23 – I have a new least favorite session – 30r22

December 23, 2018December 24, 20181 Comment

But we’ll get to that.

12/18 – Strength Session.

Crunches 10×10″/5″

Superman 2x10x10″/1″

Side plank 2x3x30″/10″

Pushups 2×17,1×20

Front squats , bar+90lb 3×6

Cable rows 96lb 1×6, 120lb 2×8,1×1 (Should these be done with or without back swing? I did them without.)

Shoulder press 84lb 1×12, 96lb 1×9 1×7

One leg squats 2x20lb dumbbells, 2x3x12

Cable pull downs, narrow overhand grip 144lb 2×10 1×7

Deadlifts bar 1×12, bar + 150lb 3 x10

12/19 – 30r22

This is an online challenge, line the 500 from last week. This was a session from Sander’s team coach, and he set it up as an online race to make things a bit more interesting. I looked at my testing at the end of October, and I did a free rate 20′ at 1:50.5, and that was at about 25 spm. Since then, I have eased off a bit, adding in some strength training, and reducing the volume, So, three things to slow me down. I was guessing something like a 1:55 split would be OK.

I did a quick warmup.

I tried to get the hang of rowing full pressure at 22. The splits came out a lot faster than 1:55.

Oh well, how badly could it go? Pretty badly as it turns out.

I felt strong and smooth through 5 minutes and I was going way faster than 1:55. This was a bad idea. I was a bit worried about how fast my HR was going up. The next 5 minutes were a bit tough, and I started trying to slow my roll. By the time I passed 10 minutes, I was really struggling. My HR wasn’t crazy high, but I had an awful sort of drowning feeling. If I hadn’t said I was going to post a result, I might have packed it in. Even with the virtual pressure, I put the handle down briefly around 10:40. I started paddling almost immediately and then brought my pace down to around my original 1:55 target. That lasted just a couple of minutes and I got that drowning feeling again and went back to paddling. OK, so 1:55 doesn’t work, how about 1:56. That lasted another couple of minutes. I was definitely not at my best and definitely not happy about it. I decided to just try to go faster than 2:00 and post whatever I got. 1:57 seemed to work out quite well and I plodded along like that until I had about a minute to go. Then I steadily ramped up the pressure to the end.

        Workout Summary - media/20181219-1246020o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|07748|30:00.0|01:56.2|226.3|21.9|165.3|181.0|11.8
W-|07769|30:00.0|01:55.9|226.3|21.9|165.3|181.0|11.8
R-|00000|00:00.0|00:00.0|000.0|00.0|000.0|181.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|00273|01:00.0|01:49.8|245.4|21.5|110.7|133.0|12.7
01|00265|01:00.0|01:53.2|241.5|21.7|144.4|149.0|12.2
02|00266|01:00.0|01:52.9|244.7|21.8|153.0|157.0|12.2
03|00264|01:00.0|01:53.6|237.3|21.7|158.2|159.0|12.2
04|00268|01:00.0|01:52.0|241.7|22.1|161.1|162.0|12.1
05|00263|01:00.0|01:54.2|240.8|22.0|162.0|162.0|12.0
06|00264|01:00.0|01:53.7|239.9|21.9|164.3|165.0|12.0
07|00264|01:00.0|01:53.7|236.8|22.0|165.8|166.0|12.0
08|00263|01:00.0|01:54.2|235.2|22.0|166.0|166.0|11.9
09|00267|01:00.0|01:52.2|234.0|21.9|166.9|167.0|12.2
10|00252|01:00.0|01:59.2|225.0|22.1|167.8|168.0|11.4 - HD #1
11|00262|01:00.0|01:54.6|231.2|22.0|166.5|168.0|11.9
12|00247|01:00.0|02:01.3|218.5|22.1|167.6|168.0|11.2 - HD #2
13|00254|01:00.0|01:58.2|208.2|22.3|164.5|168.0|11.4
14|00264|01:00.0|01:53.6|224.9|21.8|165.2|167.0|12.1
15|00225|01:00.0|02:13.4|181.3|20.0|166.9|167.0|11.3 - HD #3
16|00254|01:00.0|01:57.9|211.7|21.7|161.8|165.0|11.7
17|00257|01:00.0|01:56.7|219.1|22.2|163.9|166.0|11.6
18|00257|01:00.0|01:56.8|219.9|22.1|167.6|168.0|11.6
19|00258|01:00.0|01:56.3|217.1|22.0|168.8|169.0|11.7
20|00253|01:00.0|01:58.7|215.4|21.8|169.0|169.0|11.6
21|00255|01:00.0|01:57.7|215.1|22.0|169.7|170.0|11.6
22|00258|01:00.0|01:56.3|221.8|22.0|171.0|171.0|11.7
23|00256|01:00.0|01:57.4|218.1|21.9|173.3|175.0|11.7
24|00260|01:00.0|01:55.5|219.3|22.1|174.1|176.0|11.8
25|00256|01:00.0|01:57.3|222.9|22.1|174.7|176.0|11.6
26|00258|01:00.0|01:56.3|223.3|21.8|177.4|178.0|11.8
27|00258|01:00.0|01:56.3|221.9|22.0|178.0|179.0|11.7
28|00259|01:00.0|01:55.7|226.5|22.2|177.8|180.0|11.7
29|00270|01:00.0|01:50.9|250.2|22.1|180.2|181.0|12.2 - End in sight!

It was pure misery, but pretty good threshold training,

I think. In the end, I missed my target of 1:55 by about a second. I figured if I didn’t go out so fast, I could hold 1:55 the whole way. A theory I disproved on Friday.

I did a dejected little 1k cool down.

Thursday – Strength

Crunches 10×10″/5″

Superman 2x10x10″/1″

Side plank 2x3x30″/10″

Pushups 2×18,1×20 (steadily increasing. That’s good)

Front squats , bar+90 8,8,8 (up 2 reps from Tues)

Cable rows 120 10,10,10 (getting the hang of these)

One leg squats 2×25 12,12,12,12,12,12 (Oh my god, these are hard!)

