Ranger's training thread

[atklein90]

Anchor hauling in a boat and mashing a high gear with square pedaling on a bike go hand in hand

There is abundant evidence that I was anchor-hauling on the erg for most of the ten years I have been rowing, but there is little evidence that I am anchor-hauling now.

Actually, there isn't any evidence that you're doing anything, except posting useless garbage online all day long.

How about some details of the 'mega ultra' you did today?

[ranger]

How about some details of the 'mega ultra' you did today?

No ultra today.

Just 20K OTErg so far.

From day to day, I am just rowing a lot of meters, 1:48 @ 24 spm (11.5 SPI), 4-to-1 ratio, 95 df.

I haven't done afternoon sessions on the erg for a long time, but I suppose that's what I would like to do now that my bike is dead.

I'll see if I can do an afternoon session today.

Then, to get to an ultra, I will need to push each session, morning and evening, out to 42K.

This is just UT2 rowing.

ranger

[ranger]

In 2002-2003, in my distance rowing, I pulled 1:48 at 28 spm (9.7 SPI) at a top-end UT1 HR (172 bpm), rowing badly at max drag (200+ drag factor), hauling anchor with my upper body, neglecting my legs.

So I did 16.7K for 60min.

I now do 1:48 at 24 spm (11.5 SPI) and a top-end UT2 HR (145 bpm), rowing well at low drag (95 df.).

So, I am now a whole training band better than I was back in 2003.

By working exclusively on technique, I have improved about a half second per 500m a year for a decade, five seconds per 500m in all, despite aging ten years.

That beats expectations by (purty near) 10 seconds per 500m.

Great training!

ranger

[Citroen]

Either way it's easy fixed. New cable just a few bucks or a new mech -- $30 or thereabouts.

Bike age is irrelevant. I rode 90 miles on my 20 yo Cannondale last weekend. After 1000s of miles it's still smooth and reliable. The headset and bottom bracket have never been replaced.

Naw.

My bike is trashed.

LIAR. You didn't know which one to answer, because your don't have a broken bike.

If the front mech is trashed it will fail into a small gear, (small ring at the front). If the rear mech fails it will fail to a small cog on the cassette (a larger gear). You can ride a bike with derailleurs that don't have good cables by winding the stop screws in to fix it in a usable gear (normally that's a get you home temporary repair). And as Mr Leopard told you you can replace the gear cables including their sheaths for a few dollars (you're rich beyond belief so you can afford it).

Google gives me seven bike shops in Ann Arbor, MI. They'll probably do it for you for less than $40.

I'd probably visit these guys first: http://wheelsinmotion.us/

Why do you lie so much?

[PaulH]

Being able to steer well enough to avoid a 60 foot long shell on the other side of the river is about as basic as it gets

Before my race in Grand Rapids, I had never rowed my 1x on any official course or anywhere near an eight coming in the other direction.

In fact, besides a couple of times over seven years, I had never rowed my 1x on a body of water where there was any other shell of any kind, much less an eight.

Grand Rapids last year was also my first OTW rowing race in a shell of any kind.

ranger

Indeed. That's why when you said "I can steer just fine" you were wrong.

[ranger]

Exquisitely perfect execution... of bad advice

Interesting response.

How so?

You don't say why.

Why?

ranger

[ranger]

Indeed. That's why when you said "I can steer just fine" you were wrong.

Depends what you mean by "steer."

I can turn the boat.

I just need to practice looking repeatedly when rowing hard in traffic.

When I race, I need to give steering a higher priority relative to rowing hard.

I learned my lesson.

ranger

[ranger]

your don't have a broken bike

Sure, it's not broken.

It's rusted out, dissolved in sweat.

The rust has eaten the pedals, spokes, chain, cables, nuts, bolts, gears, brakes--everything.

My kickstand rotted off quite a while ago.

ranger

[whp4]

your don't have a broken bike

Sure, it's not broken.

It's rusted out, dissolved in sweat.

