Tag: Threshold

Thursday: 15 x 3’/1′ off the red eye

1 Comment

I landed in Boston at 6:30am.  I was on the erg by 8am.  I managed to get some sleep, but my expectations for the session were pretty low.

Plan:

  • 15 x 3’/1′
  • Rate: 25-28
  • Pace: 1:52 or better

I did this session in September (described here).  The jump up was an average pace of 1:50.7, and over 9 minutes spent in the anaerobic HR band.  It was brutal.  Today, I was way more careful.in the way that I started, and basically negative split the workout.  The end result was an average split of 1:49.9, and zero time spend in the AN band.

I think the improvement comes from both a more intelligent pacing strategy for the workout, and improved aerobic fitness since mid-September.

The plots and pictures below include 1 warmup rep and 1 cool down rep that are excluded from the pace calculations.

Here is the split summary from rowsandall.com.  It looks like the way that painsled reports data, it can mess up short intervals by a few meters, so it is different from the PM picture.

Workout Summary - media/20161103-135324-sled_2016-11-03T08-06-32ZEDT.strokes.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|16244|68:00.0|02:05.6|24.3|155.4|178.0|09.8
W-|13610|51:00.0|01:52.4|24.4|154.9|178.0|11.0
R-|02648|17:00.0|03:12.6|22.8|161.4|178.0|03.7
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
01|00756|03:00.0|01:59.0|19.5|125.1|138.0|13.0
02|00801|03:00.0|01:52.3|24.0|140.8|151.0|11.1
03|00809|03:00.0|01:51.2|24.2|145.1|155.0|11.2
04|00814|03:00.0|01:50.6|24.3|148.4|157.0|11.2
05|00809|03:00.0|01:51.2|24.6|149.9|159.0|10.9
06|00806|03:00.0|01:51.7|24.9|152.8|162.0|10.8
07|00813|03:00.0|01:50.8|24.5|153.9|162.0|11.1
08|00805|03:00.0|01:51.7|24.7|155.0|165.0|10.9
09|00807|03:00.0|01:51.5|24.6|158.3|167.0|10.9
10|00817|03:00.0|01:50.1|24.7|160.2|169.0|11.0
11|00814|03:00.0|01:50.5|25.0|162.5|170.0|10.9
12|00811|03:00.0|01:51.0|24.8|163.0|171.0|10.9
13|00806|03:00.0|01:51.6|25.2|163.6|172.0|10.7
14|00812|03:00.0|01:50.8|25.3|164.7|173.0|10.7
15|00825|03:00.0|01:49.1|26.3|167.5|175.0|10.5
16|00827|03:00.0|01:48.8|27.6|170.4|178.0|10.0
17|00675|03:00.0|02:13.3|19.8|151.3|158.0|11.3

This session provides another opportunity to explore some of the stroke metric analysis you can do on rowsandall.com.

First, here is a view of the stroke metrics versus time.

myimage11-3d.png

You can see the warmup and cooldown reps.  The other thing that you can just begin to see is that I got all the pace improvement in the last couple of reps by increasing rate, not force.  The best place to see that is in the drv and rcv time plot, where you can see the recovery time decreasing, but the peak and average force are quite consistent with the prior reps.  You can also see how my drive length increased and my avg force decreased a bit over the first few reps.  Let’s dig a bit deeper into those parameters.

First, lets look at drive length over time and also versus stroke rate.  I’ve used the controls on the site to exclude all rest strokes and all strokes below 23 spm, which screen out the warmup and cool down.

So, there is definitely a strong time dependence to my drive length.  I start short, get longer as the workout continues, and only shorten up again at the end when I start to push pace much harder.  The relationship between drive length and stroke rate is very weak.

Next, lets look at peak and average force.

There is little change in these parameters over time or stroke rate.  The area that I want to understand better is the spread of the peak power.  I wonder if I am wasting energy by having an inconsistent stroke.

Tomorrow:  4 x 20′ / 1′ L4

 

Monday: October CTC – 10K Unrestricted

2 Comments

Sunday:  It was a lovely day down on the cape.  I did some maintenance around the house, including replacing some shingles that were blown off the roof by a wind storm and digging out some sand that built up around the basement entrance.  We hung out until late in the afternoon and I never got a chance to do a training session.  No great loss.

