Ranger's training thread

[NavigationHazard]

Why don't you enter the Head of the Fish in two weeks? There aren't any tricky bridges on the course itself, although there are bookend spans at either end (one on the course just before the finish, and one off it before the marshalling area at the start):

http://www.saratogarowing.com/Maps/Map% ... %20(2).jpg

There are a couple of nice curves to practice steering on, at 2:05 pace. Mike will be there, and the formidable Dave Gray from Narragansett, and at least 13 other 50-59 Men's 1x rowers. Alternatively, they have a generous LW allowance of 165 lbs (same as your BIRC weigh-in limit) and there are 10 rowers in that Men's LW 1x race. Alternatively alternatively there's an open novice 1x with 4 entries to date.

Jim Dietz will be there too, in the Veterans' 1x. Who knows who else might enter. Hell. Ms. Nav wants to race her 1x and I might even enter the rec 1x event.

[Byron Drachman]

And after the Head of the Fish there is the American Heritage River Fall Classic listed at regattacentral. This is close to Ann Arbor. And since steering can be learned in a few days/weeks, you'll be more than ready.

[ranger]

You didn't mention this at the time.

This is recreation, Brian, in the mix with the rest of life.

Life is not entirely predictable, and I already spend _a lot_ of time on rowing.

I am doing pretty well with it, I think, but, sure, degrees of freedom are not entirely unlimited.

No, I am not going to drive up to Lansing in order to spend hours in a big traffic jam. That's just stupid.

Yes, even over vacation, I have things to do for work--classes to prepare, administrative duties, research, advising, etc.

Fall break is just one day off from teaching, a welcome break in order to catch up with other things!

ranger

[ranger]

Why don't you enter the Head of the Fish in two weeks? There aren't any tricky bridges on the course itself, although there are bookend spans at either end (one on the course just before the finish, and one off it before the marshalling area at the start):

http://www.saratogarowing.com/Maps/Map% ... %20(2).jpg

There are a couple of nice curves to practice steering on, at 2:05 pace. Mike will be there, and the formidable Dave Gray from Narragansett, and at least 13 other 50-59 Men's 1x rowers. Alternatively, they have a generous LW allowance of 165 lbs (same as your BIRC weigh-in limit) and there are 10 rowers in that Men's LW 1x race. Alternatively alternatively there's an open novice 1x with 4 entries to date.

Jim Dietz will be there too, in the Veterans' 1x. Who knows who else might enter. Hell. Ms. Nav wants to race her 1x and I might even enter the rec 1x event.

Sure, I'll just whip over to Saratoga Springs for the weekend, no problem.



ranger

[ranger]

And after the Head of the Fish there is the American Heritage River Fall Classic listed at regattacentral. This is close to Ann Arbor. And since steering can be learned in a few days/weeks, you'll be more than ready.

Sure, Detroit is much more doable.

ranger

[ranger]

Michgan is pretty flat isn't it? I would think your KK speed compared to real world Michigan would be about 1mph less in basic conditions. I guess you could ride and find out!

Yep. Flat as a pancake. As is Wisconsin, Illinois, etc., other places I have done a lot of riding.

As I have said many times, I have indeed checked it.

When I ride on the road, I go about 20 mph.

ranger

[Byron Drachman]

No, I am not going to drive up to Lansing in order to spend hours in a big traffic jam. That's just stupid.

If you had asked, I would have told you that there is no traffic jam here when MSU plays Illinois.

I hear good things about the American Heritage River Fall Classic. I hope it goes well for you there if you do it.

[ranger]

I hear good things about the American Heritage River Fall Classic. I hope it goes well for you there if you do it.

Thanks. I might consider it.

I have to go back to Door County, WI, to close up our cottage this next weekend, and the wife has two dinner parties scheduled for the weekend after that, so the calender is getting pretty full.

ranger

[aharmer]

Did I read a few pages back, somewhere hidden within your 100 posts today, that when you START sharpening you'll do short fast intervals and work your way up to 2k?

So apparently you haven't started sharpening yet? When do you plan to start, right after BIRC?

The old "I haven't sharpened" doesn't give you the excuse for pulling 6:40 or 6:50. You claim that you are CURRENTLY doing the training of a 6:20 erger that has sharpened. You claim that EVERYBODY gets 12 seconds during sharpening. Anything slower than 6:32 at BIRC deems you a complete liar and fraud. We all know that will happen, only two questions remain. How much slower will it be, and what pathetic excuses will you use for not starting, not finishing, or handling down several times during the race. The not sharpened tool isn't in the toolbox anymore, this charade is coming to a close very soon.

