Ranger's training thread

[mikvan52]

To win the Head of the Charles, Mike VB will have to hold his technique steady and rate 30 spm for three miles.

The question is:

Can he?

No sign of this so far.

A good start might be for Mike to do 5K, 12 SPI @ 30 spm, on the erg.

1:39

ranger

Rich: You forgot the stepper and the exercise bike w/no pedals.

[mikvan52]

Mike would understand that it is a poor concept once it was explained to him. i.e he is capable of learning something--rather quickly I might add.

Really?

It appears that Mike didn't do any serious sculling until he had been doing sweep rowing for 30 years.

Then it appears that he couldn't even get balanced in a 1x for several years.

Then he did a decade of serious sculling before he entered the Head of the Charles or Nationals.

In the interest of clarity. I have been sculling seriously since 2007 in the "E" (55-59) category.... I was never serious as a B, C, or D sculler. I did race as a C and a D... albeit, very low key on very little training. I had other fish to fry...

MvB fitness history from age 17 onward:

Rowed sweep from 1969-1971.
Went to jr Worlds in a 4 in 1970
Sculled a few times in 1974.
Ran 1972-1986 (ran two 2:26 marathons... 1981 and 1983)
Bought a used 1x in 1986 (?)
Sculled 20 times in the '80s
Sweep Rowing in 80's 20 -40 times
Competed in a couple club sweep events
Sweep Rowing in the 90's... 10 times
Resumed running in the 90's
Started sculling in 1998 mostly in a 2x
Competed in a few 2x events and a couple 4x events
Running ended in 2002 w/knee surgery
Started coaching in 1998
Started erging in 1997-1998
raced the 1x a few times in the late 90's
Very few sculling races done in early 2000's
Moved to VT in '04
Started serious erg training in 2006
Bought a used Hudson elite single in 2005 or 06
Injured in 2006.
Logged most of my meters on the C2 log book.... I'm still less than 10 million total erg meters
Started serious sculling training with Tom Bohrer in 2007.
First Head of the Charles: 1x October 2007
Won Hammer at WIRC in 2008 (Roy Brook 2nd)
Won Master's Nationals E 1x light and Heavy in 2009 (first time out)
Won Hammer at WIRC in 2010.
Beat former world (open) lwt champion in the 1x last weekend at a 1k race... winning margin was over 2 sec. per 500m pace.

So, you see, I am not a sculler/rower w/ such a long-standing pedigree.... and I did not wait 10 years to start racing. I love to race!

Hope to race you someday, Rich, when you get your nerve up. WIRC 2013??? We'll both be in the 60-65 category
... or will you start suffering from triskaidekaphobia?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triskaidekaphobia

[JimR]

All this information from Mike VB is interesting but really ... what is important??? I submit the answer is TECHNIQUE!!!

What does the oracle of Ann Arbor have to say ... why just this ...

9/22/2009
My work on technique is entirely done

11/5/2009
My technique is now fine

1/14/2010
Stroking power (technique) is no issue

3/7/2010
No reason to work on technique and stroking power

3/9/2010
No reason to work on technique and stroking power

5/12/10
This work on technique is just now coming to completion

5/14/2010
My technique and stroking power are both fine

7/12/2010
I am just learning to row, drilling on technique

7/18/2010
My work on technique is now complete

7/21/2010
As far as the erg is concerned, my work on technique is done

This "technique" thing must be complicated and elusive I guess

JimR

[mikvan52]

... a dark morning w/o ranger posts

Why, when I think of his "training", do I always return to lyrics of this REM song?
Rapid. Erg. Movement.
... across a basement or garage floor



.... with all those dreamy predictions??

Never give in to reality, Rich!

