[In]decent Intervals

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POLSKI: PROGNOZUJE SIĘ WYSTĄPIENIE BURZ Z OPADAMI DESZCZU MIEJSCAMI OD 20 MM DO 30 MM, LOKALNIE DO 40 MM ORAZ PORYWAMI WIATRU DO 70 KM/H. MIEJSCAMI MOŻLIWY GRAD. SPODZIEWAJ SIĘ UTRUDNIEŃ ZWIĄZANYCH Z WYSTĘPOWANIEM BURZ. NALEŻY ZACHOWAĆ SZCZEGÓLNĄ OSTROŻNOŚĆ PRZEBYWAJĄC NA OTWARTYM TERENIE, W LASACH I GÓRACH. ENGLISH: THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST THAT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY INTENSE PRECIPITATION, IN PLACES FROM 20 MM TO 30 MM, LOCALLY UP TO 40 MM AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 70 KMPH. LOCALLY POSSIBLILITY OF HAIL. BE AWARE THAT THUNDERSTORMS MAY OCCUR. TAKE EXTRA CARE IN EXPOSED AREAS LIKE MOUNTAINS, FOREST AND OPEN TERRAIN. DISRUPTION TO OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IS POSSIBLE.....

I dunno.... Right now it's 32C out on the balcony. And I don't think there's a cloud over Europe this side of Denmark. But you never know. It's humid as fcuk and if/when it does rain it's going to be gnarly.....



2 x 7' AT just now on 4' rest, BikeErg. #1 4102m 1:42.4 pace 326w. #2 4184m 1:40.4 pace 346w. Blergh. #2 wasn't all that far off the age-group 4k record pace....

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8/28 Should have done 3 x 15' UT1 on 4' on the BikeErg. It was 33C -- officially -- and maybe 50% humidity when I tried riding. Even with a stand fan on the balcony, blowing on my shirtless torso, it was ridiculously warm. There was no way I was going to complete 3 reps at my target 1:48 pace and HR cap of 146 bpm. I did 1 1/2 and switched gears.

I added 5 x 3:15 on 1'. 1:44.8 average or some such, plus 4 x 3:30 on 1' in 1:43.7 average, the last one at 1:41.2. On both sets my HR got well over target towards the latter parts of the latter reps. I attribute that most definitely to the heat/humidity. .

Off for a long-weekend holiday to Warsaw starting tomorrow. It's supposed to be 34-35 in the shade there. Blergh...

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9/3 I was back in Wroclaw after an extended weekend in Warsaw, much of it spent sicker than a dog. I am pretty confident that my respiratory problems were triggered by ragweed pollen levels that are at the 'seek medical attention' end of the EU air quality scale. Add to that Canadian goldenrod -- an invasive species here in Poland -'and my sinuses were rebelling. Worse, travel stresses poor diabetic me under the best of circumstances. I get dehydrated and my normal meal/sleep schedules invariably get out of whack. Anyway, although the Intercontinental in Warsaw has two lovingly maintained ergs in its 43d floor skytower gym, I managed only a couple of desultory attempts at workouts. Mostly I coughed up stuff I didn't know human lungs could generate. And tried to stay out of the way of the security attending the ceremonies commemorating the start of WWIi in Poland. The PM of Montenegro was around the corner from our hotel room, for example, and the French delegation also was in the hotel.
This meant body scans going in/out... I did the CTC r20 in 1:55.5 pace r19: 1800m in 7:04.5; 1200m in 4:37.3; 1800m in 6:47.6 (3' rest between work reps). Added the Team Oarsome Challenge: 4 x 750m (done r16) on 2' rest: 1:50.5 average pace.

9/4 did 10 x 500m r20 on 1:50 rest on the rowing erg in 1:48.6 average pace. Can't be @r$ed to take the cover off the machine now and get an after-the-fact screenshot.

9/5 did 30 x 250m r20 on 55" rest in 1:45.9 average pace.
I was trying to keep HR in my UT zones, i.e. under 146 bpm. The last 4 saw it edge over -- 45 seconds in on #27 and #28, 30 seconds in on #29, and 15 seconds in on #30. It wouldn't be a proper interval workout w/o a fast finish, now would it?!

9/6 relapse of the respiratory problems; no workout

9/7 road cycling: ~ 34 km/ 62 mins.

