Sub 7 Indoor Rowing Club (UK)

[MPx]

Wooohoooo! Fantastic stuff, well done Rod. Yet another British Record and properly smashed. Well deserved after all your efforts.

Great to see you back Richard will look forward to reading some amazing results along the lines of a casual 8245 in 30mins!

I'm doing the dog days challenge. Not really a challenge for the first two or three weeks as I typically do about 30k a week anyway, but will need more for the last. Typically its coincided with a period busy elsewhere! Anyway, the log since last update shows:
17/8 Dumbbells and 30 mins varipace for 7617m (didn't slow down as much as usual to get a few extra meters!)
18/8 30 mins TT. Not done 30mins as a TT for many months (years?). Struggled to get 7837m - targets had to change several times, disappointing!
19/8 Dumbbells and 6k@20 in 23:33.0 (0.2 too fast!)
21/8 4x1k r3:30. Last time managed a 1:46.1 avg. This time 1:45.8/7/7 and 1:44.7 last for a 1:45.5 avg - best yet!
22/8 60mins TT. Not done one of these for many years as I hate them but knew I needed some distance. Set off at 2:00 pace but struggled from the start for some reason - all in the mind and couldn't be bothered with it. Finished up with a very painful 14742m @2:02.1. Horrid!
24/8 Dumbbells and 30mins varipace for 7637m (again faster than I usually do this for a few extra meters).
25/8 AWL Pyramid. Varied the pace on this as usual, but also within the reps rather than just varying each rep. Seemed to help distract me and went faster than normal for a 1:48.3 avg pace which I'm very pleased with.

[Two Pudding Kid]

Rod - brilliant result on the half marathon ergo and yet another British Record.

Richard - great work on the 30 mins.

Mike - hope you are getting the increased metres in the Bank Holiday week. Great news on the 4 x 1k r3:30 and AWL pyramid.

Me - the old girl has her new hip replacement. Exercise has graduated from about a 5m hobble on day one after the op to probably 100m a day at present, (7 days post op) on 2 crutches. Also leg swinging - ballerina style but not a lot of movement yet Think the innards have settled down now I am not on morphine and other strong painkillers - would never make a junkie . Got an appointment to change the dressing tomorrow and physio on Thurs and Fri. Left leg and butt bruised and battered so have to sit, walk, lie repeat

[MPx]

Great to hear the op was a success Susan and recovery has started. It will take some time of course but positive thought and action should see you back on song by the end of the year, so it really will be just a blip to look back on. Best wishes for a continued speedy recovery.

I did manage to complete the Dog Days challenge by doing just over 45k this week. Last couple of sessions were:
27/8 Dumbells and 30mins varipace for 7667. Felt good in this and went further with little perceived extra effort. However....!
28/8 Sprint night was 6x500 r2. It wasn't until I was into the first rep that I remembered Rods suggestion of increasing the rests and then cut back 15 secs on subsequent repeats. As it was I was stuck on 2 min rests and trying again for a sub 1:40 set. First two were fine. Third on target but tough. Forth took all I had to make target and I had nothing left to do the same on the last two (1:42.4 and 1:43.4) which meant another failure with a 1:40.8 avg some way off my 1:40.1 recent best. I suspect the extra effort put in yesterday on what should have been a steady session took its toll tonight. Fair enough really!

[Rod]

CTC done.

6 x 1 minute with 1 minute recoveries (rolling starts after the first rep)

Average pace...............1:37.7
DF.............................125
SPM...........................38

I was amazed that I could get the pace below 1:40 as none of my training over the last 6 months has been anywhere near below 1:50!

Looks like the long slow hour pieces capped at 125 ahr and 20 spm are helping my faster stuff too.

David A...........Thank you for the kind words after my HM, good of you to look in like this.

Susan.................Great to hear the op was a success, best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Mike...............Well done on the CTC, you were way ahead of me! You were tired for those 500's, you'll be under 1:40 in no time.....you won't want me beating you to it!

[Two Pudding Kid]

Mike - well done on completing the Dog Days challenge

Rod - brilliant August CTC.