"on no, I've said too much!
I set it up...."
~~~~ Michael Stipe

... my bad!

[ranger]

Rowed sweep from 1969-1971.
Went to jr Worlds in a 4 in 1970
Sculled a few times in 1974.
Bought a used 1x in 1986 (?)
Sculled 20 times in the '80s
Sweep Rowing in 80's 20 -40 times
Competed in a couple club sweep events
Sweep Rowing in the 90's... 10 times
Started sculling in 1998 mostly in a 2x
Competed in a few 2x events and a couple 4x events
Started coaching in 1998
raced the 1x a few times in the late 90's
Very few sculling races done in early 2000's
Started serious erg training in 2006
Bought a used Hudson elite single in 2005 or 06
Logged most of my meters on the C2 log book.... I'm still less than 10 million total erg meters
Started serious sculling training with Tom Bohrer in 2007.
First Head of the Charles: 1x October 2007
Won Master's Nationals E 1x light and Heavy in 2009 (first time out)
Beat former world (open) lwt champion in the 1x last weekend at a 1k race... winning margin was over 2 sec. per 500m pace.

So, you see, I am not a sculler/rower w/ such a long-standing pedigree.... and I did not wait 10 years to start racing. I love to race!

My OTW rowing history:

LTR classes during May and June of 2004
Two days of Learn to Scull classes in July of 2004
Bought a Peinert26 1x in August of 2004
Bought a Fluidesign 1x in June of 2010
No organized/systematic training OTW yet, just practice on technique

ranger

[Byron Drachman]

My OTW rowing history:
LTR classes during May and June of 2004
Two days of Learn to Scull classes in July of 2004
Bought a Peinert26 1x in August of 2004
Bought a Fluidesign 1x in June of 2010
No organized/systematic training OTW yet, just practice on technique

Feb 7, 2006:I have just been learning a quality OTW stroke. That project is now complete.

October 5, 2007: This morning. I was hitting 2:02 @ 25 spm OTW. I am approaching 2:00 @ 25 spm.

March 10, 2008: This coming year should be fun! I will probably race OTW for the first time this next year, too. That will be exciting.

June 11, 2008: I now do fine on the water.
2:00 @ 26 spm

June 12, 2008: My stroke is now a dream to use, entirely relaxed. –snip--so my erging and OTW rowing have merged perfectly. My stroke is the same both OTW and off.

April 22, 2009: I have been doing dedicated and focused OTW rowing for five years. --snip--I am now ready to race OTW.

April 5, 2010: I now row OTW pretty well, plenty well to be competitive with any 60s OTW rowers anywhere.

June 27, 2010: No need for Craftsbury, if I am rowing this well. No one my age is rowing any better.

June 27, 2010: given that I was just out in my Fluid, doing 1:56 @ 31 spm. No one my age is rowing any better, including Dietz and Spousta, who, between them, have won the Head of the Charles a couple of dozen times.

[mikvan52]

Byron:
Just an hypothesis:

Jekyll and Hyde issues?

[bloomp]

Mike! Why you gotta be so cruel to those oars! THE BEND!

[leadville]

My OTW rowing history:
LTR classes during May and June of 2004
Two days of Learn to Scull classes in July of 2004
Bought a Peinert26 1x in August of 2004
Bought a Fluidesign 1x in June of 2010
No organized/systematic training OTW yet, just practice on technique

Feb 7, 2006:I have just been learning a quality OTW stroke. That project is now complete.

October 5, 2007: This morning. I was hitting 2:02 @ 25 spm OTW. I am approaching 2:00 @ 25 spm.

March 10, 2008: This coming year should be fun! I will probably race OTW for the first time this next year, too. That will be exciting.

June 11, 2008: I now do fine on the water.
2:00 @ 26 spm

June 12, 2008: My stroke is now a dream to use, entirely relaxed. –snip--so my erging and OTW rowing have merged perfectly. My stroke is the same both OTW and off.

April 22, 2009: I have been doing dedicated and focused OTW rowing for five years. --snip--I am now ready to race OTW.

April 5, 2010: I now row OTW pretty well, plenty well to be competitive with any 60s OTW rowers anywhere.

June 27, 2010: No need for Craftsbury, if I am rowing this well. No one my age is rowing any better.

June 27, 2010: given that I was just out in my Fluid, doing 1:56 @ 31 spm. No one my age is rowing any better, including Dietz and Spousta, who, between them, have won the Head of the Charles a couple of dozen times.

Byron - I commend you for your public service. hope the summer is excellent in Lansing, and all is good.

