_500m ss @ 22
08520_|_0800_|_04:05_|_2:33.1_|_077___|_18.9_|_10.4_|_000___|_1x(500 of SBR, roll ups)
09320_|_0900_|_05:29_|_3:02.7_|_094___|_17.1_|_09.6_|_000___|_Legs only
10220_|_2260_|_10:29_|_2:19.1_|_217___|_20.7_|_10.4_|_000___|_SS @ 20
12480_|_0160_|_00:57_|_2:58.4_|_019___|_20.0_|_08.4_|_000___|_”the Cut”
12640_|_0240_|_01:03_|_2:11.5_|_024___|_22.8_|_10.0_|_000___|_Little burst at 22
12880_|_0440_|_02:02_|_2:18.6_|_045___|_22.1_|_09.8_|_000___|_big curve
13320_|_0160_|_00:40_|_2:04.4_|_018___|_27.1_|_08.9_|_000___|_finish at 24

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00340_|_01:56_|_2:50.9_|_030___|_15.5_|_11.3_|_000___|_warmup
13120_|_09:03_|_2:37.9_|_1245___|_18.0_|_10.5_|_000___|_Main set
13460_|_10:59_|_2:38.2_|_1275___|_18.0_|_10.6_|_000___|_Total

Tomorrow: I’m thinking a steady state rate ladder session 3′ @ 18, 2′ @ 20, 1′ @ 22. Repeat ad nauseum.

Note: Good videos of some of these drills are on Rowing Related

Monday: 4 x 2500 / 500m rest

May 4, 20151 Comment

Conditions: Sunny, warm (55 to 60F), wind ssw at 5-8mph. This was a tail wind going down river and a head wind coming back.

Plan:

4×2500
500m rest
Pace: better than 2:15
rate: 26 or higher

Well, it didn’t quite work out as planned. There was a light but consistent headwind heading up river which made the boat feel quite heavy. That combined with a pair of sore legs from 21K in the boat on Saturday and 21K on the erg on Sunday provided a bit of a challenge to hitting my plan. I was having a bit of trouble keeping my rate up, especially into the headwind.

However, I was pretty happy with the rowing. I was working on rowing with less layback and that seemed to be working. I also focused on relaxing my shoulders during the last 500m of each piece. This was based on some feedback from Tom (“Stelph”) about me looking a bit hunched. I was feeling pretty fatigued by the time I was 2000m into each of the intervals, and concentrating on something different for the last section really helped me power through to the end. I found when I relaxed my shoulders during the drive that I was burying my oars less at the catch.

At the downwind end of the two straight parts, I was having a bit trouble staying clear of the minuscule bit of chop that was forming. When I rowed my cooldown with feet out, I really tried to get better press down and stay completely clear of the water. I don’t think it’s an issue of balance. I think carrying my oars close to the water is just a bad habit at this point.

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace___|_Strks_|_Rate_|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_0980_|_05:18_|_2:42.1_|_095___|_17.9_|_10.3_|_127___|_
01000_|_2500_|_10:47_|_2:09.3_|_275___|_25.5_|_09.1_|_163___|_tailwind
03500_|_0500_|_03:22_|_3:21.6_|_054___|_16.1_|_09.3_|_132___|_
04000_|_2500_|_11:18_|_2:15.5_|_287___|_25.4_|_08.7_|_170___|_headwind
06500_|_0500_|_03:15_|_3:15.0_|_057___|_17.5_|_08.8_|_143___|_
07000_|_2500_|_11:01_|_2:12.2_|_280___|_25.4_|_08.9_|_169___|_tailwind
09500_|_0500_|_03:28_|_3:28.1_|_059___|_17.0_|_08.5_|_137___|_
10000_|_2500_|_11:36_|_2:19.2_|_295___|_25.4_|_08.5_|_168___|_headwind
12500_|_1640_|_09:10_|_2:47.7_|_182___|_19.8_|_09.0_|_141___|_feet out

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00980_|_05:18_|_2:42.1_|_095___|_17.9_|_10.3_|_127___|_warmup
10000_|_44:41_|_2:14.1_|_1137__|_25.4_|_08.8_|_168___|_Main set
01500_|_10:05_|_3:21.6_|_170___|_16.9_|_08.8_|_137___|_rest meters
01640_|_09:10_|_2:47.7_|_182___|_19.8_|_09.0_|_141___|_cool down
14120_|_09:14_|_2:27.1_|_1584__|_22.9_|_08.9_|_157___|_Total

I used RIM again today. Here are example strokes from the last 30 seconds or so of each of the intervals.

