What OTW Training have you done today

[mikvan52]

sander:
Have a great masters worlds!!!

BTW: Congrats to the fine showing by the Czech Republic in the M1x & WIx in Bled.... Silver and Gold....

[mikvan52]

Today I warmed up for 5k in a steady rain and then did a solid 5k home with a current... 21 spm and (roughly 2:10 - 2:18 pace) maybe 2:15 avg...

Vermont remains in monsoon conditions...

[Rocket Roy]

That looks fast at 21 spm Mike. Were you applying pressure or just paddling along?

I'm going to get a speed coach XL2 I think. Is that the one to get would you say? Opps just seen your reply to me. I'll go and check out the Gold one.

I'm more interested in the downloaded data for after the row for comparison's etc so it needs to be a pretty comprehensive unit, not sure if the Gold does h/r.

But that is a very generous offer Mike and I am seriously tempted to say yes. In fact I will many thanks Mike, who need's h/r anyway? I'll send you a pm.

[mikvan52]

Roy: WIll see about getting the Stroke Coach out to you next week... You'l need all the wiring an impeller from Nielsen-Kellerman...
You can go on line or call them to get info.

You new boat isn't wired?

BTW: That 5k was by feel w/o a monitor

Last night's workout ... multiple 30 on/ 20 off was recorded.. 2:12- 2-15 pace average for each of the 50 stroke segments...
Still hope to maintain 2:12 at a higher rate for the 10 mile race... if it isn't blowing..

Four of us make the longish trip to Maine early tomorrow... for Sunday's race...

[Rocket Roy]

Roy: WIll see about getting the Stroke Coach out to you next week... You'l need all the wiring an impeller from Nielsen-Kellerman...
You can go on line or call them to get info.

You new boat isn't wired?

BTW: That 5k was by feel w/o a monitor

Last night's workout ... multiple 30 on/ 20 off was recorded.. 2:12- 2-15 pace average for each of the 50 stroke segments...
Still hope to maintain 2:12 at a higher rate for the 10 mile race... if it isn't blowing..

Four of us make the longish trip to Maine early tomorrow... for Sunday's race...

No it isn't wired it's virginal.

How do I stop going too deep with the blades? Getting on right hand to touch my leftwrist on the recovery seems to help. Any other ideas?

[Byron Drachman]

Roy: WIll see about getting the Stroke Coach out to you next week... You'l need all the wiring an impeller from Nielsen-Kellerman...
You can go on line or call them to get info.

You new boat isn't wired?

BTW: That 5k was by feel w/o a monitor

Last night's workout ... multiple 30 on/ 20 off was recorded.. 2:12- 2-15 pace average for each of the 50 stroke segments...
Still hope to maintain 2:12 at a higher rate for the 10 mile race... if it isn't blowing..

Four of us make the longish trip to Maine early tomorrow... for Sunday's race...

No it isn't wired it's virginal.

How do I stop going too deep with the blades? Getting on right hand to touch my leftwrist on the recovery seems to help. Any other ideas?

Hi Roy,
There is a drill usually done in large boats but the same drill works in a single: get up to speed, then at the catch completely relax the arms and the grips, place the squared blades in the water, and then just barely touching the grips the water will let the blades float in the water as the handle moves from the catch to the finish. That shows you approximately the height your hands should be during the drive. You will notice that the hands stay level during the drive. Now take some strokes with a light enough grip and relaxed arms so the water sets the height of the blades for you.

A common error is to "go over the barrel" with the hands. That is, the error is to raise the hands after the drive starts and then lower them going into the finish.

Another thing that can cause the blades to go deep is to not be fully squared before the blade goes into the water. It seems to be an old problem. Steve Fairbairne points out in his book (early 1900's) that scullers often think they have squared the blades when they haven't.

Some people put the blades in before fully squared and with a loose enough grip the water will finish the squaring for you, but that is tricky and not recommended by the coaches around here. It shortens the effective length of the stroke and it is also making it easier to catch a crab.

[Rocket Roy]

Cheers Byron. I think I am guilty of thinking that I have squared but probably haven't properly or in time. I'll square earlier tomorrow morning and slow the catch down again. More time on the water is needed in a single.

And probably going over the barrel too. I tend to think we need to raise the hands to dip the blades in enough to bury them. So then they go too deep. The conveyor belt of the hands is a much smaller move than we believe, barely an inch maybe.

[Byron Drachman]

16K early morning row. A friend took this photo. I am the sculler in the distance:

Flat_water_photo_by_Deb_Sept_10_2011.jpg (43.51 KiB) Viewed 7997 times

I tried to pick up the pace as I was finishing up and making a mess of it. So I decided to ease up, not fight the boat, just relax and take longer strokes with lighter pressure and I started going faster. Funny how that works. Or is it just me?

