60 minutes of glory ! A Personal Best.

December 12, 20152 Comments

Warmup: 1000m

–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_01000_|_03:58.7_|_01:59.3_|_206.0_|_21.1_|_126.0_|_ 58.1% _|_11.9_|_09.8

The main event. 60 minute threshold row. Based on last weeks HM, I new that I could probably snag a PB, and maybe even bust through the 16K barrier, something I’ve been wanting to do someday for like 5 years.

I did it on rowpro offline, but I setup 3 pace boats. One at my SB pace (1:54.0). One at my PB pace (1:53.0). And one at a 16K pace (1:52.5). I took off and never even looked at them. I averaged about 1:51 through the first 20 minutes and then consciously slowed down and watched the avg pace slowly go up toward 1:52 over the next 20 minutes. By the 40 minute mark, I was working very hard but not in immediate danger, and the projected finish was at 16100m. I decided that I should play it safe and slow down a bit more. I tried to keep the projected finish around 16050m. I just counted out strokes in sets of 100 until I hit the 15000m mark. I had 4 minutes, a hundred strokes and a thousand meters to glory. I brought up the rate and pushed the pace, then got a bit scared and dialed it back again until 500 to go. Then I took off.

I told myself I could coast after I passed the 16000m mark. Of course I sprinted instead!

End result, a PB by 163 meters. My old PB was 15909, my new one is 16072. That puts me 7th of 248 on the concept2 rankings. I’m glad the guy in front of me is 78 meters ahead. Not very tempting to go hunting for him, even if his name is Moby.

I feel like I’ve accomplished something. An odd feeling to have from grinding away on a piece of exercise equipment, but what can you do?

Workout Summary – Dec 12, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_16072_|_60:00.0_|_01:52.0_|_249.1_|_24.9_|_168.4_|_ 88.2% _|_10.8_|_10.0
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01082_|_04:00.0_|_01:50.9_|_256.4_|_24.8_|_142.9_|_ 70.1% _|_10.9_|_10.4
02_|_01076_|_04:00.0_|_01:51.5_|_252.5_|_24.5_|_155.5_|_ 79.1% _|_11.0_|_10.3
03_|_01078_|_04:00.0_|_01:51.3_|_254.0_|_24.8_|_160.0_|_ 82.3% _|_10.9_|_10.3
04_|_01076_|_04:00.0_|_01:51.6_|_252.1_|_24.5_|_162.6_|_ 84.1% _|_11.0_|_10.3
05_|_01075_|_04:00.0_|_01:51.6_|_251.6_|_24.8_|_164.9_|_ 85.7% _|_10.9_|_10.2
06_|_01076_|_04:00.0_|_01:51.6_|_252.1_|_24.8_|_167.5_|_ 87.6% _|_10.9_|_10.2
07_|_01073_|_04:00.0_|_01:51.9_|_250.1_|_24.8_|_168.8_|_ 88.5% _|_10.8_|_10.1
08_|_01070_|_04:00.0_|_01:52.2_|_248.0_|_24.8_|_170.2_|_ 89.5% _|_10.8_|_10.0
09_|_01067_|_04:00.0_|_01:52.5_|_246.0_|_24.8_|_171.9_|_ 90.7% _|_10.8_|_09.9
10_|_01065_|_04:00.0_|_01:52.6_|_244.9_|_24.8_|_173.8_|_ 92.1% _|_10.8_|_09.9
11_|_01064_|_04:00.0_|_01:52.7_|_244.3_|_24.8_|_175.2_|_ 93.0% _|_10.8_|_09.9
12_|_01062_|_04:00.0_|_01:53.0_|_242.7_|_25.0_|_175.9_|_ 93.5% _|_10.6_|_09.7
13_|_01060_|_04:00.0_|_01:53.2_|_241.5_|_25.0_|_177.1_|_ 94.4% _|_10.6_|_09.7
14_|_01059_|_04:00.0_|_01:53.3_|_240.5_|_25.3_|_178.4_|_ 95.3% _|_10.5_|_09.5
15_|_01088_|_04:00.0_|_01:50.3_|_261.0_|_26.5_|_179.9_|_ 96.4% _|_10.3_|_09.9

I did a 2K happy ending cool down and called it a day.