Monday:  Today is the 31st, so it was my last chance to post an entry for the October Cross Team Challenge.

screen-shot-2016-10-31-at-8-56-59-am

As usual during the OTW season, I go into these challenges not having a good idea about pacing.  My all time best 10K was in December of 2013.  I was in fantastic shape at that point and was knocking off most of my middle distance PBs.  Right now, my training has been focused on middle distance work for the head racing season, but I wasn’t sure how well that would translate to the erg.

I decided to try go out at a 1:52 pace and see how things went.

If you have been reading my training journal, you can probably suspect what a 1:52 target means in practice.  It means I went out around 1:50-1:51.

The way I do these middle distance pieces is to count strokes for each 1000m.  At the start, I was doing about 94 strokes per 1000m.  In this piece, I started to struggle a bit around 5000m and started to ease up on the pace.  The worst was at 2500m to go.  I saw a few 1:53s and 1:54s on the monitor.  I would push a bit, then ease up, then push again.  Once I got to 1500m left, I felt pretty sure I was going to make it, and I started to push harder and got 1:52s and 1:51s back on the screen.  With 500m to go, I started counting down strokes and rating up.

I am delighted with the result.  37:08.1, a 1:51.4 pace.  I ranked it on the C2 site and it’s 18th (97th percentile).  For the CTC results, I’m in at 77th place and the 4th place for Free Spirits.

I did a quick 1K warmup before and a 2k cool down after.

Tomorrow:  4 x 20′ L4

Thursday: 4 x (5 x 2′ / 30″ paddle) / 3′ rest

2 Comments

On the Upper Charles.  In my fluid.

Weather:  Cold, calm, clear and dark!  30F when I launched, 31F when I finished.  The water was glassy smooth.  It was so calm that I noticed the tiny wake that a goose made when he paddled by in the opposite direction (and I resented the goose for spoiling my perfect water!)

Plan:

  • 4 sets of 5 x 2′ on / 30″ paddle
  • 3 or 4 minutes of rest between sets
  • rate: 26-28
  • pace: better than 2:15
  • HR: No cap.  Threshold workout
  • Technique:  full compression, level draw, crisp tap down, smooth recovery

The number of reps in each set is designed to cover the distance down the river so that I get my long rest when I need to turn at the end.  The intent of this workout is to work  at head race pace and stroke rates with enough rests so that it is more focused on technique than survival.  It worked out as planned.

