Pondering the Beginner Pete Plan

[Nomark]

Week 9.3. 8k. I think my new favourite session, and one that repeats a lot over the next few weeks Steady state plus as I call it. Not as scary as intervals. Not as boring as steady state and I can feel it in my legs after which makes it seem like I've done something useful. Decent session today. I was going well until I had to sign for a package with 1,000m left so ignore the last interval, which had about 30s of no strokes and another 30 sub 2:00 to balance things out a bit. I was on track for about 2:18.7 I think. Might do another one tomorrow (9.4).

15-Jan 37:09.9

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Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	S/M	
37:34.9	8,000m	2:20.9	125	22
7:21.6	1,600m	2:18.0	133	21
7:25.5	3,200m	2:18.2	130	22
7:24.5	4,800m	2:18.9	131	22
7:26.0	6,400m	2:19.3	129	22
7:57.3	8,000m	2:29.1	105	22

[Joris]

Week 9.3. 8k. I think my new favourite session, and one that repeats a lot over the next few weeks Steady state plus as I call it.

The 8k session repeats a lot indeed. Yesterdays session (Week 13 day 4) seemed to be my tenth 8k session since the first one in week 7.
Before yesterday, I gradually paced it up from 2:30 till 2:26.

After six days off the rower and having only done two sessions in the last 11 days I hesitated to pitch off an extra second, but I felt fit and wanted a little challenge, so I went for 2:25 nevertheless.

The session went well and with an average heart rate of 137 it stayed in the same range as the 8k sessions before (which is probably in the high end of my UT1 zone).
The pain that recently cropped up in my shoulder (for reasons outside of rowing) was fortunately completely gone while rowing, but I did feel some pain again after the session so I will still have to remain somewhat cautious.
Unfortunately, my two remaining sessions of Week 13 are both interval sessions. Perhaps I will think of the interval session of Day 5 (3 x 2k) as a steady state plus session. And if that session goes well I can turn the Day 2 interval session (4 x 1k) back into a true interval session, or if not, I might skip an interval session once..

When looking back, I noticed that I rowed at yesterdays pace of 2:25 once before, in week 5.
And although it was only about half the distance, my average heart rate was 145 back than, versus 137 yesterday.
It feels good to see such progress.

[Nomark]

When looking back, I noticed that I rowed at yesterdays pace of 2:25 once before, in week 5.
And although it was only about half the distance, my average heart rate was 145 back than, versus 137 yesterday.
It feels good to see such progress.

Well done. I was wondering how you were doing after your injury. Good idea to give it a few more days for the intervals as they will put a lot more strain on it, but reassuring that it didn't hurt during your stroke.

Seeing progress is the best motivator! It's all worth it when the numbers come down, and what once seemed impossible is within reach after several weeks of training.

[dmuskett]

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Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	
12:44.7	3,000m	2:07.4	169	881	25	153
4:16.0	1,000m	2:08.0	167	874	24	120
4:15.9	1,000m	2:07.9	167	875	26	168
4:12.8	1,000m	2:06.4	173	896	28	173

Took my second stab at 4.2: " 3 x 1000m / 3min rest – A new interval session now, working around the same intensity as the 6 x 500m session you did in week 1 (and perhaps as an optional session last week). Try for the same pace you did for that session in week 1."

As documented earlier this week, I failed hard trying to hold a 2:03 and bailed early in the second leg. I made plans to return today and try to hold a much more reasonable 2:08. Because of course I can't just do that, I decided to try to vary the stroke rates some. I am so comfortable in the 18 SPM slow rows, but I need to start getting used to other stroke rates. Decided to do it at 24/26/28 and managed to hold to that. On the last interval I paid no attention to pace, just focused on the stroke rate. Definitely had some more in the tank, felt like I could have done 1-2 more intervals. But hey that is way way better than failing halfway through. Onto 5.1 tomorrow!

[dmuskett]

BPP 5.1: 7000m – You know what to do on these now.

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Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	
33:50.1	7,000m	2:25.0	115	695	18	151
6:46.0	1,400m	2:25.0	115	695	19	140
6:46.2	2,800m	2:25.0	115	694	18	148
6:46.0	4,200m	2:25.0	115	695	18	152
6:46.0	5,600m	2:25.0	115	695	18	156
6:45.9	7,000m	2:24.9	115	695	19	159

So close to nailing my 2:25 consistency goal at 18 SPM. A nice easy row to get the heart pumping and the body moving. Longest row I've done by 500m and felt like I could have done 10k, although the HR was definitely drifting up

[Nomark]

So close to nailing my 2:25 consistency goal at 18 SPM. A nice easy row to get the heart pumping and the body moving. Longest row I've done by 500m and felt like I could have done 10k, although the HR was definitely drifting up

Amazing consistency, well done. It's not something I am very good at and definitely need to work on. The plan really helps make you feel good, doesn't it? With a new PB in distance every week. I've said it loads before but I'm sure steady state is where the gains are. The intervals help blow off the cobwebs and put up some nice numbers but the long pieces help cement the improvement, especially when your splits are as even as yours. Sounds like you were right on the line with your HR too. A perfect session.

