Ranger's training thread

[Bob S.]

Get a coach. All novices benefit from good coaching.... and anyone who's smart continues to get coaching throughout their rowing careers.

And has the money and has the opportunity and, I suppose, has the time as well. Don't forget that. Rowing coaches (and facilities) are not distributed evenly about the country and I doubt that they come cheap.

Bob S.

[ranger]

you do not row any sustained piece at 13 spi when your rate is 28 or above.

I am not sure at all what my SPI will turn out to be when I try to rate 34-36 spm for 2K--fully trained, rowing well at low drag (118 df.).

We'll just have to wait and see, and this wait might be all the way to WIRC 2011, after six months of forcing the issue.

I _certainly_ don't pull anything under 12 SPI, though, and given that most 60s lwts pull 8 SPI, even a lousy 12 SPI, considerably off my best behavior when I am attending maximally to technique, is a stroke that is 50% stronger than the norm.

50% is a lot, no?

2K, 34 spm @ 8 SPI, is 7:12.

2K, 34 spm @ 12 SPI, is 6:24.

2K, 13 SPI @ 34 spm, is 6:10.

ranger

[ranger]

Get a coach. All novices benefit from good coaching.... and anyone who's smart continues to get coaching throughout their rowing careers.

And has the money and has the opportunity and, I suppose, has the time as well. Don't forget that. Rowing coaches (and facilities) are not distributed evenly about the country and I doubt that they come cheap.

Bob S.

Good points, Bob.

ranger

[ranger]

So now: It's off we go at 24 spm for 4k with the stroke that's just as good as Jim Deitz'

If I go along 2:08 @ 24 spm for 4K, capping the rate, just taking it easy, my stroke _is_ as good as Jim Dietz'--and yours.

Right?

ranger

[ranger]

Get a coach.

Sure.

Eventually, getting some coaching would be great--and I am sure, very helpful.

But as long as I continue to improve as quickly as I am without a coach, there is really no need.

There are all sorts of things that I still need to work on within the frame of my own knowledge.

No need for a second opinion.

When I run out of ideas, then, sure.

A second opinion would be great--and a third, and a fourth, and...

Until then, though, it's just "practice makes perfect," or at least, better.

I just need to keep practicing.

In particular, doing 20K sessions OTW would be vastly better than sticking with my present 10K.

ranger

[hjs]

you do not row any sustained piece at 13 spi when your rate is 28 or above.

I am not sure at all what my SPI will turn out to be when I try to rate 34-36 spm for 2K--fully trained, rowing well at low drag (118 df.).

ranger

Ah math, one of your weakest points.

Rate 35 would be 340/35 so just below 10 for you, but only on a very good day. Most of races you would end up closer to 9 if you used rate 35.

[ranger]

you do not row any sustained piece at 13 spi when your rate is 28 or above.

I am not sure at all what my SPI will turn out to be when I try to rate 34-36 spm for 2K--fully trained, rowing well at low drag (118 df.).

ranger

Ah math, one of your weakest points.

Rate 35 would be 340/35 so just below 10 for you, but only on a very good day. Most of races you would end up closer to 9 if you used rate 35.

I have already done 12 SPI @ 31 spm, at max drag, without even preparing for it.

Fully prepared, I'll rate 34 spm, and rowing well at low drag (118 df.), I think I get more power per stroke, too.

Better catches.

ranger

[hjs]

I am not sure at all what my SPI will turn out to be when I try to rate 34-36 spm for 2K--fully trained, rowing well at low drag (118 df.).

ranger

Ah math, one of your weakest points.

Rate 35 would be 340/35 so just below 10 for you, but only on a very good day. Most of races you would end up closer to 9 if you used rate 35.

I have already done 12 SPI @ 31 spm, at max drag, without even preparing for it.

Fully prepared, I'll rate 34 spm, and rowing well at low drag (118 df.), I think I get more power per stroke, too.

Better catches.

ranger

wanna bet Although I am always right and win and you never pay.

[ranger]

In my background rowing, I have now arrived naturally at 1:44 @ 24 spm (13 SPI).

Perfect.

24 spm is more of a UT1 than UT2 rate.

Top-end UT1 goes up to the anaerobic threshold, for me, 172 bpm.

So, rowing at 24 spm, I have more opportunity to push the pace from day to day, if I want to.

Technical attention is sharper.

Finishes are snappier.

Hands away!

Then catches are softer and more controlled.

Float up that slide on the recovery!

13 SPI is perfect rowing for a lightweight of any age.

If I do 1:44 @ 24 spm for an hour, I win my bet with Henry, and, implicitly at least, reach all of my goals.

In the Interactive Plan, 1:44 @ 24 spm is UT1 rowing for a 6:16 2K.

ranger

P.S. PaulS advises his rowers to pull 2:05, 21 seconds per 500m slower, when they are rating 24 spm.

2:05 @ 24 spm is 10 MPS.

7.5 SPI

[ranger]

For me, at least, at this point in my training, 24 spm is perfect rowing to be doing, both OTW and OTErg.

24 spm is probably about what I will want to rate in my Head races this fall OTW, at least for the first 3/4 of the race.

Then I can raise the rate to the max, whatever that might be, over the last 1K or so.

24 spm is a _very_ controlled cadence, both OTW and OTErg.

ranger

[ranger]

At WIRC 2010, the 60s lwt hammer pulled 1:46 for 2K.

Greg Brock, who holds the 60s lwt American record, pulled 7:06/1:46.5.

2010 C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championships

Event: Lightweight Veteran Men (Age 60-64)

1 Lakin Robert Wichita Rowing Association 07:03.6 61
2 Brock Gregory Unaffiliated 07:06.0 62
3 Petersen Leif Kalundborg 07:08.5 64
4 Francis Peter Rocky Mountain Rowing Club 07:09.3 61
5 Lawson Jerry Unaffiliated 07:14.3 62
6 Bayko Rick Forum Flyers 07:21.1 62
7 White Michael Mt. Baker Rowing 07:39.3 64

At 13 SPI, 1:46 is 22 spm.

A 2K, 1:46 @ 22 spm is only 155 strokes.

13 MPS

ranger

[hjs]

I am not sure at all what my SPI will turn out to be when I try to rate 34-36 spm for 2K--fully trained, rowing well at low drag (118 df.).

ranger

Ah math, one of your weakest points.

Rate 35 would be 340/35 so just below 10 for you, but only on a very good day. Most of races you would end up closer to 9 if you used rate 35.

I have already done 12 SPI @ 31 spm, at max drag, without even preparing for it.

Fully prepared, I'll rate 34 spm, and rowing well at low drag (118 df.), I think I get more power per stroke, too.

Better catches.

ranger

wanna bet Although I am always right and win and you never pay.

[ranger]

60min, 1:44 @ 24 spm (13 SPI), would be a 50s heavyweight WR by 250m.

This suggests that no 50s heavyweight has a natural stroking power of 13 SPI.

Rowing well for heavyweight is 16 SPI.

ranger

[hjs]

60min, 1:44 @ 24 spm (13 SPI), would be a 50s heavyweight WR by 250m.

ranger

But not if you do it with 37 breaks

[lancs]

60min, 1:44 @ 24 spm (13 SPI), would be a 50s heavyweight WR by 250m

Hi Prof. How do you propose to convert your complete and utter inability to hold 1:44 pace for 5k into an ability to hold that pace for 1 hour? And yes, I know your 5k target is 1:39, another pace which you can't hold for less than a third of the intended distance.

I'm all for having ambitious goals, but I can't quite see the point in targets that you can't even get a third of the way to completing...