| Tstart_ | Dist_ | Time_ | _Pace_ | SPM_ | avgHR | _DPS___ | Remarks
 | 00:00.0 | 01166 | 08:00 | 3:25.8 | 15.2 | 119.3 | 09.6 | warming up
 | 08:00.0 | 00451 | 01:59 | 2:11.9 | 25.9 | 151.5 | 08.8 | 
 | 09:59.0 | 00090 | 00:30 | 2:46.7 | 20.7 | 155.1 | 08.7 | 
 | 10:29.0 | 00462 | 02:00 | 2:09.9 | 26.9 | 158.1 | 08.6 | 
 | 12:29.0 | 00079 | 00:30 | 3:09.9 | 19.6 | 159.8 | 08.1 | 
 | 12:59.0 | 00452 | 02:00 | 2:12.7 | 26.8 | 158.3 | 08.4 | 
 | 14:59.0 | 00075 | 00:30 | 3:20.0 | 19.7 | 160.9 | 07.6 | 
 | 15:29.0 | 00473 | 02:01 | 2:07.9 | 27.1 | 160.6 | 08.7 | 
 | 17:30.0 | 00078 | 00:29 | 3:05.9 | 21.4 | 165.2 | 07.5 | 
 | 17:59.0 | 00470 | 02:00 | 2:07.7 | 27.9 | 165.0 | 08.4 | 
 | 19:59.0 | 00323 | 03:00 | 4:38.6 | 20.2 | 135.8 | 05.3 | 
 | 22:59.0 | 00454 | 02:00 | 2:12.2 | 26.9 | 152.0 | 08.4 | 
 | 24:59.0 | 00084 | 00:30 | 2:58.6 | 21.6 | 164.3 | 07.8 | 
 | 25:29.0 | 00447 | 02:00 | 2:14.2 | 27.5 | 164.8 | 08.1 | 
 | 27:29.0 | 00078 | 00:30 | 3:12.3 | 21.7 | 167.5 | 07.2 | 
 | 27:59.0 | 00444 | 02:00 | 2:15.1 | 26.8 | 166.5 | 08.3 | 
 | 29:59.0 | 00082 | 00:31 | 3:09.0 | 25.2 | 170.0 | 06.3 | 
 | 30:30.0 | 00437 | 01:59 | 2:16.2 | 27.2 | 167.6 | 08.1 | 
 | 32:29.0 | 00069 | 00:30 | 3:37.4 | 21.0 | 170.3 | 06.6 | 
 | 32:59.0 | 00445 | 02:00 | 2:14.8 | 26.3 | 167.2 | 08.5 | 
 | 34:59.0 | 00415 | 04:00 | 4:49.2 | 18.9 | 136.7 | 05.5 | 
 | 38:59.0 | 00460 | 02:00 | 2:10.4 | 26.8 | 153.5 | 08.6 | 
 | 40:59.0 | 00084 | 00:30 | 2:58.6 | 21.3 | 163.6 | 07.9 | 
 | 41:29.0 | 00447 | 02:00 | 2:14.2 | 27.4 | 163.3 | 08.2 | 
 | 43:29.0 | 00084 | 00:30 | 2:58.6 | 22.0 | 166.7 | 07.6 | 
 | 43:59.0 | 00447 | 02:00 | 2:14.2 | 26.2 | 165.3 | 08.5 | 
 | 45:59.0 | 00093 | 00:31 | 2:46.7 | 21.5 | 166.6 | 08.4 | 
 | 46:30.0 | 00445 | 01:59 | 2:13.7 | 27.0 | 164.9 | 08.3 | 
 | 48:29.0 | 00078 | 00:30 | 3:12.3 | 21.3 | 167.2 | 07.3 | 
 | 48:59.0 | 00454 | 02:00 | 2:12.2 | 27.4 | 167.2 | 08.3 | 
 | 50:59.0 | 00215 | 03:00 | 6:58.6 | 18.2 | 134.5 | 03.9 | 
 | 53:59.0 | 00455 | 02:00 | 2:11.9 | 26.8 | 153.4 | 08.5 | 
 | 55:59.0 | 00081 | 00:30 | 3:05.2 | 21.2 | 163.2 | 07.7 | 
 | 56:29.0 | 00440 | 02:00 | 2:16.4 | 25.8 | 163.6 | 08.5 | 
 | 58:29.0 | 00082 | 00:30 | 3:02.9 | 21.3 | 165.1 | 07.7 | 
 | 58:59.0 | 00437 | 02:01 | 2:18.4 | 26.1 | 164.8 | 08.3 | 
 | 01:00.0 | 00076 | 00:29 | 3:10.8 | 21.7 | 166.6 | 07.2 | 
 | 01:29.0 | 00437 | 02:00 | 2:17.3 | 26.2 | 165.7 | 08.3 | 
 | 03:29.0 | 00079 | 00:30 | 3:09.9 | 20.4 | 167.7 | 07.7 | 
 | 03:59.0 | 00449 | 02:00 | 2:13.6 | 26.7 | 167.7 | 08.4 | 
 | 05:59.0 | 01455 | 10:20 | 3:33.1 | 18.1 | 127.8 | 07.8 |

| Tstart_ | Dist_ | Time_ | _Pace_ | SPM_ | avgHR | _DPS___ | Remarks
 | 00:00.0 | 01166 | 08:00 | 3:25.8 | 15.2 | 119.3 | 09.6 | warmup
 | 00:00.0 | 02245 | 18:00 | 4:00.5 | 20.1 | 148.8 | 06.2 | rests
 | 00:00.0 | 01455 | 10:20 | 3:33.1 | 18.1 | 127.8 | 07.8 | cool down
 | 00:00.0 | 09006 | 39:59 | 2:13.2 | 26.8 | 162.1 | 08.4 | main set

I was hoping to be a bit faster, but it wasn’t gonna happen for me today.  I suspect that the hard workout from Tuesday, plus 90 minutes yesterday has built up a little fatigue.

