Ranger's training thread

[ranger]

what you won't do is a) make weight, b) beat Spousta and c) come anywhere close to winning.

See you there, sweetie.

When do you race?

Are we taking off at the same time?

If not, I'll come by and watch.

It would be shame to miss a masterful rower at work.

What time are you shooting for?

Better than your 7:05 from last year?

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

Event: Lightweight Veteran Men (Age 50-54)

1 Siebach Paul Northern Virginia Rowing Club 06:31.2 51
2 Köhler Bernhard Concept2 Team Germany 06:45.3 51
3 Slavin Michael Unaffiliated 06:55.1 50
4 Parizeau Ernie Sledgehammer Rowing Club 06:55.8 52
5 Sack Robert Unaffiliated 06:59.3 50
6 Paduda Joe Syracuse Alumni Rowing Association 07:04.5 51
7 Forbes Greg Unaffiliated 07:11.3 53
8 Burke Bill Unaffiliated 07:14.8 52
9 Light John Unaffiliated 07:20.8 50
10 Hewett Fred Community Rowing Inc. 07:23.6 53
11 Nordengen Kjell Skullerud Sport Senter Norway 07:25.3 54
12 Wyllie David Duxbury Bay Maritime School 07:25.9 51
13 de Coninck Paul-Robert SRO Soest 07:28.2 53
14 Geoghegan Paul Unaffiliated 07:30.8 53
15 Kaufhold John Unaffiliated 07:35.5 52
16 Jundanian Rich Unaffiliated 07:36.1 52
17 Hacunda Peter Sledgehammer Rowing Club 07:51.4 54

That was only 33 seconds off the pace, so not bad.

There's room for improvement, though, don't you think?

ranger

[hjs]

Ranger, why aren't youracing in Detroit today? I mean, you registered and everything.

So

1 7.04
2 Dns
3 Dns

looking good again

[bellboy]

I'm a volunteer cox this year. Maybe C2 will assign me to your machine .
See you in Boston (for the 1st time !)

So, is coxing your new gig?

What's up?

Have you lost interest, or are you stale, injured, sick, and/or discouraged?

I thought it was mainly little girls who coxed?



Sure, standards plans for 2K training suck and just want to make you quit.




And why not?

They just make you worse and worse, and who want to put in so much effort just to get worse?

I understand entirely.

Good luck with your coxing.

I am sure you'll do great.

Just relax and be confident, as though you know what you are doing, and you will do fine.

If you cox me in my race, is there any advice you would like me to give you during the race?

I might be able to help you out.

ranger

Priceless. Lets not forget Mike has never erged as slow as your masterfull "paddle" at BIRC. Just think with all those eyes ( and recording devices) on you? You walking around sweating like a whore in church waiting for your moment. Knowing that as the panic sets in your much vaunted new technique will have turned to rat shit as you haul anchor as that is the only way you might pull a good time......Tick tock tick tock. Are you ready for your close up Mr Cureton?!

[ranger]

You are as good as your best races, not your worst.

Those who think otherwise have never been there.

ranger

[ranger]

Are you ready for your close up Mr Cureton?!

Well, I have had the best 2K in my age and weight division for the last two years, both done at race venues.

So no one is doing any better.

Clearly, Mike VB isn't ready this year.

So it goes.

No matter.

He has nothing to prove; neither have I.

He's had some good races on the erg, but none nearly as good as mine.

I have three WR rows on the erg; Mike has never been closer than about two seconds per 500m of a WR on the erg.

ranger

[ranger]

Are you ready for your close up Mr Cureton?!

Sure.

Why not?

I've been there about 30 times now:

6:27.5, 6:28, 6:28.5, 6:29, 6:29.7, 6:30, 6:32, 6:32, 6:32, 6:32, 6:32, 6:33, 6:36, 6:36.7, etc.

How about you?

My training is coming along great.

Best ever.

I now row well (13 SPI) at low drag (119 df.).

And I am now preparing to race.

I am also a newcomer in my age category (60s).

That's nice.

If I get in some good races over the next month, this year, I will be the best 60s rower in both weight divisions.

ranger

[Gus]

This is not directed at ranger. I already know what you've said ad infinitum.