Workout Summary – Dec 12, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_02000_|_08:28.8_|_02:07.2_|_170.1_|_19.5_|_151.3_|_ 76.1% _|_12.1_|_08.7
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_00500_|_01:59.9_|_01:59.9_|_203.2_|_21.5_|_146.5_|_ 72.7% _|_11.6_|_09.4
02_|_00500_|_02:04.8_|_02:04.8_|_179.9_|_20.2_|_156.5_|_ 79.8% _|_11.9_|_08.9
03_|_00500_|_02:10.0_|_02:10.0_|_159.2_|_18.5_|_153.2_|_ 77.4% _|_12.5_|_08.6
04_|_00500_|_02:14.1_|_02:14.1_|_145.3_|_17.9_|_148.8_|_ 74.3% _|_12.5_|_08.1

Tomorrow is a rest day. Tonight, I shall celebrate!

Sunday: HM Threshold – Personal Best Time

December 6, 20153 Comments

Saturday: I intended to work out, but I couldn’t fit it into the schedule of Christmas shopping, and work around the house. So I took a rest day. Turns out, it was a good decision.

Sunday: Took care of putting together a draft presentation for our corporate goal review session next week and then got down to business on the erg.

Plan: Half Marathon, Threshold pace. Last weekend I was within a few seconds of my PB, so I thought I might be able to manage a new one today. My old PB was 1:20:39 (1:54.6 pace). I set up a pace boat at 1:54.5 on RowPro to give me something to focus on.

I started with a 1K warmup. Just to make the start of the HM a bit less of a shock to the system.

Workout Summary – Dec 06, 2015 – Warm up
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_01000_|_04:01.2_|_02:00.6_|_199.6_|_19.9_|_122.1_|_ 55.4% _|_12.5_|_10.0
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_00500_|_02:04.7_|_02:04.7_|_180.6_|_18.3_|_110.6_|_ 47.2% _|_13.2_|_09.9
02_|_00500_|_01:56.5_|_01:56.5_|_221.4_|_21.6_|_133.0_|_ 63.2% _|_11.9_|_10.2

Then into the main event.

Workout Summary – Dec 06, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_21097_|_79:55.4_|_01:53.7_|_238.4_|_24.8_|_165.9_|_ 86.5% _|_10.6_|_09.6
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01000_|_03:47.7_|_01:53.8_|_237.3_|_23.7_|_138.1_|_ 66.7% _|_11.1_|_10.0
02_|_01000_|_03:47.5_|_01:53.7_|_237.9_|_23.7_|_153.2_|_ 77.5% _|_11.1_|_10.0
03_|_01000_|_03:47.8_|_01:53.9_|_236.8_|_24.2_|_157.1_|_ 80.2% _|_10.9_|_09.8
04_|_01000_|_03:47.6_|_01:53.8_|_237.4_|_24.2_|_158.9_|_ 81.5% _|_10.9_|_09.8
05_|_01000_|_03:47.8_|_01:53.9_|_236.8_|_24.5_|_159.9_|_ 82.2% _|_10.8_|_09.7
06_|_01000_|_03:47.0_|_01:53.5_|_239.4_|_24.3_|_161.7_|_ 83.4% _|_10.9_|_09.8
07_|_01000_|_03:47.0_|_01:53.5_|_239.4_|_24.6_|_163.8_|_ 85.0% _|_10.8_|_09.7
08_|_01000_|_03:47.3_|_01:53.6_|_238.5_|_24.3_|_164.9_|_ 85.8% _|_10.9_|_09.8
09_|_01000_|_03:47.5_|_01:53.7_|_237.8_|_24.5_|_166.0_|_ 86.5% _|_10.8_|_09.7
10_|_01000_|_03:47.6_|_01:53.8_|_237.6_|_24.8_|_166.8_|_ 87.1% _|_10.6_|_09.6
11_|_01000_|_03:47.3_|_01:53.6_|_238.5_|_24.6_|_168.5_|_ 88.3% _|_10.8_|_09.7
12_|_01000_|_03:47.4_|_01:53.7_|_238.0_|_24.8_|_169.4_|_ 89.0% _|_10.6_|_09.6
13_|_01000_|_03:48.3_|_01:54.2_|_235.2_|_24.4_|_169.4_|_ 88.9% _|_10.8_|_09.6
14_|_01000_|_03:47.9_|_01:53.9_|_236.6_|_25.0_|_170.4_|_ 89.7% _|_10.5_|_09.5
15_|_01000_|_03:48.6_|_01:54.3_|_234.5_|_24.9_|_170.6_|_ 89.8% _|_10.5_|_09.4
16_|_01000_|_03:47.9_|_01:54.0_|_236.4_|_25.0_|_171.8_|_ 90.6% _|_10.5_|_09.5
17_|_01000_|_03:48.0_|_01:54.0_|_236.3_|_25.3_|_172.1_|_ 90.9% _|_10.4_|_09.4
18_|_01000_|_03:49.1_|_01:54.5_|_232.9_|_25.1_|_172.1_|_ 90.9% _|_10.4_|_09.3
19_|_01000_|_03:48.1_|_01:54.1_|_235.8_|_25.2_|_173.3_|_ 91.7% _|_10.4_|_09.3
20_|_01000_|_03:47.2_|_01:53.6_|_238.8_|_25.9_|_174.4_|_ 92.5% _|_10.2_|_09.2
21_|_01000_|_03:40.8_|_01:50.4_|_260.1_|_26.9_|_177.2_|_ 94.5% _|_10.1_|_09.7
22_|_00097_|_00:20.1_|_01:43.5_|_315.9_|_29.9_|_178.1_|_ 95.1% _|_09.7_|_10.6

