Pete Plan 2017

[jackarabit]

^+1.

[bwolfjohnson]

Great info....thanks all.

I watched the videos suggested....I have been going way too fast on the recovery, I race back.

Will look to put more power into the drive and slow down on the recovery.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Ben

[mudgeg]

@ Mike - your words of encouragement are always well received - thank you. Only one point of correction, much as it pains me to say it, I just passed the big 6 and O. Inevitable but no less painful....

[mdpfirrman]

Happy belated B-Day Gordon! So just a teed little bit more impressive - your fitness!

Again, doing shorter intervals. If you guys will just humor me. I'm dropping off the thread after my race in two weeks and just trying to stay fit enough to get through with this race. Having done four or so full rotations now of the PP, hopefully I've earned enough respect to stay on the thread a while longer.

Instead of the 1500 X 5, did a faster version. Planned 3 X 1500 @ 1:54.0. If you do 5, should be 5K PB best pace (1:56.7 for me), so I thought 3 @ 1:54 would be a good test and get me back into some speed work quickly after coming back from being sick again. Ended up starting out too fast and dialed it down to two intervals, though fast ones, not that much in terms of duration. 1K W/U and 1K C/D. Just hoping to get close to my PB at the race. Would have crushed it back in August but oh well. It is what it is now.

5:38.9 / 1:52.9 / 27
5:40.0 / 1:53.3 / 27
Avg 1:53.1 / 27

At least I got a bit of an intermediate workout in. On the first 1500, good news is I had some left in the tank. That was a decent indication perhaps I can still hit my PB in a couple weeks. Certainly wouldn't be from my training since October. Would be from all the hard work I put in from February last year till October.

[G-dub]

Mike - those look pretty nice at r27! Shaping up a little.

[Street]

Ouch, that was a hard one! For some reason I thought I'd go all out on the first one just to see how fast I could do it but then realised it was a stupid idea as I wouldn't be able to do the other reps. I still did a 7:16.7 for the first one which is a 2km PB! I reckon I could knock a few more seconds off too that if I wasn't doing other reps. My target overall was 1:55.8 so pleased I still managed to beat that fairly easily with the other reps. A sub 7 2km is definitely my aim for this year now.

BPP 22.2 4x2000m/4' rest. Target 1:55.8
30:12.9 / 8,000m / 1:53.3 / 26
7:16.7 / 2,000m / 1:49.1 / 27
7:39.2 / 2,000m / 1:54.8 / 26
7:40.1 / 2,000m / 1:55.0 / 26
7:36.9 / 2,000m / 1:54.2 / 26

[mdpfirrman]

Based on that workout Andy, you are pretty close right now. That's a really strong 4 X 2000, especially with only 4' rest. The full PP has 5' rest (and that's not easy either). Congrats on the PB! Really nice but not the way you want to start an interval session!

Thanks Glenn! I've cooled down my intensity a bit and just happy staying healthy I've decided. Paul - got no choice but to push it a little. My race is creeping up fast - Feb 5th - next Sunday. I missed the one race I wanted to do with the flu. I'm not missing this one! My time will be whatever it is, even though I'm not in prime form right now.

[Rowan McSheen]

Congratulations on meeting the big six-zero Mike ... I know you've had some injury and health issues but still, you're in far better shape than the average 60-year-old.

Nice session Gordon ... watching your times from this end of the M4

For me today: BPP week 3, session 1: 6000 metres steady, same pace as previous week's so target 2:12.0.

Not quite. I began easing off the pace from the halfway point to keep hr within the upper UT2/lower UT1 range so overall pace 2:13.6 at 21 spm average hr 126 and peak 138 (about right, I'd say). I might have been getting a little cocky regarding pace on the ss's so next session will start at 2:14 and hopefully gradually work upwards rather than downwards.

[mdpfirrman]

Nice execution Paul. Nice power left at the end. Good control on the way up!

@ Stu - I'm not 60 (at least yet!). It's Gordon just turned 60. I'll be 53 this year. I might feel 60 at times, but I'm hanging in there. There are some 60 somethings (and some 70 somethings) I've seen rowing on here that I'd have to work pretty hard to catch up to! The guy I lost my race to last year was 62 or so (and he put in a 6:48 2K) -- huge man, very strong. One of the better 60 somethings in the US.

What I've learned with rowing is that if someone is controlled and works at their own pace, they can get more fit at nearly any age (if their health permits them to row).

