Pete Plan 2017

[barrec]

@TimDoyle - Welcome! And I find your graphs quite interesting. I'm going to explore the website you used to see if I could find some use out of it.

I pulled a 5K for my hard distance last Thursday. I was aiming for 1:57.0 hoping mostly to keep my reps up over the 20-ish minutes. My plan is to do a 6K and then 30' at the same pace over the next two weeks so that I can build endurance for higher SPM pieces.

PP 1.1.5 - 5K (hard distance) - Goal: 1:57.0
Time Meters /500m Watts Cal/Hr s/m
19:23.7 5,000m 1:56.3 222 1063 27
3:53.8 1,000m 1:56.9 219 1053 28
3:53.7 2,000m 1:56.8 219 1054 27
3:53.7 3,000m 1:56.8 219 1054 27
3:53.4 4,000m 1:56.7 220 1057 27
3:49.1 5,000m 1:54.5 233 1100 27

It was challenging but very doable. I think I'll keep up the pace for the next two hard distances I do.

Today I did my first pyramid in, well, years. I couldn't decide between 1:48.0 or 1:49.0 so I compromised by starting 1:49.0 and negative splitting each successive rep.

PP 1.2.1 - Pyramid (250/500/750/100/750/500/250, various rest) - Goal: 1:49.0
14:26.1 4,000m 1:48.2 276 1248 30
0:54.5 250m 1:49.0 270 1229 30
1:48.9 500m 1:48.9 271 1231 30
2:43.1 750m 1:48.7 272 1236 29
3:37.0 1,000m 1:48.5 274 1242 30
2:42.5 750m 1:48.3 275 1246 30
1:48.0 500m 1:48.0 278 1255 30
0:52.2 250m 1:44.4 308 1357 31

Looks like I could have managed 1:48.0 after all. According to Pete, my next target pace should be 1:46.5...woohoo! That's going to hurt ;o). Feels great for now, though.

[hepting]

So I took a month off of the erg. I was a bit burned out so did CrossFit and some HIIT work and let the erg rest.... I have about 8.5 more pounds to lose until I get down to lightweight status - looking forward to hitting that goal so I can stop trying to lose and shift to maintaining a steady weight.

5,000 - 19:07.9 - 1:54.7/500 avg

Felt reasonably good and was a SB by about 4 seconds. Still working to figure out what program to do next. I am picking up the pace on workouts and plan on rowing at least 3x a week along with weights and/or runs 6 days a week. We shall see how that goes. I may give the regular Peter Plan at some point. I did not complete the beginner plan - got a bit over half way... as frankly I got a bit tired of the long rows. I can say it was a great way to get back in the groove - working the distances up over time. I strongly recommend to anyone trying to get back into shape.

[-marius-]

@hjs - No specific aerobic background. Have done a couple of road bike races the last years, but that was just for fun and nothing serious.

@derico - Impressive numbers on the erg for June. I did only manage around 145km, plenty for me at the moment

@calalli - Nice work on the different sprints I will try some different cushioning for my sensitive rear end

@barrec - Nice work. You have your work cut out for you on the next pyramid

[-marius-]

W1.6 - Steady distance after 70min weightlifting session at my gym. Did not follow the plan 100% here as I''m really struggling with my motivation to sit on the erg for 30 minutes or more. Hopefully Pete will not go fully mental on me for doing so
Nice and slow:
4x2000m/1:00r
Time Meters Pace Watts s/m
30:29.9 8,000m 1:54.3 16
7:37.9 2,000m 1:54.4 15
7:37.9 2,000m 1:54.4 15
7:36.8 2,000m 1:54.2 18
7:37.3 2,000m 1:54.3 19

W2.1 Pyramid session this morning at 06.30am. First time doing this one. 1K interval 0.7 sec better than my PB ..died a little bit on the 750m interval after that but managed to pull things together on the following 500 and 250m.
Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr s/m
12:34.2 4,000m 1:34.2 418 1736 34
0:48.9 250m 1:37.8 374 1586 29
r: 1:30 18m
1:37.1 500m 1:37.1 382 1614 30
r: 3:00 270m
2:24.0 750m 1:36.0 396 1660 33
r: 4:30 450m
3:03.8 1,000m 1:31.9 451 1850 36
r: 6:00 279m
2:25.3 750m 1:36.8 385 1623 33
r: 4:30 233m
1:33.4 500m 1:33.4 430 1776 35
r: 3:00 48m
0:41.7 250m 1:23.4 603 2374 43
r: 1:30 18m
r1,316m

[-marius-]

W2.2 Steady distance
Slowly working my way up to 8-15K in one single row. Hopefully this way will make it more manageable. Next steady distance will be 3x3000m/1:00r

3x2500m/1:00r row
Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr s/m
28:40.2 7,500m 1:54.6 232 1098 18
9:33.2 2,500m 1:54.6 232 1098 21
9:35.0 2,500m 1:55.0 230 1091 15
9:32.1 2,500m 1:54.4 234 1103 20

[Bor]

Evening all. Been quite busy last weeks, so didn't have time to post/read here. Been trying to keep going on with my BPP plan, managed 2 sessions per week.