Shoulder press 96 12,12,8

Cable pull downs, 144 10,10,10 (Time to up the weight, I think)

Friday – 12/21/2018 – Another go at the 30r22

Try it again, I thought. You went out too fast, I thought. It’ll be better today, I thought.

But there were ill omens. First, I woke up feeling sore and tired, but that’s nothing new. I didn’t get nearly enough sleep, also unremarkable. Someone beat me to the gym and pinched the newer erg, leaving me with the old Model C. I know it doesn’t matter, but I feel like I row better on the new machine. More importantly, they had my setup my fan to keep them nice and cool for their ugly and ineffectual workout (sorry, that sounds a bit ungenerous). I would hate to be thought of as the self important jerk who hogs his own fan, so I didn’t even ask to use it, but inside I really missed it. Yep, I’m petty and stupid.

I did a longer warmup. 2k versus 1K and I actually did a pick drill to start. It was kind fun and useful, I might do again in the future.

Then I started the 30r22 and it was misery from the start.

        Workout Summary - media/20181221-1316040o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|07493|30:00.0|02:00.1|217.9|21.8|162.5|181.0|11.5
W-|07510|30:00.0|01:59.9|217.9|21.8|162.5|181.0|11.5
R-|00000|00:00.0|00:00.0|000.0|00.0|000.0|181.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|00267|01:00.0|01:52.5|229.8|21.0|120.4|138.0|12.7
01|00263|01:00.0|01:54.1|236.2|22.0|148.1|155.0|12.0
02|00262|01:00.0|01:54.5|234.6|21.8|157.6|159.0|12.0
03|00264|01:00.0|01:53.8|236.6|21.9|160.2|161.0|12.1
04|00262|01:00.0|01:54.4|234.3|22.1|161.8|162.0|11.9
05|00262|01:00.0|01:54.4|234.3|22.0|163.0|164.0|11.9
06|00261|01:00.0|01:54.8|231.5|22.1|164.8|165.0|11.8
07|00262|01:00.0|01:54.5|232.7|22.0|165.8|166.0|11.9
08|00260|01:00.0|01:55.2|228.8|22.0|166.2|167.0|11.8
09|00260|01:00.0|01:55.2|229.8|22.1|167.5|168.0|11.8
10|00173|01:00.0|02:53.9|104.7|21.2|164.9|169.0|08.2 - HD #1
11|00257|01:00.0|01:56.6|217.1|21.7|149.2|154.0|11.8
12|00247|01:00.0|02:01.2|203.4|20.8|159.4|162.0|11.9 - HD #2
13|00251|01:00.0|01:59.7|198.4|21.2|158.9|162.0|11.8
14|00256|01:00.0|01:57.2|217.0|21.7|161.2|163.0|11.8
15|00256|01:00.0|01:57.0|218.2|21.9|164.8|165.0|11.7
16|00256|01:00.0|01:57.4|216.2|21.8|165.5|166.0|11.7
17|00255|01:00.0|01:57.8|215.1|21.8|166.8|167.0|11.7
18|00196|01:00.0|02:33.2|122.3|20.5|164.8|168.0|09.5 - HD #3
19|00252|01:00.0|01:58.9|205.8|21.6|156.8|159.0|11.7
20|00255|01:00.0|01:57.8|214.7|21.8|161.3|164.0|11.7
21|00137|00:33.9|02:03.6|212.6|21.6|165.3|167.0|11.2
22|00250|01:26.1|02:52.3|205.7|21.8|158.5|164.0|08.0 - HD #4
23|00255|01:00.0|01:57.8|214.3|21.8|159.9|164.0|11.7
24|00256|01:00.0|01:57.3|217.3|21.9|165.6|167.0|11.7
25|00261|01:00.0|01:54.9|229.9|22.2|168.9|170.0|11.8
26|00263|01:00.0|01:54.2|234.5|22.0|172.7|175.0|12.0
27|00267|01:00.0|01:52.2|248.7|22.1|177.8|180.0|12.1
28|00269|01:00.0|01:51.5|251.3|22.0|180.0|180.0|12.2
29|00275|01:00.7|01:50.3|263.0|22.5|180.7|181.0|12.1

So. Many. Failures! I was more careful. I was rowing 1:55s when I decided to quit rowing (actually, both in the sense of this specific workout, and the sport in general). I changed my mind, and again set the no slower than 2:00 splits rule, which I found it hard to observe. I kept speeding up and then HD’ing.

My wife has a nasty cold and I have the beginning of some symptoms. Sometimes, I like to use the excuse that I didn’t do well because I am fighting a bug. Maybe that I’ll include that in the excuse index for this piece. Anyway, it sucked. It was slower and more painful than wednesday. The only good that came of it was that I was so angry and frustrated by the time I had 5 minutes left that I started to row really hard (at 22spm) and just kept pushing harder. I wanted it to hurt. And it did. I finished within 4 beats of my MaxHR.

Saturday – Rest Day.

After that debacle, I decided that a rest day would be a good idea. It was a good idea. My kids are all home for Christmas and we just hung out, drank beer and enjoyed each other’s company.

Sunday – 12/23/2018 : HR capped at 150

Time to do some base work. For some reason I am favoring HMs over the 4 x 20’s sessions recently. I like distance based workouts. My only issue is my butt is hurting more recently on the erg, and especially in these long sessions, it gets pretty bad. It’s really my left sitz bone. I am going to try some different seat pad arrangements to see if it gets better.

Today’s workout was a bit slower than I hoped, but I respected the cap until the very last minute. I really didn’t want the time to be longer than 1:31.