I managed to hold a very tight range on my pace. I sped up and slowed down a little bit and played with rate a bit, speeding it up as the time ground on. Mainly I just counted out the strokes in 1000m blocks. I was generally at 95 to 97 strokes per block. Once I got to about 3000m left, I saw that I might have a chance to go under 80 minutes. Now that is a milestone in my mind like sub-7 2K, 8K for 30 minutes and 16K for 60 minutes, so I decided to go for it. I started to push with about 2K to go, but backed off to my cruising pace. I threw everything at it with 1000 meters to go and it was great seeing the projected finish dipping below 1:20:00. Once it was, I closed my eyes and gunned it for the end.

I shouted so loud when I finished that my wife came running. I breathlessly told her that I had set a PB. She smiled indulgently, gave a little chuckle, and retreated. It can’t be easy to be married to an idiot.

After a couple minutes, I did a 2K happy ending cooldown.

Workout Summary – Dec 06, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_02000_|_08:30.4_|_02:07.6_|_168.5_|_19.4_|_146.6_|_ 72.7% _|_12.1_|_08.7
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_00500_|_01:59.7_|_01:59.7_|_204.2_|_21.6_|_142.0_|_ 69.5% _|_11.6_|_09.5
02_|_00500_|_02:05.4_|_02:05.4_|_177.3_|_20.1_|_151.9_|_ 76.5% _|_11.9_|_08.8
03_|_00500_|_02:09.7_|_02:09.7_|_160.3_|_19.0_|_148.3_|_ 74.0% _|_12.2_|_08.5
04_|_00500_|_02:15.5_|_02:15.5_|_140.6_|_17.3_|_143.8_|_ 70.8% _|_12.8_|_08.1

Tomorrow: 4 x 20 / 1′ at 185W.

Thursday: 14 x 3′ / 1′ rest varying rates

December 3, 20152 Comments

I’ve noticed that I seem to do better off of slides for middle distance pieces. For endurance sessions, at the same training power, I seem to have about the same HR and lactate. And for sprints, I think I actually do a bit better on slides because I can rate up much higher. But for the middle distances, I am having trouble finding a nice efficient stroke rate. Basically, I have trouble getting into the groove.

So, today, I decided to do a bit of an experiment. I replaced a planned 2 x 30′ threshold session with a 15 x 3′ / 1′ workout. I’ve been doing this workout for a while. It is one of the “L3” workouts from the Wolverine Plan. And the pace for it comes around the pace for a 30 min TT. I thought that this would be a good session to experiment with different rates on slides.

So, I decided that I would try to aim for a pace faster than 1:55, and start at 23 spm. Then I would click up the stroke rate by 1 spm for each interval. I decided to play it by ear in terms of how high I would push the rate, and then I could come back down the other side.

I did a couple of 3′ segments at a slower pace as a warmup and then went into the main set. At 23 SPM, I settled in at 1:53 and it didn’t sting too bad. As I increased stroke rate, it was hard to avoid going faster. I could tell that I was pushing the pace unsustainably fast as the rate increased. The format of the workout gave me a chance to try to out some changes in stroke dynamics.

As I got to the higher rates, I needed to concentrate on having really fast hands on the recovery. If I did that, then I could take the drive a bit slower and maintain the pace. But it was really murder on my arms. By the tenth rep, I found it hard to keep my arms out with good form while I paddled in the rests.

