Pete Plan 2017

[JohnAd]

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.

Mike, thanks for the tip, I'm basically limited to one session per day so not sure that both on the same day will work for me. Also my lifting is very remedial at at that stage the recovery does seem to be long. My current thinking is one set of intervals on Monday alternating between sprint and AT PP sessions but maybe with slightly shorter rests to keep the session length manageable, Lift/Stretch Tuesday, 45' SS on Wednesday, Lift/Stretch Thursday, 30' or 10k harder distance Friday, 60' SS on Sunday. Where the harder distance is somewhere between TT and SS so probably < 2:00 but not by much. We'll see how that goes.

[mudgeg]

BPP Week 18 Day 2

4 x 2000m. Was originally tempted to see how fast I could go on interval 1 but seeing Andy's (@Street) post (albeit with far superior times) thought the better of it. Stuck to the same pace as Week 14 as recommended and then a faster final rep.

1. 8:21.2 \ 2000 \ 2:05.3
2. 8:20.3 \ 2000 \ 2:05.0
3. 8:18.6 \ 2000 \ 2:04.6
4. 8:08.8 \ 2000 \ 2:02.2

Whilst most of the guys on this thread are doing those times for a warm up, I'm stil, struggling with the sub 8 min monkey on my back. I just think if I can do 2:02 after 6k, surely I could a sub 8? It's my legs that give out because on intervals 1 - 3 I was pretty comfortable with my breathing so my cardio fitness should hold up.

@Slacker. Ben, in answer to your question, yes I much prefer the longer distances as I get into the pace and zone. It seems to me you're doing fine though. Don't know your age but your distance times are very solid.

[Slacker]

Gordon: I think you will be well in the sub 8 zone once you do a TT. You might even sneak in there on the next interval day, but if you were doing only one you'd be well under.

BPP 20.2
5x1500m/3:00r row

2:04.9 r26
2:04.8 r26
2:04.8 r26
2:04.7 r25
2:04.4 r25

Had a 2:05 target so this was right on with a 2:04.7 average. I didn't think I'd make it through all 5 at pace, but was able to hang on. I said early in the BPP that I didn't like this particular workout and my mind hasn't changed any. Guess I need to do more of them to learn to like it.

[mudgeg]

ALL intervals are terrible but agree 1500m is by far the worst, followed by 750m!

[Street]

4 x 2000m. Was originally tempted to see how fast I could go on interval 1 but seeing Andy's (@Street) post (albeit with far superior times) thought the better of it.

Wise choice, learn from my stupidity. It was fun though!

On the subject of lifting and rowing, I've found that since I started 22 weeks ago, I've had to reduce my lifting to three times a week (Mon, Wed and Fri). I was doing Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri but I found I just didn't have the energy to carry that on and row five times a week. I've been trying to stagger it as well with rowing in the mornings, lifting in the evenings so even on the days I'm doing both, I have over 12 hours in between.

[mdpfirrman]

Good execution Gordon. Yeah, you should be sub 8 now. Very smart to pace that way.

Nice work Ben! Very hard workout. I hate the 1500 X 5. Maybe the 4 X 1000 too. A lot of them are tough.

Hard row day today for me - 5K @ 20:00 even (2:00 pace). Was thinking about doing 30 minutes but I thought wiser after doing 20 at that pace. I did manage to get some lifting in directly after the row - Kettlebell swings, double KB deadlifts, over head KB presses, decline pushups (to imitate an incline bench). Nice hard 50 minute total workout. 1K C/D on rower too at 2:15.

[JohnAd]

I'm stil, struggling with the sub 8 min monkey on my back. I just think if I can do 2:02 after 6k, surely I could a sub 8? It's my legs that give out because on intervals 1 - 3 I was pretty comfortable with my breathing so my cardio fitness should hold up.

Agree with everyone, 4x2k is at least 5 seconds slower than you'd be doing for a 2k TT. Doing a 2k TT is never easy but if you did one rested soon and set off at 2:00 pace I'm sure you could hold it and even start to push for the last few hundred.

[bwolfjohnson]

Hi all

Quick check in if you don't mind taking a look.....so to recap, on BPP WK 10, I am 6'3 188lb and 41 yo. I had been rowing way too fast always up in the 27 spm. My last 9500k had been at 2:12 pace.

Yesterday I did 3/2000 with 4 min rest.

8:24 2000@ 2:05 23 SPM 174 watt
8:26 2000@ 2:06 23 spm 173 watt
8:18 2000@ 2:04 23 spm 180 watt

On Wk 6, this same workout was the following:

8:44 2000@ 2:11 29 spm 155 watt
8:48 2000@ 2:12 29 spm 152 watt
8:49 2000@ 2:12 29 spm 151 watt

Am I heading in the right direction slowing down the SPM but getting more power out of each stroke?

