What Training Have You Done Today?

[Sakly]

Another 20k Zone 2 row today... Pushed the pace just ever so slightly today to see how HR would respond. Would like to be in the low-to-mid 130s at most for these rows to not overly tax myself.

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Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	
1:17:34.9	20,000m	1:56.3	222	1064	21	133
15:24.3	4,000m	1:55.5	227	1081	21	130
15:28.8	8,000m	1:56.1	224	1069	21	134
15:33.4	12,000m	1:56.6	220	1058	21	133
15:34.4	16,000m	1:56.8	220	1055	21	134
15:34.0	20,000m	1:56.7	220	1056	21	134

This is a strong pace for a steady with a low HR!

[Sakly]

Steady HM.

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Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	❤️
1:27:03	21,097m	2:03.8	184	934	18	135
10:53.2	2,638m	2:03.8	184	934	18	132
10:53.3	5,276m	2:03.8	184	934	18	133
10:53.3	7,914m	2:03.8	184	934	18	136
10:53.3	10,552m	2:03.8	184	934	18	136
10:53.3	13,190m	2:03.8	184	934	18	136
10:53.1	15,828m	2:03.7	185	935	18	137
10:53.1	18,466m	2:03.7	185	935	18	137
10:51.0	21,097m	2:03.7	185	936	18	138

Didn't feel great, probably yesterday took a bit out of me and sleep wasn't so well.

[KeithT]

Very "Interesting" weekend of training.

Frist was a try at the CTC (300M). I wasn't sure what to expect as I haven't really done max sprints in a while. I have been doing short sprint intervals but as part of a set of 8 or 10. Then I have done a lot of squatting the last several months and legs are strong and I felt like I had all my power. However, I simply couldn't drive the pace down. I played around with some different DF before and it wasn't helping. So I just picked 150 as I have done well there for sprints before. I went out hard and more or less went all out the whole time. I didn't fade much at all which is good but I simply couldn't drive the pace down and was at 1:20/1:21 the whole time (after first few pulls) and finished at 48.8 seconds (1:21.3 pace). This is the same pace as my 500M PB and I have also done just under 1:20 pace for the Minute TT. So, not a great result but it was weird in that I think I could have gone further at the pace I was on but just couldn't drive it lower. Maybe I have lost some "explosiveness".

Sunday I tried something different for my SS row and did 15K at a very low SPM - keeping it at 15 or 16. This obviously caused my pace to be lower and I averaged 2:07. I tried to put more power into the stroke and take my time on recovery but not too much effort to make it not be an SS workout. I noticed cardio wise the row was easier.

[MPx]

I played around with some different DF before and it wasn't helping. So I just picked 150 as I have done well there for sprints before.

Great result Keith, but very surprised to read this. You're a very powerful chap. I'm not (!) but I find I can't get as low a pull on lower DFs. Sounds like you normally can get as low on DF 150 as DF 200 - is that right? If so I'm very surprised. If the event is short enough (eg 100m) then I can use max DF for my best score. I can't maintain that for longer than 100 so drop a bit for 1 min and a bit more for 500. Anything over 500 is at normal training DF. I did my 300 at DF 184 similar to my 1min level.

[KeithT]

I played around with some different DF before and it wasn't helping. So I just picked 150 as I have done well there for sprints before.

Great result Keith, but very surprised to read this. You're a very powerful chap. I'm not (!) but I find I can't get as low a pull on lower DFs. Sounds like you normally can get as low on DF 150 as DF 200 - is that right? If so I'm very surprised. If the event is short enough (eg 100m) then I can use max DF for my best score. I can't maintain that for longer than 100 so drop a bit for 1 min and a bit more for 500. Anything over 500 is at normal training DF. I did my 300 at DF 184 similar to my 1min level.

I have never liked the super high DFs even for short sprints. I row everything 2K and up at 130, 1K at 140 and then 500 at 150-160. I have tried higher DFs and just never felt like I can get the fan spinning up speed quick enough. I have had some decent results going higher but typically no better than the 150/160. For this 300M I did notice my SPM wasn't as high as normal for a short sprint but I felt like it was fast. I think that may have been the issues with driving the pace lower - I wasn't getting the SPM as high as typical for a short sprint.

[Dangerscouse]

For this 300M I did notice my SPM wasn't as high as normal for a short sprint but I felt like it was fast. I think that may have been the issues with driving the pace lower - I wasn't getting the SPM as high as typical for a short sprint.

Relatively speaking this 300 is decent for you, but very strong in a general sense. Higher SPMs definitely seem to be the most efficient method, something that I always really struggle with.

[KeithT]

For this 300M I did notice my SPM wasn't as high as normal for a short sprint but I felt like it was fast. I think that may have been the issues with driving the pace lower - I wasn't getting the SPM as high as typical for a short sprint.

Relatively speaking this 300 is decent for you, but very strong in a general sense. Higher SPMs definitely seem to be the most efficient method, something that I always really struggle with.

I just looked back at some SPM for PBs and this 300 was at or lower than longer PBs (1 Minute and 500m) by a few so that probably limited my pace. I felt like I was going super fast with the SPM and on verge of losing control of form. I think I have lost some "twitchy" muscles, especially since I stopped CrossFit, I don't really work on explosiveness.

[Sakly]

However, I simply couldn't drive the pace down. I played around with some different DF before and it wasn't helping. So I just picked 150 as I have done well there for sprints before. I went out hard and more or less went all out the whole time. I didn't fade much at all which is good but I simply couldn't drive the pace down and was at 1:20/1:21 the whole time (after first few pulls) and finished at 48.8 seconds (1:21.3 pace).