From today’s experiment, it looks like for a 30′ Threshold, on slides, I should be rating between 28 and 30. But I rarely rate that high either in a boat or on an erg. I need to practice at these rates more often to make it work.

And through this experiment, I think I am starting to get an idea about the root cause of why my boat speed is not as good as my static erg speed. I have deeply ingrained muscle memory to pause at the finish.

It’s gotten a bit better over time, but I do not flow smoothly from the drive through the finish to the recovery. Instead I pause, then from a stop, I accelerate through the recovery to the catch, and then hit the catch hard. I am beginning to think that getting to the point where my middle distances are better on slides than on static might unlock some boat speed.

So, back to the workout. I pushed all the way up to 33, and started back down. I did the 32 spm segment which was my 12 interval, but I was toast after that. I felt barely recovered at the end of the minute rest, and blew up a minute into the 31 spm rep. I paddled that one out. Then did two more reps at 31 and 30 spm and decided that I had done enough damage for today. I did a quick 3 minute cool down and headed off to the showers.

And because it was that kind of a morning, I discovered that I had forgotten my towel at home and needed to dry off after my shower using paper towels.

Temp: 70f, Humidity 55%

I think I’ll do a slow 30 minutes tonight to try to facilitate recovery and a 4 x 20′ tomorrow morning.

Tuesday AM: 30r22, PM: 2 x 5k threshold

December 1, 20157 Comments

Discovered that I had an 8 am meeting, so I needed to cut this morning’s workout short. I just did a 30r22. I am really beginning to feel the increase in volume. It was hard work this morning.

Temp: 68F, Humidity: 41%

Then after work, I headed down to the gym to do my proper session. The plan was for 4 x 5K / 5′ rest. It occurred to me that this would take a lot of time. Figure 19 minutes for each 5K, so that’s 76 minutes, plus 20 minutes of rest, plus a warm up and cool down. That’s like 2 hours!

So the first change was cutting back the rests to 2 minutes. I was also pretty sure that I would cut off this little adventure after 3 reps instead of 4. Who the hell designed this workout anyway? (oh yeah, that’s me.)

I decided to target a 1:55 split. I did a quick 1000m warmup speeding up from 2:10 to 2:05, 2:00, and 1:55 in 250m chunks.

Then it was into the first rep. I had trouble hitting 1:55. It was like trying to stay on a balance beam. I would end up at 1:53 or 1:57. Of course I decided to stick with 1:53. By the time I got through 4000m, I knew that I was in deep trouble for the next rep.

I sure was! I started off trying to ht 1:55 again, but within the first 2000m, I gave up the ghost. I slowed down to 2:00, then sped back up, then kind of settled around a 1:57 pace and miserably ground out the rest of the meters. It was awful.

After that I was done. I did a cool down in the last 5K. Starting at 1:55 for the first 1000m, then slowing down to 2:00, then 2:05. It wasn’t until I was rowing at 2:10 pace that my HR started to come back down to a normal kind of rate.

What went wrong?

Too aggressive pace, should be 1:56 or slower
Slides. I think I am less efficient on slides for middle distance work. I either need to slow down and work out the kinks or get the erg off the slides.
Big volume increase with 4 sessions in the past 48 hours.
Probably pushing the 30r22 too fast. They are meant to be low intensity recovery sessions. I’ll do them at 180W.

Tomorrow: 30r22 at 180W in the morning, 3 x 20′ at 185W in the afternoon

Sunday: HM Threshold

November 30, 20157 Comments

Plan was to hold 1:55. Stuck to the plan.

I should have looked at my all time PB. Turns out I finished 7 seconds behind it. If I had known, I could have definitely made up that time just by doing a quick warmup and starting at pace instead of pulling the pace down over the first 1000.

But I am really thrilled with the progress I am making right now. I ranked it, and right now it’s 10th of 254 in my bracket.