[mudgeg]

@ Rowan McSheen - Stu, it's me that has regrettably turned the big 60 not Mike! He's still in his youth.

The one really valuable lesson I have learned the hard way over the course of the BPP is to start the pace on the longer rows at something sustainable and then work up. Nothing more soul destroying than too fast at the start and watching the pace drop. Yesterday on my 11k I started at 2:16 held that for the first 1000m then up to 2:15 then 2:14 and by about half way I was just off the pace I ended up on (2:13) and which I could hold comfortably all the way home.

[Slacker]

Nice work guys.

Andy: smoking 2k repeats.
Stu: way to find your pacing, That was a real challenge for me when I started the BPP (not that I'm much better at now). I still wonder if I'm doing certain days too fast and others too slow.
Paul: Nice waterfall execution. Looked pretty strong and the way down. Guess you'll have to start the next one even faster.
Gordon: how are you liking these longer distances? I think they are a bit out of my range right now and I really start to feel it when I close in on the 10k mark. I think I'll try and push out some longer distances after we finish up the plan to see if that pushes these more into my range.
Mike: when's the race?

I had the 12k row today for my BPP 20.1 workout. Pete cautioned to start way slow and dial up the pace in several increments. I started at @2:16.6 and kept working it down but I really started to feel it short of the 10k distance and messed up my nice negative splits the entire way. With the end in sight, I was able to quicken a little and get through the finish line. Completed the effort with @2:14.2 average pace, r22.

[Rowan McSheen]

Oops, sorry guys, wasn't paying attention ... I guess age is taking its toll of my faculties

You're right, Gordon. Next session I'll start out at 2:15 and see where it takes me.

As regards age in competition, in a recent running half marathon in the final mile I overhauled a guy who turned out to be a 70+, but not even 1st in his category. The 1st 70+ was way in front, doing a time that I would have been pleased with 15 years ago (about 1hr 35 mins). Some guys chose their parents wisely, I guess.

[JohnAd]

Andy, very nice 2k PB in the intervals

Paul, nicely judged pyramid, you're right that you have to be careful on the first few, will you go out at that average next time or ease it back a bit and sprint it home?

PP07LLite 6.2 4X1550 4'r
Previous in cycle 1:49.7
Target start at 1:50
1:50.5 r27
1:51.0 r27
500m @ 1:52 then HD

Bit of a disaster of a session, legs and body tired after doing some running and lifting yesterday, I'm not coping with trying to do hard rowing after other training and I'm not sure it's doing me any good at all. During the 3rd rep is was clear that I wan't going to be able to hold it and with no immediate target it's hard to justify the pain. May need to reconsider my training plan a bit and switch the rowing day to more SS and less of this lactic bath AT stuff. To try and get something out of the session did a one minute for the CTC and got 322m 1:33.2 r39 which is technically a PB for that distance although I haven't done one for ages.

[mdpfirrman]

Andy, very nice 2k PB in the intervals

Paul, nicely judged pyramid, you're right that you have to be careful on the first few, will you go out at that average next time or ease it back a bit and sprint it home?

PP07LLite 6.2 4X1550 4'r
Previous in cycle 1:49.7
Target start at 1:50
1:50.5 r27
1:51.0 r27
500m @ 1:52 then HD

Bit of a disaster of a session, legs and body tired after doing some running and lifting yesterday, I'm not coping with trying to do hard rowing after other training and I'm not sure it's doing me any good at all. During the 3rd rep is was clear that I wan't going to be able to hold it and with no immediate target it's hard to justify the pain. May need to reconsider my training plan a bit and switch the rowing day to more SS and less of this lactic bath AT stuff. To try and get something out of the session did a one minute for the CTC and got 322m 1:33.2 r39 which is technically a PB for that distance although I haven't done one for ages.

John, since you talked to me about the wisdom of lifting daily, I've scaled it back. What's worked best for me has been (believe it or not) lifting on days that I do the interval rows. I've just backed off the lifting as hard a bit on those days. Especially if you're going to follow the PP. Some of my best interval times were after a lift in the AM. Use the SS as a true recovery day and don't do anything else and it seems to work out better (at least for me). Perhaps that might work out for you too. Lactic day so to speak would at least be within 24 hours, then 24 hours recover, repeat. Plus the day off does help.

[mdpfirrman]

Nearly forgot - did 40' today @ around a 2:10 or so (SS work for me). Never pushed too hard at all. Definitely UT2 work.