Ranger's training thread

[snowleopard]

How can you not organise yourself sufficiently in seven years to be sharpened?

As everyone in and around this forum illustrates every year, year after year, sharpening has nothing to do with good training.

Those who sharpen all the time, racing their training, just get worse and worse.

Everything significant about training for rowing happens at UT levels.

Sure, you have to sharpen to race your best, given your UT training, but everyone pretty much sharpens the same way and for the same benefit.

Sharpening never made anyone better at rowing, e.g., as I have gotten better over the last eight years.

If you like and believe in training, that is, if you like and believe in the possibility of getting better, even while you are aging, sharpening is a _last_ priority.

Concern yourself with sharpening as a major focus of training only after everything else is thoroughly done.

You're just blowin' smoke Dick. Who said anything about sharpening all the time? As you have said repeatedly, everyone sharpens in pretty much the same way. And everyone understands that sharpening (and tapering) is the culmination of the training cycle.

This is not rocket science (although it might be for a retiring poetics professor).

You said your sharpening began in September. You said you have been rowing daily 8 x 500s. You have been preparing for seven years. You are crossing the Atlantic to compete at BIRC. Your bullish prediction was a 6:20 and you have been heaping scorn on your peers for months in relation to your own [self-]perceived abilities.

So, hotshot, how can you not be anywhere near sharp?

[ginster]

so, by your definition, you have improved your stroke to perfect stroking for a lightweight, your fitness is maximal, and then, after sharpening, pulling your 6.16 ( or is that 6.08) target, is a lock. However, at that point, you will have nowhere to go but down - is that correct? You will have achieved the perfect erg, and there will be nothing left to achieve.

I have 2 questions...

1. how do you know when to start sharpening, if you never test yourself in any objective manner to know that you are in a position to start sharpening?

2. What are you going to do with yourself after this perfect row? There will be no challenge left.. you will have reached the limit of your potential... is that not quite an upsetting thought?

[KevJGK]

If you like and believe in training, that is, if you like and believe in the possibility of getting better, even while you are aging, sharpening is a _last_ priority.

Rich

Your big race is on Sunday so surely you have gotten fully around to your sharpening - "a_last_priority" - by now?

Sharpening was the final task in your epic project.

[ranger]

Yep.

I am now pulling 13 SPI, just like Nav.

So I only have to rate 30 spm to pb and beat Roy's 55s lwt WR by 10 seconds.

Given that I am not really very sharp yet, rating 30 spm will be fine for BIRC 2010.

Then I can just keep sharpening for another three months until WIRC.

30 spm is an _enormously_ deliberate rate for 2K.

I should have no problem with it.

Whenever I sit down on the erg from now until 11 a.m. on Sunday, I'll just rate 30 spm, groovin' to the movin'.

As I have already mentioned, by the time WIRC rolls around and I am fully sharpened, I wouldn't be surprised if I rated 36 spm for 2K

To get there, I just need to do more rowing at high rates and high heart rates (TR, AN), pushing my HR to the max.

Everything else is in place.

ranger

[ranger]

Hey, Nav.

Are you going to try to rate higher than 30 spm at BIRC 2010?

ranger

[ranger]

If I am only going to rate 30 spm at BIRC 2010, I can train right through it.

30 spm is more like a 5K rate than a 2K rate.

AT

The best rowing to do for the next four days would be AT 1Ks @ 30 spm.

AT 1Ks @ 30 spm shouldn't be any problem and should be great preparation for the race on Sunday.

In my rowing from now until Sunday, it also might be good to sneak in some AT 2Ks @ 27 spm.

Are there going to be ergs available for those rowing on Sunday at the Crowne Plaza--or somewhere else, e.g., at the race venue?

If so, that would help a lot.

As I remember, there have been ergs available there in the past.

Then again, I haven't been to BIRC for four years.

ranger

[ranger]

If I hold 1:37s at BIRC 2010, I presume that no one in the 55s lwt race will be within five seconds per 500 of me.

If I find that I have a lot left at 1700m and can raise the rate to 36-40 spm over the last 300m, I will beat the 50 lwt WR, too.

The 55s lwt BIRC championship record is mine at 6:42, from back in 2006.

If I pull 6:28, I will beat my own BIRC championship record by 14 seconds four years later.

If I have enough left for a kick over the last 300m and pull 6:24, I will beat my own BIRC championship record by 18 seconds four years later, and pb by four seconds _eight_ years later.

6:24 is the 60s _heavyweight_ WR.

Back in 2002, when I was 51, even though I was four seconds faster than the 50s lwt WR at the time, I was 20 seconds slower than the 50s _heavyweight_ WR.