[PleaseLockIn]

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Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M
29:25.0	6,000m	2:27.0	110	678	19
5:54.7	1,200m	2:27.7	108	673	19
5:53.4	2,400m	2:27.2	110	677	19
5:51.7	3,600m	2:26.5	111	682	19
5:52.9	4,800m	2:27.0	110	678	20
5:52.2	6,000m	2:26.7	111	681	19

Week 3 Day 1 - 2:27 pace at r19 for steady state. My HR initially was ~150 bpm for 4-5 minutes, then rose to ~160 bpm by 2400 m. It stabilized after that, even going down slightly at the end. Max 170 (but after that went down).

I will notincrease the pace; it stabilizes on average barely under my UT1. Later I will do the step test to find my max HR and then use the Free Spirits rowing calculator to find my UT2 HR range (regular steady state).

Overall, not bad. I will try to hold this and hope the HR goes down with no drift. Maybe I should nudge up the stroke rate slightly, though.

[Joris]

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	
12:44.7	3,000m	2:07.4	169	881	25	153
4:16.0	1,000m	2:08.0	167	874	24	120
4:15.9	1,000m	2:07.9	167	875	26	168
4:12.8	1,000m	2:06.4	173	896	28	173

Took my second stab at 4.2: " 3 x 1000m / 3min rest – A new interval session now, working around the same intensity as the 6 x 500m session you did in week 1 (and perhaps as an optional session last week). Try for the same pace you did for that session in week 1."

As documented earlier this week, I failed hard trying to hold a 2:03 and bailed early in the second leg. I made plans to return today and try to hold a much more reasonable 2:08. Because of course I can't just do that, I decided to try to vary the stroke rates some. I am so comfortable in the 18 SPM slow rows, but I need to start getting used to other stroke rates. Decided to do it at 24/26/28 and managed to hold to that. On the last interval I paid no attention to pace, just focused on the stroke rate. Definitely had some more in the tank, felt like I could have done 1-2 more intervals. But hey that is way way better than failing halfway through. Onto 5.1 tomorrow!

Well done.
Not sure whether changing stroke rates is good or not, but it's nice to hear that you are back on track.
And now that you have finished this particular interval session, you have a baseline for future similar sessions.
Because I find it much easier to set a realistic target based on a previous similar session, rather than on a session with another distance (like the 6 x 500m in your case).

It took me some time as well to find out what my interval pace was on the different interval sessions, but I have to say, since week 8 I have a pretty good idea what I can aim for at each particular interval session.

BPP 5.1: 7000m – You know what to do on these now.

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	
33:50.1	7,000m	2:25.0	115	695	18	151
6:46.0	1,400m	2:25.0	115	695	19	140
6:46.2	2,800m	2:25.0	115	694	18	148
6:46.0	4,200m	2:25.0	115	695	18	152
6:46.0	5,600m	2:25.0	115	695	18	156
6:45.9	7,000m	2:24.9	115	695	19	159

So close to nailing my 2:25 consistency goal at 18 SPM. A nice easy row to get the heart pumping and the body moving. Longest row I've done by 500m and felt like I could have done 10k, although the HR was definitely drifting up

Nice session. Seems like you have more strength (but maybe less cardio?) than I have, since I also did my last 8k session at 2:25 splits, but no way I could do that at only 18 strokes per minute. I did it at 21.4.

[Joris]

Unfortunately, my two remaining sessions of Week 13 are both interval sessions. Perhaps I will think of the interval session of Day 5 (3 x 2k) as a steady state plus session. And if that session goes well I can turn the Day 2 interval session (4 x 1k) back into a true interval session, or if not, I might skip an interval session once..

* Week 13 - Day 5 [3 x 2k]
As planned I considered this session as a steady state plus session.
Rowed it at 2:18 splits, while I did it in 2:10 during the last similar interval session.
My average heart rate of the three sessions combined ended up being similar to my long steady rows, so pacing felt right.

* Week 14 - Day 2 [4 x 1k]
Pete said: "Slightly longer reps than the session in week 9 (or the optional session last week), but also the rest time is increased by a minute. Try to go for the same pace you managed in week 9"

During week 9 I managed to do the 4 x 800m at 2:00 and during the optional session of week 12 at 1:59.
But twice I had nothing left at the end, so I couldn't imagine being able to maintain the same pace 3 x 200m longer.
That's why I looked up the last similar session (week 8 - 3 x 1k) and found out that I did 2 x 2:03 + final rep at 2:01 back than.

