Ranger's training thread

[leadville]

Knowing what races are being held, when and where, is a start, no?

The "plan" is to get to as many of them as I can.

One a weekend is a limit, but beyond that, just practical affairs (job, wife, children, etc.) and weather will deter me.

So, at max, I can row in seven head races this fall, one each weekend from 9/17 to 10/30.

Nav, Dougie, Leadville, Mike, anybody else fluent in Ranger-speak or else with a Ranger-speak translator, can you please help us out with a translation?

It means he is going to be sitting on his arse drinking Thunderbird at home while everybody else is racing

That is indeed the output of the Ranger-speak Translator, however BB may not have seen the line below that one; to wit:

"Of course, being a dumbass, I, rangerboy, am not aware that there are not seven head races near Ann Arbor this fall over this seven week period, therefore I cannot fulfill this commitment. In addition, as my "children" are all grown and out of the house, that's just an excuse and no one should pay it any attention. However, as my dear, long-suffering wife Cathy desperately wants me to get the hell out of the house as I've been off my lithium for several days now, I really don't have any excuse for traveling far away from Ann Arbor, except I might encounter another snow storm/flight delay/car malfunction/gap in the space-time continuum that would prevent me from making it to the starting chute. Combine that with the rather uncomfortable fact that I'm one of the lowest rated professors at Michigan and therefore my students would be only to glad to have me disappear from behind the podium and I will indeed be on the road looking for venues in which I can demonstrate the excellence of my rowing. That is, if I can find my way out of the basement, where I feel protected from the harsh realities of actually having to perform and thereby demonstrate to all yet again my complete incompetence and the stupidity of my coach and lack of any personal ability on the part of the coach's star pupil."

Note this is from the Mark VII(a) version of the RangerSpeak Translator; other, earlier versions had problems translating rangersyntax as they were confused by the term "SPI" which has no parallel in any known language on earth.

[ranger]

Yea.

I did a couple of careful calibrations of my NK XL2 speed coach.

Mike is right.

.975 is the right calibration.

I did a couple of 1Ks, and sure enough, 1K on my NK XL2 came out to be only 975m on my Garmin Forerunner 201.

That means that both of my speed coaches have been misreporting my speed by about three seconds per 500m.

On the other hand, today, I got to 1:49 @ 29 spm with the 1.0 calibration.

So, that is 1:52 @ 29 spm at the .975 calibration, which is still better than the 1:52 @ 30 spm that I did yesterday with the 1.0 calibration.

Delighted with this.

1:52 @ 29 spm is 8.6 SPI.

Given the calibration problem with my other speed coach, too, this 1:52 @ 29 spm, with the speed coach correctly calibrated. is a dozen seconds better per 500m at the same rate than I was doing three years ago, back in 2008, when I shot my last video rowing OTW.

That's about 30% better.

10K OTW this morning over at Europe Lake, just after dawn, after 15K OTErg, just before dawn.

Beautiful morning here in Door County, WI--clear, sunny, 70 degrees F., albeit a pretty stiff SW wind, which made for some challenging rowing.

ranger

[jliddil]

Welcome to Fantasy Island

[macroth]

Yea.

I did a couple of careful calibrations of my NK XL2 speed coach.

Liar. Pathetic, despicable liar. You did no such thing.


And why are you comparing paces at different calibrations?

And a 12s improvement over 2 minutes isn't a 30% improvement, you imbecile. Not even close.

And congratulations on your new set of vPB's, of course!

[ranger]

Welcome to Fantasy Island

Not at all.

My work OTErg and OTW are now perfectly aligned.

They just differ in pace by 15 seconds per 500m at the same rate, the standard difference between OTW times and OTErg times at the same rate for those who are lean and row well.

1:48 @ 23 spm (12 SPI) OTErg

2:03 @ 23 spm (8 SPI) OTW

Mike VB seems to be doing about 10 seconds per 500m slower than this at the same rate:

1:58 @ 23 spm (9 SPI) OTErg

2:13 @ 23 spm (6.6 SPI) OTW

For me, at 23 spm, HR is top end UT2 to low UT1, 145-155 bpm, 70-75% HRR.

This is a FM HR.

23 spm is a standard FM rate.

ranger

[ranger]

And a 12s improvement over 2 minutes isn't a 30% improvement

In terms of SPI, yes, it is.