When I broke the 50s lwt WR at WIRC 2003, Tore Foss, who is just my age, beat me by 19 seconds.

At WIRC 2003, I got both the 50s lightweight hammer and the 50s heavyweight silver, rowing as a lightweight--even though I was a total noviçe rower, a gym rat, who had never been near a boat.

I rowed at max drag (200+ df.), with wretched technique (10 SPI), hauling anchor at the catch with my arms and back, dragging my legs behind.

ranger

[hjs]

If I hold 1:37s at BIRC 2010, I presume that no one in the 55s lwt race will be within five seconds per 500 of me.

If I find that I have a lot left at 1700m and can raise the rate to 36-40 spm over the last 300m, I will beat the 50 lwt WR, too.

The 55s lwt BIRC championship record is mine at 6:42, from back in 2006.

If I pull 6:28, I will beat my own BIRC championship record by 14 seconds four years later.

If I have enough left for a kick over the last 300m and pull 6:24, I will beat my own BIRC championship record by 18 seconds four years later, and pb by four seconds _eight_ years later.

6:24 is the 60s _heavyweight_ WR.

Back in 2002, when I was 51, even though I was four seconds faster than the 50s lwt WR at the time, I was 20 seconds slower than the 50s _heavyweight_ WR.

When I broke the 50s lwt WR at WIRC 2003, Tore Foss, who is just my age, beat me by 19 seconds.

At WIRC 2003, I got both the 50s lightweight hammer and the 50s heavyweight silver, rowing as a lightweight--even though I was a total noviçe rower, a gym rat, who had never been near a boat.

I rowed at max drag (200+ df.), with wretched technique (10 SPI), hauling anchor at the catch with my arms and back, dragging my legs behind.

ranger

But you will limp in at 7.11 If you go that is.

[DUThomas]

Those who sharpen all the time, racing their training, just get worse and worse.

Then I can just keep sharpening for another three months until WIRC.

[JimR]

Well Mr. 6:20 ... with all the back-pedalling about BIRC going on here you can at least be thankful you didn't make any bets on the outcome.

Do I remember you saying that after BIRC 2010 and WIRC 2011 you will settle your debts with Henry???

JimR

[snowleopard]

Are there going to be ergs available for those rowing on Sunday at the Crowne Plaza--or somewhere else, e.g., at the race venue?

No there won't be any ergs at the race venue. Only skipping ropes.

[mikvan52]

If I hold 1:37s at BIRC 2010....

The "countdown" continues:

Two weeks ago:
If I hold 1:34s at BIRC 2010....

One week ago:
If I hold 1:35s at BIRC 2010....

Today:
If I hold 1:37s at BIRC 2010....

Tomorrow:
If I hold 1:40s at BIRC 2010....

Saturday:
"I thought on my way down to the arena: I have no business doing this now. I'll do a UT2 row at 1:42 pace and won't even try. I'm happy with that.

No erger has ever gone for 7 years w/o being fully sharpened while erging 10 million meters a year. Un-precedented!

Hi Yo -Silver" (Wenham gets the gold)

ranger's motto:
Always approaching, Never arriving

Coat of arms:



change "x=3" to "Pace = 1:34/500"

[ranger]

I am happy to see that my faster rowing of late has loosened up my HR.

During my hour OTBike after erging, my heart rate rode along right at 175 bpm, and after a couple of bursts, just for fun, floated up over 180 bpm.

No distress at all.

I could have continued for three hours.

Great training for a 2K.

I'll ride two times today, and then two times tomorrow, too.

I don't get on my plane for Birmingham until 10 p.m. tomorrow.

When I start rowing on Sunday, if my heart rate floats right up to 190 bpm, I'll beat the hell out of the race.

I now row well (13 SPI) at low drag (120 df.).

For a 60s lwt, my effectiveness and efficiency is off the charts.

ranger

[snowleopard]

During my hour OTBike after erging, my heart rate rode along right at 175 bpm, and after a couple of bursts, just for fun, floated up over180 bpm.

Odd that you should reach/exceed your max HR doing some easy cycling. That raking must have really taken it out of you

[JimR]

I am happy to see that my faster rowing of late has loosened up my HR.

During my hour OTBike after erging, my heart rate rode along right at 175 bpm, and after a couple of bursts, just for fun, floated up over180 bpm.

No distress at all.

I could have rode for three hours.

Just stay away from the leaf rake and everything will work out!

I'll ride two or three times today, and then again tomorrow morning.

Great training for a 2K.

And given your incredible successes of late who could argue?!

Anything that keeps you from eating or doing a predictive workout is a good thing right???

JimR