First Interval, tail wind. Feeling fresh.

Second Interval, Headwind. Feeling significantly less fresh. Pushing really hard

Third Interval, Downwind again. Shows some reasonable consistency with Interval #1, even though my legs were pretty much jelly by this point.

Last Interval. Headwind. Lower and flatter peak in the acceleration curve.

This afternoon, I am taking off for Orlando. So, it will be some crosstraining in the hotel fitness center for me tomorrow, or maybe a run.

Saturday: Video and stroke analysis

May 3, 201510 Comments

I decide to make this a separate post so I can find it a bit easier later.

I did a sequence of 8 – 1 minute pieces with a minute or longer rests between. I was rowing at full pressure in each of them.

Video was recorded by gopro camera mounted on a rigger bow stay that was bolted to the tube at the port end of my rigger. It was about 6 feet from the side of the boat.

The HR, rate, time, pace and distance data, along with the little indicator map are driven by TCX data exported from the RIM website. It is merged into the video using software called Dashware (which is now free and the most amazing way to waste huge amounts of time). As far as I can tell the rate data is accurate to what I see on my speedcoach. The pace looks like it is a bit faster than it was on the speedcoach. I only wish I was that fast.

If you look at the video, just look at that water! It was the most beautiful rowing conditions!

18 spm

Well, I aimed for 18 spm, but I got 19. I was really pretty happy with how this looked. Nice flat plateau during the boat run and recovery. Need to get rid of the hook in thee drive.

20 SPM

22 SPM

Now I’m starting to see a bit of a hump at the end of the recovery. That means that I am rushing into the catch a bit now. The bump in the drive is less, but that is more due to stroke to stroke variation averaging out than an improvement.

24 Spm

You can’t tell from the graphs, but this was the rate that felt the most natural and fluid. The bump late in recovery is getting a bit bigger, though.

The water is so glassy smooth you can see the shoreline perfectly reflected.

26 spm

This is right after my turn and doing the top quarter drill. I’m rested and full of beans!

Notice now that the acceleration down the slide is actually causing the boat speed to increase during the recovery. I have to work on not doing that.

28 SPM

Now the rate is getting high enough that my form, such as it is, is starting to fall apart.

30 SPM

I’m embarrassed to even post this one and the next one. So much rushing to the catch. Such awful drive mechanics. So much work to do.

32 spm

The best thing I can say about this piece is that it started under a bridge, which is fun to look at. It is clear that I need to do a lot of work on the basic mechanics of my stroke, because anything good that was happening at the lower rates has largely disappeared.

And just because I like abuse. Here is my rendition of king of the mountain, and the top quarter drill. It ain’t pretty, but I stayed dry!

So, what do I get from all of this? I compared this to some of the rows that I captured in RIM last season and there are some reasons to be happy. Last season, I was showing that ugly hump in the acceleration curve going into the catch, even at low rates. The metrics also showed a long catch duration and lower peak accleration. Comparing video, I think I look a bit better, but that is more than likely just self delusion.

What’s the prescription to get better. I welcome all ideas, here are mine:

Keep doing the top quarter drill. I feel much more confident at the catch this season and that’s part of the reason why
Keep doing SBR and feet out to work on getting my finishes better
I thought I was not laying back very much, but in fact I am and I don’t think it is helping things. I need to finish with a more erect posture
I need a lot more practice at high rates. I think I will put a few 1′ reps or maybe even 30 second reps at the end of steady state sessions to try to get to the point where I can hold 36 spm reasonably cleanly.

Saturday: 20K of drills, stroke metrics and beautiful water

May 3, 2015May 3, 20157 Comments

Friday was NOT a training day. Up at 3:45 to catch a 5:15 flight out of Austin, then straight to work for afternoon meetings. I finally finished up in the office around 7pm and headed home

Saturday was looking good though. You can see the conditions. Sunny, Cool (in the 40s) and basically no wind. Absolutely beautiful.