BPP 2.1, unstrapped
Time Meters /500m Watts Cal/Hr s/m
26:25.3 5,500m 2:24.1 117 702 22
2:24.3 500m 2:24.3 116 700 20
2:24.5 1,000m 2:24.5 116 699 21
2:24.2 1,500m 2:24.2 117 701 22
2:24.6 2,000m 2:24.6 116 698 22
2:23.5 2,500m 2:23.5 118 707 22
2:33.4 3,000m 2:33.4 97 633 21
2:19.6 3,500m 2:19.6 129 742 24
2:22.3 4,000m 2:22.3 121 717 24
2:21.8 4,500m 2:21.8 123 722 22
2:23.1 5,000m 2:23.1 119 710 23
2:23.9 5,500m 2:23.9 117 704 23

BPP 2.2
Interval, 4x 750 (forgot to record on phone; any way to still get that data in c2logbook?)

BPP 2.3, unstrapped
Time Meters /500m Watts Cal/Hr s/m
26:26.7 5,500m 2:24.2 117 701 24
2:25.4 500m 2:25.4 114 691 23
2:24.1 1,000m 2:24.1 117 702 24
2:24.0 1,500m 2:24.0 117 703 23
2:24.5 2,000m 2:24.5 116 699 22
2:24.4 2,500m 2:24.4 116 699 23
2:40.9 3,000m 2:40.9 84 589 22
2:22.9 3,500m 2:22.9 120 712 24
2:24.2 4,000m 2:24.2 117 701 24
2:24.0 4,500m 2:24.0 117 703 24
2:20.0 5,000m 2:20.0 128 738 25
2:12.3 5,500m 2:12.3 151 819 26

[DNA_Rower]

BPP 2.2
Interval, 4x 750 (forgot to record on phone; any way to still get that data in c2logbook?)

It's your erg rather than a gym erg? The C2 saves all recent sessions. http://www.concept2.co.uk/service/monit ... uts-memory

[-marius-]

@Bor - Nice strapless workouts

W2.3 4x2000m, pace 1:41-1:42 was on the plan today, but failed to complete it. With just 4 hours of sleep and flu symptoms, I should probably just taken a rest day.
3x2000m/5:00r row
Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr s/m
20:17.7 6,000m 1:41.4 335 1451 31
6:46.3 2,000m 1:41.5 334 1448 31
6:45.5 2,000m 1:41.3 336 1455 32
6:45.9 2,000m 1:41.4 335 1451 32
Rowed 1000m on the 4th interval before I had to jump of the erg. Felt the HR going to high and it was better to stop than to continue. Also noticed that before the 4th interval the HR did not go down as much as I am used to..
Took a couple of minutes rest then a slow 2000m to let the heart rate work itself down.
Time Meters /500m Watts Cal/Hr s/m
7:17.7 2,003m 1:49.2 268 1222 24

[derico]

PP W2.3 4x2000m/5r, target based on my 7.5k PB at 2.00 pace
Rep 1 = 1.59.6
Rep 2 = 1.59.5
Rep 3 = 2.01
Rep 4 = 1.59.6

Found it very hard - had expected to coast the first 3 reps and manage <= 1.55 for the final interval - so a little disappointing!

[TimDoyle]

BPP W9.1 9000m
This felt really hard after a full day at work and definitely a session of two distinct halves. The first 4.5k I was keeping to around my target pace but fatigue hit hard in the 2nd half as you can see from the splits and the power chart.

Workout Details
#-|SDist |-Split- |-SPace-|-Pwr -|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|01000|04:21.4|02:10.7|154.4|22.2|091.9|114.0|10.3
01|01000|04:20.3|02:10.2|158.9|21.9|091.7|145.0|10.5
02|01000|04:20.6|02:10.3|158.1|21.7|140.4|150.0|10.6
03|01000|04:21.0|02:10.5|157.6|21.8|151.1|157.0|10.5
04|01000|04:21.6|02:10.8|156.4|21.9|154.8|161.0|10.5
05|01000|04:27.3|02:13.7|146.6|21.5|153.9|158.0|10.4
06|01000|04:30.7|02:15.4|141.2|21.3|154.3|162.0|10.4
07|01000|04:31.7|02:15.9|139.6|21.2|153.7|162.0|10.4
08|01000|04:31.1|02:15.6|140.7|21.1|154.3|162.0|10.5

BPP 9.jpg (57.39 KiB) Viewed 7701 times

[Bor]

It's your erg rather than a gym erg? The C2 saves all recent sessions. http://www.concept2.co.uk/service/monit ... uts-memory

Thanks, will look into that.