Workout Summary – Nov 28, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_19639_|_80:00.0_|_02:02.2_|_191.8_|_19.4_|_133.3_|_ 63.3% _|_12.6_|_09.9
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01162_|_05:00.0_|_02:09.0_|_162.9_|_17.6_|_112.8_|_ 48.8% _|_13.2_|_09.3
02_|_03676_|_15:00.0_|_02:02.4_|_190.8_|_19.3_|_129.5_|_ 60.6% _|_12.7_|_09.9
03_|_04903_|_20:00.0_|_02:02.4_|_191.0_|_19.3_|_133.9_|_ 63.8% _|_12.7_|_09.9
04_|_04896_|_20:00.0_|_02:02.5_|_190.2_|_19.1_|_134.5_|_ 64.2% _|_12.9_|_10.0
05_|_05001_|_20:00.0_|_02:00.0_|_202.7_|_20.5_|_138.8_|_ 67.2% _|_12.2_|_09.9

Tomorrow: 4 x 20’/1′ rest at 190W

Thursday: 60′ Threshold – Take 2

November 26, 20152 Comments

At home. Static erg. About 60F

Limited time, so no warmup. Just started a bit slow and then settled into a pace. Wanted to hold 1:58, but 1:56 felt good. Then 1:55s started to appear, so I went with it. Got tough in the last 20 minutes, but no drama.

Workout Summary - Nov 26, 2015
--_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_--Avg--_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_--Avg--_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
--_|_Dist-_|_-Time--_|_-Pace--_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR--_|_-%HRR--_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
--_|_15692_|_60:00.0_|_01:54.7_|_231.9_|_24.6_|_161.4_|_ 83.3% _|_10.6_|_09.4
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01027_|_04:00.0_|_01:56.9_|_219.3_|_23.3_|_123.7_|_ 56.5% _|_11.0_|_09.4
02_|_01039_|_04:00.0_|_01:55.5_|_227.0_|_24.0_|_142.3_|_ 69.7% _|_10.8_|_09.5
03_|_01043_|_04:00.0_|_01:55.0_|_230.0_|_24.3_|_149.0_|_ 74.5% _|_10.8_|_09.5
04_|_01045_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.8_|_231.2_|_24.3_|_153.4_|_ 77.6% _|_10.8_|_09.5
05_|_01044_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.9_|_230.7_|_24.0_|_155.9_|_ 79.4% _|_10.9_|_09.6
06_|_01046_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.7_|_231.8_|_24.5_|_159.3_|_ 81.8% _|_10.7_|_09.5
07_|_01045_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.8_|_231.2_|_24.3_|_161.8_|_ 83.6% _|_10.8_|_09.5
08_|_01046_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.7_|_231.9_|_24.3_|_164.6_|_ 85.5% _|_10.8_|_09.6
09_|_01046_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.7_|_232.0_|_24.5_|_167.0_|_ 87.2% _|_10.7_|_09.5
10_|_01047_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.7_|_232.2_|_24.3_|_168.5_|_ 88.3% _|_10.8_|_09.6
11_|_01046_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.8_|_231.6_|_24.5_|_170.5_|_ 89.7% _|_10.7_|_09.5
12_|_01045_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.9_|_230.9_|_25.0_|_172.0_|_ 90.8% _|_10.4_|_09.2
13_|_01044_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.9_|_230.7_|_25.0_|_173.8_|_ 92.1% _|_10.4_|_09.2
14_|_01053_|_04:00.0_|_01:54.0_|_236.2_|_26.0_|_176.0_|_ 93.6% _|_10.1_|_09.1
15_|_01077_|_04:00.0_|_01:51.5_|_252.7_|_27.0_|_178.3_|_ 95.2% _|_10.0_|_09.4

Rest Day tomorrow.

60′ Threshold – Horrifyingly bad workout

November 24, 2015November 24, 20151 Comment

My plans for a second workout yesterday were destroyed by a meeting that was supposed to go from 4 to 5, but instead lasted until after 6PM. Finding time for second sessions is going to be a continual challenge.

But on to this morning….

I had a bad feeling about this workout. One of my steady state workouts is that they are busted up into nice digestible 20 minute chunks. Pushing that to 30 minute or even 10K over 40 minutes is not so bad, but I have gotten out of the habit of doing long distances, either at steady state or at a more intense level. So, I have lost some of the memory for pacing these efforts, understanding how hard to push, and, frankly, how to pass the time.

So, for today’s effort, I was unsure about the right pace. I did a 30′ piece at 1:51.0 on Sunday, and that was less than all out. In fact, I did a second 30′ at 1:52.4 after a 5 minute rest. I guessed that I could probably hold a 1:50 pace for an all out 30 minute time trial. By Paul’s Law, that would forecast a pace of 1:55 for a full hour. This seems to hold up pretty well for me in general.

