fun and games?

[Bob S.]

I guess that I was getting bored with my routine of just doing 30 and 40 minute all-in-ones three days a week. I was due for a workout on Thursday, but didn't really feel like doing either a 30 or 40 minute piece. Instead, I came up with the crazy idea of doing the Eddie Fletcher recommended 2k warm up, which is 19' and 45" and then doing it in exact reverse as a cool down. This WU can be found by downloading the PDF from this site:

http://www.fletchersportscience.co.uk/s ... b4aed725cd

There is one problem with it. He bases it on your current expected 2k time and the slowest one he has on the chart is 8:32 and my only 2k in the last year and a half or more was at about 8:54. But I wasn't using it in this case as a warmup for a 2k, so I just used the 8:32 line for convenience. Also, since the purpose of doing it was for a workout that included a warmup, I didn't feel constrained to stick to the exact rates and paces. I did stay with the recommended 18, 20, 22, and 24spms, but increased the higher rates. I also did it with faster paces than those prescribed.

Warmup part

Total Workout Results Averages
Date Ended @ Time Meters SPM HR /500m Cal/hr Watts
7/30/09 13:10 19:45.0 3950 22 120 02:30.0 656 104

Split or Work Interval Results
7/30/09 13:10 04:00.0 760 18 101 02:37.8 606 89
7/30/09 13:10 04:00.0 778 20 106 02:34.2 628 95
7/30/09 13:10 03:00.0 616 22 121 02:26.1 686 112
7/30/09 13:10 01:00.0 216 24 129 02:18.8 749 131
7/30/09 13:10 00:30.0 111 28 129 02:15.1 788 142
7/30/09 13:10 02:00.0 386 18 115 02:35.4 620 93
7/30/09 13:10 00:45.0 178 29 132 02:06.4 896 173
7/30/09 13:10 02:00.0 392 18 119 02:33.0 635 98
7/30/09 13:10 00:30.0 126 32 138 01:59.0 1013 207
7/30/09 13:10 02:00.0 392 18 115 02:33.0 635 98

10’ break for resetting, drink of water , etc.

Cool down part:

Total Workout Results Averages
Date Ended @ Time Meters SPM HR /500m Cal/hr Watts
7/30/09 13:40 19:45.0 4070 23 128 02:25.5 690 113

Split or Work Interval Results
7/30/09 13:40 02:00.0 394 18 108 02:32.2 641 99
7/30/09 13:40 00:30.0 133 38 138 01:52.7 1139 244
7/30/09 13:40 02:00.0 392 18 127 02:33.0 635 98
7/30/09 13:40 00:45.0 191 33 136 01:57.8 1036 214
7/30/09 13:40 02:00.0 392 18 127 02:33.0 635 98
7/30/09 13:40 00:30.0 124 30 136 02:00.9 980 198
7/30/09 13:40 01:00.0 222 24 138 02:15.1 788 142
7/30/09 13:40 03:00.0 628 22 130 02:23.3 709 119
7/30/09 13:40 04:00.0 810 20 123 02:28.1 670 108
7/30/09 13:40 04:00.0 791 18 117 02:31.7 644 100

Overall I ended up with 8020 meters with a total workout time of 39 1/2 minutes - not too much different from one of my 40' all-in-ones, but it had the extra benefit of including some short sprints, which I have not been doing for quite some time.

It ended up being a fun work out that I may do again some time.

Bob S.

[Bob S.]

Friday was not supposed to be a workout day, since I had just done one the day before, but after I had finished my daily 10' wakeup piece, my total was just 3921m short of an even million. In the past, I have been using a new log card for each season and would have well over a million meters for the season, but I didn't do all that much last season, so there was a lot of memory left on the card, so I just kept on with it for this season. As of Friday, it would be exactly 15 months, so I decided to do a workout of 3921m just to complete the million in the 15 month period. I didn't have anything specific in mind, but ended up setting it for 200m splits and doing a couple of rate and intensity pyramids:

Total Workout Results Averages
Date Ended @ Time Meters SPM HR /500m Cal/hr Watts
7/31/09 13:09 19:18.0 3921 21 115 02:27.6 674 109

Split or Work Interval Results
7/31/09 13:09 01:05.2 200 13 94 02:43.0 578 81
7/31/09 13:09 01:00.5 400 18 97 02:31.2 648 101
7/31/09 13:09 00:58.9 600 20 100 02:27.2 677 110
7/31/09 13:09 00:55.0 800 27 107 02:17.5 763 135
7/31/09 13:09 00:49.5 1000 33 125 02:03.7 935 185
7/31/09 13:09 00:54.6 1200 29 117 02:16.5 773 138
7/31/09 13:09 01:01.1 1400 21 116 02:32.7 637 98
7/31/09 13:09 01:04.8 1600 16 109 02:42.0 583 82
7/31/09 13:09 01:07.0 1800 13 101 02:47.5 556 74
7/31/09 13:09 01:02.7 2000 16 103 02:36.7 612 91
7/31/09 13:09 01:00.6 2200 20 103 02:31.5 646 101
7/31/09 13:09 00:56.8 2400 26 111 02:22.0 720 122
7/31/09 13:09 00:53.1 2600 31 124 02:12.7 814 150
7/31/09 13:09 00:48.1 2800 37 134 02:00.2 992 201
7/31/09 13:09 00:51.8 3000 30 134 02:09.5 854 161
7/31/09 13:09 00:55.2 3200 26 132 02:18.0 758 133
7/31/09 13:09 01:01.1 3400 21 141 02:32.7 637 98
7/31/09 13:09 01:04.5 3600 16 131 02:41.2 587 83
7/31/09 13:09 01:07.7 3800 12 103 02:49.2 548 72
7/31/09 13:09 00:39.9 3921 12 119 02:44.8 568 78

Not a great workout, but it did give me some higher rate and intensity work that I needed after 15 months of mostly 20spm and lower.

Bob S.

[Bob S.]

I came up with the crazy idea of doing the Eddie Fletcher recommended 2k warm up, which is 19' and 45" and then doing it in exact reverse as a cool down.
Bob S.

I forgot one other little item that occurred that day. I was part way into the first piece and I suddenly realized that, as usual, I had not strapped in. I rarely do, since I need the straps only for higher rates, like over 25 spm and I normally don't rate above 24 for the pieces I have been doing for quite some time. The 2k warmup, however, has sections with rates 30 and up and it had been my intention to get into the high 30s. Well, I got a little above 30 on that first piece, but felt a bit unstable doing it. For the second piece, I made sure that I didn't forget to strap in and, as the data shows, there was 30" sprint with a 38 spm average and a 40" one at 33 spm, so I partially fulfilled the intended plan.

A couple of weeks ago, I tried another game without thinking about having to be strapped in and almost went off the back of the erg. There had been some discussion on another thread about a newbie that had a slide-shooting problem. Just as an experiment, I tried out a trick that I thought might give a feel for that problem. It was the idea of using legs only and insuring that there was no back or arm involvement by holding the handle at my waist and making sure it stayed there by hooking my thumbs in my belt. The trick worked, but the first try was almost a disaster, since I had not strapped in and, with no arms involved, I couldn't stop my own momentum except by desperately hanging onto the back straps with my heels. On the next try, I had the regular, over the foot, straps on and it worked out O.K. I didn't pass the idea on to the newbie since there were later messages that implied that the bum-shoving problem had been solved.

Bob S.

[Tyn]

Great story and great workout, but.........

I guess that I was getting bored .

is so true, you have posted 3 times on your own thread!