Three years ago, I did 2:04 @ 29 spm.

That's 6.2 SPI.

1:52 @ 29 spm is 8.6 SPI.

The difference is 2.4 SPI.

2.4 is 37% of 6.2.

ranger

[ranger]

You did no such thing.

This morning, I did two 1Ks with the Garmin running against the NK XL2.

Same result both times.

Mike VB is right.

The correct calibration of the NK XL2 for the Fluid hull is .975.

1000m on the NK XL2 came out to be 975m on the Garmin.

ranger

[jliddil]

Welcome to Fantasy Island

Not at all.

My work OTErg and OTW are now perfectly aligned.

They just differ in pace by 15 seconds per 500m at the same rate.

1:48 @ 23 spm (12 SPI) OTErg

2:03 @ 23 spm (8 SPI) OTW

Mike VB seems to be doing about 10 seconds per 500m slower than this at the same rate:

1:58 @ 23 spm (9 SPI) OTErg

2:13 @ 23 spm (6.6 SPI) OTW

HR is top end UT2 to low UT1, 145-155 bpm, 70-75% HRR.

ranger

As I said, Welcome to Fantasy Island

[Bob S.]

Hey Rocket Roy you must be new here !

Not new, but returned after a long absence. However, in the interim, references to him have come up numerous times in other members' messages on this thread.

Bob S.

[ranger]

I have now recalibrated my NK XL2 to .975.

So it will now be reporting my paces OTW correctly.

ranger

[ranger]

I enjoyed doing the 1Ks OTW today.

They are indeed a good thing to do at Europe Lake.

Europe Lake is right around 1K long, down the center; and when I row, just after dawn, there is no one there.

I'll do a bunch of 1Ks at various rates and paces over the next two weeks, including flat out (38 spm? 40 spm?), and record them on my NK XL2.

It will be interesting to see what I can do.

It might be useful for me at this point to have a full array of 1K pbs at 2 spm intervals from 22-40 spm.

UT2: 22 spm, 24 spm

UT1: 26 spm, 28 spm

AT: 30 spm, 32 spm

TR: 34 spm, 36 spm

AN: 38 spm, 40 spm

The NK XL2 records HR, which might also be interesting.

At the higher rates, I should hit my maxHR, whatever that might be, half way down the course.

In an array of 1K trials of this sort, if I am rowing well, I would expect my SPI, whatever that might be, to remain constant, with only pace and HR rising as the rate rises.

It will be interesting to see whether that is what happens.

ranger

[ausrwr]

How's the lying going, Rich?

I'm quite looking forward to Roy handing you your arse if you two race.

As he'll be going very quickly, I guess quite soon, it's a big "if". We know you're not likely to turn up at any race, indoor or outdoor, anyway, but if someone you clearly envy so much is going to shred you, you'll definitely not turn up.

As ever, he's going about things the right way: open minded, searching for good coaches and information, and with a decent sense of humility.

I must also add a personal note - I've been doing a little coaching with him, and I'll be glad to see him achieve what you can only dream of.

[Byron Drachman]

I've been doing a little coaching with him, and I'll be glad to see him achieve what you can only dream of.

It is always nice when an experienced sculler is willing to help someone new to the sport.

[aharmer]

Earlier today you claimed every stroke of your 15k steamroller session was at 1:46/23 or very close to that. You do this every day. Yet you also claim that showing the monitor results of what you do every day would be racing your training and therefore worthless training. Go into your pm4 memory and show a pic of the results of your 15k from august 18, 2011.

Oh wait, you can't because you probably didn't even erg this morning, and if you did it wasn't 15k, and if it was 15k it took you an hour.

As usual, you reserve the right to prove me wrong by showing a simple pic of what you say you are doing every day. When you start showing what you claim to be doing, I will tell you and show you anything you like, even though I make no claims of any kind. Deal?

[ranger]

As ever, he's going about things the right way: open minded, searching for good coaches and information, and with a decent sense of humility.

"Right" way?

Sure, for Roy.

But I would never go about things that way--and haven't.

It's no fun, and can be harmful to your chances of success.

It's much more fun to discover things for yourself.

I always think that, if you are willing to do it, you are always your own best coach.

Hard work and high standards enforce humility.

No need to bow and scrape to others, no matter how prestigious and pretentious they might be.

ranger