Plan:

Steady state, want to be on the water for at least 90 minutes.
Some 1 minute intervals at different rates to capture side video
Use Rowing in Motion so I can see boat acceleration with the video
Keep working on the top quarter drill during all turn arounds

So, here’s an overall picture of the workout. At first the HR sensor was acting up. It settled down after 20 minutes or so. The first 3500m was downriver to the dam, just warming up and enjoying myself. Then I turned around, did my second top quarter drill and rowed back to the bridge.

Then I started my 1 minute pieces. Starting at r18, I would row with full pressure for a minute then take a minute or more if I needed to get around a curve or turn. I built all the way up to r32. I turned around between the r24 and r26 pieces and did another top quarter drill.

The last r32 piece took me almost back to the dam, so I paddled to the end and saw a couple of guys in a reallt nice empacher double. They are regulars on this stretch of river. One of them own a house right on the cove. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to keep your boat in your own back yard and row whenever you feel the whim!

Any way, I chatted we them for a few minutes and then did my top quarter drill. It was nervous making doing in front of other people! I’m glad I didn’t flip or anything. They invited me to depart before them and I did. They started to chase me. Well, we all know what happens when some one comes after you, right. Yep. I tried to hold my rate between 20 and 22 so that it would look nonchalant from a distance, but I put everything I had into each stroke and I slowly put more and more distance between me and them. I basically rowed all the way to the guys house. By the time I got there, about 10 minutes later, I had put a couple of minutes of distance on them. But the heart shows how much work it was!

By then I was pretty cooked, so I relaxed a bit and rowed back to the dam, trying to slow down when my HR got above 160. Then a long row home. I started at r16 trying to do some slow motion practice, and let the rate creep up to r18. The last 1K I rowed with square blades.

Wednesday: 10×500 / 500r (r24 to r32, r32 to r24)

May 2, 2015May 2, 20156 Comments

Conditions: Cool, not much wind. Very nice

Plan: Last time I did 500s, I was out of control. I pushed them way too hard and ended up bailing out early. Today, I decided to do them as a rate ladder, so that only 2 of the 10 would be all out at r32. It was a far better session.

10×500
500m rest, paddled at about a 3′ pace, so it ended up around a 3’30” rest
rate: r24, r26,r28,r30,r32,r32,r30,r28,r26,r24
work on maintaining the same basic stroke as the rate increases. Try to avoid going too deep at the catch.

It was a great workout. I really enjoyed it. I had one interval, where I thought I had sufficient space to get around a four coming up river toward me, but I chickened out of the rep with 100m to go because the cox was screaming loudly and incomprehensibly. Turned out she wasn’t screaming at me!

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
01000_|_0500_|_02:06_|_2:06.4_|_052___|_24.7_|_09.6_|_161___|_
02000_|_0500_|_02:03_|_2:02.9_|_054___|_26.4_|_09.3_|_165___|_
03000_|_0500_|_01:59_|_1:59.2_|_057___|_28.7_|_08.8_|_168___|_
04000_|_0500_|_01:56_|_1:56.1_|_059___|_30.5_|_08.5_|_167___|_
05000_|_0420_|_01:38_|_1:57.1_|_054___|_32.9_|_07.8_|_158___|_
06000_|_0500_|_01:57_|_1:57.0_|_064___|_32.8_|_07.8_|_170___|_
07000_|_0500_|_01:59_|_1:59.3_|_061___|_30.7_|_08.2_|_169___|_
08000_|_0500_|_02:03_|_2:02.5_|_058___|_28.4_|_08.6_|_167___|_
09000_|_0500_|_02:06_|_2:06.1_|_057___|_27.1_|_08.8_|_168___|_
10000_|_0500_|_02:05_|_2:05.2_|_053___|_25.4_|_09.4_|_168___|_

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00980_|_05:07_|_2:36.8_|_098___|_19.1_|_10.0_|_140___|_warmup
04580_|_28:22_|_3:05.8_|_499___|_17.6_|_09.2_|_150___|_rest meters
01880_|_11:13_|_2:58.9_|_214___|_19.1_|_08.8_|_143___|_cool down

01000_|_04:12_|_2:05.8_|_105___|_25.0_|_09.5_|_164___|_r24
01000_|_04:09_|_2:04.5_|_111___|_26.7_|_09.0_|_167___|_r26
01000_|_04:02_|_2:00.9_|_115___|_28.5_|_08.7_|_167___|_r28
01000_|_03:55_|_1:57.7_|_120___|_30.6_|_08.3_|_168___|_r30
00920_|_03:35_|_1:57.1_|_118___|_32.9_|_07.8_|_165___|_r32
04920_|_19:53_|_2:01.3_|_569___|_28.6_|_08.6_|_166___|_

I went straight from the river to the airport to fly down to Austin, TX. I changed in my car and showered at the airline club. Best way to start a travel day, ever!

