Sub 7 Indoor Rowing Club (UK)

[Amazing Amazon]

Well done everyone.
Richard, good to see you're still rowing - these are a bit of the dog days of the season and it can be hard to keep motivated.
Still keeping on with my early morning rowing. Never realised how hard work my 20 minute warm up could be until I started doing it at 7:30 am at 1700m altitude.
Today was just fog, fog, fog so went out in a small group led by the hotel owner. Headed out over to St Anton and managed over 30km and 6k of descent in 6 hours including several black runs despite the very limited visibility. Only fell over twice.

[Rod]

First proper session on my new erg (Sunday and Monday were HD's...a combo of being tired and over ambition!).

6 x 5 minutes with 2 minute recoveries. Target was the 1:51.1 I did for this session this time last year and beat it by 0.2 with an average of 1:50.9.

Should be able to get over 8k for 30 minutes which I'll be trying soon.

Mike.............Nice bit of Chipping away, well done!

Dean............Amazing endurance, hats off to you mate.

Susan...........Nice running in the HM. I'll be doing my first race for a while in a few weeks with 10 miler near Hastings on the south coast then the track season will start, my first race is a 1500 metres in the local Veterans League......hoping to beat the 5:37.5 I did last year.

[MPx]

Mike
biggains on little rest. Do you do a little active rest on 1min?

All of my interval rests are stopped Dean - and usually slumped gasping(!), although I do try to avoid screaming or making a lot of noise until the end of the final rep. There is no spare capacity to put in a few "recovery" meters.

Great run Susan. Better this year than last is the wording we all love to be able to use.

Have you got a new erg Rod? Jealous! Which did you get D/PM5 or some other combo? No excuses now of course - once you've thrown money at the problem results must follow or else... Nice 6x5 and a tough pace off short rests. Looking fwd to seeing the 8k result!

Weather issues have interrupted home based DIY so I've been commandeered by other family members to do their stuff for a few days - probably wont get back to the floor work until Tuesday now...no wonder it takes me so long to get anything finished! On the other hand, lighter duties means that I don't ache as much before I start on the erg! The return of the 3x1500 r5 for me this evening. Last time out resulted in a 1:53.2 avg. Tonight managed 1:52.9; 1:52.6; and 1:51.6 for a 1:52.4 overall. So still chipping!

Hope you get the weather to enjoy the rest of your skiing break Marjorie...

[Rod]

Busy few days;

Friday………..……….CTC , 5142m in 19:08.3/1:51.6 df 110, 34spm

Saturday…………….10 mile road run on my usual local hilly course….knocked 5 minutes off my best recent time with 88:14. Then into the Gym for Squats.

Today (Sunday)…..60 minutes at 20spm. Improved my best by 32 metres/0.3 to 14,315/2:05.9. Then a 15 mile bike ride (again…very hilly).

Tomorrow……….60 minutes Wattbike in the morning then in the evening on the erg with 5 x 2k.1:45 R. Will be trying to improve the 1:52.6 I averaged 10 days ago with 2 minute rests.

Mike……Yes, I’ve got a new model D with PM5 so it matches Carols as they sit side by side in our gym…ahhhh….isn’t that nice Lol! It’s no faster than my old one in fact the old one felt a bit ‘’smoother’’ as they need a bit of ‘’running in’’ apparently. Nice improvement on the 1500’s well done.

[Rod]

Monday evening.....5 x 2k.1:45r.

7:29.8/1:52.4…….34spm
7:30.1/1:52.5…….34
7:30.0/1:52.5…….34
7:29.8/1:52.4…….34
7:28.2/1:52.0…….34

Average pace….1:52.3

I dropped the drag factor to 105 and it felt good. Average pace was 0.3 faster than 10 days ago when I did this one with 2 minute rests so less recovery but still quicker. This should help with holding a faster early pace in my next 10k.
Next session is a 30 minute Time Trial on Wednesday...can I get over 8k? Hmmmm..

[Two Pudding Kid]

Busy few days;

Friday………..……….CTC , 5142m in 19:08.3/1:51.6 df 110, 34spm

Saturday…………….10 mile road run on my usual local hilly course….knocked 5 minutes off my best recent time with 88:14. Then into the Gym for Squats.

Today (Sunday)…..60 minutes at 20spm. Improved my best by 32 metres/0.3 to 14,315/2:05.9. Then a 15 mile bike ride (again…very hilly).

Tomorrow……….60 minutes Wattbike in the morning then in the evening on the erg with 5 x 2k.1:45 R. Will be trying to improve the 1:52.6 I averaged 10 days ago with 2 minute rests.

Mike……Yes, I’ve got a new model D with PM5 so it matches Carols as they sit side by side in our gym…ahhhh….isn’t that nice Lol! It’s no faster than my old one in fact the old one felt a bit ‘’smoother’’ as they need a bit of ‘’running in’’ apparently. Nice improvement on the 1500’s well done.