       Workout Summary - media/20181223-2025320o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|21097|90:57.0|02:09.3|161.8|20.3|144.3|157.0|11.4
W-|21097|90:57.0|02:09.3|161.8|20.3|144.3|157.0|11.4
R-|00000|00:00.0|00:00.0|000.0|00.0|000.0|157.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|02000|08:28.6|02:07.1|169.2|19.1|126.4|140.0|12.4
01|02000|08:32.2|02:08.1|166.7|19.8|139.0|143.0|11.8
02|02000|08:33.8|02:08.5|165.0|20.2|138.8|145.0|11.6
03|02000|08:39.0|02:09.8|160.4|20.2|142.8|146.0|11.4
04|02000|08:42.3|02:10.6|157.2|20.1|146.6|148.0|11.5
05|02000|08:41.8|02:10.4|157.6|20.1|148.2|149.0|11.4
06|02000|08:41.5|02:10.4|158.0|20.4|149.1|151.0|11.3
07|02000|08:40.9|02:10.2|158.5|20.7|149.1|151.0|11.1
08|02000|08:40.0|02:10.0|159.4|20.6|149.4|151.0|11.2
09|02000|08:38.9|02:09.7|160.3|20.6|149.6|151.0|11.3
10|01097|04:38.7|02:07.0|172.5|22.2|149.9|157.0|10.6

Tomorrow: I think I will do the Christmas 10K online race

12/8 to 12/14 -Kinda normal

December 15, 2018Leave a comment

Saturday – 12/8: Easy HM on the Dynamic

My flight from Taiwan arrived in San Francisco in the early evening, and I headed straight to my next flight, a red eye to Boston, which left at about 9pm and arrived in Boston at 5am. I slept about 5 hours on the flight from Taiwan to SFO and maybe another 3 on the flight to Boston. I was tired when I got home around 6:30 and slept until 10. I kind of zombied my way through the day, buying a Christmas tree, putting up decorations, and doing errands. Eventually, I decided to do a nice slow and easy half marathon.

       Workout Summary - media/20181208-2315360o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|21097|89:38.0|02:07.5|168.9|22.1|145.7|160.0|10.6
W-|21097|89:38.0|02:07.5|168.9|22.1|145.7|160.0|10.7
R-|00000|00:00.0|00:00.0|000.0|00.0|000.0|160.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|02000|08:26.0|02:06.5|171.9|20.4|123.0|133.0|11.6
01|02000|08:27.3|02:06.8|171.6|21.4|135.9|139.0|11.0
02|02000|08:27.2|02:06.8|171.8|22.1|140.6|144.0|10.7
03|02000|08:28.8|02:07.2|170.0|22.4|142.9|145.0|10.5
04|02000|08:28.9|02:07.2|170.0|22.3|144.8|148.0|10.6
05|02000|08:29.9|02:07.5|168.9|22.5|148.4|150.0|10.4
06|02000|08:31.6|02:07.9|167.3|22.1|151.0|155.0|10.6
07|02000|08:30.2|02:07.5|168.6|22.5|152.6|155.0|10.5
08|02000|08:32.1|02:08.0|166.8|22.6|155.1|158.0|10.4
09|02000|08:34.6|02:08.7|164.5|22.6|155.8|160.0|10.3
10|01097|04:42.5|02:08.7|164.3|22.5|157.4|160.0|10.4

Sunday – 12/9 : Hard 30′

I had trouble getting up in the morning and I was still kind of out of it. The plan called for a hard distance session, and I wasn’t really in the mood and I hate doing hard pieces on the dynamic. But I guess that’s one good thing about having a training plan, it will remind you to do things that you don’t really want to. So, I did it.

It didn’t go so well, but I didn’t bail and made it to the end.

        Workout Summary - media/20181209-2340350o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|07669|30:00.0|01:57.4|216.3|25.8|164.0|180.0|09.9
W-|07671|30:00.0|01:57.3|216.3|25.8|164.0|180.0|09.9
R-|00000|00:00.0|00:00.0|000.0|00.0|000.0|180.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|01306|05:00.0|01:54.9|228.5|25.2|138.3|159.0|10.4
01|01287|05:00.0|01:56.5|220.8|25.4|162.4|165.0|10.1
02|01264|05:00.0|01:58.7|209.4|25.2|165.0|168.0|10.0
03|01267|05:00.0|01:58.4|210.9|25.6|169.6|171.0|09.9
04|01261|05:00.0|01:58.9|208.2|26.4|172.2|174.0|09.5
05|01285|05:00.0|01:56.7|220.2|27.1|176.2|180.0|09.5

Monday – 12/10 : Strength Training

Crunches 10×10

Superman 2x10x10

Side plank 2x3x30

Pushups 3×16

Front squats barx10, bar+70 3×6 (went up 20lbs)

One arm rows 50 2x3x10 (went up 5lbs)

One leg squats 2×20, 2x3x7 (ouch…lot of pressure on my knee)

Cable pull downs, narrow overhand grip 144 3×8 (working up the weight)

Deadlifts bar+90 1×10, bar+180 3×6 (That last one is 255lbs. I think my 1RMax is probably around 300)

My back has been a bit tender since Monday…:-(

Tuesday – 12/11 : 60′ UT1

I started off a bit too ambitiously, so this session was an example of me constantly slowing down to hold it under the HR cap.

It felt good to be back on the static erg!

        Workout Summary - media/20181211-1905340o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|14605|60:00.0|02:03.2|187.0|19.2|151.4|160.0|12.7
W-|14608|60:00.0|02:03.2|187.0|19.2|151.4|160.0|12.7
R-|00000|00:00.0|00:00.0|000.0|00.0|000.0|160.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|02487|10:00.0|02:00.6|198.2|19.5|133.4|146.0|12.8
01|02469|10:00.0|02:01.5|195.2|19.2|150.1|154.0|12.9
02|02448|10:00.0|02:02.5|190.2|19.2|154.6|156.0|12.7
03|02429|10:00.0|02:03.5|185.9|19.0|156.1|157.0|12.8
04|02398|10:00.0|02:05.1|178.6|19.1|156.8|157.0|12.5
05|02376|10:00.0|02:06.2|174.0|19.0|157.2|160.0|12.5

Wednesday – 12/12 : No Training

I had every intention of training this morning, but I was just a bit slow getting to work, and then the emergencies started up before 8am, so I couldn’t squeeze in a session.

Thursday – 12/13 : Strength Session

I had originally planned to take Thursday as a rest day because my company had a big all day meeting in downtown Boston. But since I had missed Wed, I got up early, drove up to North Reading, did my workout, and then drove into Boston. I felt virtuous and smug all day!

