The Road To Boston 2008

seat5 · Post by **seat5** » November 7th, 2007, 8:02 pm

George Dunning wrote:
seat5 wrote:snip

Is "front squat" what I'm doing? (weight bar on shoulders, bend legs until parallel to floor, stand up again?) or is that just a squat?
Standard or back squat has the bar behind the neck, a front squat has the bar in front of the neck:- http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Oly ... Squat.html

george

Hi George! Are/were you GeorgeZ? How is your training going? Are you on IP?

Thanks for that link. I'm just doing regular old squats, then, and looking at all the information on that link made me realize I just don't know squat!

Today was 2 x 20' UT1. Target 2:04.5/22, actual 2:03.4/22. It felt fine, like good honest work but not unpleasant. It was 40 degrees outside I had 4 big windows open (2 in front and 2 behind). My fingers were cold but as usual I was drenched afterwards. I think performance T shirts are a hoax. I bought 5 $20 nylon type work out shirts from Champion so that I would not be so soaked and then totally freeze afterwards but it seems to make no difference whether I'm in a cotton rag or special workout shirts. No fan today, though. I have to get the radiators in that room fixed so they can be turned off because right now I'm turning off the heat in the whole house while I row so I don't pay to heat the yard.

TomR · Post by **TomR** » November 8th, 2007, 9:55 pm

Yesterday was long and slowww, 76'. UT3. I'm wiped out after the lifting day, so all I can do is paddle. I figure I can get some good out of it if I go long, acclimating myself to distance in anticipation of some HMs in Dec.

Tonight was 3x10 AT. 1.59.2 avg page.

Last year at this time I was doing 2x10, not quite as fast. My HR was capped in 06, whereas I'm not using a limit this year. Final HR was higher than last year's cap would have allowed, but not as high as I expected.

So my training suggests I'm in a good spot, even though my 2k is about 10 secs slower than at this time a year ago.

Regarding the front squat, check this puppy out:

http://www.lostbattalionhallweightlifti ... 0-%201.jpg

When doing the "clean," Olympic-style lifters "catch" the bar in the front squat. By propelling themselves under the bar, they don't have to lift it as high as they otherwise would. Despite their appearance, they are almost preternaturally quick and flexible. This is no easy feat. I am trying to teach myself the Olympic lifts because I have conquered every other field known to humankind, excepting perhaps rocket science and organ transplantation. Oh. . . and playing a musical instrument.

seat5 · Post by **seat5** » November 9th, 2007, 12:56 am

I think if I did squats that low I'd never walk again--even with my puny 80 lbs on it instead of 500 or whatever that guy has on there. oof.

I'm not even hitting AT stuff yet--last year I started the IP a month ahead but I think I'm going to be better off with the schedule I'm on, with a stronger base. 2 more weeks before I'm doing AT.

Do you think you might peak too soon this year if you are so far ahead of last year?

Today was an hour row. It was a good session, and ended up only 2 meters short of my recent PB.

Tomorrow is 3 x 15 UT1 (2:04.5/22). That should seem easy as today's row had 4 of the splits at a faster pace, continuous instead of broken in bits.

Working on Christmas concert music now. Some of it appears to be hopeless. 165 beats/minute...and I have 16th notes! eeeeeeek

TomR · Post by **TomR** » November 9th, 2007, 9:32 pm

6x500/ 2 min recover

1.49.8 avg

Rather than build a base, and then work faster, I subscribe to the view, "If your race depends on speed, never stray too far from it." Seb Coe's father said something like that. The WP includes race pace work all year (every other week in the off season). I don't know that it's a superior program, but I feel more confident if I keep in touch with the fast stuff.

I don't worry about peaking too soon. I've got work to do to be race ready, and I think I can modulate my intensity to peak in mid-Feb. In this, as in all matters, I could be wrong.

seat5 · Post by **seat5** » November 9th, 2007, 11:05 pm

You're ignoring HR (as I am) right? So are you using any rate caps?

Today was 3 x 15, target 2:04.5/22, actual was 2:03.8/22. It felt sluggish, I think because I've been getting to bed aroudn 1 am and getting up at 6 and I'm pooped in general.

This weekend I have to rake all bloody weekend. I hate raking!!! This year I will put bandaids on first to avoid getting blisters.

TomR · Post by **TomR** » November 10th, 2007, 2:05 pm

Carla--

No HR caps. The limit on my pace is determined by my ability. I picked a 1.50 target for the 6x500, targeting approx 2.5/500 faster than most recent 2k pace. It was about right. I was able to do it, but the last couple were unfun.

Why rake? Won't the wind eventually do the job?

seat5 · Post by **seat5** » November 12th, 2007, 10:14 am

If wind is how you handle the leaves in your yard you either have very nice neighbors, a state of war in every autumn, or you live in the woods by yourself! No blisters--the pre raking bandaids did the trick.