Given the extra rep this session, I decided that 2:02 was a more realistic target, with the ambition to speed up during the last rep.
I did make my target of 2:02 and managed to pitch off another second during the last rep.

On one hand, I was somewhat disappointed that my progress was not greater and I had hoped that 1k would be the next distance where I could soon dive under 2:00 splits, at least for the last rep. On the other hand, maybe I should accept that the huge beginner gains are over by now and that a 1 second faster split is still a big gain compared to 5 weeks ago, especially since this session counted an extra rep.

Also, with the completion of week 13, I reached a new milestone of 500k meters total distance on the rower.
When purchasing it never thought I would spend so much time on this machine. Up to 1 million!

[Joris]

* Week 14 Day 4 [30min]

I kicked off week 14 today with a lunchtime session, so not enough time to do a 10k excercise. That's why I chose the above session to start with.
It's the first time in the plan that this session pops out, so I did not have a real benchmark available yet.
In week 11 I did a 25min session at 2:20 but with an average heart rate of 149, which I felt was a bit too intense for a steady state session, especially after the interval session of yesterday.
The pace during my last 8k session last week (an almost 39 minutes row) was 2:25.

That's why I decided to pace this session somewhere in between those two sessions, at 2:22.
Afterwards I felt very satisfied with the session, ending up with an average heart rate of 137, being exactly the same as during my last 8k session. An intensity, which I think, suits me well for steady state sessions. It's a good sweat, but at the same time, I feel at least as energetic as before the session.

Ps: in my above post I wrongly wrote "Week 14 - Day 2 [4 x 1k]" since it was a "Week 13 - Day 2" session.

[dmuskett]

Today was 5.2: "4 x 800m / 2min rest – You’ve been training for a month now, and your muscles are getting used to the workload you’re putting them under, so now it’s time to start challenging yourself a little more each week. Go for the same average pace you managed in the 3 x 1000m session last week, but when it comes to the last interval, see how fast you can do it, but maintaining good technique."

I am coming into these intervals a bit confused still. Back in early November, I did a 6x500 at 1:58.5 with negative splits and the last split at 1:56.3, at 27 SPM. Earlier this month I did 4x750 at 2:03. Both times I finished wanting to die, but I know I have that pace in me somewhere. Or I did? I dunno. When I do my long row tomorrow I'm going to finally take video to get some form feedback.

I set out to do 2:07 at 28 SPM based on my 3x1000 from the week before, per Pete.

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Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	
13:25.5	3,200m	2:05.8	176	904	28	166
3:23.3	800m	2:07.0	171	887	28	157
3:23.2	800m	2:07.0	171	888	28	165
3:23.2	800m	2:07.0	171	888	28	168
3:15.9	800m	2:02.4	191	956	28	174

Mission accomplished! Clearly not pushing myself like I was on those previous faster intervals where I was basically maxing the HR and falling off the rower at the end, but also probably a much more sustainable rowing plan. Wanted to get at least 2:03 for the last interval but maintain the SPM. The 2:02.4 last interval was faster than any of my prior x750 rows. I see some 500m intervals coming up so I'll have to do some decision making soon. I know, for myself, if I am falling off the rower at the end it's gonna be a lot harder to get me back on the rower for the next set of intervals, but it's very nice to know you had nothing else left when you finish.

* Week 14 - Day 2 [4 x 1k]
Pete said: "Slightly longer reps than the session in week 9 (or the optional session last week), but also the rest time is increased by a minute. Try to go for the same pace you managed in week 9"

During week 9 I managed to do the 4 x 800m at 2:00 and during the optional session of week 12 at 1:59.
But twice I had nothing left at the end, so I couldn't imagine being able to maintain the same pace 3 x 200m longer.
That's why I looked up the last similar session (week 8 - 3 x 1k) and found out that I did 2 x 2:03 + final rep at 2:01 back than.

Given the extra rep this session, I decided that 2:02 was a more realistic target, with the ambition to speed up during the last rep.
I did make my target of 2:02 and managed to pitch off another second during the last rep.

On one hand, I was somewhat disappointed that my progress was not greater and I had hoped that 1k would be the next distance where I could soon dive under 2:00 splits, at least for the last rep. On the other hand, maybe I should accept that the huge beginner gains are over by now and that a 1 second faster split is still a big gain compared to 5 weeks ago, especially since this session counted an extra rep.

Also, with the completion of week 13, I reached a new milestone of 500k meters total distance on the rower.
When purchasing it never thought I would spend so much time on this machine. Up to 1 million!

I feel you on all of these things.

Joris: Pretty sure I am all strength and 0 cardio. I know I can pull ~2:07 at 18 SPM, no idea how long I can keep that up but that's what I can accelerate to at a finish. I am at just about at 250k meters and it feels good to add them up.