It was a little shorter than Monday’s session and wanted to avoid anything that would be really tough on my back.

Crunches 10×10

Superman 2x10x10

Side plank 2x3x30

Pushups 2×16, 1 x 20 (getting a bit easier…)

Front squats: bar+70 3×7

One arm rows 50 2x3x12 (The last two reps were really tough!)

One leg squats 2×20, 2x3x10 (A bit easier, I’m getting my balance better)

Cable pull downs, narrow overhand grip 144 3×10

Friday – 12/14 : 2 x 30′ / 2′

More endurance work. Trying to keep my HR at a reasonable level.

       Workout Summary - media/20181214-1345330o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|15223|64:00.0|02:06.1|179.0|19.6|139.9|154.0|12.1
W-|14606|60:00.0|02:03.2|186.8|19.9|140.5|154.0|12.3
R-|00619|04:00.0|03:13.9|062.7|16.2|131.7|154.0|10.8
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|07310|30:00.0|02:03.1|187.2|19.8|134.2|145.0|12.3
01|07296|30:00.0|02:03.4|186.4|19.9|146.7|154.0|12.2

That brings up up to date. I’m down on the cape for the weekend. That means sessions on slides!

Saturday: Hard Distance…I think a reasonably brisk 10K

Sunday: I owe the plan some hard intervals. I might do a waterfall.

This meso cycle, I am aiming at a reduced training load and working on strength, so I am expecting that my fitness will trail off. It is but not terribly. The biggest impact has come from missing training days due to travel.

November 3, 2018Leave a comment

Monday: 3 x 20’/2′

        Workout Summary - media/20181029-1225340o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|15037|66:00.0|02:11.7|165.7|18.7|138.8|154.0|12.2
W-|14349|60:00.0|02:05.4|177.3|19.3|139.7|154.0|12.4
R-|00690|06:00.0|04:20.7|049.2|12.6|129.8|154.0|10.1
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|04747|20:00.0|02:06.4|172.9|19.0|131.4|139.0|12.5
01|04760|20:00.0|02:06.0|175.2|19.1|140.0|147.0|12.5
02|04841|20:00.0|02:03.9|183.9|19.8|147.9|154.0|12.2

Tuesday: Strength

Abs: 4 x 30″ front plank, 3 x 30″ side plank (each side)
swiss ball/med ball twisty things
Front Squats bar x 10, bar+20 x 10, bar+40 x 3 x 12
incline row: 3 x 12
deadlift (with hex bar): bar x 10, bar+90 3 x 12

Wednesday: 4 x 2000′ / 4′

Hard one. Tried for target pace of 1:50. It was too much for me. I backed off to 1:51 in the first couple reps but needed to slow down a bit more on the last two.

I think I need to pace these a bit more conservatively over the winter to avoid really punishing myself, especially when I am as sore as I was from the weights.

Thursday: Strength

Abs: 4 x 30″ front plank, 3 x 30″ side plank (each side)
swiss ball/med ball twisty things
pushups: 3 x 12
Front Squats bar x 10, bar+50 x 3 x 10
incline row: 3 x 12
Good mornings: bar x 10, bar+50 x 3 x 10

Friday: 3 x 20’/2′

Legs a bit sore from yesterday. But way better than last week. Felt pretty easy.

       Workout Summary - media/20181102-1240330o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|24703|66:04.0|01:20.2|171.4|19.5|142.8|155.0|19.1
W-|14509|60:00.0|02:04.1|183.4|19.8|144.0|154.0|12.2
R-|10196|06:04.0|00:17.9|053.1|17.0|131.5|154.0|216.2
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|04832|20:00.0|02:04.2|182.4|19.6|139.6|147.0|12.3
01|04823|20:00.0|02:04.4|182.1|19.9|145.5|151.0|12.1
02|04854|20:00.0|02:03.6|185.6|19.9|146.8|154.0|12.2

Not bad for a work week. I’ll try to do some hard distance tomorrow, probably a 10K on the dreaded dynamic.

Ambition Should be made of sterner stuff

March 26, 2018March 26, 2018Leave a comment

Yesterday, I did my session around 5pm and it was a hard one. This morning, after a rather lousy night’s sleep,, I was up at 5:15 and off to work.

I headed to the fitness center at 7 and this was my plan:

Full PT exercise suite (I haven’t done it for a couple weeks and I’m noticing that my back hurts and my legs are starting to splay at the catch again.)
Then 3 x 20′ / 3′ with one arm KB swings during the rests. (15 each side during each rest)
- Cat VI: r18, 2:03-2:08

I did my PT exercises and then the first set of KB swings. Then I setup on the rowed and did the first 20 minutes. Between the session last night and the first of KB swings, my legs felt empty and it was hard work from the start.

I finished the first 20’s and then did another set of the KB swings. Which brought my HR up to 165, and then sat down for the next 20 minutes. This was pretty hard work. I slowed down to keep my HR below 155.

I finished rep 2 and did another set of KB swings, then started rep #3 on the erg. I was struggling along for about 6 minutes and then decided that I had had enough for today. I’m disappointed that I didn’t finish the session, but I think the idea of doing the KB swings is a good one. I need to do more strength work.

          Workout Summary - media/20180326-1225310o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|11202|53:30.0|02:23.3|153.5|15.8|147.3|156.0|13.2
W-|11036|46:30.0|02:06.4|174.1|17.8|148.2|156.0|13.3
R-|00168|07:00.0|20:53.5|016.3|02.7|141.3|156.0|03.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|04820|20:00.0|02:04.5|180.9|18.0|144.7|152.0|13.4
01|04749|20:00.0|02:06.3|173.8|17.9|152.0|156.0|13.2
02|01467|06:30.0|02:12.9|154.2|17.1|147.4|154.0|13.2

Tomorrow:

10 minute warmup
Peak Power training (10 x 10″ / 1′ rests) max drag
2 x 20’/1′ Cat VI (r18,2:03-2:08)

Friday: 10K Cat VI plus Strength

February 16, 2018Leave a comment

Full PT Suite

10K Cat VI. Target pace 2:05. Felt pretty awful.