9/8 16 x 500m (BikeErg) on 50" rest in 1:36.9 average pace, cadence 71 rpms, plus 20' UT1 (BikeErg) in 1:47 average pace.

9/9 24 x 250m r20 on 50" -- would have been more but a lightning storm blew up around rep 23 1/2. I don't sit on a wet bit of metal exercise kit on a 17th floor balcony in a lightning storm.....

9/10 30 x 250m r20 on 55" just now, somewhat negative splitted in that the last 16 were at something like 1:44.2 pace.

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Fricking bulletin board 'ate' my last post and I can't be bothered to reconstruct it in full....

9/11 50 x 250m r20 on 55" rest.

9/12 30' UT2 work on the BikeErg at 1:52.5 pace, cadence 64, HR average theoretically 137 bpm. Would have been more but the quads were rebelling after yesterday's 50-rep power fest. I checked blood glucose after stopping, as I'd been feeling a bit out of kilter since about the 20 minute mark. 85 mg/dl, which is well below what my lower limit is for starting a workout. There was no point to resuming.... Plus I was getting funky HR readings, which I attribute to signal interference. Workmen in my building were running unshielded power tools and using portable radios....

4 x 1500m on 2' on the BikeErg in the afternoon, mildly negative splitted. That's the grunt equivalent of the Team Oarsome 4 x 750m September challenge, 1:40.9 average pace, last one at 1:38.7 pace. Meh.

9/13 30' UT2 work on the BikeErg, 15857m, 1:53.6 pace, cadence 64 HR average 136 bpm.

9/14 60' UT2 work on the BikeErg, 31649m, 1:53.7 pace. cadence 65 HR average 134 bpm.

9/15 60' UT2 work on the BikeErg, 32747m, 1:49.9 pace, cadence 65 HR average per the poll data stored by ErgData 135 bpm. I did the last 40' as 1' 'on' @ around 1:46 pace and 1' less on. The last 30' worked out to 16668m, which if done as a stand-alone piece would rank third in the short history of age-group rankings for the distance. My all-time age-group best from earlier this year is 16805m, and I did 16703m last season. I added 8 x 250m r23 on 50" rest on the rowing erg (all 19 strokes) at 1:37.3 average pace.

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On holiday in the Polish seacoast so intermittent Internet access to go with intermittent access to training equipment.

Highlights (if the term can be used) of the past week or so were:

14 x 1' r30 on 1' on the rowing erg, the goal being 13 at or around 1:40 pace and a fast last rep. Result: 1:39.3 average, with the last rep at 1:28.5 pace r30;

14 x 1' on 1' on the BikeErg, negative splitted down from 1:40 pace. Result: 1:36.3 average, last rep 1:29.2 pace.

When not on C2 equipment I've been trying to do UT2 type work on stationary cycles, not caring about whatever false information is appearing on the screens and tracking HR with a chest strap and bluetooth-connected sports watch. And getting the occasional sports massage....

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Still on holiday, currently in Gdansk. Back in Nav Towers in Wroclaw tomorrow. Been doing HR based sessions in hotel gyms to the extent possible. E.g. yesterday wad 30 mins UT 1 on a Technogym recumbent cycle at a nominal 250w average, HR tracked via chest belt at 140 bpm average. Meh.

It doesn't look as though I will be permitted to travel to/from the UK in time for BRIC. Although 1) that could change at any moment and 2) who TF knows what the Brexit s#!t3storm will do to anyone coming in for it from the continent, regardless of underlying passport....

[Citroen]

It doesn't look as though I will be permitted to travel to/from the UK in time for BRIC. Although 1) that could change at any moment and 2) who TF knows what the Brexit s#!t3storm will do to anyone coming in for it from the continent, regardless of underlying passport....

For non-EU nationals it shouldn't make a jot of difference.

https://www.gov.uk/brexit
https://www.gov.uk/visit-europe-brexit

[lindsayh]

It doesn't look as though I will be permitted to travel to/from the UK in time for BRIC. Although 1) that could change at any moment and 2) who TF knows what the Brexit s#!t3storm will do to anyone coming in for it from the continent, regardless of underlying passport....

