Train With Xeno

Jamie Pfeffer · Post by **Jamie Pfeffer** » December 16th, 2007, 5:19 pm

Thanks, guys. It was 5600 to get a varsity seat and 5500 to get a JV seat (though we didn't have anywhere near 8 JV rowers who pulled 5500. So the coach had to come back to Earth). I'm not saying that I did anything particularly special with the 55whatever. I was pleased that I pulled that on my fourth 20-minute piece of the workout. Last night, during the 60-minute test, I was at 5540 (or so) at 20 minutes. In college, I believe that I pulled 5650 before Head of the Charles.

Today: Sunday long row. 120-minute row: 31,051 meters; 1:55.9 average; 9.9 meters per stroke; 224.6 watts (63% of last 2K's average watts); 26 strokes per minute.

I'm pleased because I kept this very close to Xeno's prescribed 62% of last 2K's average watts. Also, I believe this is a PR. Of course, Ranger will probably say that I didn't row well because I dipped below his sacrosanct 10 meters per stroke.

Best,
Jamie

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » December 16th, 2007, 8:48 pm

What are you doing to do with the broken in 1/2 erg?

If you're going to toss it away I might be interested in the parts.

Jamie Pfeffer · Post by **Jamie Pfeffer** » December 16th, 2007, 10:12 pm

Sorry, John. I have to return to C2.

Jamie Pfeffer · Post by **Jamie Pfeffer** » December 18th, 2007, 12:27 pm

Today was Xeno's "Super Tuesday": 90-minute row, with 20 all-out strokes every 10 minutes. The goal was to hold a pace of 2K + 15 seconds.

I rowed 23,855 meters at 24 spm (1:53.2 average). My most recent 2K split was 1:39.5. So I was slightly faster than goal: I went 2K + 14 seconds. Ranger: I finally did this piece at greater than 10 m/p/s.

This is a tough piece. It's difficult for me to accelerate for 20 strokes to 1:40-1:45 at 30 spm and then return to 1:53 at 24 spm. The last half hour I had to bribe myself with promises of a Ben & Jerry's "Vermonster" after the indoor racing season. That sure would taste good right now -- even if I would get spectacularly sick.

Best,
Jamie

Jamie Pfeffer · Post by **Jamie Pfeffer** » December 19th, 2007, 10:05 pm

Wednesday:

AM: 4x1K. 1:41.3 average; 336.6 watts (94% of November 2K watts); 33 spm (9 meters per stroke. I was disappointed with this because I lacked fortitude and I rowed inconsistently.

PM: (1) 70-minute steady state: 18,959 meters; 1:50.8 average; 257.5 watts (72% of November 2K watts; 2K split + 11.5); 26 spm (10.4 meters per stroke). I was happy with this piece because it was a PR despite being tired when I started.

(2) 30 minuts on the new Symmetry "Hypercycloidal Trainer" that I bought my wife for a holiday present. It's a neat machine.

The evening row was an exciting "race." I filled the other three lanes (on Row Pro) with past 70-minute rows. The December 4th Jamie moved very hard in the last 10 minutes. I had to row the last three minutes at 1:45 to beat him back.

zubeldia · Post by **zubeldia** » December 20th, 2007, 8:38 am

HI there,

I've just read through most of this threat, and I am very impressed with the meters you're putting in! I was actually curious if you scull now? You may have mentioned this someplace else....

I'm a LW woman and I am still fairly new to erging and rowing. I popped a rib in September (stress fracture) and I'm just getting back into the swing of things. I have been putting in some meters, but nothing like this!

I've just started to work with Marlene Royle, who also offers online coaching. She used to head up the Craftsbury sculling center but is now in Florida. I really very much enjoy working with a coach like this. I'm from the UK and used to run at a high level (too many stress fractures to mention), but found rowing and love it.... I wish I'd found it in college (although I am much too small, especially for rowing sweep). I went to a very big rowing University in the UK, too....

Anyway, this is very inspirational to me... especially since i'm about to hop on the erg for a 2hour stint.

