Ranger's training thread

[MRapp]

Ranger, have you officially withdrawn from wirc? Has the hotel been cancelled? Is there still a shot you could thrill us with a dramatic warmup followed by dns?

[Byron Drachman]

I now focus on winning the HOCR in the 60-69 open group (2012). This age group is, as you know, handicapped for age, unlike the 50-59. You will have a chance to "beat" me there in 2012 because you will be spotted 14 seconds. I will go off at "scratch".
In any respect winning will be difficult to do as lwts seldom win the HOCR in their open events ... unlike CRASH-B.

Hi Mike,
That's too funny for words! Can you imagine Ranger negotiating the bridges, buoys, and other boats? Especially given that he could not manage to get down a wide course with no bridges and one gradual bend.

[mikvan52]

I am much better than that now.

Thanks for clearing this issue up! I had not heard the great news.
I suppose you are going to Boston to show us your new-found prowess OTErg...
This is so great!

[BrianStaff]

ranger...i know you're in the midst of having wet dreams over your fantasy spi, but can you take a timeout and tell what happened in Cinci.

Did you go? Why didn't you race? So many people want to know what happened to you on Sunday.

[Yankeerunner]

Want to check WIRC entries?

CRASH-B erg assignments

Evidently it doesn't include the qualifiers. I don't see Steve Krum or JoanVB on the list.

Bob S.

Bob, while I don't know abut Krum, I know that JoanVB won't be going. She posted on facebook that she'll be skipping it after 8 straight years. She felt she needed a break, and is enjoying Palm Springs with her sweetheart instead.

[leadville]

Sure it can.

Try rowing a 2K on the erg at max drag, cutting the slide, diving at the catch, and hauling anchor with your back and arms, rather than at low drag and full slide, sitting up tall at the catch and leading with your legs.

The difference in both effectiveness and efficiency is _enormous_.

Sure, physiologically, we are declining by about a second a year over 2K.
I accept that.
So, once I race again for a season or so, fully prepared, rowing well (13 SPI at low drag (119 df.), my times will indeed fall off from there
The issue is this: How fast will I be when I race again, fully prepared?
We'll soon have some good predictors.

ranger

We already do.

[ranger]

In January 2006, I pulled 6:29.7 at 12 SPI, unprepared, just winging it, because still working on technique.

After four more years of work on your technique, you pulled 6:41. Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge.

I pulled the 6:41s the last two years at max drag. That was a mistake. It undermined what I was trying to do (get faster legs). It cut my ratio rather than increased it. Etc.

It is also clear that, last year, I didn't yet have the hang of loosening my shoulders and relaxing my abs at the catch, something that it _very_ important, if you are going to initiate your stroke with big legs and save your core and back for the middle of the stroke.

Improvements in technique come piecemeal, but they don't really add up to anything in racing, I think, or even training, until you get them all and have your technique entirely in place.

It is also clear that it has been difficult for me to row as a lightweight, still struggling with technique, and still not prepared to race. Too much stress.

In 2006, I rowed at 6:29.7 as a heavyweight. Two weeks later, trying to do the same as a lightweight, I bombed, as I did at BIRC.

The bombing out doesn't have anything to do with my fitness. It has to do with dealing with the stress of rowing as a lightweight when other things aren't in place, too (distance rowing, sharpening, technique, etc.).

When I have everything in place, as I did in 2003, it doesn't matter what weight I row at. I row just about the same.

My lwt pb is 6:28; my hwt pb 6:27.5.

This being said, there is nothing at all wrong with the lwt 6:41s I did the last two years.

No one my age and weight has ever done better.

So, I can't see what could possibly be more encouraging.

It looks as though I just need to give up racing until I have everything in order.

So that's what I'll do.

I have the rate up nicely now in my training (i.e., to 26 spm).

My technique entirely in place.

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

Next up: Distance Trials

ranger

[ranger]

I am much better than that now.

Thanks for clearing this issue up! I had not heard the great news.
I suppose you are going to Boston to show us your new-found prowess OTErg...
This is so great!

No, I will only race again when I have everything in place and am fully prepared for it.

Oddly, you folks clearly have no sympathy with any other course of action, so in essence, you will get what you are looking for next time I race--a clear demonstration of what I can do for 2K.