[ThatMoos3Guy]

Why don't you enter the Head of the Fish in two weeks? There aren't any tricky bridges on the course itself, although there are bookend spans at either end (one on the course just before the finish, and one off it before the marshalling area at the start):

http://www.saratogarowing.com/Maps/Map% ... %20(2).jpg

The course is actually a little different this year. The 9P bridge has been destroyed, so the course has been pulled back a little bit. The start is now a little before the Stafford bridge, and the finish a little before 9P, but the length is still the same. It's a real good first head race, because it's only 3.2k. There is one tricky turn at the start, but besides that it's pretty straight.

Of course, it's probably a good 12-13 hour drive for you, so I don't know if I'd recommend it THAT much.

[BrianStaff]

It's a real good first head race, because it's only 3.2k. There is one tricky turn at the start, but besides that it's pretty straight.

That's no good for ranger, unless they allow him to start just past the turn

[mikvan52]

Why don't you enter the Head of the Fish in two weeks? There aren't any tricky bridges on the course itself, although there are bookend spans at either end (one on the course just before the finish, and one off it before the marshalling area at the start):

http://www.saratogarowing.com/Maps/Map% ... %20(2).jpg

There are a couple of nice curves to practice steering on, at 2:05 pace. Mike will be there, and the formidable Dave Gray from Narragansett, and at least 13 other 50-59 Men's 1x rowers. Alternatively, they have a generous LW allowance of 165 lbs (same as your BIRC weigh-in limit) and there are 10 rowers in that Men's LW 1x race. Alternatively alternatively there's an open novice 1x with 4 entries to date.

Jim Dietz will be there too, in the Veterans' 1x. Who knows who else might enter. Hell. Ms. Nav wants to race her 1x and I might even enter the rec 1x event.

Sure, I'll just whip over to Saratoga Springs for the weekend, no problem.



ranger

Sure, I'll just whip over to England for the weekend, no problem.
just so I can say I wasn't fully trained and could only manage a 6:4x.x 2k
Just so I can promise to have a long term goal for some unspecified time in the future



TSO

[ranger]

So apparently you haven't started sharpening yet?

I am preparing to race, but I haven't been doing many "pieces" yet, or fast rowing.

I have mainly been working on the rhythms of the different ratios, clarifying what I want to do technically at race pace and rate.

I guess I am also just trying to figure out the best way to go about this kind of "technical" sharpening.

One idea I had this morning, perhaps as a technical rhythmic exercise to do every day, is a number of reps through a fartlek sequences that ramps up through the even ratios: 4-to-1, 3-to-1, 2-to-1, 1-to-1--rowing well at 120 df.--staying right on the beat, using the same drive, just changing the number of pulses on the recovery.

That's 20 spm, 28 spm, 36 spm, 44 spm.

Race pace and rate, for BIRC 2010, at least, is probably right in the middle of this sequence of even ratios, 2.5-to-1, 33 spm.

I might try that this morning after warming up, working with 1:48 @ 21 spm (13 SPI) for 10K or so.

It takes me quite a while to warm up fully.

BTW, nice _pair_ of 60min sessions OTBike yesterday, one after erging, one around noon.

I would like to ride the bike twice a day now, perhaps even three times, if I can get around to it.

Riding the bike, (1) before dawn after erging and breakfast, (2) in the afternoon after work but before dinner, and then (3) right before I go to bed, would be an especially nice routine, I think, if I could make it habitual.

This extensive cross-training is also race preparation for me. It keeps my fitness sky high, helps me recover from the hard bouts of rowing OTErg each day, and rips off all of my body fat. Of course, that much exercise every day also makes you feel great. It keeps your mood and attitude sky-high, too. You get in a completely physical state of mind. The normal buzz of modern adult life, with its cognitive focus and raggy nervousness, which doesn't provide any space or reward for the physical life, disappears entirely.

ranger

[whp4]

You can't beat Rocket Roy head-to-head on the erg, so you're going to try to beat him on the stationary bike trainer, eh?

[ranger]

Sure, I'll just whip over to England for the weekend, no problem.
just so I can say I wasn't fully trained and could only manage a 6:4x.x 2k
Just so I can promise to have a long term goal for some unspecified time in the future

No, I am only going to BIRC because it is my last chance to nab the 55s lwt WR.

If I can even row a pb, or something a bit better, e.g., 6:24, the record might be unassailable for some time, perhaps forever.

It would put the 55s lwt WR below the present 50s lwt WR.

Other than me, no lightweight 51+ has ever pulled even sub-6:30.

My goal for BIRC, if I can get sharp enough, is to do 1:35s for 1700m--and then kick.

At 12.5 SPI, 1:35/410 watts is 33 spm.

In my two rows at BIRC, I have two golds, both done in championship record time, one a WR.

This year, I hope to make it a third gold, a third championship record, and a second WR.

ranger