I also was not pushing this to the edge.  In each interval, when it started to bite, I tried to refocus on technique.  Try to get my finishes so clean that I wouldn’t touch the water, and really get out for the catch.  With water this smooth, it was hard to row badly!

I was curious what my stroke dynamics look like.  Here are a few strokes from the begining and end of the workout.

screen-shot-2016-10-27-at-10-00-33-am

You can compare that to last year.

screen-shot-2015-11-01-at-10-09-29-am

It looks like some subtle changes.

  • This year, it looks like I am getting a bit more impulse from my leg drive.  The acceleration curve is peaking more at 0.4 sec.
  • It looks like my finishes were a bit cleaner last year.
  • See how the boat speed is peaking right before the catch last year?  That means that I am accelerating up the slide.  This year in two out of three strokes, the boat speed is nice and flat through the recovery, so a smoother, more even recovery.  You can also see this in terms of the minimum instantaneous boat speed.  Last year, it troughed well below 2.5m/s.  This year, all strokes troughed above 2.5m/s.  That’s good.

Tomorrow:  The weather is supposed to be terrible.  I might do an erg session.  I should probably do a 4 x 20′ endurance session, but I might do a rate limited 10K to post a CTC number.

Tuesday: 5 x 1500

4 Comments

On the Upper Charles in Newton in my single

Weather:  Cold and stunningly beautiful.  There was frost on the dock, and the air temp was around 36F.  There was no wind at all at first.  Over the course of the session, a little bit of wind from the east started, but it was barely noticeable.

The river level was high because of all the rain we got over the weekend.  From the GPS data, it looks like the flow was a bit higher than usual (my calculation about 0.02 m/s)  This is about a second plus or minus on pace depending on whether you are heading up of down river.

Plan:

  • Short warmup
  • 5 x 1500m / 5′ rest
    • rate: 26-28
    • pace: faster than 2:15
    • No HR cap.  Threshold intensity
  • Square blade rowing for cool down

Screen Shot 2016-10-25 at 11.15.22 AM.png

TCX data from RIM

Workout Summary - media/20161025-133204-77854o.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|12728|71:56.0|02:49.6|22.6|145.0|174.0|07.8
W-|07501|32:51.0|02:11.4|27.0|162.2|174.0|08.5
R-|06530|46:46.0|03:34.9|16.5|113.6|174.0|08.1
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
02|01501|06:31.8|02:10.5|25.8|155.5|163.0|08.9
03|01501|06:34.7|02:11.5|27.6|161.6|168.0|08.3
04|01499|06:32.3|02:10.9|26.6|161.8|171.0|08.6
05|01502|06:40.9|02:13.5|27.6|166.6|173.0|08.1
06|01499|06:31.3|02:10.6|27.5|165.2|174.0|08.3

Speedcoach Data.  I sure do like the lower noise you get from the impeller.  I think the cal factor is still a little stingy.  The avg pace from GPS was 2:11.4.  From the Speedcoach it’s 2:12.3.

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_1230_|_07:16_|_2:57.2_|_124___|_17.1_|_09.9_|_117___|_warmup
01235_|_1490_|_06:36_|_2:13.0_|_170___|_25.7_|_08.8_|_155___|_rep #1
02735_|_0546_|_03:39_|_3:20.3_|_063___|_17.3_|_08.7_|_125___|_rest
03271_|_1491_|_06:32_|_2:11.3_|_180___|_27.6_|_08.3_|_162___|_rep #2
04771_|_0604_|_04:15_|_3:31.0_|_071___|_16.7_|_08.5_|_128___|_rest
05366_|_1495_|_06:39_|_2:13.3_|_175___|_26.3_|_08.5_|_164___|_rep #3
06866_|_0421_|_03:07_|_3:42.0_|_052___|_16.7_|_08.1_|_133___|_rest
07282_|_1487_|_06:33_|_2:12.1_|_180___|_27.5_|_08.3_|_166___|_rep #4
08782_|_0473_|_03:15_|_3:26.4_|_056___|_17.2_|_08.4_|_139___|_rest
09242_|_1491_|_06:33_|_2:11.9_|_180___|_27.5_|_08.3_|_165___|_rep #5
10742_|_2876_|_17:04_|_2:58.0_|_310___|_18.2_|_09.3_|_132___|_sbr, cool down