Nothing special today on the erg. Just the planned 3 x 14 UT1, targ 2:04.5/22, actual 2:04/22. This stuff doesn't seem hard enough but as I remember last year when the workouts start getting into the TR and AT stuff it got plenty hard enough.

I am dreading orchestra rehearsal tonight, we have to sight read An American in Paris (Gershwin). I don't know why, as that is for a concert way off in April, but I find Gershwin terribly difficult even when I've worked the piece, never mind sight reading. O dear....

Are you doing anything with your stroke rate in particular to go with different paces?

Nosmo · Post by **Nosmo** » November 12th, 2007, 4:56 pm

seat5 wrote: I am dreading orchestra rehearsal tonight, we have to sight read An American in Paris (Gershwin). I don't know why, as that is for a concert way off in April, but I find Gershwin terribly difficult even when I've worked the piece, never mind sight reading. O dear....

As my father's guitar teacher once told him: "Your problem is you want to play all the notes."

seat5 · Post by **seat5** » November 13th, 2007, 9:29 pm

Today was pretty routine. Supposed to be 57 min UT2 but that just seemed a tad silly so I did a full hour. I didn't bother to warm up and it wasn't a particularly good session. However it was a better workout than rolling over and going back to sleep so I'm glad I did it.

Tomorrow is 4 x 12 UT1.

The Gershwin was as bad as I expected. It has a truly dreadful section of 32nd notes--about 10 measures of them and riddled throughout with accidentals. Arf.

What's doing, Tom?

TomR · Post by **TomR** » November 14th, 2007, 10:10 pm

back from business travel to Anaheim--

lifting: snatch, clean & jerk, and front squats.

later: 80 min, slow.

Carla--I agree that 57 UT2 isn't going to do much for you unless you push it a little.

As for leaf raking, I don't quite live in the woods, but the neighbors are are all a long way off.

Do you figure Anne isn't posting here because she thinks we'll badger her to race later in the season?

seat5 · Post by **seat5** » November 15th, 2007, 12:42 am

Do you figure Anne isn't posting here because she thinks we'll badger her to race later in the season?

I don't know, but I miss Anne & George & Rick. Maybe I'm the only hold out using the IP.

Today was 4 x 12 UT1, it felt fine, so far I'm doing all UT1 and UT2 under the fastest pace I'm supposed to do them at. I'm sure the TRs will not be so pleasant.

Tomorrow is my "extra" session--usually a one hour row. Maybe I will go for another PB in this event. Or maybe I should try for a 10K PB. hmmmm.

TomR · Post by **TomR** » November 15th, 2007, 10:07 am

I think Rick continues to follow the IP. He's going to Engand for BIRC this weekend. He's probably on his way now.

I'm taking today off.

whaskell · Post by **whaskell** » November 15th, 2007, 1:14 pm

Hi Carla,

I'm not following the IP this year and have not decided if I will be attending the Crash B's yet. I'm still rowing but have been working more outside exercise into my routine due to boredom and lack of motivation to stay on the erg. I'll probably go to the B's unless we have good snow - then I will be out xc skiing. I plan on getting back into some xc ski racing this year if the snow comes.

seat5 · Post by **seat5** » November 16th, 2007, 7:02 pm

That's right, of course BIRC is this weekend. He was doing some pretty amazing training last time I checked out his diary--I recall a wheelbarrow with 300 lbs on it and a steep hill to run up with it or something dreadful like that. Should be some great results for him this year!

Hi Will, good luck with your xcountry! I've only tried that once and was stupid enough to try it for 5 hours on my first day of it, and boy, I was so sore I couldn't pull up my own pants for about 3 days. Youch. That uses some groin muscle that the erg doesn't touch!

Thursday was a really lousy workout. I wasn't committed to any particular thing and just couldn't make myself perform. Ended up doing odd bits of whatever that added up to about 12K. Worthless. Obviously 5 hours of sleep was not enough.

Went to bed before midnight last night and this morning went better, 5 x 10' UT1, targ 2:04.5/22, actual 2:03.
2440 2:02.9/22
2423 2:03.8/22
2432 2:03.3/22
2440 2:02.9/22
2454 2:02.2/22
It felt comfortable.

First AT workout MOnday. Now this will start being more serious!

TomR · Post by **TomR** » November 16th, 2007, 8:28 pm

moderate lifting: clean and jerk and snatch.

then 3x1k, 4' rest.

1.53.2
1.52.7
1.51.5

avg 1.52.4, slightly faster than 2k pace about 10 days ago.

didn't feel to bad, and I didn't have the motivation to make it unpleasant.