          Workout Summary - media/20180216-1310300o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|10000|41:34.0|02:04.7|179.8|18.1|150.5|158.0|13.3
W-|10000|41:34.0|02:04.7|179.8|18.1|150.4|158.0|13.3
R-|00000|00:00.0|00:00.0|000.0|00.0|000.0|158.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|02000|08:16.7|02:04.2|180.5|17.6|136.5|148.0|13.7
01|02000|08:17.0|02:04.2|182.3|18.2|151.1|154.0|13.3
02|02000|08:18.3|02:04.6|180.9|18.1|154.9|158.0|13.3
03|02000|08:20.4|02:05.1|179.0|18.3|154.6|156.0|13.1
04|02000|08:22.4|02:05.6|176.6|18.3|154.7|157.0|13.1

Then strength

KB Swings – 3 x 20 16kg
Torso rotations – 2 x 2 x 10 – position 6
Front squats – 5 x 6 – 115lbs
Pull ups – 5, 3, 3, 2

Feeling a bit better: Feb 8 to Feb 15

February 16, 20181 Comment

Last time I posted, I had decided to take a step back and mix up my training a bit to try to get some momentum back. The good news is that I think it is working, at least I am feeling a bit more relaxed than I was.

Thursday, Feb 8: Strength Training

Full PT Suite
Front Squats, KB Swings, Pull ups, Deadlifts

Friday, Feb 9: No Training. Spent my training time working on my project looking at how aging effects rowing performance by mistake. I was only going to make one little tweak to my “R” code and when I looked up 90 minutes had gone by.

Saturday, Feb 10: 4 x 20′ / 3′ (On Slides)

I bought a pair of slides a couple years ago and they have been in the gym at work. I have rarely used them because it’s a pain to set them up and break them down after ech session. I decided to bring them home and use them on my erg down on the cape.

It was awesome! I loved the feeling of rowing on slides again. With the technique stuff I’ve been working on the rowing motion felt really fluid. Add in the fact that this erg has a core perform seat and it felt very much like real rowing.

My goal was just to get some low intensity meters in, and keep my HR below 155.

Workout Summary - media/20180210-1840300o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|20016|92:00.0|02:17.9|165.8|19.1|146.3|158.0|11.4
W-|18992|80:00.0|02:06.4|173.3|19.0|147.8|158.0|12.5
R-|01030|12:00.0|05:49.6|070.8|20.3|130.5|158.0|02.2
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|04776|20:00.0|02:05.6|175.6|18.7|140.3|152.0|12.8
01|04724|20:00.0|02:07.0|170.6|18.8|148.7|155.0|12.5
02|04739|20:00.0|02:06.6|173.0|19.2|151.0|158.0|12.4
03|04753|20:00.0|02:06.2|173.9|19.3|151.0|157.0|12.3

I found it very natural to row about 1 spm higher on slides, and I was maybe 1 second slower than on a static machine. The difference between rowing on slides and rowing on the dynamic is night and day.

Sunday, Feb 11: 8 x (4:30 @ 18, 0:30 @ 30+)/30″ (On Slides)

To follow up on that blissful session I wanted to have a bit more fun on slides. I really like this 8 x 5′ with 30 sec sprint session. I’ve been doing this kind of sessions more since reading this book. The One Minute Workout

It was a blast doing it on slides. I could rate up very easily, which I can’t seem to do on the dynamic machine.

Workout Summary - media/20180211-1530300o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|10387|44:00.0|02:07.1|217.6|22.1|148.1|172.0|10.7
W-|09816|40:00.0|02:02.3|199.8|20.5|147.1|172.0|12.3
R-|00584|04:00.0|03:25.3|257.1|29.3|159.6|172.0|04.1
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|01094|04:30.0|02:03.4|184.8|19.9|117.9|135.0|12.2
01|00153|00:30.0|01:38.0|369.6|34.7|140.5|146.0|08.8
02|01078|04:30.0|02:05.2|181.7|18.0|136.0|143.0|13.3
03|00156|00:30.0|01:35.9|386.7|35.2|143.6|150.0|08.9
04|01067|04:30.0|02:06.5|176.9|18.6|142.5|153.0|12.8
05|00160|00:30.0|01:33.8|395.0|36.9|146.9|150.0|08.7
06|01070|04:30.0|02:06.2|174.9|17.7|146.8|158.0|13.4
07|00163|00:30.0|01:31.8|442.5|38.2|150.0|155.0|08.5
08|01060|04:30.0|02:07.4|174.9|18.7|152.2|164.0|12.6
09|00161|00:30.0|01:33.3|426.6|38.8|154.0|158.0|08.3
10|01070|04:30.0|02:06.2|175.3|18.4|156.3|166.0|12.9
11|00159|00:30.0|01:34.4|399.9|37.1|158.2|161.0|08.6
12|01052|04:30.0|02:08.4|172.3|18.9|158.9|169.0|12.3
13|00157|00:30.0|01:35.7|399.1|36.5|158.3|162.0|08.6
14|01057|04:30.0|02:07.7|173.5|19.1|162.4|172.0|12.3
15|00159|00:30.0|01:34.2|437.6|38.8|162.5|165.0|08.2

Another delightful session. The feeling of rowing on slides was so different that I decided to take a quick video to see how my technique looked. Spoiler alert: I have work to do.

Despite my best efforts, I am still not getting my body over before breaking my knees on recovery.

Monday, Feb 12: Strength Training plus 40 minutes Cat VI

Full PT suite.

40′ Cat VI row. A great row. Felt very easy. Nice low HR.

Workout Summary - media/20180212-1305260o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|09684|40:00.0|02:03.9|183.5|18.9|139.0|145.0|12.8
W-|09685|40:00.0|02:03.9|183.5|18.9|139.0|145.0|12.8
R-|00000|00:00.0|00:00.0|000.0|00.0|000.0|145.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|04832|20:00.0|02:04.2|181.8|18.8|136.6|144.0|12.9
01|04853|20:00.0|02:03.6|185.2|19.0|141.4|145.0|12.7

Was able to speed up a bit in the second half because my HR was so low.