Thanks again for all your help.

[Rowan McSheen]

Good day all.

Interesting to see the recommended pace for 2000m reps being 5 secs or more slower than 2K tt.

BPP week 3, 2nd session 2 x 2000m / 4min rest. Instrux: aim for pace of 5th sessions of week 1 and 2 (2:08-ish) but longer rest means I could push it a bit. Actual:
2:07.0 av hr 121 peak 133 25 spm
2:07.0 av hr 129 peak 139 26 spm

Still finding my paces but this seemed okay, legs were feeling it a bit in the final 500m of the second rep but hr peaked pretty much at the start of AT band so clearly still some in the tank but I didn't want to overdo it. I guess this points to a 2K pace of just over 2:00/500m, by my standards anything starting with a 1 is pretty good Still plenty of The Plan to go so proceeding cautiously.

[hjs]

Hi all

Quick check in if you don't mind taking a look.....so to recap, on BPP WK 10, I am 6'3 188lb and 41 yo. I had been rowing way too fast always up in the 27 spm. My last 9500k had been at 2:12 pace.

Yesterday I did 3/2000 with 4 min rest.

8:24 2000@ 2:05 23 SPM 174 watt
8:26 2000@ 2:06 23 spm 173 watt
8:18 2000@ 2:04 23 spm 180 watt

On Wk 6, this same workout was the following:

8:44 2000@ 2:11 29 spm 155 watt
8:48 2000@ 2:12 29 spm 152 watt
8:49 2000@ 2:12 29 spm 151 watt

Am I heading in the right direction slowing down the SPM but getting more power out of each stroke?

Thanks again for all your help.

Indeed better. A general remark, the longer aerobic sessions are done at a lower rate, shorter interval work is done at a higher rate. In the longer run your spm on 2k reps should be higher, but this in combination with a faster stroke.

For focus on building your stroke, so don,r worry to much about rating up.

[Slacker]

Mike: Nice 5k. Still seems like worlds away for me.
Ben: Since you came into this with good fitness (I think I read that) the big jump in gains you are seeing are due to rowing technique. I was completely new to rowing (and no fitness) when I started the BPP. I had a couple of big jumps as I discovered/improved rowing techniques. You have a lot of potential, just stay patient and focus on form.
Stu: Nice job. The BPP starts with low volume, so while you are starting out with 2x2k it will slowly build to 4x2k as the plan progresses.
Paul: Nice effort.

BPP 20.3
30 min row

@2:10.1 r22
I did this one steady from start to finish. Felt like a hard effort. I think the pace is right where I should be based on recent times, but still somewhat disappointing as I had a good spurt of times a couple weeks ago and can't catch myself right now.

[mudgeg]

@Rowan McSheen - Stu, nice set of 2k rows but rest assured you will improve a lot. We are about the same age and looking back in my diary I was 2:09 and 2:06 at the same point in September last year. I did four of those yesterday the last at 2:02. You will easily be on a sub 8min 2k by the end and hopefully I will be too.

[JohnAd]

PP07Lite 6.3 5k
Previous 4.5k 1:52.5
Target go out at 1:53.0 and try to hold on
01:52.8 r27
01:52.9 r27
01:53.6 r27
01:53.8 r26
01:51.6 r28
18:49.8 Avg 1:53.0 r27 MHR 170

So to finish up the week I was supposed to be doing a 5k and it seemed like a reasonable thing to do to see where I am. And where I am is 1.5 splits off where i was at the start of December, which is probably fair. So new plan starting next week.

[mudgeg]

BPP Week 18 Day 3

30 min. Plan says 11k pace and then speed up (2:13.6+ then).

Actual: 6752m / 30min / 2.13.2

Just took that very easy after the 4 x 2k yesterday and made no attempt at my 7k goal for 30 min. Will do that when rested.

[mdpfirrman]

Great sessions all over. John - very strong 5K. I'd like to be where you're at! I struggled just hitting 20 minutes the other day (way off my PB). Gordon - very solid and smart row. Not easy to control when you want to. Nice work. Good work Ben (Slacker) on the 30' row. You're getting stronger and fitter Ben. You're going to have some days it feels easy and others it still hurts. Stu - you should be sub 8 now. Ben (bwolf) - much better like Henry said. That's a huge improvement. You'll be a beast when you get your power down! Paul - nicely executed 2K X 4! That one hurts. Glad it's coming easier for you!

Only had 40' today. 9243 (2:09.8 or so I think). Wasn't pushing it but might have gotten into UT1 at the end. I didn't mind though as I have an off day tomorrow and probably the last time I'll push it a bit is Sunday hard and then do some quick intervals next week, easy SS work and then race on Sunday. Working on tempering my expectations already with all the time off with illness this Fall / Winter. Would be very disappointed if I didn't set a PB but I might not. We'll see.