The Two Types of Training

[Byron Drachman]

[Never mind. I was going to suggest something, but what's the point?]

added later: Since the cat is out of the bag, I originally posted something like this:

Rather than argue with leadville, Ranger would do well to figure out who leadville is using the hints in his signature and read and learn from his excellent book on sculling, especially chapter 12 entitled Masters. Earlier in the book he describes some drills that would be helpful, but that would require Ranger to acknowledge that someone, namely leadville, knows more about the subject than he does.

[whp4]

Well, Byron, at least one of your readers figured out the mystery

I like the comment by one of the Amazon reviewers about his efforts to get back in the boat, and realizing how he had been trying to improve by working harder instead of smarter. I don't think our friend who thinks he's going to win OTW is capable of having such an epiphany, and he'll have to settle for winning contests for largest fish kill and the like

[Byron Drachman]

and he'll have to settle for winning contests for largest fish kill

According to latest reports, the Huron River is down to a few carp who were smart enough to hide on the bottom while Ranger was thrashing about.

[Nosmo]

As this season's soap opera draws to a close, I thought I finish up with a small quiz for ranger:

Many pages back range wrote: pace = rate x SPI

So the quiz for Ranger is to fix this so that the equation makes physical sense.

Can you do it or are you just going to post 5 times in row in order to change the subject like you usually do when someone writes something you don't want to deal with?

[hjs]

Dear Ranger

You aim high and therefore dare take take the risk of failure. That is something in itself, some very talented athletes never got to that point. An average of your results this year is of minor importance in this matter. Nobody can take the 6.41 away from You. Your own explanation of the 2000 impact on body and mind was very precise. A lot of people do not seem to understand the mental and physical pressure associated with it. I do hope You'll achieve what you're aiming for. I'll follow the attempt. Best of luck. Excuse my poor handling of the english language.

Claus the dane

Very sweet Bubba. Don't you have shrimp to boil?

[hjs]

Snowleopard - I was not ironic. As for the matter of training there is no sure knowledge of the best path, and one road allmost for sure does not fit all. Winning thew TdF in 1996 Bjarne Riis was sucesfull riding a high gear demanding huge strengt and low kadence, something he had trained for for many years. Armstrong has had success(es) doing the opposite. Short and fast is the present top of the pops in running as far as I know, but some runners training many hours and a lot of long slow distance are sucessful too, maybe especially so in the veterans group.
Claus

And I was thinking Riss had a hematocriet level of 60 % ...................

[ranger]

Hey, how about your last CRASH-B row? 6:29.7 a month before, followed by 7:04.3...if 2.7 seconds is "considerable slower" [sic], what would be a good term for for nearly 35 seconds?

Weight.

I tried to row as a lightweight at the CRASH-Bs, but my weight wasn't sufficiently prepared.

A bad decision?

I don't know.

I went for it.

Rowing as a heavyweight, I would have won the 55s hammer by five, six, or perhaps even seven seconds.

Oh well.

ranger

[ranger]

As this season's soap opera draws to a close

A close?

In the first week of March?

Hardly.

The indoor rowing season ends on April 30th.

So there are seven weeks to go in the indoor rowing season.

Between now and then, I will race all of the events repeatedly, establish a complete array of lightweight pbs, including 2K, and enter them in the 50s lwt rankings.

Needless to say, this is an exciting moment for me.

I have been preparing for it diligently.

For seven years.

ranger

[ranger]

[Never mind. I was going to suggest something, but what's the point?]

added later: Since the cat is out of the bag, I originally posted something like this:

Rather than argue with leadville, Ranger would do well to figure out who leadville is using the hints in his signature and read and learn from his excellent book on sculling, especially chapter 12 entitled Masters. Earlier in the book he describes some drills that would be helpful, but that would require Ranger to acknowledge that someone, namely leadville, knows more about the subject than he does.

O.K.

I've ordered Joe's book and will give it a close read.