Then I did a Strength Session

KB Swings 3 x 20 with 16kg
Front Squats 4 x 8 with 145 lb
Trunk rotation with 50 2 sets of 10 each side
Pull ups: 5,4,3,3

Tuesday, Feb 13: 10 x 500/2′ @ 22

PT Suite

Enjoyable little workout.

Workout Summary - media/20180213-1340290o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|10941|44:54.0|02:03.1|194.3|19.3|153.6|167.0|12.6
W-|10941|44:55.0|02:03.2|192.3|19.1|153.5|167.0|12.9
R-|00000|00:00.0|00:00.0|000.0|00.0|000.0|167.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|00500|02:04.6|02:04.6|173.6|17.0|110.6|128.0|14.1
01|00500|01:59.0|01:59.0|209.2|21.0|137.9|143.0|12.0
02|00500|02:07.4|02:07.4|179.2|16.9|142.7|144.0|13.9
03|00500|01:57.4|01:57.4|213.7|21.7|146.3|150.0|11.8
04|00500|02:08.3|02:08.3|172.7|17.6|148.5|150.0|13.3
05|00500|01:57.4|01:57.4|215.1|21.2|149.1|152.0|12.1
06|00500|02:05.9|02:05.9|170.3|17.6|151.5|154.0|13.5
07|00500|01:58.2|01:58.2|219.4|21.3|151.0|154.0|11.9
08|00500|02:05.0|02:05.0|175.9|17.7|153.4|155.0|13.6
09|00500|01:58.7|01:58.7|218.3|20.7|154.3|157.0|12.2
10|00500|02:07.0|02:07.0|173.7|17.6|156.1|158.0|13.4
11|00500|01:59.3|01:59.3|211.7|21.3|156.7|160.0|11.8
12|00500|02:07.8|02:07.8|178.9|17.1|159.3|161.0|13.7
13|00500|01:58.3|01:58.3|217.6|21.3|159.8|162.0|11.9
14|00500|02:09.8|02:09.8|177.6|17.8|160.8|164.0|13.0
15|00500|01:57.9|01:57.9|214.6|21.8|161.7|164.0|11.7
16|00500|02:06.0|02:06.0|178.0|18.1|162.4|164.0|13.1
17|00500|01:59.5|01:59.5|205.1|21.0|163.5|165.0|12.0
18|00500|02:05.1|02:05.1|179.6|17.5|163.3|165.0|13.7
19|00500|01:58.7|01:58.7|222.9|21.2|164.8|167.0|11.9
20|00500|02:08.0|02:08.0|179.8|16.9|165.6|167.0|13.8
21|00441|01:56.2|02:11.6|156.5|16.8|159.1|162.0|13.6

Wednesday, Feb 14: Strength Training only

I was pressed for time. Distracted by the Aging related decline project again.

Full PT Suite

Strength Session

KB Swings – 3 x 20 with 16kg
Front squats – 4 x 8 with 145lbs, 1 x 8 with 165lbs
trunk rotations – 2 x 2 x 10 with 50 lbs
Pull ups – 5, 4, 3, 3
Dead lifts – 5 x 8 x 150lbs

Thursday, Feb 15: No Training. Rest Day

Rough patch

February 7, 2018Leave a comment

I got back from Korea late Friday night, around 11pm. And even though the flights were fine and I got some rest on the flight, I was wasted. I struggled to sleep on Friday night, and Saturday night, and Sunday night, and Monday night. Each night, I would fall asleep, but wake up at 2am and spend the rest of the night tossing and turning. I didn’t get a good night sleep until last night when I got 7 blissful hours.

Along with the sleep issues, I felt rundown and grumpy during the day. My motivation to train was low and my training sessions were abysmal. A lot of this was just being tired, but also knowing that I am in a period with a lot of travel and no immediate training objective makes it hard to push through. Maybe it’s good not to in this case.

I reached out to Marlene for advice and she was fine with backing off a bit. I decided to change things up. For the next couple weeks, I’m modifying the plan.

Faithfully do my PT exercises 5 or 6 times a week
3x mini-strength sessions a week
1. KB swings
2. pull ups
3. front squats
on non-strength days do shorter erg sessions, working on proper technique and base aerobic fitness
on strength days, do a short erg warmup and maybe a bit of cross training on the treadmill

I’ll do this through Feb 24th and then dive back into normal training. The goal then will be to get ready to get back on the water. I feel better having made the mental switch.

Recent training details….

Saturday – 2/3: In the evening, I decided to try to do what I thought would be an easy 10K push on the dynamic. I started at 2:04, and aimed to finish at 1:55. I made it 6K and then backed off to a paddle. With 1000m left, I was pretty pissed off, so I targeted 1:55 and it nearly killed me.

Workout Summary - media/20180204-0310250o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|10000|40:33.0|02:01.7|196.8|21.8|158.8|182.0|11.3
W-|10000|40:33.0|02:01.7|195.2|21.6|157.9|182.0|11.5
R-|00000|00:00.0|00:00.0|000.0|00.0|000.0|182.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|01000|04:07.0|02:03.5|183.9|18.9|120.4|136.0|12.8
01|01000|04:05.3|02:02.6|189.4|20.2|145.6|150.0|12.1
02|01000|04:03.2|02:01.6|194.4|21.3|154.1|157.0|11.6
03|01000|04:01.3|02:00.7|199.4|22.2|158.9|161.0|11.2
04|01000|03:59.1|01:59.6|204.6|22.8|163.6|165.0|11.0
05|01000|03:57.6|01:58.8|208.7|23.5|168.0|170.0|10.8
06|01000|04:11.8|02:05.9|182.3|21.1|164.4|172.0|11.3
07|01000|04:09.9|02:04.9|179.2|19.9|164.0|167.0|12.1
08|01000|04:10.9|02:05.4|177.4|19.8|166.2|168.0|12.1
09|01000|03:47.8|01:53.9|237.5|26.7|175.6|182.0|09.9

Sunday: I felt pretty awful all day long and didn’t train.