Steady State – windy

April 28, 20151 Comment

Conditions: Cold. 43F, windy, gusty wind 10-15mph from the North. This was a head wind going downriver and a tail wind coming back.

Plan:

Steady state
Rate: 18-20
Pace: ~2:30
HR limit 150
Work on minimizing lean back at low rates with crisp finishes

Well, it didn’t work out as planned. I was doing fine until I was about 1600m into it. At that point I had to stop and then swing wide to avoid 4 boats from Brandeis. They called out to me and said they were running drills. As pulled up toward the lead boat, they started rowing in the same direction as me. It didn’t look much like a drill to me. I really wanted to be clear of them so I upped the rate to 22 and tried to open up some clear water. It took about 500m but I was a few lengths ahead of them when they stopped to turn around and I returned to my normally scheduled program.

By that point, I had blown through my HR cap, and I found it very difficult to slow down enough in the conditions to get my HR back down where it belonged. With the headwind, the boat felt very heavy and I needed to concentrate very hard on getting enough blade clearance above the water. As soon as I eased up the stroke to try to let my HR settle, my rowing form went into the toilet. I decided to focus on trying to row as cleanly as I could.

Even after I turned at the dam, I found that rowing with the tail required enough concentration that it was difficult to row gently enough to keep my HR in check.

I finally relaxed enough to row reasonable well on the final leg back to the dock from the dam.

The end result was a black hole workout.

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_1640_|_08:18_|_2:31.8_|_167___|_20.1_|_09.8_|_147___|_Stopped for boats
01660_|_0600_|_02:49_|_2:21.1_|_063___|_22.3_|_09.5_|_164___|_get ahead of fleet
02260_|_1680_|_08:32_|_2:32.5_|_173___|_20.3_|_09.7_|_158___|_rest of way to dam
03949_|_3071_|_15:06_|_2:27.4_|_294___|_19.5_|_10.4_|_155___|_Back upriver to cove
07060_|_2820_|_14:49_|_2:37.7_|_286___|_19.3_|_09.9_|_156___|_back down river to dam
09880_|_0760_|_03:45_|_2:27.8_|_074___|_19.8_|_10.3_|_146___|_stopped to fix seat track
10700_|_2220_|_10:58_|_2:28.2_|_215___|_19.6_|_10.3_|_153___|_back to cut
13000_|_1100_|_05:26_|_2:28.1_|_114___|_21.0_|_09.6_|_154___|_through cut to home

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
01640_|_08:18_|_2:31.8_|_167___|_20.1_|_09.8_|_147___|_warmup
12251_|_01:25_|_2:30.4_|_1219___|_19.8_|_10.1_|_155___|_Main set
13891_|_09:43_|_2:30.6_|_1386___|_19.9_|_10.0_|_154___|_Total

I think I need to limit my rate to 18 or something to keep my HR low enough in these steady state sessions for now.

Tomorrow: 10×500/500r

4 x ( 6 x 1′ on / 1′ off ) / 5′ rest (With some video analysis)

April 27, 20156 Comments

Conditions: cloudy, 45F, Wind: N 4-6mph (not a factor)

Plan:

4x(6 x 1’on/1’off) 5′ rest. This was motivated by Sander’s 20×1′ workout. but since 6 intervals fits pretty well for the length or river I am working on, and I didn’t relish the thought of doing 20 reps in one block, I decided to increase the total number of reps, but divide it into 4 blocks.
Target pace: 2:00
Target rate: >28
Work on tap downs, getting good reach at higher rates and sitting up straight

Started with a couple of drills.

King of the Mountain. Sit at the catch with blades buried. Lift blades clear of water, and then drop for the catch. Repeat.

Top quarter. Sit at the catch with blades buried. Take the first 6 inches of the stroke, then lift blades from water and return to catch. Repeat.

Pick drill. Starting with arms only, progress to arms and body, then quarter slide, then half slide. Work on good finishes and getting blades clear of the water on recovery.