Excellent 5 x 2k r1:45 to beat the previous attempt with 2 minute rests. The lower DF seems to be working well for you. Thats a manic 4 days - lots of variety and significant improvements on previous sessions of the same workout. Best wishes for Wednesdays 30 min TT.

[Two Pudding Kid]

Marjorie - very bold to be skiing black runs in the fog.

Dean - a very consistent half marathon ergo

Mike - well done on improving the 3 x 1500m r5 from 12 months ago.

Me - just recovering from one half marathon run and then doing another.

Thursday was 25k on the Wattbike - 46:45, (started slowly and built up the effort as I went along).

Saturday - 30 min TT (these are flavour of the month it seems). Having already set a very good 6974m (2:09.0) recently I was under pressure to start fast and risk a "fly and die" - although I started at 2:08.5 pace it didnt last long. 6939m (2:09.7), HWT by 0.3kg and having to dig in to keep on 2:12 or better.

Sunday was 5k treadmill on 2% incline - 30:12 (just couldnt find the energy to lift the pace to to sub-30 mins and was on at least 182 BPM for the last 90 secs). Sweatfest over I did some stretching.

Today a rest day and then Personal Training tomorrow 8am.

This weekend is scheduled to be my 90th half marathon run - in Freiburg, Germany, (near the Black Forest). I am picking some new runs that have something interesting associated with them, (and thats not just the cake ).

[MPx]

Mike - well done on improving the 3 x 1500m r5 from 12 months ago.

...errrr, actually improved on the one about 6 weeks ago Susan....but thanks for the thought. I see that you're as active as ever and always with times there or there abouts. Very solid. Good luck with the run at the weekend.

I'm very impressed that you have his-n-hers ergs Rod. Is Carol still crocked with her back or is she in training again? I'll have to upgrade my Model C/PM3 at some point, but I'll leave it until the improvements have stopped and I need a boost. Its certainly worked for you with a nice fast(er) 5x2 (10K).

I had a Dumbbell session followed by 5k@20 last light finishing with a 20:20 @ 2:02.0avg @ 20spm. Bang on the numbers!

Tonight was sprints - 8x500 r3:30. Last time managed an avg 1:45.1. Started at 1:45.4 and did a gentle neg split and faster last for a 1:44.1 avg this time. Will try to take another second off next time.

[Rod]

I'm very impressed that you have his-n-hers ergs Rod. Is Carol still crocked with her back or is she in training again? I'll have to upgrade my Model C/PM3 at some point, but I'll leave it until the improvements have stopped and I need a boost. Its certainly worked for you with a nice fast(er) 5x2 (10K).

I had a Dumbbell session followed by 5k@20 last light finishing with a 20:20 @ 2:02.0avg @ 20spm. Bang on the numbers!

Tonight was sprints - 8x500 r3:30. Last time managed an avg 1:45.1. Started at 1:45.4 and did a gentle neg split and faster last for a 1:44.1 avg this time. Will try to take another second off next time.

Carol is fine thanks Mike, she's erging and running well. The back problem only stopped her from running not from rowing so normal service has been continued there.

I promise you that a new erg does not go any faster than an old one and if anything I'd say that my well worn in 7 year old model D was a little smoother than my new model D which still needs a bit of ''wearing in'' as I mentioned last time so any improvement is not down to ''mechanical reasons'' I assure you.....just more hard work and amazing talent on my part! (not all of that statement is true Lol!)

Well done on the 8 x 500 improvement..and I look forward to that session predicting a Sub 7 2k for you in the not too distant future....1:42.0 should do it!

[Amazing Amazon]

Hi everyone, soory I've been a bit quiet but have been recovering from my ski holiday and making the most if the sunny weather to work in the garden e.g. have now cut the grass for the first time this year.

Dean asked where I was skiing: I was staying in Zurs, in the Arlberg ski area (St Anton, Lech, Zurs and Warth). Managed about 40 km (18 runs) and about 7000m+ of descent each day. This time my hotel had a gym with an erg and I was on it firrst thing in the morning doing my usual 20 minute 'Eddie Fletcher' warm-up piece: I even fitted this in on my return day. Normally I do this before some serious rowing and it doesn't seem that onerous, however at 1700m altitude it's significantly harder. Susan was worried about my skiing black runs in fog - much easier when you are following others who are better skiers and then I'd also done the runs before in the sunshine.