This exactly describes the feeling I had yesterday when I did the CTC.
I tried some bursts of 5-6 strokes before to see how low I could get and wasn't able to get below mid 1:17s with the lowest pull. Did the CTC anyway and it was exactly how you describe it. I faded not so much (16.3, 16.3, 16.9 splits), but felt stalling in rate and power. You know I'm not a sprinter, but I really think I could do better. I feel you

[KeithT]

However, I simply couldn't drive the pace down. I played around with some different DF before and it wasn't helping. So I just picked 150 as I have done well there for sprints before. I went out hard and more or less went all out the whole time. I didn't fade much at all which is good but I simply couldn't drive the pace down and was at 1:20/1:21 the whole time (after first few pulls) and finished at 48.8 seconds (1:21.3 pace).

This exactly describes the feeling I had yesterday when I did the CTC.
I tried some bursts of 5-6 strokes before to see how low I could get and wasn't able to get below mid 1:17s with the lowest pull. Did the CTC anyway and it was exactly how you describe it. I faded not so much (16.3, 16.3, 16.9 splits), but felt stalling in rate and power. You know I'm not a sprinter, but I really think I could do better. I feel you

My splits were 16.3, 16.0 and 16.5.....I only had a few strokes under 1:20. I think my rating was lower than normal but whatever it was I just couldn't drive the pace down like I used to.

[Dangerscouse]

Didn't feel great, probably yesterday took a bit out of me and sleep wasn't so well.

You probably know this already, but sometimes you've need someone else to say it too. You've not got enough time to improve your fitness (not that it's needed) , but you do have enough time to damage your readiness for the FM.

Choose wisely what you do from now on, and I'd be cautious if you're going past the point of seemingly manageable efforts given what you've been through recently

[Sakly]

Didn't feel great, probably yesterday took a bit out of me and sleep wasn't so well.

You probably know this already, but sometimes you've need someone else to say it too. You've not got enough time to improve your fitness (not that it's needed) , but you do have enough time to damage your readiness for the FM.

Choose wisely what you do from now on, and I'd be cautious if you're going past the point of seemingly manageable efforts given what you've been through recently

You are absolutely right. I had the same thought and need to reassess my next trainings and align them to my recovery.
Today was mainly influenced by a bit harder training session to ramp up strength training again, but the short intervals were harder than expected. So my muscles were not recovered and a bit weak, felt this from the middle. My lungs were better throughout the whole piece, this gives me hope

[Jbrown1215]

Some solid mental training today via a 16x1k/2:30r interval session.

I felt like getting some mid-distance pace work in, so I set a minimum threshold of 10 intervals and decided I’d continue on after that based purely on feel, in increments of two reps, and stop when the RPE reached a 9.5/10. I wasn’t sure if I was 100% recovered from last Friday’s half marathon effort yet, so by taking this approach I didn’t put pressure on myself at the outset to reach a daunting number of intervals, and instead gave myself permission to listen to my body.

I wanted this to be a hard session, but didn’t want to be curled up beside the erg in the fetal position afterwards, or have a full body cramp like I nearly did after the HM

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Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M
53:12.3	16,000m	1:39.7	353	1513	29
3:19.5	1,000m	1:39.7	353	1513	29
3:19.7	1,000m	1:39.8	352	1509	29
3:19.7	1,000m	1:39.8	352	1509	29
3:19.6	1,000m	1:39.8	352	1511	30
3:19.5	1,000m	1:39.7	353	1513	30
3:19.6	1,000m	1:39.8	352	1511	30
3:19.6	1,000m	1:39.8	352	1511	30
3:19.6	1,000m	1:39.8	352	1511	30
3:19.6	1,000m	1:39.8	352	1511	30
3:19.6	1,000m	1:39.8	352	1511	30
3:19.6	1,000m	1:39.8	352	1511	30
3:19.6	1,000m	1:39.8	352	1511	30
3:19.6	1,000m	1:39.8	352	1511	30
3:19.6	1,000m	1:39.8	352	1511	31
3:19.4	1,000m	1:39.7	353	1515	30
3:18.6	1,000m	1:39.3	357	1530	31
r5,182m

[Dangerscouse]

1:20:44.9 21,097m 1:54.8 231 1095 24 143
11:32.0 3,000m 1:55.3 228 1085 25 137
11:28.6 6,000m 1:54.7 232 1096 25 138
11:29.7 9,000m 1:54.9 230 1093 25 143
11:29.3 12,000m 1:54.8 231 1094 25 145
11:28.6 15,000m 1:54.7 232 1096 25 146
11:27.8 18,000m 1:54.6 232 1099 25 144
11:26.9 21,000m 1:54.4 233 1102 24 149
0:22.1 21,097m 1:53.9 237 1114 24 148

I usually struggle a bit after a rest day, similar to Mike, but I felt good this morning, and this felt really manageable.

I've noticed some improvements in the past couple of weeks and it's possibly linked to having more protein and starting on creatine, which has also been about two weeks.

[PleaseLockIn]

Strength training day. 90kg * 5 deadlift, 30kg * 6 OHP, adduction and abduction of legs 25kg * 13, assisted dips (though down to -9kg), etc.

Not a bad session, although it shows I still have a lot to train.

[Sakly]

Strength training day. 90kg * 5 deadlift, 30kg * 6 OHP, adduction and abduction of legs 25kg * 13, assisted dips (though down to -9kg), etc.

Not a bad session, although it shows I still have a lot to train.

The numbers say nothing. Strength training is so much depending on form, you can tweak any exercise to be harder with half the weight.
When I tell you, I do squats regularly with 70 to 90kg, despite training for already over 20 years, do you think that's weak? OHP at 35-40kg the same. Is it weak?
It's all based on form and targets. Anytime I read some posts from you, you clearly downrate your efforts. Why do you do this?

However, it is helpful to have a realistic view on things, but this holds true for expectations as well.