I am now sure how this bears on my erging at the moment, though.

ranger

[ranger]

I am still not sure what is best for a 2K, but it is clear, I think, that a normal drag, such as 135 df., is quite a bit easier for me if the issue is distance rowing.

I get about 6 seconds per 500m at the same rate for upping the drag, e.g., to 185 df. (e.g., 1:34 @ 32 spm vs. 1:40 @ 32 spm).

I don't have any problem holding my technique steady at such a high drag, so this is indeed an option to be considered carefully.

On the other hand, what I said a while back about rating 32 spm in all of my distance rowing is also an important issue.

At 135 df., I think I can do this.

I can't do it at 185 df.

So for distance trials, I think I will lower the drag to 135 df. and rate 32 spm.

I can modulate pace at 32 spm and 135 df. by augmenting effort at the finish--both speed and length.

Rowing normally, I get 11 SPI, 1:40 @ 32 spm.

That's entirely adequate for my distance rowing.

To get 13 SPI, though, e.g., in a 2K, I would have to raise the drag.

I am still considering this.

Clearly, I would do a 500m trial at max drag.

No reason not to.

I get an additional six seconds pr 500m at the same rate, and the high drag has no effect on my technique.

I might also do a 1K trial at high drag.

ranger

[ranger]

Paduda, Joe
Joe Paduda began rowing competitively as a member of the varsity crew of Virginia's Yorktown High school in 1974. A four-year member of the Syracuse University crew, he's a seven-time medalist at the National Championships of the U.S. Rowing Association and the Intercollegiate Rowing Association. Paduda added four years of coaching in the Washington, D.C., area while continuing his own competitive rowing with the Potomac Boat Club and the Capital Rowing Club and earning a master's degree in Health/Fitness Management from American University. He continues to row in masters competitions, sprinkling his fitness regimen with stints on a mountain bike, speed skates, and cross-country skis while living and working in Connecticut. Les Henig, a certifited professional photographer with more than 20 years' experience, is a member of the Professional Photographers of America and a past president of the Maryland Professional Photographers Association. He works from his office in Garrett Park, Maryland.

O.K., leadville.

So, we are just about the same age.

I am probably five years older than you.

I graduated from High School in 1969.

So.

What is your height, weight, and 2K on the erg?

For this year, I can't find any ranked 2K times at all for you.

Why is that?

ranger

[ranger]

[removed]

[ranger]

Rather than argue with leadville, Ranger would do well to figure out who leadville is using the hints in his signature and read and learn from his excellent book on sculling, especially chapter 12 entitled Masters.

Masters?

Well.

I am not 30 years old.

So I am not a master rower.

I am not even a Senior-Master.

Or a Grand-Master.

I will row at my first Head of the Charles in a year and half as a Veteran.

Joe is getting to be in a similar position.

The question is, what then?

ranger

[ranger]

In recent years

In recent years, I haven't been training to race.

I have been training to get better.

Entirely different affair.

I haven't been fully trained to race since 2003.

When you are fully trained to race, there is no problem with finishing 2Ks.

You just rely on your anaerobic capacities to get you to the end.

ranger

[whp4]

In recent years

In recent years, I haven't been training to race.

I have been training to get better.

Entirely different affair.

Apparently so, as you've just gotten slower with each passing year! That's some definition of "better"

Seeing as how you can't demonstrate improvement in any fashion over your 2003 form (even prior to sharpening and distance trials), except in such meaningless measures as forum posts per day or most consecutive forum posts, it appears your efforts have been a failure.

I haven't been fully trained to race since 2003.

Haven't been fully trained, so you claim, or maybe you've just gotten slower. It really makes no difference, as there are no footnotes on the race results explaining away why you never match your predictions.

When your are fully trained to race, there is no problem with finishing 2Ks.

"When your are"?

There is no problem with finishing 2Ks when you aren't a quitter, regardless of your training. It just hurts if you try to go sufficiently fast.