Monday: Not much sleep, headed in to the gym with the intent to do the tough session that was originally planned for Saturday:

6 x (3’@28, 7’@18) / 1′
3’@28: Cat III (1:48)
7’@18: Cat VI (2:05-2:08)

I gave it my best, but I flamed out after 3. My HR never really came back down. This was kind of a low point for me. That’s when I reached out for advice.

Workout Summary - media/20180205-1240290o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|07618|33:00.0|02:10.0|205.6|21.2|154.4|174.0|10.9
W-|07469|30:00.0|02:00.5|202.5|20.5|155.5|174.0|12.3
R-|00154|03:00.0|09:45.6|014.9|12.0|152.5|174.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|00828|03:00.0|01:48.7|264.6|26.1|130.0|154.0|10.6
01|01661|07:00.0|02:06.5|173.9|17.7|147.4|155.0|13.4
02|00828|03:00.0|01:48.7|268.6|26.4|156.1|169.0|10.4
03|01664|07:00.0|02:06.2|175.9|18.3|160.6|170.0|13.0
04|00820|03:00.0|01:49.7|263.6|26.3|159.2|174.0|10.4
05|01667|07:00.0|02:05.9|176.6|18.3|167.5|174.0|13.0

Tuesday – 2/6:

Another night of bad sleep. I was awake from 2am, and gave up trying around 4am. I did a couple of crossword puzzles and then headed to work early.

The plan:

PT exercises
Mini strength session (KB swings, front squats, pull ups)
40 minute erg

The PT exercises were fine. I had a blast with the strength stuff

3 sets of 20 KB swings with a 16kg kettle bell. I felt the third set. I think I need a heavier KB, this is the biggest one on the rack at work.
Front squats: I’ve always done regular back squats. Mainly because you can do heavier weights. But from what I’ve been reading, front squats are a bit more functional for rowing related strength, and because the weight is more limited, and you are forced into a more erect posture, there is less risk of injury. Today, I did a set of 10 with the bare bar, and 5 sets of 8 with 50 lbs on the bar. I felt that in the last set as well.
Pull ups. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 with about 30 seconds between sets

Then onto the erg. Between the swings and the squats, there was nothing left in my legs. I was having trouble holding a Cat VI pace. I lasted for 20 minutes and decided that it was no fun at all.

Workout Summary - media/20180206-1640290o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|04771|20:14.0|02:07.3|171.7|17.9|149.6|156.0|13.2
W-|04777|20:14.0|02:07.1|171.4|17.9|149.7|156.0|13.2
R-|00000|00:00.0|00:00.0|000.0|00.0|000.0|156.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|00488|02:00.0|02:03.0|180.6|17.3|125.0|144.0|14.1
01|00481|02:00.0|02:04.7|180.4|18.4|146.5|150.0|13.1
02|00480|02:00.0|02:05.1|179.1|18.4|150.1|151.0|13.1
03|00474|02:00.0|02:06.6|172.9|18.2|151.5|153.0|13.0
04|00471|02:00.0|02:07.5|168.8|18.2|151.7|153.0|13.0
05|00470|02:00.0|02:07.6|168.8|17.4|153.9|154.0|13.5
06|00469|02:00.0|02:08.0|167.0|17.3|153.9|154.0|13.5
07|00471|02:00.0|02:07.3|169.5|18.2|154.7|156.0|13.0
08|00469|02:00.0|02:08.1|166.5|18.0|155.5|156.0|13.0
09|00470|02:00.0|02:07.8|168.0|17.9|154.1|155.0|13.1
10|00035|00:14.5|03:27.9|105.4|14.3|155.0|155.0|10.1

So, I was tired of rowing, but I felt like doing more. I decided to go do a couple of HIIT bursts on the treadmill. I cranked the incline to 15% and fast walked for 4:20. Then I cranked the speed up to 7mph and sprinted until 5:00. With the lag of the machine, I was basically at speed for 30 full seconds. At the 5 minute mark, I hopped off the belt and then turned the speed back down. I did that 4 times total. Like before, I seemed to get better at the mechanics of sprinting, essentially running more on my toes and increasing my cadence. I guess that is the running equivalent of “rating up”.

Wednesday: Ah bliss! I slept 7 hours last night without any insomnia. I got up at 5:15 and headed off to work. I was almost paralyzed by DOMS from my tiny strength session yesterday. I guess that’s a good sign that I should keep a session or two of strength work in my rotation all the time. My thighs were the sorest, but my butt, my lats and forearms all let me know that they were quite upset with me. I kinda liked it.

Today, I was short on time and wanted a light session anyway. So, after doing minimal PT exercises, I decided to just do a 10k at Cat VI (r18/2:05). That’s what I did. HR was still higher than it should have been, but that might have been because of the muscle soreness.

Pretty unremarkable, huh?

        Workout Summary - media/20180207-1345260o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|09996|41:33.0|02:04.7|180.1|18.2|146.0|157.0|13.2
W-|10000|41:34.0|02:04.7|180.1|18.2|146.0|157.0|13.2
R-|00000|00:00.0|00:00.0|000.0|00.0|000.0|157.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|00980|04:03.5|02:04.3|177.2|17.5|120.3|134.0|13.8
01|01009|04:11.5|02:04.6|181.2|18.3|139.7|145.0|13.1
02|00990|04:06.5|02:04.5|181.4|18.3|144.7|145.0|13.2
03|01007|04:11.0|02:04.7|180.8|18.4|144.3|147.0|13.1
04|00996|04:09.0|02:05.0|179.3|18.2|148.2|151.0|13.2
05|01009|04:12.0|02:04.9|179.7|18.2|149.3|151.0|13.2
06|00989|04:06.5|02:04.7|180.9|18.2|151.1|152.0|13.2
07|01009|04:11.5|02:04.7|180.8|18.3|152.8|154.0|13.2
08|00997|04:09.0|02:04.9|179.7|18.3|154.2|155.0|13.1
09|01014|04:13.5|02:04.9|179.8|18.0|155.0|157.0|13.3

That brings us up to the present.