[Rocket Roy]

no not just you, me too.

Can you send me details of any B&B's near to you, because I must come and try that water out! Can I borrow a single from your club?

[sander]

Wednesday: 4 km in the 2x with my Masters "blind date". German guy, very nice, 53 year old. Nice new Filippi double with bow mounted carbon wing riggers. He copied my style very well, I just needed to be slightly shorter than normal at the catch. A lot of waves and wind in Poznan. All this after driving 7 hours and being very annoyed at arriving so late. The predicted drive time was 5 hours for 365km.

Thursday AM: 4km in the 2x in slightly calmer weather than on Wednesday. The 4km in the single in wind and rain.

I am keeping these pre-race trainings very short. I know this is a training thread but if I may:

Friday:
A 1x race 5th place. Good start, 3rd position at 500m to go with one guy far in front and a very tight field otherwise. Then I let two scullers pass me, and I started sprinting too late. Not happy. Time 3:51 (tailwind and heavy waves)

C 2x race 5th place in a very tight field. Doing 36/37spm entire race. Very tired legs still from the single race as this was less than two hours later. 3:31 the end time, pretty happy for a 2x which has trained 8km together.

Saturday:
B 1x race 5th place but this time happy. First out of the starting blocks, then quickly passed by the fast guy who won. Battling entire race to pass two boats half a length in front of me. Rowing 34spm entire race. Tunnel vision entire second 500m and completely exhausted at the finish. The others were just a bit faster, but they were exhausted too. That's good racing.

Now two weeks of land training because of a business trip to US, then planning for next season. No fall races for me.

[Rocket Roy]

Excellent effort Sander, 3 x 5th places . Lots of racing in a short time. That last race sounded brutal!

[Byron Drachman]

Sander, what a great performance. Any photos available?

Roy, that would be a treat if you could row on our river. Yes, we can fix you up with a boat. I'm sending a PM.

Byron

[mikvan52]

First race of the fall season for me today => The Megunticook 10 mile handicap race in Camden, Maine put on by the Maine Rowing Association.

Windy conditions on an out and back course that twists through channels in the islands of this pristine lake. After the opening flurry of 2000 meters the pack separated and I remained in 3rd position throughout... ah, but this is a handicap event and the two in front were 14 or so years younger than me. So,I prevailed on corrected time.

The different wind directions an intensities yielded a wide range of 500m splits.. I thought that I would end up in third anyway... I sprinted at the last and "won" the overall 1x title by about 6 seconds... I didn't know until they held the awards ceremony...

My SpeedCoach XL read:
1800 strokes - 15,854 meters - 2:13.8 average pace - 1:10:43.3 elapsed time

Next weekend the distance shortens from this nearly 10 mile event to a nearly 10k event...

[Rocket Roy]

First race of the fall season for me today => The Megunticook 10 mile handicap race in Camden, Maine put on by the Maine Rowing Association.

Windy conditions on an out and back course that twists through channels in the islands of this pristine lake. After the opening flurry of 2000 meters the pack separated and I remained in 3rd position throughout... ah, but this is a handicap event and the two in front were 14 or so years younger than me. So,I prevailed on corrected time.

The different wind directions an intensities yielded a wide range of 500m splits.. I thought that I would end up in third anyway... I sprinted at the last and "won" the overall 1x title by about 6 seconds... I didn't know until they held the awards ceremony...

My SpeedCoach XL read:
1800 strokes - 15,854 meters - 2:13.8 average pace - 1:10:43.3 elapsed time

Next weekend the distance shortens from this nearly 10 mile event to a nearly 10k event...

Ah good my money was safe then! I had every confidence in you Mike. Top result. Hope are your hands any blisters or do you cease to get them after a while?

I'll let my winning's roll onto next week-end.

[mikvan52]

are your hands (blistered) or do you cease to get them after a while?

Roy,
As you get more comfortable in the boat you will find that ease develops with the way the oar grip rides in your hand. This limits blistering.
The thing that aggravates hand blistering is being uncertain about how you can easily shift the position of the grip to suit the conditions. Additionally, the grip should remain loose w/o rubbing

I have a lot of light callouses but rarely any blisters that trouble me.

Yesterday was challenging from a boat handling standpoint. I had to clear anxiety from tempting me to hold tension in my arms when I was in the cross headwind and head wind conditions... I crabbed 4 times... mostly on the way out...

Now, if only I could limit the effects of lactic acid....