Best,
Alex

Jamie Pfeffer · Post by **Jamie Pfeffer** » December 20th, 2007, 3:26 pm

Thanks, Alex. I appreciate the kind words. I'm sorry to hear about your injury. But it seems that you're doing better now. That's great

My family moved to Switzerland when I was a teenager. So I sculled some there. Then I used to go in a double in the afternoons in college. After I graduated, I trained heavily in the double for about half a year, but then I had to move to go to law school. There I used to row a single when I could. But because I'm dyslexic, law school was hard for me and I didn't have much time to do anything but study. After that, I moved to New York City -- a city which David Halberstam called "terrible for rowing a single."

But six months ago, we moved to the suburbs in New Jersey. So I'm very excited to join a club in the spring. It's going to be great!

Now for the workout:

This morning (Thursday) was 4x20-minute pyramids. I did each one with Xeno's "Pyramid Workout" DVD. The first piece was my warm-up. I did the third with the damper around 8; the others with it at 5.

I'm posting below a post that I made on the UK site. There, Russ asked me about why I use a high damper setting sometimes in training"

"I've rowed a few training pieces a week with a high damper setting since my novice year in college. And the theory driving the session still makes sense to me.

First, generally, we believe that power helps one accelerate the flywheel. And, second, many people share the widely-accepted conviction that erging/rowin g is the best way to improve erging/rowing. So if there were a way to develop power, while ergingrowing, wouldn't it make sense?

My college coach and Xeno have both taught me that periodic training on a high damper is a great way to develop rowing-specific power. This is similar to Mike Caviston's writing on the "specificty prinicple" (that best way to train for rowing is by rowing).

It is also similar to the theory behind the UK thread's widely-used 30'R20 session. But unlike that session, I try do some high-damper rowing at race ratings.

I haven't found a better training tool than all-out 15-stroke pieces at the highest damper."

Best,
Jamie

Stefan · Post by **Stefan** » December 20th, 2007, 5:31 pm

zubeldia wrote:especially since i'm about to hop on the erg for a 2hour stint.

Even as a very small LW woman, you must be piing up lots of meters if you do sessions like that!

I have just joined a HM challenge and I dread the ide of spending 1.25 on the erg in one go

zubeldia · Post by **zubeldia** » December 21st, 2007, 10:24 pm

Hi Jamie... I hear you about graduate school. When I was finishing up my PhD I was a social hermit... working, running, hanging out with my partner - repeat.. I was a delight to live with

I attended Cambridge Uni in the UK, and I now wish that I had been involved with rowing in some capacity... But it's not too late...

I am actually amazed that you fit in so much rowing working as a NYC attorney. It's very impressive. I'm a college professor, and one of the reasons I chose this profession was because of the long summers... time to write and row. What could be better?

I started sculling properly this year. Unfortunately my state has zero in the way of rowing facilities, although there is a nice rowing community comprised of individual rowers who organize regattas (I have yet to take part in one, though). But, I did buy a shell and had a great summer paddling around... So good luck this summer getting back on the water. You're sure to be in great condition when you do.

Hi Stefan,

Thankfully, I had the session mixed up.. it was just a 20k piece... And I am a pretty small lightweight, and for the longer pieces I am aiming to work on aerobic conditioning which makes the splits very slow... with a low rating, so I usually complete around 25,000km, or thereabouts. This stress fracture really put me behind in terms of where I want to be, but I'm slowly working my way back up... I just have to be careful when utilizing any power (not that I have much.. I am better at the endurance).

Erg on!
Alex

Jamie Pfeffer · Post by **Jamie Pfeffer** » December 21st, 2007, 11:18 pm

Thanks, Alex. I have to work much this weekend, but I can do all of it from home. A four day weeked! The only other time this happens is Thanksgiving. But that was ruined this year. A lawyer filed for an order on the night before Thanksgiving; the judge heard argument on the day after; and we had to submit papers on the following Monday. It was poor sportsmanship.

I was sick last night. So I was rather weak during this morning's row (I was down to around 162 lbs.) I averaged around 1:58.2 or .3 for 90 minutes (around 22,800 meters).