Tomorrow:

Full PT Suite
Strength (KB Swings, Front Squats, Pull ups, Add push ups)
erg – 8 x 5′ (4:30 cat VI, 0:30 Cat II) / 30″

Tuesday: Strength

December 6, 20161 Comment

30 minute warmup on the stationary bike (manual, level 13)

Then into a strength session

Squats
(limited depth to protect my knee, put a Bench behind me and stopped when my butt hit it, it was about 3/4 depth)
45 x 10
95 x 10
145 x 10
165 x 8 x 3 sets

Chin ups
Unassisted x6 (yes! I’m making progress)
assisted x6 x6 x4

Good Mornings
45 x 10
95 x 10
145 x 10 x 3 sets

Push ups
(with rotating handle pads)
10 x 4 sets

Pretty happy with how that went, especially the squats. I really want to work on leg strength and preserve range of motion. I felt safe doing the squats this way.

Not by coincidence, I saw a tweet from Yann La Meur reviewing a paper by Rhea. This was talking about the specificity of squat training. In the experiment they took 28 collegiate athletes and only varied the type of squat exercise that they did within an otherwise identical strength training program. They found that quarter squats translated into bigger improvements in vertical leap and sprint speed than either full squats or half squats.

Now, of course the range of knee motion for rowing is a lot larger than running or jumping, so I am not sure that quarter or half squats are good for specific rowing training, but I found the article very interesting nonetheless. Mainly though, I want to avoid having my knee lock up while I have 200 pounds on my shoulders.

Tomorrow: Stationary Bike endurance session, ~ 60 minutes.

Wednesday: November CTC

November 30, 2016Leave a comment

After my cortisone injection yesterday morning, my knee felt better almost immediately. I think the combination of getting the excess fluid out of the joint, and the anti-inflammatory effect of the steroid made things a lot better. There is still a lot of instability in the joint. I have a vicious clicking if I fully flex and although the pain is much reduced, I still notice that my joint has two modes of operation; good and not so good.

Needless to say, I want to avoid the not so good mode of operation. And as far as I can tell that is done by avoiding fully flexing my knee.

Yesterday evening, I went and had an MRI done of the joint. That was a new experience for me. The imaging center (Metrowest MRI) was prompt, professional and friendly. They did 4 image sequences. Each took about 4 to 5 minutes, during which I was instructed to keep my knee perfectly still while the machine banged and buzzed. I looked at the pictures, which were very clear, but I don’t know enough about knees to figure out if there is anything good or bad going on.

This morning, I was pain free and so I headed off to workout in the morning.

The Plan:

20 minute warmup on the stationary bike
If I was pain free, try some erging
- 1k at 2:00
- 1k at 1:55
- 1k as hard as I could tolerate for the CTC
Strength training

Here is heart rate data for the bike warmup and the 3 intervals on the erg

Here’s the details on the erg stuff. I was concerned about bending my knee too far so I put a bandaid on the rail at a point before my knee would click. This provided enough of a bump when the seat rollers hit it that I was reminded to keep my strokes shorter. Over the intervals, I was able to modify my recovery timing so that I would be fully rocked over before I hit the bump. This enabled me to get a bit longer drive. On the last interval, I pushed past the bandaid with no significant pain. That was heartening.

I was interested in looking at my drive length.

So, for the first interval, I was pulling about a 1.3m stroke. For the second, around 1.35m. For the final interval, it was about 1.4m. Compare that to the 8x750m workout that I did last week.

For this workout, I was maintaining over 1.4m for all but the last interval. It looks like I had gone back to just about my full stroke in the final rep.

A couple of other interesting plots.

The left shows the peak and average force. This shows a very consistent increase in both peak and average. The right is the drive time. You can see that the drive time was slowing down as my drive length increased. I was surprised by this since the pace on the last rep was much faster.

After that, I went and changed my shirt and did a few strength exercises

Chin ups
unassisted x5
red band assist 3 sets of 4 reps

standing dumbell press
2×25 10
2×30 2 sets of 10 reps

Bent over barbell rows
45 x 10
95 x 10 x 3 sets

dumbell bench press
2×30 x 10
2×35 x 10 x 2

Tomorrow: Slow HM (limit compression)

Monday: Easing back into it

November 28, 2016November 29, 2016Leave a comment

I had not exercised since Wednesday of last week. This morning, I am back at work and I decided that I need to get back in the gym and see what I can do that wouldn’t screw up my knee.

I wore a elastic brace on my knee mostly to remind me to not do anything stupid.

First up, 40 minutes on the stationary bike. Rolling hills program. Level 12 for the first 20 minutes, then I got bored and increased it to 13. That was a bit better.

I’m gonna need to work a bit harder than that.

Then onto some strength work.

Chin ups
5 unassisted
4 x 3 (red band)

Good mornings
45 x 10
65 x 10
85 x 10 x 3

Barbell Rows
45 x 10
65 x 10
85 x 10 x 3

Standing Dumbell Press
2×25 x 10
2×30 x 10 x 3

Lat Pull Down (My shoulder hurt when I did these with a wide grip. I’ll do it with a pull up grip next time)

Dumbell bench press
2×25 x 10
2×30 x 10 x 3

This was a pretty good session. My knee was fine with pedaling. And by going reasonably light in the strength exercises, I didn’t do any damage there either.

Tomorrow: I have an appointment with the Orthopedist at 10:30 tomorrow morning. I will probably do 40 minutes on the Stationary bike in the morning, and some core work.

Quantified Rowing

Measure – Adjust – Improve

Tag: strength training

12/18 to 12/23 – I have a new least favorite session – 30r22

12/8 to 12/14 -Kinda normal

Ambition Should be made of sterner stuff

Friday: 10K Cat VI plus Strength

Feeling a bit better: Feb 8 to Feb 15

Rough patch

Tuesday: Strength

Wednesday: November CTC

Monday: Easing back into it