For non-EU nationals it shouldn't make a jot of difference.
https://www.gov.uk/brexit
https://www.gov.uk/visit-europe-brexit

here's hoping

[Citroen]

here's hoping

Since our politicians appear to have lost the plot, I'd guess it's all predicated on whether Adam Hills beard gets shaved off. https://twitter.com/adamhillscomedy/sta ... 9918773249

I can fix the UK Gov't in an instant it just needs 650 P45s to be sent out. I'd sack the lot of them and rule that no current MP can stand again for five years (minimum).

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Dougie, the Polish authorities have advised me of potential complications and warned against counting on being able to travel. PM me if for some reason you want to discuss the details -- I'd just as soon not take what ought to be a training thread-cum-diary off point....

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Blowing a gale up on the 17th floor and raining sideways. I brought the BikeErg in from the balcony for a reality check: how much have I lost from two weeks' holiday?*

*as opposed to how much I've gained, which my scale quantifies quite graphically...

3 x 6666m on 3', which is 2 x the TOC distance and theoretically equivalent gruntwise.

The results were rather better than expected, considering that my agegroup 30' unofficial WR is 1:47.1 pace. And my pace for 6666m on rep 3 would put me 4th for 4k in this season's rankings if done as a stand alone piece....

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30' yesterday (10/6) on the BikeErg, the first 23 mins in about 1:51 pace and the last 4k in something on the order of 6:46.

Today (10/7):

Probably the most gonzo BikeErg workout in the short history of the age group. 30 x 1' on 1':

01] 1:00.0 596m 1:40.6 343 1480 72 128

02] 1:00.0 601m 1:39.8 352 1510 73 132

03] 1:00.0 602m 1:39.6 354 1516 73 131

04] 1:00.0 604m 1:39.3 357 1528 73 136

05] 1:00.0 606m 1:39.0 361 1541 74 137

06] 1:00.0 606m 1:39.0 361 1541 73 137

07] 1:00.0 607m 1:38.8 362 1547 74 126

08] 1:00.0 608m 1:38.6 364 1553 74 142

09] 1:00.0 607m 1:38.8 362 1547 74 140

10] 1:00.0 608m 1:38.6 364 1553 74 136

11] 1:00.0 609m 1:38.5 366 1559 74 140

12] 1:00.0 611m 1:38.1 370 1572 74 142

13] 1:00.0 611m 1:38.1 370 1572 74 141

14] 1:00.0 613m 1:37.8 373 1584 74 147

15] 1:00.0 614m 1:37.7 375 1590 74 139

16] 1:00.0 613m 1:37.8 373 1584 74 145

17] 1:00.0 614m 1:37.7 375 1590 74 144

18] 1:00.0 614m 1:37.7 375 1590 74 144

19] 1:00.0 612m 1:38.0 371 1578 74 146

20] 1:00.0 615m 1:37.5 377 1597 75 140

21] 1:00.0 617m 1:37.2 381 1609 75 145

22] 1:00.0 620m 1:36.7 386 1629 75 148

23] 1:00.0 621m 1:36.6 388 1635 75 148

24] 1:00.0 623m 1:36.3 392 1648 75 149

25] 1:00.0 625m 1:35.9 396 1661 76 149

26] 1:00.0 625m 1:35.9 396 1661 76 149

27] 1:00.0 626m 1:35.8 398 1668 76 150

28] 1:00.0 627m 1:35.6 399 1674 76 145

29] 1:00.0 627m 1:35.6 399 1674 76 150

30] 1:00.0 660m 1:30.9 466 1903 77 156

18442m total work distance in 30:00.0 net elapsed work time, 1:37.6 pace, 376w, cadence 74 rpm.

I uploaded loaded the results to my logbook via a USB stick rather than ErgData, as I'm expecting a call from a tradesman tile/grout guy three hours ago. So no fancy graphs, and I haven't been bothered to work out the HR average. Eyeballing it, looks to be around 144-145bpm. I know I didn't get over 150 bpm until the end of rep 27.

[RR]

Nav,
That is just obscene, you should not be allowed out!
RR

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10/8-10/10 several abortive attempts at a 40k BikeErg ranking piece. The most annoying was on 10/9, when ErgData dropped out at around the 54 minute mark....

10/11.

New unofficial age-group record. I took about 90 seconds off the previous ranked/verified age-group best, helped by a killer classic-rock playlist that ended on ZZ Top....

[lindsayh]

On fire Jon - impressive