From there I rowed a warmup for the next 4 minutes or so, and dove into the first set of the intervals. I found it was very easy to push them too hard, I would get out to about 20 strokes and feel really burnt out. I eventually learned to go out a bit more conservatively and push the last part of the rep more. Overall I hit the pace target, and a few of the reps were slowed down by having to do them through the s-turn, or under the bridge.

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
01000_|_0260_|_01:04_|_2:02.7_|_029___|_27.3_|_09.0_|_154___|_
01420_|_0260_|_01:02_|_1:58.8_|_032___|_31.1_|_08.1_|_160___|_
01840_|_0240_|_00:58_|_2:00.6_|_029___|_30.1_|_08.3_|_159___|_
02240_|_0240_|_00:58_|_2:00.0_|_028___|_29.2_|_08.6_|_162___|_
02640_|_0260_|_01:00_|_1:55.0_|_032___|_32.1_|_08.1_|_166___|_
03040_|_0260_|_01:00_|_1:55.6_|_032___|_31.9_|_08.1_|_165___|_

03760_|_0240_|_01:00_|_2:04.8_|_027___|_27.0_|_08.9_|_157___|_
04180_|_0240_|_00:59_|_2:02.1_|_027___|_27.6_|_08.9_|_166___|_
04580_|_0260_|_01:01_|_1:57.5_|_030___|_29.5_|_08.7_|_166___|_
04980_|_0260_|_01:02_|_1:59.6_|_031___|_29.9_|_08.4_|_169___|_
05360_|_0240_|_00:58_|_1:59.8_|_029___|_30.3_|_08.3_|_168___|_
05760_|_0240_|_00:58_|_2:00.2_|_027___|_28.1_|_08.9_|_164___|_
06160_|_0240_|_00:57_|_1:58.3_|_028___|_29.6_|_08.6_|_169___|_

06840_|_0240_|_00:59_|_2:02.9_|_028___|_28.5_|_08.6_|_157___|_
07240_|_0260_|_01:03_|_2:01.0_|_030___|_28.6_|_08.7_|_169___|_
07640_|_0260_|_01:03_|_2:00.8_|_031___|_29.6_|_08.4_|_169___|_
08060_|_0240_|_00:58_|_2:01.5_|_028___|_28.8_|_08.6_|_170___|_
08440_|_0260_|_01:04_|_2:02.3_|_029___|_27.4_|_09.0_|_170___|_
08840_|_0240_|_00:57_|_1:59.8_|_028___|_29.2_|_08.6_|_168___|_

09560_|_0240_|_00:59_|_2:03.3_|_028___|_28.4_|_08.6_|_160___|_
09960_|_0240_|_00:58_|_2:01.2_|_029___|_29.9_|_08.3_|_167___|_
10340_|_0260_|_01:02_|_1:59.4_|_030___|_29.0_|_08.7_|_168___|_
10740_|_0240_|_00:57_|_1:58.1_|_028___|_29.6_|_08.6_|_168___|_
11120_|_0240_|_00:59_|_2:02.3_|_029___|_29.6_|_08.3_|_168___|_
11500_|_0260_|_01:03_|_2:00.6_|_030___|_28.7_|_08.7_|_168___|_
Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00980_|_05:30_|_2:48.1_|_098___|_17.8_|_10.0_|_128___|_warmup
06220_|_24:56_|_2:00.3_|_729___|_29.2_|_08.5_|_165___|_Main set
06460_|_40:49_|_3:09.5_|_754___|_18.5_|_08.6_|_154___|_rest meters
13660_|_11:15_|_2:36.5_|_1581___|_22.2_|_08.6_|_156___|_Total

My best two intervals were at the end of the first set. Here are videos of those reps, along with the Crewnerd pace, rate and HR data.

Tomorrow: Something a bit tamer. Steady state, r20, HR cap at 150

4×2500 / 5′ rest – Windy as hell

April 24, 2015April 24, 20157 Comments

Conditions:

Sunny
37F
Wind: West 12mph, gusting to 20. Very changeable direction and gusty
(cross/tail wind down river, cross/head wind up river)

Plan:

4 x 2500m
~ 5 minute rest
Head race pace (2:10 – 2:15)
stroke rate: > 26

This was a good workout. The wind was brutal. There were a couple of sections where there was enough width to really build up some chop and allow the wind to get up some momentum. This map shows where it was bad.