Rowmaniac · Post by **Rowmaniac** » December 22nd, 2007, 1:21 am

Jamie, I have complete empathy for your long working weekend. Been there, done that, and respect the heck out of what it takes to do what you do AND keep up the workouts. Hope you feel better soon. You must be in superb condition to put out the meters you do, but it sounds as if you weigh each day and perhaps (?) take your resting HR each a.m. to ensure that you aren't overtraining? Just be careful... Would sure like to see all this effort get you to Boston!

I was wondering (since you have had back issues) what you think the effect of some (500mg) of Vicodin would do, if anything, to your power/energy/strength the following morning for a row?

I had to take some the past two nights and although I met my targets on both workouts (the ones set for by IP as fastest pace allowed), I did not have the energy to go even lower, which I have been doing. I have to think the drugs would have an effect 10 or so hours after taking them, but do you have any experience? Perhaps since you began rowing you have not needed them.

Did Harvard law actually have its own rowing team? My father-in-law is visiting and was on the Harvard crew team around 1955. At 6'3" he was the shortest guy in the boat. He's really enjoying talking rowing and learning about my training. It's been kind of a fun new topic for us to bond over. He still ergs, but does not go on the water anymore at 77.

OK, have a good weekend and pace yourself. You gotta get well!

Jamie Pfeffer · Post by **Jamie Pfeffer** » December 23rd, 2007, 3:26 pm

Harvard Law does have its own team (blades say "LAW"). In the fall, we race the Head of the Charles and a dual against harvard Business School. There's talk sometimes of racing in the spring, too, but it doesn't always happen.

Your father-in-law must have been a great rower. He's part of an amazing tradition. Those were the years when the Harvard 8 was sometimes the US 8.

yes. An "opiate-naive patient" -- someone who has not built a tolerance to narcotic pain medicine -- could definitely feel an effect the next day. So please be careful about that. Opiates (I believe) depress the heart rate. That could make one sluggish. Still, vicodin (hydrocodone) should have less effect on your rowing than Percocet (oxycodone). Oxycodone is the next-higher class in the FDA classification scheme. But take all this with a grain of salt (rather than a pain pill). It's from my own research for a products-liability litigation a few years ago. I'm the non-doctor in my family.

Best,
Jamie

Jamie Pfeffer · Post by **Jamie Pfeffer** » December 24th, 2007, 2:25 pm

Sunday: I did the weekly 120-minute row:
31,478 meters.
1:54.4 average split.
11.4 meters per stroke.
23 strokes per minute.

Jamie Pfeffer · Post by **Jamie Pfeffer** » December 24th, 2007, 6:41 pm

Monday:

AM: 4x20-minutes.

1. 4,660 meters (rowed as a warm-up piece with drills);

2. 5,440 (a/k/a "the Oregon Boundary Dispute piece"); 1:50.3 average; 9.7 meters per stroke; 260.9 watts (73% of Nov. 2K); 28 strokes per minute.

Three minutes rest then:

3. 5,510 meters; 1:48.9 avg; 9.8 mps; 271.1 watts (76%); 28 spm.

Three minutes rest then:

4. 5,624 meters; 1:46.7; 9.4 mps; 288.2 watts (81%); 29 spm

Average: 1:48.6; 9.6 mps; 273.2 watts (77% of Nov 2K); 29 spm.

I'm happy with the session -- especially the final piece. The magic number in college for the 20-minute test was 5,600 meters. The coach said, if you rowed 5,600 meters, you earned a seat in the Varsity 8 for the Head of the Charles and the Princeton Chase. Since I rowed that here on my third work piece -- and fourth overall -- I'm happy with it. Rowing 5,600 meters here was good for my confidence.

PM: (1) Weights

(2) 61-minute steady state row: 16,209 meters (1:52.9 average)

Best,
Jamie

m.calvin · Post by **m.calvin** » December 28th, 2007, 6:23 pm

Hi jamie

Just about to start xenos programe for january, the first time I have done so! How is it going for you? What improvments have you seen?
I am a lightweight from the uk( I think I would be flyweight in the usa) I weigh 65kg. 5ft 11. I am 23 years old so alot of time on my hands!

Well done on the training

Mark