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
01230_|_07:16_|_2:57.2_|_124___|_17.1_|_09.9_|_117___|_warmup
07454_|_32:53_|_2:12.3_|_885___|_26.9_|_08.4_|_162___|_Main set
02044_|_14:16_|_3:29.3_|_242___|_17.0_|_08.4_|_131___|_rest meters
02876_|_17:04_|_2:58.0_|_310___|_18.2_|_09.3_|_132___|_cool down
13604_|_11:28_|_2:37.6_|_1561___|_21.8_|_08.7_|_144___|_Total

I was delighted with this workout.  I was working hard, but I was never on the edge of failure.  I sifted through my journal and found that I did this workout on November 3rd of last year.  (Link)

That session last year was a bit of a miracle.  Everything went perfectly and I pushed it to the limit.  I managed an average split of 2:09.7.  Avg heart rate was 168.  Today, my avg pace was 2:11.4 (1.5 sec slower), but my avg heart rate was 162.  Taking into account the lack of threshold work that I have done in my single this year, I find it very encouraging that I am that close on pace, and in a better place in terms of aerobic fitness.

Tomorrow:  75′ steady state.  It’s gonna be cold again.  Predicted low around 32F.

Friday: Practice run for the HOCR

2 Comments

Around 2:30pm, I met Joe down at the Singles and Doubles Launch Area (SADL) by Riverside Boat Club.

He had already unloaded the boat and gotten rigged, so we were ready to launch and go for our practice run.  Practice day for the HOCR is almost as fun as the race.  There are hundreds of boats on the course, all trying to rehearse hat they will do and trying to get landmarks to look at for steering.  The weather was great.  Wind from the ESE about 5-10 mph, and really warm, nearly 70 degrees.

ESE is a nice tail wind.  The SADL dock is about 1000m from the start.  So on practice day, you launch and join the parade of boats going upstream on the cambridge side of the river.  You do the 3700m from there to the finish, and then turn around for the long slow paddle back down river.  The paddle back is quite relaxing, or maddening if you are on a tight schedule.  The downstream course is very narrow around the turns and they closely control the traffic into them.  You are marshalled by officials on the banks to tell you when to stop and go.  You continue past the SADL dock all the way to the start area in the Charles River Basin, and then you can do a practice run from the holding area through the start chute and the first 1000m of the course which is a long turn to starboard.

Today, my phone ran out of batteries as we were paddling back down stream, so the map just shows the trip upstream and a little bit of the paddle back.

Screen Shot 2016-10-23 at 6.39.00 PM.png

The intent of this row is just to get accustomed to the course.  Last year, I got too excited and rowed it way to hard.  This year, I was determined to do a better job of keeping it light and easy.  Of course, I failed.  I went just as hard as I did last year.

Oh well.  It was a very enjoyable row and I felt a lot more energized than tired after we finished.

Monday: 4 x ( 5 x 2′ / 30″ rest) / 3′ rest in 2x

Leave a comment

Weather:  Incredible.  Very little wind.  Flat water.  Temperature above 60F!!!!  A full moon out, so visibility was great even though the sun didn’t come up until we were done.