I had a bit of excitement on the first interval. I came rowing out of the narrow channel where I had started and started to make the broad turn onto the straight 1k section. I look over my shoulder every 10 strokes or so, since there isn’t usually much traffic. Anyway, when I looked at 300m, I didn’t see anything. But when I turned 10 strokes later, there were 2 fours and a launch lined up across my side of the river, about 50m ahead. They were stopped dead in the water and drifting.

I needed to essentially coast to a stop and then thread the needle between the two boats. I’m usually really good natured about them ignoring the traffic pattern, but I was pretty grumpy about interrupting an interval that was actually going pretty well. The coach in the launch apologized and I was on my way again.

From there, it was really just about trying to find a pace that was maintainable, work on crispy finishes, try to avoid smashing the chop, and stay brave enough to fully compress into the catch with the boat bouncing around. Oh yeah, and get the right line through the s-curve and the right arch on the bridge without losing too much boat speed. To put it another way. It was perfect head race training.

The rate chart shows that I did a good job keeping my rate up in though it was choppy. By comparison, last fall for the Merrimack chase in similar conditions, I was pulling at r24. So that’s a step in the right direction.

It’s easy to see the interruption in the first interval. The big hit on pace in the second interval was rowing into the wind tunnel. The pace increase at the end of the third interval was hitting the basin at the end and picking up a nice bit of tail wind.

The fourth interval shows that the tail wind that hit me at the end of interval #3 was still blowing, but now as a head wind. It was bad all the way to the bridge. The next chunk, in front of the watch factory was nice and flat, then I turned into the s-curve and hit the wind tunnel again. Beyond the wind tunnel, the chop on the last 1K section was horrible until I was past the island. I was able to get some good strokes in over the last 300m as the elevation on the bank increased and gave me a bit more shelter.

After that one, I wasn’t ready to feed the fishes ;-), but I was totally spent. I took my feet out of the shoes and paddled my cool down like that.

aStart_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_0980_|_05:20_|_2:43.1_|_097___|_18.2_|_10.1_|_134___|_warmup
01000_|_0440_|_01:54_|_2:09.9_|_049___|_25.7_|_09.0_|_152___|_Interval #1 part 1
01440_|_0080_|_00:28_|_2:51.9_|_007___|_15.3_|_11.4_|_138___|_blocked by fours
01520_|_1980_|_08:36_|_2:10.4_|_237___|_27.5_|_08.4_|_164___|_Interval #1 part 2
03500_|_0500_|_03:22_|_3:21.7_|_059___|_17.6_|_08.5_|_131___|_rest
04000_|_2500_|_11:16_|_2:15.2_|_299___|_26.5_|_08.4_|_170___|_Interval #2
06500_|_0500_|_03:14_|_3:14.0_|_058___|_17.9_|_08.6_|_144___|_rest
07000_|_2500_|_11:10_|_2:14.0_|_302___|_27.0_|_08.3_|_171___|_Interval #3
09500_|_0500_|_04:04_|_4:03.7_|_065___|_16.0_|_07.7_|_135___|_rest
10000_|_2500_|_11:43_|_2:20.6_|_317___|_27.1_|_07.9_|_168___|_Interval #4
12500_|_1700_|_09:36_|_2:49.4_|_198___|_20.6_|_08.6_|_146___|_cool down (feet out)

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00980_|_05:20_|_2:43.1_|_097___|_18.2_|_10.1_|_134___|_warmup
09920_|_44:40_|_2:15.1_|_1204___|_27.0_|_08.2_|_168___|_Main set
01580_|_11:07_|_3:31.0_|_189___|_17.0_|_08.4_|_136___|_rest meters
01700_|_09:36_|_2:49.4_|_198___|_20.6_|_08.6_|_146___|_cool down
14180_|_10:42_|_2:29.6_|_1688___|_23.9_|_08.4_|_157___|_Total

So, I managed a 2:15.1 pace. Only a bit off the target despite the wind. I’m really pleased with that. On a calm day, I think I could shave 3 to 5 seconds off of that.

With the wind and water conditions, I needed to grip the oars a bit more tightly than normal. As I told a coworker. I rowed until I was bleeding!

Tomorrow: No rowing! Road trip.

Some less than impressive 500m intervals

April 22, 20153 Comments

Some days your head is just not in the game. Today was one of those days.