The rust has eaten the pedals, spokes, chain, cables, nuts, bolts, gears, brakes--everything.

Picture, please.

[whp4]

Indeed. That's why when you said "I can steer just fine" you were wrong.

Depends what you mean by "steer."

I can turn the boat.

No doubt, but can you row in a straight line?

[bellboy]

In 2002-2003, in my distance rowing, I pulled 1:48 at 28 spm (9.7 SPI) at a top-end UT1 HR (172 bpm), rowing badly at max drag (200+ drag factor), hauling anchor with my upper body, neglecting my legs.

So I did 16.7K for 60min.

I now do 1:48 at 24 spm (11.5 SPI) and a top-end UT2 HR (145 bpm), rowing well at low drag (95 df.).

So, I am now a whole training band better than I was back in 2003.

By working exclusively on technique, I have improved about a half second per 500m a year for a decade, five seconds per 500m in all, despite aging ten years.

That beats expectations by (purty near) 10 seconds per 500m.

Great training

ranger

Improved? How ? When? Could you post some legitimate evidence of this momentous erging please? You know pictures of your PM. I know what im asking for will be ignored but i thought i'd give it a go anyway.

[Byron Drachman]

Byron, you know these things well, because you are aware of what you need to row well--but you can't do it. As with most things, it is easier said/known than done.

I can't argue with this at all. My trying to take good strokes reminds me of taking music lessons. I always had a very clear idea of how I wanted the piece to sound but I didn't have the skills to do it. Some days I played closer to the ideal and I would be happy to settle for that. Hearing a recording of my playing was always a disappointment, just as seeing a video of my sculling is always a disappointment. In my mind I look just like Xeno Muller when I am sculling. On the other hand, the challenge of trying to improve my technique is part of the fun. The last few days, including this morning, I have been rowing almost entirely with blades squared. It is a good way to work on hand height and balance and avoid slobbering on the feather. Sculling is easier when your blades are off the water during the recovery. It is especially easy if the water is fairly flat and you can help balance the boat using the cushion of air between the blade and water.

I've mentioned this before, but going for too fast of a drive and large peak forces can feel great for a few strokes but it causes earlier onset of fatigue. If the peak force is too high then no amount of "habituating to longer rows" will work. An alternative strategy is to go for the same enclosed area under the power curve but keep the curve flatter and wider. In simpler terms, the alternative would be to go the same pace with the least peak force possible.

Cue for the usual in 2003 WR's, much better now, I row at WR pace, etc.

[Citroen]

Cue for the usual in 2003 WR's, much better now, I row at WR pace, etc.

I'll get a new RANGR bingo card ready for that.

[bellboy]

Cue for the usual in 2003 WR's, much better now, I row at WR pace, etc.

I'll get a new RANGR bingo card ready for that.

Eyes down for a full house!

[ranger]

In simpler terms, the alternative would be to go the same pace with the least peak force possible.

I don't see any concrete illustrations.

Could you provide some?

The variables are levers, rate, stroking power, drag, ratio, and pace.

You only mention a couple of the variables.

My interest is a FM @ 1:48.

Sure, you get much less peak force at max drag anchor-hauling with your upper body, but you also get a much heavier chain, a much longer drive time, a much lower ratio, weaker levers, less stroking power, and a higher rate.

I am not sure you have experienced what this feels like skeletal-muscularly to your various levers, not to mention your heart and lungs.

Have you?

I'll certainly test your claims when I race a FM later on this month.

Rowing as you suggest I pulled 1:54/2:40 for a FM ten years ago.

Rowing that way now, ten years later, the prediction is that I would pull 1:58.

It will be interesting to see what I can do now with my legs, a high peak force, a low drag, a low rate, a short drive time, and a huge ratio.

Rowing as you suggest at 1:48, my HR ten years ago was a steady 172 bpm at 28 spm.

Rowing as I do now at 1:48, ten years later, my HR is a steady 145 bpm at 24 spm.

That's quite a gain in technical efficiency, don't you think?

ranger