Plan:

  • warm up to north end of lake.  A couple of power 10s and a power 20.
  • 4 sets of (5 x 2′ on / 30″ paddle)
  • Each set done as a ladder 24/26/28/26/24
  • 2 to 3 minutes of rest between sets
  • cool down back to boat house

Screen Shot 2016-10-17 at 4.05.17 PM.png

| Tstart_ | Dist_ | Time_ | _Pace_ | SPM_ | avgHR | _DPS___ | Remarks
| 00:00.0 | 02417 | 14:29 | 2:59.8 | 18.4 | 124.3 | 09.1 | warming up
| 14:29.0 | 00453 | 02:00 | 2:12.5 | 24.2 | 148.7 | 09.3 |
| 16:29.0 | 00094 | 00:30 | 2:39.6 | 22.6 | 155.8 | 08.3 |
| 16:59.0 | 00462 | 02:00 | 2:09.9 | 26.5 | 159.4 | 08.7 |
| 18:59.0 | 00093 | 00:30 | 2:41.3 | 23.5 | 159.5 | 07.9 |
| 19:29.0 | 00459 | 02:00 | 2:10.7 | 27.7 | 161.0 | 08.3 |
| 21:29.0 | 00083 | 00:30 | 3:00.7 | 22.1 | 160.6 | 07.5 |
| 21:59.0 | 00441 | 02:00 | 2:16.1 | 26.2 | 158.3 | 08.4 |
| 23:59.0 | 00087 | 00:30 | 2:52.4 | 22.9 | 159.6 | 07.6 |
| 24:29.0 | 00444 | 02:00 | 2:15.1 | 24.4 | 158.2 | 09.1 |
| 26:29.0 | 00175 | 02:00 | 5:42.9 | 15.6 | 125.6 | 05.6 |
| 28:29.0 | 00450 | 02:01 | 2:14.4 | 24.4 | 147.4 | 09.1 |
| 30:30.0 | 00084 | 00:29 | 2:52.6 | 22.9 | 155.8 | 07.6 |
| 30:59.0 | 00449 | 02:00 | 2:13.6 | 26.4 | 158.7 | 08.5 |
| 32:59.0 | 00087 | 00:30 | 2:52.4 | 23.2 | 162.3 | 07.5 |
| 33:29.0 | 00462 | 02:00 | 2:09.9 | 27.9 | 162.8 | 08.3 |
| 35:29.0 | 00083 | 00:30 | 3:00.7 | 23.5 | 164.9 | 07.1 |
| 35:59.0 | 00448 | 02:00 | 2:13.9 | 26.1 | 164.1 | 08.6 |
| 37:59.0 | 00083 | 00:30 | 3:00.7 | 23.7 | 164.8 | 07.0 |
| 38:29.0 | 00439 | 02:00 | 2:16.7 | 24.7 | 162.3 | 08.9 |
| 40:29.0 | 00359 | 04:00 | 5:34.3 | 15.1 | 119.7 | 05.9 |
| 44:29.0 | 00451 | 02:00 | 2:13.0 | 24.5 | 143.9 | 09.2 |
| 46:29.0 | 00085 | 00:30 | 2:56.5 | 23.1 | 153.8 | 07.4 |
| 46:59.0 | 00452 | 02:00 | 2:12.7 | 26.7 | 157.0 | 08.5 |
| 48:59.0 | 00085 | 00:30 | 2:56.5 | 24.5 | 161.0 | 06.9 |
| 49:29.0 | 00461 | 02:00 | 2:10.2 | 28.5 | 161.9 | 08.1 |
| 51:29.0 | 00083 | 00:30 | 3:00.7 | 24.4 | 164.9 | 06.8 |
| 51:59.0 | 00442 | 02:00 | 2:15.7 | 26.6 | 161.3 | 08.3 |
| 53:59.0 | 00085 | 00:30 | 2:56.5 | 24.0 | 161.8 | 07.1 |
| 54:29.0 | 00457 | 02:00 | 2:11.3 | 24.8 | 162.1 | 09.2 |
| 56:29.0 | 00258 | 03:00 | 5:48.8 | 23.9 | 128.0 | 03.6 |
| 59:29.0 | 00438 | 02:00 | 2:17.0 | 26.3 | 147.0 | 08.3 |
| 01:29.0 | 00095 | 00:30 | 2:37.9 | 24.5 | 156.2 | 07.8 |
| 01:59.0 | 00471 | 02:00 | 2:07.4 | 28.4 | 161.5 | 08.3 |
| 03:59.0 | 00084 | 00:30 | 2:58.6 | 25.1 | 165.1 | 06.7 |
| 04:29.0 | 00465 | 02:00 | 2:09.0 | 30.1 | 165.7 | 07.7 |
| 06:29.0 | 00082 | 00:30 | 3:02.9 | 22.9 | 168.0 | 07.2 |
| 06:59.0 | 00454 | 02:00 | 2:12.2 | 28.0 | 165.6 | 08.1 |
| 08:59.0 | 00077 | 00:30 | 3:14.8 | 24.2 | 168.2 | 06.4 |
| 09:29.0 | 00448 | 02:00 | 2:13.9 | 26.5 | 165.5 | 08.5 |
| 11:29.0 | 01353 | 09:48 | 3:37.3 | 19.4 | 128.1 | 07.1 |