How far back in time can one go in looking at past race performances and claim they are truly indicative of what you can do now for race performance? I'd be generous and say you could use times within the last year even though I think you lose peak race performance capabilities rather quickly if you have a training schedule than provides for sharpening for a race season. I think within a month after you reach your peak race condition you've slowed considerably for racing.

[leadville]

oh boy the stress is starting to show, rangerboy!

lashing out, reverting to your 'i'm the greatest' meme, insulting your betters, we could be looking at a mental meltdown of monumental dimensions.

and at the end, a crater of similar proportion!

unless you end as you have for the last 12+ months, not with a bang but with a whimper...

given recent history, my money's on the whimper. alas, rangerboy, you're banned from betting as you've proven your lack of honor multiple times.

anyone else think rangerboy is going to explode or just RWB for the entire 2k??

Mike, can't be there, but i sincerely hope you've got a video cam and can post the entire episode on youtube. should help show the newbies what happens when your coach is a moron and the athlete a talentless blowhard.

boy this will be fun!

[PaulH]

I''ll be doing 8 x 500m regularly now for the next month.

I predict you won't, and as we know I'm better at predicting your training than you are. I sense an outside chance that you'll do it 'regularly' in the sense of once every month, but only for the next month.

[mikvan52]

I'm a volunteer cox this year. Maybe C2 will assign me to your machine .
See you in Boston (for the 1st time !)

....
If you cox me in my race, is there any advice you would like me to give you during the race?

I can see it now:
As you cox I'd ask: "What's your race plan?"

You wouldn't be able to reply ...

Seriously, If I do cox you: Would you tell me your plan so I could help you out?

[mikvan52]

You are as good as your best races...

So, have you had a "best race" recently (last 5 years)?

Was it that time Dennis Hastings (also a coxswain ) and three others cleaned your clock in Amsterdam?
I cannot think of any major events where you've excelled since then...

Here's a trivia question: What was the last year Rich Cureton broke 6:40 as a lightweight at a championship race?...

hmmm...

Ah yes! It was when he (in his own words) was "rowing like 'sh*t'... "

[rjw]

You are as good as your best races, not your worst.

Those who think otherwise have never been there.

ranger

From a historical perspective, I agree. But you go on as if you were still that good. There lies the rub!

[ranger]

So, have you had a "best race" recently (last 5 years)?

No, the 6:29.7 in 2006 wasn't a "best race," either.

As I said, it was done at high drag, unprepared, still struggling with technique.

I am _much_ better than that now.

My problems with technique are now solved.

I now row well (13 SPI) at low drag (119 df.).

And I am now preparing to race.

ranger

[ranger]

As you cox I'd ask: "What's your race plan?"

Flat splits, pretty much.

20 fast strokes at the start, as hard as I can go for the last 300m, steady for the middle 1400m, if I can.

Pace in the middle 1500m?

What my sharpening workouts tell me I can do.

If I do 8 x 500m @ 1:34, I'll try to hold 1:37.

If I do 8 x 50m @ 1:33, I'll try to hold 1:36.

If I do 8 x 50m @ 1:32, I'll try to hold 1:35.

etc.

ranger

[ranger]

You are as good as your best races, not your worst.

Those who think otherwise have never been there.

ranger

From a historical perspective, I agree. But you go on as if you were still that good. There lies the rub!

My lwt 6:41 last year in 2010, done at max drag, unprepared, still struggling with technique, was every bit as good as my lwt 6:28 in 2003, fully prepared.

The average decline with age is 1.7 seconds over 2K per year.

So, over seven years, the average decline is 12 seconds.

Last year, at 59, unprepared, pulling at max drag, still struggling with technique, I pulled a second _under_ the 60s lwt WR.

I did the same in 2009 (6:41).

No lightweight 58 and 59 has ever rowed that fast.

So what is your point?

That I should be a lot better that I was in 2003?

Sure, I agree.

And I think I am.

My technical difficulties are now solved.

I now row well (13 SPI) at low drag (119 df.).

And I am now preparing to race.

ranger