There was an argument for a more aggressive pace. I was very close to my PB pace for my 6K, and not that far off for the 30′. In that PB season, I also set a new best for my 60′, and that was a 1:53.1 pace. And I did that without it being an all out effort. Afterwards, I really thought I could have held 1:52.5 or better. So, by that logic, it was possible that today I could push the pace to 1:53 or something.

So, I decided to start at 1:54 and see what happened.

What happened was ugly.

I started with a nice 10 minute warmup. 5 minutes of slow steady state, then 3 – 20 stroke bursts at 1:54, with paddling between them.

Then into the main event. I held 1:54 through the first 10 minutes, but from the HR and how I felt, I knew that was too hard. At 10 minutes, I backed off to 1:55 for the next 10 minutes, which stabilized my HR, but it stabilized at a pretty uncomfortable level and by the time I hit 20 minutes, I was very unhappy, frustrated and I was unable to relax and get into a groove at a slower pace.

I HD’ed a couple of minutes after the 20 minute mark. I paddle a few strokes and tried to regroup at a slower pace. I tried to hold 1:58, which should have been a piece of cake. It wasn’t, and when it started to pinch, I HD’ed again, in the first couple of minutes after I passed the halfway point.

After that interruption until I got to 40′, I basically rowed at my steady state pace of 2:03 and started to feel a bit less despondent. I lowered my rate and tried to focus on taking good strokes.

When I hit 40′, the end was in sight and I pulled the pace down to 2:00, then continued to push it faster in the last 10′.

I’m gonna chalk this one up to a too ambitious starting pace and a shitty day. I have to do more 60′ and HM sessions to get some mental toughness back.

Tomorrow: 4 x 20′ at 2:03

2 x 30′ / 5′ rest Threshold

November 22, 20152 Comments

So, a slight change in plan. I was supposed to do 4 x 15′, but I found the idea of trying to beat 8K twice in a row. I thought it had a certain badass-ery to it that was more motivating.

New Plan:

2 x 30′ / 5′ rest
pace 1:52.5 (8k target)
rate: free rate probably around 26

Workout Summary - Nov 22, 2015
--_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_--Avg--_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_--Avg--_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
--_|_Dist-_|_-Time--_|_-Pace--_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR--_|_-%HRR--_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
--_|_20476_|_79:00.0_|_01:55.7_|_225.7_|_24.2_|_154.7_|_ 78.5% _|_10.7_|_09.3
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_00995_|_04:00.0_|_02:00.5_|_199.8_|_21.0_|_118.3_|_ 52.7% _|_11.9_|_09.5
02_|_08104_|_30:00.0_|_01:51.1_|_255.5_|_25.6_|_157.2_|_ 80.3% _|_10.5_|_10.0
03_|_01035_|_05:00.0_|_02:25.0_|_114.8_|_18.8_|_126.0_|_ 58.1% _|_11.0_|_06.1
04_|_08006_|_30:00.0_|_01:52.4_|_246.3_|_25.9_|_162.4_|_ 84.0% _|_10.3_|_09.5
05_|_02336_|_10:00.0_|_02:08.4_|_165.3_|_19.1_|_143.2_|_ 70.4% _|_12.2_|_08.7

1st 30 minute piece - 5 minute splits
02_|_01347_|_05:00.0_|_01:51.4_|_253.2_|_25.2_|_140.1_|_ 68.1% _|_10.7_|_10.0
03_|_01345_|_05:00.0_|_01:51.5_|_252.3_|_25.4_|_154.4_|_ 78.3% _|_10.6_|_09.9
04_|_01341_|_05:00.0_|_01:51.9_|_249.9_|_25.4_|_157.3_|_ 80.3% _|_10.6_|_09.8
05_|_01347_|_05:00.0_|_01:51.4_|_253.3_|_25.6_|_160.6_|_ 82.7% _|_10.5_|_09.9
06_|_01347_|_05:00.0_|_01:51.4_|_253.3_|_25.6_|_162.9_|_ 84.3% _|_10.5_|_09.9
07_|_01378_|_05:00.0_|_01:48.8_|_271.5_|_26.6_|_167.5_|_ 87.6% _|_10.4_|_10.2