| Tstart_ | Dist_ | Time_ | _Pace_ | SPM_ | avgHR | _DPS___ | Remarks
| 00:00.0 | 02417 | 14:29 | 2:59.8 | 18.4 | 124.3 | 09.1 | warmup
| 00:00.0 | 02162 | 16:59 | 3:55.7 | 20.7 | 141.5 | 06.2 | rests
| 00:00.0 | 01353 | 09:48 | 3:37.3 | 19.4 | 128.1 | 07.1 | cool down
| 00:00.0 | 02694 | 12:01 | 2:13.8 | 24.5 | 153.8 | 09.2 | r24
| 00:00.0 | 03580 | 16:00 | 2:14.1 | 26.4 | 158.9 | 08.5 | r26
| 00:00.0 | 02307 | 10:00 | 2:10.0 | 28.1 | 162.6 | 08.2 | r28
| 00:00.0 | 00465 | 02:00 | 2:09.0 | 30.1 | 165.7 | 07.7 | r30

That was exhausting, but pretty darn fun.  HR was notably low for the RPE of the workout.  I guess I was never really on the edge.  And the boat speed was better.  We’ve done this workout twice before.  The first time our avg pace was 2:14.1.  The second time it was windier and the avg pace was 2:15.5.  Today, on very nice water, and with a lower HR, the avg pace was 2:12.7.  Gotta say, I’m pretty happy with that.

It’s interesting how we were faster at r24 than we were at r26.  Part of that is that the r24s were the first and last rep of each set, so we were fresher in the first and more motivated in the last, but I also think that we are just cleaner at r24.  I think for racing we should probably be working between  these two rates.

Tomorrow:  Back in my single for a taper session 4 x 500 at r28.  With long rests and some technique drills.

 

Friday: Head Race Piece in the 2x

2 Comments

Thursday:  I got home from the airport around 11pm. I slept in and didn’t have a chance to workout.  Probably not a bad idea anyway.  I felt pretty beaten up by the flights.

Friday:

Weather:  Light wind from the NorthEast, about 3-5 mph.  A tailwind for the first 5K of the 6.5K piece.  It was completely dark at 5:30am.  It was around sunrise when we finished.

Plan:

  • Warmup to the north end of the lake
  • Head race piece from the north end of the lake, with a loop around the islands to practice turning under pressure
  • Rate: 24-25, Pace between 2:15 and 2:20
  • Cool down:  just back to the dock.

Screen Shot 2016-10-16 at 8.37.14 AM.png

I felt shaky at first.  It had been 2 weeks since I had been in a boat.  But by the time we got to the north end of the lake, I was fine.  In some ways, it might have been good.  I was a bit more deliberate in my stroke.  I was doing better getting my blades off the water, and I was more conscious about blade depth.

Since I had had been out of the boat for a while, and also since Joe was racing on Saturday, we decided to keep the rate a bit lower.  This worked out well.  Sad to say, we start to lose efficiency above about 25 spm.

Workout Summary – media/20161014-165601-77329o.csv
–|Total|-Total-|–Avg–|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
–|Dist-|-Time–|-Pace–|SPM-|-HR–|-HR–|-DPS
–|10880|62:16.0|02:51.7|23.1|147.7|173.0|07.5

Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
02|02000|10:29.3|02:37.3|21.0|144.6|158.0|09.1
03|06500|29:43.7|02:17.2|25.4|165.1|173.0|08.6
04|01780|13:06.0|03:40.8|20.1|132.1|173.0|06.8

The was the dawn after we put away the boat.  I pretty morning.