I have to comment - Mike is rowing considerably faster than 1:56 at a 31 - in fact his most recent result averaged over a 1k 1:50 at a 31. that is, over a thousand meters, at least six lengths better than a 1:56 - ASSUMING that one could maintain that 1:56 for a thousand.

rangerboy, of course, can't. because his technique is awful, and he's not that fit.

side note - rangerboy's ignorance is obvious if he thinks Spousta can't row better than 1:56 splits for a thousand. Heck, knowing Bob, he can probably do this for 2k.

[Byron Drachman]

hope the summer is excellent in Lansing, and all is good.

Hi Joe,

Summer has been fabulous so far. I love the photo of the bent oars. I have a friend about my age, and I asked him if I could bring my antique Speed Graphic camera and have him take a photo of me with my oars bent. For the youngsters, they have horizontal focal plane shutters so objects in motion are often distorted and appear bent.

Our rowing club had a club regatta for our learn to row course, which ended last week. The newbies first did a small head race. We had an air horn and when each rower came past the dock, our finish line, the horn tooted and we all yelled and cheered. We then did some sprint races in quads with some club members joining in with the new rowers. Lots of joking and trash talk. After the races we had a big picnic in the park by the boat house.

The weather is nicer and the river is more spectacular now, so hurry back and let's do another row.

Byron

[leadville]

Thanks Byron, I hope to be back up before the end of the summer. Been getting some excellent coaching from Buzz Congram in NH and the single is moving nicely. If I can just stay out of its way, I'll be happy!

Good to hear things are well, looking forward to my return.

btw, Buzz had me practicing the catch by putting big blocks of styrofoam under my riggers -really helped me get the timing down. I thought of you when he mentioned the idea.

[mikvan52]

Hey bloomp!

Thanks for finding that shot. I think it was taken w/about 30 strokes to go. My wife, Mary, had just cheered. I was looking for her. Then, I thought I heard leadville who still had energy enough to sound out
This was a great day for me.

leadville is getting faster quicker than I am... Before long I'll regret pushing him Buzz's way

Onward to Diamond States Masters Regatta this Sunday (Delaware)(See Ronin for details)

leadville and I will miss having a chance sighting of the ergo-maestro doing the dead-man's float.

...and BTW: Spousta... at the DSR last year... 1:51- 1:52 pace for over 1000 meters....and he wasn't "fully trained" ~ it wasn't "the fall" yet

[Byron Drachman]

btw, Buzz had me practicing the catch by putting big blocks of styrofoam under my riggers -really helped me get the timing down. I thought of you when he mentioned the idea.

What a coincidence. I was working on the catch yesterday. I was doing a drill that reminds you of the loose grip at the catch. It is described in Frank Cunningham's book: the traditional way is to roll up and be squared before the blades enter, as described in your book. Instead, you do the sculler's catch: You stay feathered and with your blade on the water you just do a small finger roll to start the squaring as you start the drive. The water does the feathering and gets the right blade depth for you. I had never tried it before. it is an interesting drill. It feels naughty to be "rowing in"

We're talking about what head races to do in the fall. Will our intrepid hero ever do one?
Cue for the usual as soon as I am fully trained and sharpened, did the 6:16 2K, etc.

[mikvan52]

The essence of greatness: very little coaching ?

My OTW rowing history:

LTR classes during May and June of 2004
Two days of Learn to Scull classes in July of 2004
(snip)
No organized/systematic training OTW yet, just practice on technique

ranger

I wonder what it was about those two days of Learn to Scull that made him decide "No More; I can do this all by myself now, thank you very much!" ?
Somehow I think the answer to this question has to do with the word "predisposition"

As for me, as long as it's not race day, I'd love to be continually pointed in a better direction~fine tuned (etc) by a Tom Bohrer, Buzz Congram, Norm Graf or any other coaching great who draws on a wealth of knowledge and experience I do not have and who can comment on what they see while they are seeing it. ... invaluable at any age.

[NavigationHazard]

Actually Spousta was 4:06.57 over 1070 meters last year, which I make to be 1:55 pace.