2nd 30 miute piece - 5 minute splits
09_|_01313_|_05:00.0_|_01:54.2_|_234.8_|_24.8_|_146.3_|_ 72.6% _|_10.6_|_09.5
10_|_01325_|_05:00.0_|_01:53.2_|_241.0_|_25.2_|_159.3_|_ 81.8% _|_10.5_|_09.6
11_|_01325_|_05:00.0_|_01:53.2_|_241.3_|_26.0_|_162.5_|_ 84.0% _|_10.2_|_09.3
12_|_01325_|_05:00.0_|_01:53.2_|_241.0_|_25.8_|_164.4_|_ 85.4% _|_10.3_|_09.3
13_|_01337_|_05:00.0_|_01:52.2_|_247.7_|_26.0_|_167.3_|_ 87.4% _|_10.3_|_09.5
14_|_01381_|_05:00.0_|_01:48.6_|_273.4_|_27.4_|_173.2_|_ 91.7% _|_10.1_|_10.0

I started with a 4 minute warmup, then right into the first 30′ piece. I got halfway through it and I knew that 8000 was easily in the bag so I kept going at the same pace. With about 5 minutes to go, I saw that the projected finish was around 8050 or so, so I got carried away chasing the split down to try to get the projected finish to 8100. I really had to drop the hammer in the last minute to make it.

After that, I was spent. I paddled through the rest and told myself it was OK to just row out the second piece at 1:55. When I started, 1:54 actually felt kind of OK, so I held that for the first 5 minutes. Then I pushed it a bit further and tried to keep the pace bouncing between 1:53 and 1:54. With 10 minutes to go, I could see my projected finish was around 7900, so I started to push a bit more. By 5 minutes to go, I was around 7950, so I needed to push harder, and held around a 1:50 split for the first couple minutes which had me at 7980 with about 1:30 to go. So, I pushed the splits down to until I saw 8000 on the screen, then a bit faster to get some insurance on the distance.

I enjoyed the happy ending cool down after. This felt harder than the HR suggests. Maybe it was the wonderfully cool room (around 60F).

I ranked the first piece. 25th of 715 (97% percentile). I have a bit more in the tank if I do an all out 30′.

Tomorrow: 4 x 20′ and maybe a second 30′ session.

Frustrated: Blown 30 minute Threshold workout on the erg

August 29, 2015August 30, 2015Leave a comment

Argghhhhh. What a frustrating end to the week. This week has been very up and down. Monday and Tuesday were lovely workouts. I was forced to miss wednesday because I needed to prep for a big meetig at work. Then a great workout on Thursday. Friday was another bust. I needed to be in Rhode Island for a meeting at 7am, which blew up my chance for a morning row, and then the traffic was so heavy getting from RI back to work that I missed the chance to erg at lunch time. Then I spent most of the afternoon getting “constructive feedback” on some projects that are behind schedule and over budget. I left work and then sat in traffic again for another couple of hours. By the time I got home, I was a wreck.

I had planned to get up extra early this morning to meet some folks for a friendly 5K on Lake Quinsigamond. This is a group from another club on the lake that train together for head races and they invited me to join in. But by the time I got to bed at midnight, I just couldn’t face another short nights sleep and cancelled out. The fact that Sunday morning, I need to get up early and fly to Taiwan was also in the back of my head.

I got up around 8 am and I figure I would do some erg penance. A 30 minute threshold workout seemed to fit pretty well.

Plan

2K WU
30 minute threshold. Target pace 1:52 (to get just over 8K). Target rate 26.
2K cool down

It all went just fine for about 10 minutes. But I started too fast, averaging about 1:50.5 for the first 10 minutes and my HR was skyrocketing. I tried to pull back to a 1:55, but I had dug myself too deep of a hole and kept digging when the warning signs started to appear. I ended up with 4 HDs, and a much reduced pace for the last two thirds of the piece.

It was awful.

Warmup. Nice and controlled. burst of 10, burst of 20, burst of 20.

Workout Summary – Aug 29, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_02000_|_07:45.4_|_01:56.3_|_222.2_|_22.8_|_139.8_|_ 68.0% _|_11.3_|_09.7

Workout Summary – Aug 29, 2015
–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_07712_|_30:00.0_|_01:56.7_|_220.2_|_24.6_|_167.8_|_ 87.8% _|_10.5_|_09.0
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_01360_|_05:00.0_|_01:50.3_|_260.8_|_25.6_|_152.5_|_ 77.0% _|_10.6_|_10.2
02_|_01356_|_05:00.0_|_01:50.6_|_258.6_|_25.6_|_171.9_|_ 90.7% _|_10.6_|_10.1
03_|_01268_|_05:00.0_|_01:58.3_|_211.2_|_24.2_|_170.6_|_ 89.8% _|_10.5_|_08.7
04_|_01203_|_05:00.0_|_02:04.7_|_180.5_|_23.0_|_164.0_|_ 85.1% _|_10.5_|_07.8
05_|_01278_|_05:00.0_|_01:57.3_|_216.7_|_24.4_|_174.7_|_ 92.7% _|_10.5_|_08.9
06_|_01247_|_05:00.0_|_02:00.2_|_201.3_|_24.8_|_173.2_|_ 91.6% _|_10.1_|_08.1