Between now and then, I'll build a full set of new pbs over all distances and sharpening workouts.

So, what I do when I race will be entirely redundant, as it always is when someone is fully prepared.

ranger

[mikvan52]

What are you drinking this afternoon? Ripple or Thunderbird?

Next up: Distance Trials

ranger

Wouldn't "next up" be, rather, telling Crash-B officials to award you the hammer today since you are clearly "much better than that now" ?


I have another prediction: ranger will never participate in a WIRC even again in his life. He's established a pattern the last few years.
World Championship competition is over for R.Cureton....

I'll build a full set of new pbs over all distances and sharpening workouts.

Of course you will! Just like you have for the last 8 years... The result? ... endless delay.

Thanks for the delays you are sparing us the astonishment of the achievement of the marks you've set for yourself.

Can't you come up with anything better than this? All of us know that no 60 year-old sets better marks than when they were equally well-trained at 50.

[ranger]

If I hit my distance targets this year, I should hold all of the 60s hwt WRs from 5K to a FM by 4-6 seconds per 500m.

That will be a nice platform to use in order to sharpen for a lwt 60s 2K.

ranger

[ranger]

Mike--

Sorry, but in your long response I didn't get what you are doing these days for UT2: 90min @ 22 spm and a 125 HR, steady state.

Did you say?

2:00 (9 SPI) predicts a 7:00 2K.

I am working on 1:48 (12.5 SPI).

ranger

[whp4]

Mike--

Sorry, but in your long response I didn't get what you are doing these days for UT2: 90min @ 22 spm and a 125 HR, steady state.

Did you say?

2:00 (9 SPI) predicts a 7:00 2K.

I am working on 1:48 (12.5 SPI).

ranger

In your long response, we didn't get how long you are doing 1:48 pace without stopping. Did you say?

[mad39]

edited: I didn't get what you are doing these days for UT2: 90min @ 22 spm and a 125 HR, steady state.

<random stuff edited out>

I am working on 1:48 (12.5 SPI).

So you can do that for 90 minutes can you??? ...when you say working on it, you mean you're nowhere near I assume....

1:48r22 for 90 minutes at 125HR thats pretty funny - you might as well say you are working on being 7ft tall, you've got no chance of either....

Your technical guff about the improvements in your stroke was fairly amusing too, you're in world class denial....you just cant do it, no matter how much rubbish you talk.

[mikvan52]

HEY! mad' and whp' !!

Please go easy on the irrational old coot. Once you get to 60 I'm sure you realize that the basic plan is to retain as much as your self-esteem in any way possible. He rows a 7:02 in competition so it's a lock he'll row 6:20 very soon! This makes perfect sense!

YET:
I'd wish he'd take at least some of what I said this morning to heart though and read some anatomy and physiology for the first time in his life!
But, let's keep the ruse going... don't let on that we're just stringing him along.

As a rule, he's well into the wine now this time of evening so he will probably never read this post, much less respond to it.

Remember my assertion: ranger will never row another CRASH-B again: He'd done because he can't take the stress of going up against a host of people who would beat him at his natural (heavy) fighting form. = 175-185 lbs.

[JimR]

... I will only race again when I have everything in place and am fully prepared for it ...

... Between now and then, I'll build a full set of new pbs over all distances and sharpening workouts ...

So in other words 7:02 with an SPI no where near 13 SPI WAS the best you could do this indoor racing season?!

All hose crazy Yeasayers predicting a 6:45 were clearly drinking heavily, like there hero. Now you can ride your cowboy off in to the sunset and forget all the crap about distance trials, posting results and the like.

I don't suppose this is the racing season you pay your $1000 to Henry is it? After all the bet you lost was 3-4 years ago I think.

Do you remember this was the year all the training investment you had be making was going to pay-off big time ... you were going to rewrite the record books ... prove you are the best ever. Will it bother you that while you focused on reaping what you sow others (like MVB for one) are out getting it done ... OTW (remember the HOTC posts you made) and getting the hammers.

So I guess this is the off season now ... and we can start looking forward to the fall ... and promised of trials posted dancing about.

Poetic justice I should say.

JimR