Me - scar has healed and 2 physio sessions this week. Got to practise round the house on 1 crutch and go for walks outside on 2. Leg swinging and gentle squats encouraged hanging on to the wall, (lucky we still have the grab rails from when Dad was at home). Hungry again so must be on the right track. Sitting and lying getting better. . Weekly physio through September and see the consultant again 9 Oct.
PS The right hip will probably wear out in the next 2-8 years so very likely to have to go through this again, (born wonky hipped and didnt know until now).

[Rod]

30 minutes Time Trial

Metres.......................8124
Av. Pace.....................1:50.7
SPM..........................34
AHR..........................172 (89% of max)

This improves my British 60-69 Lwt record by 34 metres (0.5 on pace).

I know I keep saying this but I honestly do feel I can do better, I need to be a bit braver with the early pace....so I'll be trying again next week when I'm having a race with a friend...I'll call this one a practice go!

Susan.........The rehab sounds tough, well done for getting stuck into it..good luck with progress.

[le grand fromage]

Great stuff Rod with all the BR's you're setting at the moment, a great run of form that's coming from a lot of hard work mate.

Hope the rehab is going ok TPK.

Sub 7 ITC for me today, warmed up with a sub 7 2k. Thought I'd try and hold 400w for each and I did. More please with winning the mental battle though, was going to wrap from about the 3rd interval but managed to keep hitting the starts hard getting the average well above 400w and then kidding myself to 'coast' the second half of the interval.

2k WU - 1:44.4 - 28 - 307 - 6:57.7

6 x 500 R3

1:35.6 - 33 - 401
1:35.6 - 32 - 401
1:35.5 - 32 - 402
1:35.5 - 33 - 402
1:35.5 - 33 - 402
1:34.7 - 33 - 412

3k - 9:32.4 - 1:35.4 - 32 - 403

[Rod]

3 x 2k.2'r

Average pace.............1:48.9
Average 2k................7:15.8
DF...........................114
SPM.........................34
AHR........................174 (90% of max)

Just starting to try and speed it up a bit as the 2k Time Trials and races start next month.

I should be able to improve this so will repeat it a few times over the next few weeks.

Richard............Thanks for the positive words....good to see you getting stuck in again. See you at BRIC!

[Two Pudding Kid]

Richard - great work on the CTC. Like the strategy and result.

Rod - 3 x 2k r2 looking good. Hope your race season goes well.

Me - walking outside about 150m a day and doing various exercises around the house. More physio Tues/Weds - although I am allowed on an exercise bike I will currently only do it supervised, (getting on/off a bit tricky). Pain in the butt is beginning to ease up but as Richard Steventon shows it is a long way back to anything like normal exercise. Signed off work until October - being at home is sort of nice, but trying to be as useful as possible as mum cannot run round after me all day

[Rod]

6k Time Trial

New British Record in the 60-69 Lightweight category

Time.............21:59.6
Pace.............1:49.9
SPM..............35
DF................114
AHR.............180 (93% of max)

This improves the mark I set back in January by 10.3 seconds so happy with that but given that it was on n old gym machine not my usual super smooth new home one then I'll need to have another go soon.

Susan...............looks like progress m'dear so well done!

[MPx]

Great stuff Rod with all the BR's you're setting at the moment, a great run of form that's coming from a lot of hard work mate.

I quite agree Richard and he's still at it with a new marker in the both the 30mins and 6K - well done Rodders! However I couldn't help noticing that you've also started your own challenge on the north face with both the HM and 10k BRs already notched up to no fanfare whatsoever. Well done that man!! Looks like most of Richard S's records and Nick's 1hr might be up for a challenge if you can hit the sort of run of form that Rod's enjoying at the moment. I really hope that will provide the motivation you need because it will be great to watch the results coming in....

Glad to hear progress is ongoing as hoped Susan. Little and often will reap rewards and hopefully avoid tripping over the boredom threshold too often.

