Pondering the Beginner Pete Plan

[winniewinser]

BPP W8S4...3x1km/3'R...1:46.6 from the last 7x500m session but that was never going to happen. HD thoughts were strong throughout, starting the 3rd was a win, finishing it was a miracle.
10:47.4 3,000m 1:47.9 279 1258 31

Not sure on the rest for the 500s, but consensus is that for stronger individuals 4 x 1k r5' is 4S/500m slower than 8 x 500 r 3:30. Te Plan starts off conservatively for the shorter intervals as designed for those still learning to row. I suspect that this was intended to step up the pace closer to what you are capable of. If you were going quicker than intended on the 500s you would always struggle to do this!

Thx Iain.....the 500's felt reasonably controlled but the 2'r is a big factor for me in being able to sustain that pace. Smaller incremental improvements will be more sustainable.....but no doubt the moment will come where my current fitness gains decrease to the point I can't sustain them. It all good....it's just a journey and rowing is just a part of overall health

[fancyoats]

W6S1 - 7500m
I was targeting somewhere around 2:35 as a pace because 2:32.9/2:33.5 from last week didn't feel quite sustainable. Even 2:35 maybe was too fast, my HR was surely creeping up, even before the last split. I almost want to leave off the HRM altogether sometimes and go only by RPE. People do that, don't they?

[Dangerscouse]

I almost want to leave off the HRM altogether sometimes and go only by RPE. People do that, don't they?

Yeah, I do sometimes as I find HR useful but not infallible. Sometimes you also just want to go faster or slower, so when it doesn't instinctively feel right I'll opt for RPE.

[aegis]

Had a 1hr session but wasn't feeling it as I was still tired from yesterday's interval session and late night binging of Reacher. Ended up hr was elevated quickly and i just ignored it and went by RPE. Sometimes i turn an SS session into a tempo session, since i can't keep the hr down lets just push it up instead.

[iain]

I almost want to leave off the HRM altogether sometimes and go only by RPE. People do that, don't they?

Pete didn't use an HR for any of the time I was training with him! HR is affected by so many external things, so I couldn't stay at UT2 at any useful pace if I was worried about the day ahead. It does provide early warning for when you are sick or under recovered and some people are not great at assessing RPE (I certainly do not feel that I can reliably distinguish between UT2 and UT1 by RPE). Some people go a stage further and obscure the PM so as not to know their pace sometimes rowing entirely on feel. An HRM is a tool, if it isn't helping don't use it!

[fancyoats]

W6S2 3x2000m/4min rest
instructions say to target the pace from the 2000m interval session in week 3, which I had done at 2:28.9.


Tomorrow is a rest day. I seem to always be a bit grumpier on rest days. Lack of endorphins, maybe.

[winniewinser]

W6S2 3x2000m/4min rest
instructions say to target the pace from the 2000m interval session in week 3, which I had done at 2:28.9.


Tomorrow is a rest day. I seem to always be a bit grumpier on rest days. Lack of endorphins, maybe.

Good progress.

[winniewinser]

BPP W9S2....4x800m/2'R 1:48.7 from last time out bit looking for 1 split better. All good here .... except I picked up a sore deriere from the last long session ...or more likely from core work on the mat.

11:30.6 3,200m 1:47.9 279 1258 31
2:53.1 800m 1:48.1 276 1251 31
2:52.4 800m 1:47.7 280 1262 32
2:53.0 800m 1:48.1 277 1252 32
2:52.1 800m 1:47.5 281 1267 32

[halwai2211]

Given this, do you think the beginners 24 week plan is something I should follow and if so, should I base my 5k pace on my previous best and try to maintain that? Problem is, the plan has you increasing your distance by 500 each week whilst maintaining that pace, and because I've been rowing for a little while now I feel that would be impossible.

[iain]

Given this, do you think the beginners 24 week plan is something I should follow and if so, should I base my 5k pace on my previous best and try to maintain that? Problem is, the plan has you increasing your distance by 500 each week whilst maintaining that pace, and because I've been rowing for a little while now I feel that would be impossible.

BPP ideal for people for whom 10k is currently difficult to achieve. The pace of this is as a steady state row so significantly below PB pace as these longer rows are not supposed to be the hard sessions. This was developed for people who had rarely rowed 5k and so some of the pacing descriptions are aimed at those who do not yet know their potential or have significant early improvements to come.

[Dangerscouse]

Given this, do you think the beginners 24 week plan is something I should follow and if so, should I base my 5k pace on my previous best and try to maintain that? Problem is, the plan has you increasing your distance by 500 each week whilst maintaining that pace, and because I've been rowing for a little while now I feel that would be impossible.

I agree with Iain, and it made me smile when I read "impossible". That's probably the best reason why you should do it, as I know you'll prove yourself wrong, either through better performance, a misunderstanding of the plan or both.

FWIW, when I decided to do my 12hr challenge in June 2017, I was struggling at the time to finish an 8k session. My fitness was alright, but my commitment to rowing was poor, and I thought it would be impossible to row for 12 hours by the end of 2017.

Use fear as an accelerator, not as a brake. If you dedicate yourself to it properly I assure you, you won't regret it

[mitchel674]

Given this, do you think the beginners 24 week plan is something I should follow and if so, should I base my 5k pace on my previous best and try to maintain that? Problem is, the plan has you increasing your distance by 500 each week whilst maintaining that pace, and because I've been rowing for a little while now I feel that would be impossible.

You're missing the point of the weekly increasingly long rows. They are NOT supposed to be all out efforts at your PB. Read Pete's comments about each row. These rows are all about "technique, relaxation and efficiency". These are steady state rows which help build your aerobic base. Your harder efforts come in your interval pieces.

Give the plan a try for a month and see if it's for you. I enjoy the structure and variety.

[fancyoats]

W6S3 7500m


not much different than the 7500m from Monday. Keep on keeping on.

[winniewinser]

BPP W9S3....8km but done on the Skierg for a change.

Harder work than probably prescribed but not too hard..... Max 163.

34:49.6 8,000m 2:10.6 157 840 36
8:44.4 2,000m 2:11.1 155 834 35
8:42.1 4,000m 2:10.5 157 841 37
8:43.6 6,000m 2:10.9 156 837 36
8:39.5 8,000m 2:09.8 160 849 37

[fancyoats]

W6S4 5000m where he suggests starting at the pace from yesterday (which was 2:33.8) and then speeding up in the last half every time you feel able. I'm not sure how I did this, because I didn't "feel" able, lol - especially around 3K into it. But I managed to get through it.



182 is new observed max.