[Nomark]

On one hand, I was somewhat disappointed that my progress was not greater and I had hoped that 1k would be the next distance where I could soon dive under 2:00 splits, at least for the last rep. On the other hand, maybe I should accept that the huge beginner gains are over by now and that a 1 second faster split is still a big gain compared to 5 weeks ago, especially since this session counted an extra rep.

Also, with the completion of week 13, I reached a new milestone of 500k meters total distance on the rower.
When purchasing it never thought I would spend so much time on this machine. Up to 1 million!

I know the feeling. It's funny being disappointed with times that we could only have dreamed of a few months ago, but such is life. It's good to take a step back and appreciate how far we have come and realise that every gain is still a gain even 0.1s. We are also all middle aged and not as fit as we used to be so it will take longer still for that "rowing engine" to build up. Congrats on the 500k. Here's to 1 million!

I am coming into these intervals a bit confused still. Back in early November, I did a 6x500 at 1:58.5 with negative splits and the last split at 1:56.3, at 27 SPM. Earlier this month I did 4x750 at 2:03. Both times I finished wanting to die, but I know I have that pace in me somewhere. Or I did? I dunno.

I think you answered your own question later on because this is personal preference. I think you could have gone faster, but the best split is a sustainable split. It's better to row every week than to go too hard and give up. It's a long term goal and it will take a lot of metres to get there. It also depends how you want to see your gains. You can stretch them out by gaining a second(ish) every month, or you can go all out and front load them but the gains will slow down more quickly.

Personally I love the feeling of almost killing myself on the erg (once a week!). I think I'm a bit of a masochist that way, but I still have a no pain no gain mindset. It's why I do my SS slightly too fast too. However I am almost at the point of psyching myself out. The past few days have been frustrating as I haven't had time to do the plan so I toyed with the idea of a quick 2k, but the thought of going that hard made me second guess myself! In the end I overcame it and just did a slower 1500m just to get some metres in, but there's definitely a mental barrier if you know you need to res line it.

That lead me to a sad epiphany - erging will never get easier, we will just get faster. That feeling of almost dieing on 500m reps at 2:00 will be the same in a year, it's just the time will be lower!!!

[Joris]

I see some 500m intervals coming up so I'll have to do some decision making soon. I know, for myself, if I am falling off the rower at the end it's gonna be a lot harder to get me back on the rower for the next set of intervals, but it's very nice to know you had nothing else left when you finish.

I think that during interval sessions you can indeed go flat out. But if that causes you to look up against the next session, I think it is probably wiser to slow it down a bit? Or at least slow down a little bit during the first reps and go harder during the last rep.
Because what counts in the first place is that you enjoy your rowing, right?

Also, as beginners, we probably don't have to squeeze the maximum out of every interval session to keep improving.
Because when we barely have a foundation, all workouts will help us progress, even if they are at a sub optimal intensity.
And in your particular case, where you have relatively high strength but low cardio, your biggest gains are probably in your steady state sessions. So no need to push your interval sessions to a maximum yet in this phase of your training schedule.

[Joris]

Week 14 Day 2 [3 x 2000m / 4min rest] – Aim for the same pace as the 4 x 1500m in week 12.

My pace for the 4 x 1500m was 3 x 2:06 and 1 x 2:05, but like the previous interval session, I didn't feel like I was already able to hold the same pace for such an extra distance (although total distance was the same).
So I looked back to my last 3 x 2000m interval session in week 10 which I paced at 2 x 2:10 and 1 x 2:08.

So for this session, I aimed for 2:08, with the hope of speeding up for the last rep.
The session went well, knocking off at 2 x 2:08 and 1 x 2:05, combined with a positive feeling and not the constant stress during the session that I might not meet my intended target.

In retrospect, I think I could have gone a little faster during the first two reps, so maybe I could have managed Pete's suggested pacing. But than again, I enjoyed the session, I set a new personal best, and I am very eager to continue doing the program and the interval sessions. That's all one can wish for, right?

[iain]

Week 14 Day 2 [3 x 2000m / 4min rest] – Aim for the same pace as the 4 x 1500m in week 12.

My pace for the 4 x 1500m was 3 x 2:06 and 1 x 2:05.
I looked back to my last 3 x 2000m interval session in week 10 which I paced at 2 x 2:10 and 1 x 2:08.

So for this session, I aimed for 2:08, with the hope of speeding up for the last rep.
The session went well, knocking off at 2 x 2:08 and 1 x 2:05, combined with a positive feeling and not the constant stress during the session that I might not meet my intended target.

As you only managed 1S faster on the last 1500, I agree that 2:06 would have been a tough ask for 2000s. But the 2:07 average shows where you can go next time. IIRC Pete assumes pretty slow improvement on long intervals over SS for the first few weeks. This would explain why he now believes that you can increase the pace quicker. Unfortunately many will have gone quicker earlier and so find the suggestions tough.