2016-10-14 06.35.11.jpg

4 x 1.8km Threshold on Treadmill

Leave a comment

Ooof.  Hard work.

I hit the fitness center at 6am on the dot.  My legs and back are still sore from the weights, but loosened up during my warmup.

Plan:

  • 20 minute warmup with 3 – 2 minute chunks at 5:30 pace
  • 4 x 10′ (2.5% grade, 5:30/km pace)
  • 5′ recoveries (2.5% grade, 12:00/km pace)

I made it through the first two intervals at my target pace, but I needed to to dig really deep to finish  the second one.  I gave myself a break and took the pace down to 6:00/km for the last two intervals. This took just enough of the edge off so I could complete the workout.  HR monitor started to act up again in the last two intervals.

I’m really tired now.

Tonight I fly out around 5pm.  I am flying through Dallas and get home to Boston at 11pm Boston time.  I can’t wait to get home.

Sunday: Intervals, they’re good for the Seoul

2 Comments

Sorry, couldn’t resist the pun.

Check out what I saw in the hotel fitness center.  Yes, indeed, that is a mechanical horse.  In fact, I saw someone riding it.  This was not a wild bucking ride like the mechanical bulls in a bar, more like the little horsies you see in small arcades.  Imagine, they had two of these things, about 40 treadmills, 20 ellipitcals, countless stair steppers, free weights, weight machines…BUT NOT A SINGLE ROWER!  Arghhhhhh!  What the hell is wrong with these people!

Sorry, back to the workout.

Plan:

  • 5 minute warmup
  • On the treadmill
  • 14 x 500m at 5:30/km and 2.5% grade
  • 1′ rest at 8’/km and 2.5% grade

At first I thought I might have made things too easy.  By the end I was pretty sure I hadn’t.  It was a struggle to get through the last few reps.  The HR monitor was problematic today.  It kept sliding down and was getting some bad readings at the beginning, and dropouts at other times.

Tomorrow:  40′ endurance plus strength.  I have all these weights here, I might as well use them.

 

Thursday: 30′ Threshold Run

Leave a comment

Yesterday I went up to Taipei for a meeting.  One of the best developments in Taiwan was the construction of a High Speed Rail line from the north end of the island to the south along the west coast.  Most of the population of Taiwan is along the western coast, the east coast is rural and wild.  It used to be miserable to get from one city to another on the clogged highways, now it is a modern marvel.  We hopped on a train in Hsinchu and we were in Taipei in less than 30 minutes.  Fantastic!

I had a couple of other meetings in the afternoon, and then I begged off of dinner with the local team.  Since I had woken up before 4AM, I was tired, and frankly, I was also weary of being with people.  I needed a little time by myself to think and recharge.

I guess I was pretty tired because I fell asleep before 8 and woke up around 4AM.  I had time for a hella long workout if I wanted, but I decided to stick to my plan for a hard threshold session.

Plan:

  • 10′ warmup on the treadmill.  Gradually speeding up.  Last 2 minutes faster than target pace.
  • 30′ Threshold run on the treadmill.  2% incline, 10km/h
  • Adjust speed as necessary to push HR well into TR through second half of the run.
  • cool down

I actually kind of enjoyed that.  I cranked up my sprinting playlist on Spotify, and generally ran to the beat.  I held 10km/hr until I had 5 minutes left.  Then I sped up just a little bit, about 0.2km/h and held that until I had 2 minutes left.  OK, 500m left, time for a last push.  I pushed the speed up another 0.4km/h and finished strong.

Not to make excuses for myself, but just an acknowledgement of reality.  I know that my running speed is slow (damn slow).  I will never win a road race, nor do I aspire to.  I enjoy a run ever now and then, and it is a hell of good way to exercise.

Today, I have a full day of internal and customer meetings, and a big team dinner.  Tomorrow morning, I’m planning another fitness center triathlon.

3×30′ HR cap at 150.