My own training has taken a slight step back over the last week or so. Excuses are 1) gave blood on 30th - always affects my performance for a few weeks and 2) I'm back working with huge sleepers in the garden and coming in with aching muscles before I even start in the gym. But I reckon continuing a bit slower is better than resting completely - although I'm not sure I have any evidence for that! As Henry always says the limiting factor to training is how quickly you can recover and I've certainly noticed that is a bit longer since I've been in my 60s. Sessions for me have been:

29/8 Dumbbells and 5k@20 in 19:59.1
31/8 6k@20 in 23:53.2
1/9 2818m for George and the CTC in 10:12.4 @ 1:48.7
2/9 Dumbbells and 30mins varipace for 7557. Not a typical session - started off normal but nearly aborted after 5 mins - slowed dramatically and regrouped but managed to finish off OK and back on target.
4/9 10x1min r1. Another attempt and getting a clean sweep of 305m. I did it....but only because at the end of the 5th rep rest the PM switched itself off for no reason that I could see. I then set up a 5x1min session but by time it was all done, I'd had had well over 5 mins rest between reps 5 and 6 instead of the 1 allowed so that doesn't count. Next time...
6/9 Dumbbells and 30 mins varipace for 7575m
7/9 3x1500 r5. Recent best at this is a 1:48.1 avg pace but I know I wasn't on that form. Set off a little optimistically, but quickly wound my neck in and was happy to finish the first rep at a very hard 1:49.9 pace to stay just under 5:30 for the rep. Decided on that as my target and managed 1:49.7 and 1:49.4 for the other two - but found it a bit brutal. So only 4500m and with two 5min rests but still only at Rod's recent 6k TT pace. Hmmmmm!

[MPx]

Spent most of the day catching up with online stuff which meant no real physical activity so instead of a rest day I decided to give the Sub7 ITC a go despite still aching from yesterday. Last year I did a 3:16.1 for the world challenge and hoped to get somewhere close too that. My plan is always to pull 4 hard strokes to get the avg down to target (1:37 in this case) and then go as steady as poss from there, expecting to die at the end. As usual I was suckered in to the ease of the early pace and pulled too many 1:36 strokes over the first 300. Settled in to 1:37/8 after that but was seriously struggling by 700 and just died from there....so I was amazed to see I still managed a 3:16.6 - it looked to be heading much closer to 3:20 than that. Happy days!

[Rod]

4 Minute Time Trial

Metres................................1177
Pace..................................1:41.9
DF.....................................114
SPM...................................37
Heart Rate..................average 179, Max 196!



New British 60-69 Lwt Record

4 Minute Time Trial for the Indoor Rowers League. Places me in top spot in the 60-69 Lwts and all Lwts (well for now anyway...I'm sure some young speedy types will come past me!)

It was a new British Record as it was 6 metres (0.5 on pace) better than the mark I set back in March.

Bloody hell this was a sharp shock to the system....Ouch! (it was a new Max HR PB as well at 196!)

Mike..................Great 1k for the ITC, well done!

[Two Pudding Kid]

Rod - blimey. Staggering sub 22 min 6k and 1177m for 4 mins for two new British Records. Seems your heart can beat even faster than mine!

Richard - well done on the 10k and halfmarathon British Records you have achieved too.

Mike - great work to be so close to last years 1k TT time with all the gardening and other commitments you have.

Me - 3 weeks postop and using one crutch pretty well now. Physio tomorrow and Weds. Maybe able to get signed up to a 12 week rehab course at our local gym. Not likely to include ergo due to bringing knees into chest/belly but might be worth a shot. Eating like normal. Seem to be only 58.5kg - not sure how that happened as metal weighs more than the bone it replaces.

[Rod]

10k Time Trial

Time..................37:12.8
Pace..................1:51.6
SPM...................34
DF.....................109

A Seasons Best and Lightweight PB by 4.4 seconds so happy enough but trying very hard to get it under 37 minutes...so got to keep at it.

I set out to keep a faster early pace but just couldn't hold it, I'm hoping that the sharper work coming up will help with that though.

Good to see the rehab is going well Susan....good luck with it m'dear.