@marius: thanks, and sounds like a wise decision for yourself. Lack of sleep + flu is very hard indeed.

[Al Cowen]

Hi all, long time lurker, first time poster.

Looking for advice on Pete Plan.

Brief stats are 47y.o., 176cm, 85kg.

Been doing the PP since Jan 17. Commenced at average sort of fitness after years of weights and cycling for training purposes only. Real sport is sailing.

I have been doing a 5day (working week) version doing 2 interval sessions, 2 longer ss (generally 8 - 10km originally at 21 - 22spm, but recently upping that to 23 -24) and around 155 - 160 watts/500m, and one faster long piece. Having a job and a family means days are missed here and there, but that's the general picture.

My problem is that while I seem to be making (slow) progress on the short stuff down to 1:49 - 1:50/500m, I'm not making progress with the medium intervals. In particular I have been stuck trying to do 2:01:5/500m for the 4x2000 and the 3/2.5/2k for about 3 months.

Is this just a case of being old and not having a good aerobic base, and that grinding it out on the ss pieces will slowly address, or can anyone advise on other strategies to get over the hump.

One other question - I do the ss pieces strapless for form. Would I get a greater benefit by strapping in for these?

Cheers

Ac

[derico]

Hi Al, perhaps by rowing your longer pieces strapless you are denying yourself the weekly PP hard distance opportunity. I would recommend strapping in to rotate around the 5k, 30 minute and 10k distances (one each week) and trying to SB on these, with the aim to bring the pace down to those of your 2k intervals and beyond.

[hjs]

176 85. At first glance you should look at your eating patern

Strapless does not matter much. Maybe a bit less short interval work and a bit more work around 5k pace.

[mdpfirrman]

Hi all, long time lurker, first time poster.

Looking for advice on Pete Plan.

Brief stats are 47y.o., 176cm, 85kg.

Been doing the PP since Jan 17. Commenced at average sort of fitness after years of weights and cycling for training purposes only. Real sport is sailing.

I have been doing a 5day (working week) version doing 2 interval sessions, 2 longer ss (generally 8 - 10km originally at 21 - 22spm, but recently upping that to 23 -24) and around 155 - 160 watts/500m, and one faster long piece. Having a job and a family means days are missed here and there, but that's the general picture.

My problem is that while I seem to be making (slow) progress on the short stuff down to 1:49 - 1:50/500m, I'm not making progress with the medium intervals. In particular I have been stuck trying to do 2:01:5/500m for the 4x2000 and the 3/2.5/2k for about 3 months.

Is this just a case of being old and not having a good aerobic base, and that grinding it out on the ss pieces will slowly address, or can anyone advise on other strategies to get over the hump.

One other question - I do the ss pieces strapless for form. Would I get a greater benefit by strapping in for these?

Cheers

Ac

Al, you're not doing anything wrong, per se, from the sound of it. If anything, you're just confusing the PP, which is a great place to start for a training plan (the BPP is probably better for those with no experience), for a base plan. I'm like you. I started with little aerobic history. The PP is mostly HIIT type stuff with mixed in longer pieces to keep your aerobic engine from dwindling. If you've never done a lot of cardio, though, you're going to be limited in how much the PP can help you. Rowing is two parts - strength and cardio. When I started, I was fairly strong for my size and had OK cardio but had never really trained extensively doing cardio (with the exception of picking up running in my late 40s). I never really had that cardio base from my youth. I find the same thing with the PP. I can do it 3 or 4 cycles and only get so far.

You might consider stepping back and building your meters for a while. That's what I'm doing currently. When I analyzed my best PP times, my best time (by far) was after 8 or 9 consistent weeks of higher meters. I don't think this was a fluke at all. I got sick three or so times this Winter and couldn't consistently get in the meters and my times slowed by around 1 to 2 seconds per 500. My last 2K test was a 7:25. My PB is a 7:19. Last Fall, right after doing those meters consistently, my PP interval times were indicating I'd be around a 7:10. Still kicking myself I didn't test them. Instead, I kept doing the PP until I got sick.

The PP is great. It's a blast. But it will only get you so far. You have to have the base of aerobic endurance built up to maximize what you can do. It doesn't mean you don't or can't do intervals while doing your base meters. Since leaving the PP, I've gone from 50K to 54K a week to nearly 70K a week (I'm in the 4th week now). I plan on doing this 12 to 14 weeks. I'm already seeing results. My effort on longer rows is getting easier. I'm doing nearly an hour at 2:08 or so and it's not hard. Form is good throughout. Form is getting better.

Just something to consider. The PP is like sharpening the pencil. It's different from the makeup of the pencil. The pencil is "built" from aerobic work and strength training. The PP will just help you demonstrate your best.