Today our Devon weather was not so good so no excuses for not getting back on the erg. Decided to do a shorter distance, 6k, rather than the 10k I also need to do by the end of the month. This time did much better than my last atttempt and improved on my British Record by 12.2 seconds with a 24:45.9. Not quite as fast as I should be able to do (predicted best performance is 24:40 ish) but given the longish break in training I'm happy with the time. Stuttered a bit towards the end but recovered pace to end with a 1:50 pull. Splits were: 2:05.2 (23), 2:05.0 (25), 2:04.6 (26), 2:04.1 (27), 2:02.6 (28), 2:01.4 (28).
,

[MPx]

Well that's rather nice to be able to just drop in a new BR Marjorie. 12s is a huge chop off 6k whether worse than predicted or not - very well done.

I've seem to have allowed other stuff to curtail my sessions a bit this week - and it shows in the results. But I did manage my own 6k TT on Thursday timed at 23:47.8 or 1:59.0 avg which is my first sub 2:00 paced piece over 5k on this comeback so good...but upsetting that I'm still finding free rate 2:00 pace so difficult when it used to be so normal!

Dumbbells on Friday but no time to erg. So did my AWL Pyramid today. Still struggling. Started at 1:47 pace for the first 100 moving up one second a rep to 1:55.x for the 900. I was supposed to then come back down, but only had enough fight to carry on up to 1:56.x; 1:57.x; 1:58.x; 1:59.x before a few of sprints to finish. A shame but I was pleased that I at least finished and didn't have to "just paddle" for any of the reps.

[Amazing Amazon]

Bit quiet here the last few days - expect you've all been working out so hard you've had no time to post: certainly that true for me.
After that BR 6000m on Wednesday I was on the water again on Thursday. Not a great success: was taking a double out on a spring tide so very tight going through the gate onto the slipway; in the boat OK and strapoed into my boat shoes but made a mess of bringing the boat round across the slipway to get my crew on board and turned the boat over. After getting away properly still had a lot of difficulty with my right hand stroke, which was consistently going too deep, however at least got back and out of the boat without problem. Went for a 1500m (in a proper pool!) swim after. In the evening busy helping get our boats unrigged and onto our trailer ready for Saturday's Dart Head.
Friday was end of the month and I still had a 10k to do for Sub7 Intra-club Challenge and for the Indoir Rowers League Challenge: the latter for my Diamonds team as well as for myself. I did a 10k back in December when my time was 42:22.4 (2:07.1 pace), while my predicted potential time is now just sub 42 minutes (2:05.9 pace). Went for it with 2:06.3 and 2:06.9 pace for the first two 2k splits, however then lost the pace on three occasions, the third involving a HD to take on water after which it was a matter of just trying to limit my losses. Grinding that iut was hard.. Third and fourth 2k splits, affected by the slow downs, were dismal 2:09.2 and 2:11.9 pace, the final 2k better, done at 2:05.2 pace. A fast finish limited my losses and I ended up with an overall 42:38.6 (2:07.9 pace), not what I wanted but in the event very respectable allowing for the IRL age/weight handicap (still best woman).
Yesterday did my first head race: 16k Totnes to Dartmouth: a tidal river race rowing down river with the ebb tide. There were over 140 boats of various ilk çompeting and we were 132nd, which mean that having arrived Totnes before 10:00 for our cox to be briefed we didn't actually launch and start until about 15:00. Did find time for a 20 min strapless, in my wellies, warm-up in the club house just before our launch. April showers day, but mostly dry for our 1:12:33 row. Only 2:16 pace in a women masters coxed, but it was hard. At least the technique gremlins of Thursday didn't return. We seem to have finished ahead of one other boat in our category; it a set out ahead but dnf, so we weren't last; our first crew won in about 56 minutes. As we arrived at Dartmouth the heavens opened, so it was bucketing down as we got the boat out of the water, took the outriggers off the boats and stowed them all back on our trailer. We then drove back to Teignmouth and unloaded, re-rigged and stowed our boats.
Today was a rest day - watched the boat races instead.

[Amazing Amazon]

Mike,

Seems we are both finding it hard at the moment (vide my post). Maybe we're just geting old

12 seconds off my 'old' 6k records, but that was set this season too and I used to be able to do it much faster (only 3-4 years ago but before they started keeping records for 6k); I think my PB is around 24:30m so still 15 seconds or so to make up.

I do hold a number of other BRs, but they were also set 'back then', so pretty unobtainable for me now.

[bisqeet]

bah. .
12 days off the erg due to lurgy / trips.
today still not 100% and debated wether I should jump on or not. glad I decided to
it was a sweaty mess, but I limited to 135 HR, strappless R18.
Thought i might have trouble with the HR, but the slower pace was ok.

Average daily meters dropped under 12k/day for the first time this season [meh!]

but this was #115 HM of the season :/ [yeh!]


also getting very good at aiming the snotrocket into a bucket...

[bisqeet]

pm session
an older quad (post war but pre moon landing)

didnt want to stray to far from the boathouse as it was threatening to rain (thunder and lightning aint so frightning)..
ended up just doing a few ups and down - rather relaxed stuff

~10m

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1656609781