Cool down – 500 @ 2:05/2:10/2:20/2:25 (aiming at exactly 9:00)

–_|_Total_|_-Total-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg-_|_Avg-_|_-Avg-_|_–Avg–_|_-Avg_|_-Avg
–_|_Dist-_|_-Time–_|_-Pace–_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_-HR–_|_-%HRR–_|_-DPS_|_-SPI
–_|_02000_|_09:00.2_|_02:15.1_|_142.1_|_18.5_|_151.8_|_ 76.4% _|_12.0_|_07.7
Workout Details
#-_|_SDist_|_-Split-_|_-SPace-_|_Watts_|_SPM-_|_AvgHR_|_Avg%HRR_|_DPS-_|_-SPI

01_|_00500_|_02:04.5_|_02:04.5_|_181.3_|_21.2_|_146.1_|_ 72.4% _|_11.4_|_08.6
02_|_00500_|_02:08.8_|_02:08.8_|_163.9_|_20.0_|_159.4_|_ 81.8% _|_11.6_|_08.2
03_|_00500_|_02:19.6_|_02:19.6_|_128.8_|_17.6_|_154.6_|_ 78.5% _|_12.2_|_07.3
04_|_00500_|_02:27.4_|_02:27.4_|_109.3_|_15.9_|_146.5_|_ 72.7% _|_12.8_|_06.9

So, there it is. I take off tomorrow morning. I will be working on keeping my aerobic base and then getting back on the water next weekend. A very disappointing end to the week.

Tuesday: 4 x 2500 / 5′ rest – Good Session!

August 25, 20152 Comments

Weather: light overcast, 65-70F, wind light which was shifty. It was only a factor in the last interval when it seemed to freshen and slowed me down in the first half of the rep.

Plan:

4 x 2500m / 5′ rest
rate: r26
pace: better than 2:15 for all reps
No HR limit

Start_|_Dist_|_Split_|_Pace_|_Strks__|_Rate_|_DPS_|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00020_|_0980_|_05:29_|_2:48.1_|_103___|_18.8_|_09.5_|_118___|_w
01000_|_2500_|_10:56_|_2:11.2_|_288___|_26.3_|_08.7_|_160___|_m
03500_|_0500_|_03:36_|_3:36.3_|_063___|_17.5_|_07.9_|_126___|_r
04000_|_2500_|_10:59_|_2:11.9_|_289___|_26.3_|_08.7_|_168___|_m
06500_|_0500_|_03:23_|_3:22.6_|_062___|_18.4_|_08.1_|_138___|_r
07000_|_2500_|_11:06_|_2:13.2_|_290___|_26.1_|_08.6_|_171___|_m
09500_|_0500_|_03:20_|_3:19.9_|_061___|_18.3_|_08.2_|_143___|_r
10000_|_2500_|_11:17_|_2:15.3_|_298___|_26.4_|_08.4_|_172___|_m
12500_|_1360_|_08:11_|_3:00.6_|_163___|_19.9_|_08.3_|_132___|_c

Dist__|_Time__|_Pace___|_Strks_|_SPM__|_DPS__|_AvgHR_|_Remarks
00980_|_05:29_|_2:48.1_|_103___|_18.8_|_09.5_|_118___|_warmup
10000_|_44:18_|_2:12.9_|_1165___|_26.3_|_08.6_|_168___|_Main set
01500_|_10:19_|_3:26.3_|_186___|_18.0_|_08.1_|_135___|_rest meters
01360_|_08:11_|_3:00.6_|_163___|_19.9_|_08.3_|_132___|_cool down
13840_|_08:17_|_2:28.0_|_1617___|_23.7_|_08.6_|_155___|_Total

Despite missing target for the last rep (by 0.3 seconds!), I am really happy with the workout. I felt in control the whole time and my steering was impeccable!

Tomorrow: 4 x 3000m / 2′ rest @ r20, HR cap at 157

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Tag: Threshold