I can’t blame the weather. It was about 40F, clear with a light easterly breeze (<5mph)

The plan was:

8x500m / 500m rest
Pace target: 2:00 to 2:05
Rate target: >30
focus on rowing with an erect posture and avoiding too much lean back.

Within this disaster of a workout, there were actually a couple of good things that happened.

First, the warmup went very well. Sounds stupid, but the warmup that I do is essentially a rate ladder and I felt like I was in control and rowing really well in each one of the bursts.

Second, I was able to row in control at a higher rate than I have been able to before, at or above about 32 SPM for all the intervals. Last season, I had a lot of trouble with setting the boat and generating power at rates higher than 30SPM. I want to be able to work on that, and get to the point where I can race sprints at a 33 or 34 and head races around 28.

But those were just two tiny pearls in giant rotten oyster of a workout. When the going got tough, about half way through each of the intervals, I just had an overwhelming desire to quit. I ended up quitting on two intervals. In two of the other intervals, I was waked by the launch out with the Brandeis Crew. I was reasonably happy with the first 2 intervals, but even they have an annoying fade in the second half.

After 5 intervals, I decided to give up, so I did one more and called it a day.

I’m going to have to come back to this one next week. I will probably extend out to 10 intervals and set a stroke rate target for each one. (26,26,28,28,30,30,32,32,34,34)

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_5630_|_28:54_|_2:34.0_|_563___|_19.5_|_10.0_|_146___|_warmup
05650_|_0500_|_01:58_|_1:57.9_|_065___|_33.1_|_07.7_|_166___|_Interval #1
06150_|_0350_|_02:23_|_3:24.0_|_039___|_16.4_|_09.0_|_144___|_rest
06500_|_0500_|_01:59_|_1:59.4_|_065___|_32.7_|_07.7_|_167___|_Interval #2
07000_|_0500_|_03:09_|_3:08.7_|_059___|_18.8_|_08.5_|_145___|_rest
07500_|_0280_|_01:08_|_2:01.6_|_036___|_31.7_|_07.8_|_161___|_Interval #3 (fail)
07780_|_0220_|_01:21_|_3:03.9_|_022___|_16.3_|_10.0_|_156___|_rest
08000_|_0500_|_02:02_|_2:02.4_|_065___|_31.9_|_07.7_|_163___|_Interval #4
08500_|_0500_|_03:17_|_3:16.8_|_064___|_19.5_|_07.8_|_148___|_rest
09000_|_0180_|_00:44_|_2:02.2_|_022___|_30.0_|_08.2_|_159___|_Interval #5 (fail)
09180_|_0320_|_01:52_|_2:55.2_|_036___|_19.3_|_08.9_|_151___|_rest
09500_|_0500_|_02:04_|_2:04.1_|_066___|_31.9_|_07.6_|_169___|_Interval #6
10000_|_1360_|_07:23_|_2:42.8_|_154___|_20.9_|_08.8_|_152___|_cool down

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
05630_|_28:54_|_2:34.0_|_563___|_19.5_|_10.0_|_146___|_warmup
02460_|_09:56_|_2:01.1_|_319___|_32.1_|_07.7_|_165___|_Main set
01890_|_12:01_|_3:10.8_|_220___|_18.3_|_08.6_|_148___|_rest meters
01360_|_07:23_|_2:42.8_|_154___|_20.9_|_08.8_|_152___|_cool down
11340_|_58:14_|_2:34.1_|_1256___|_21.6_|_09.0_|_150___|_Total

I got even more bummed out about this workout when I looked at my training journal for last June and saw that I did a 10×500/500r workout with an avg pace of 1:58.8 and 30.7SPM.

I have some work to do to get back there.

Tomorrow: 14K Steady State

Quantified Rowing

Measure – Adjust – Improve

Tag: OTW

Friday: Rate Ladders and too much to think about

Techno-Thursday – 14K of technical rowing

Monday: 4 x 2500 / 500m rest

Saturday: Video and stroke analysis

18 spm

20 SPM

22 SPM

24 Spm

26 spm

28 SPM

30 SPM

32 spm

Saturday: 20K of drills, stroke metrics and beautiful water

Wednesday: 10×500 / 500r (r24 to r32, r32 to r24)

Steady State – windy

4 x ( 6 x 1′ on / 1′ off ) / 5′ rest (With some video analysis)

4×2500 / 5′ rest – Windy as hell

Some less than impressive 500m intervals