Ranger's training thread

[NavigationHazard]

No you don't. That distinction goes to the lovely and amazing Joan van Blom, who won Crash-Bs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Along with at least four EIRC wins (Dresden, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris) and I think two BIRC wins (setting the Championship record in passing). All while setting world records for 50-54 and 55-59 age categories along the way.

[JohnBove]

My achilles tendons were stressed by my ankles, which I sprained and broke repeatedly.

You've broken each of your ankles repeatedly? What does that mean? three times each? Four?

You lying sack of shit.

[ranger]

When I was 52, I did this, as a total novice, rowing badly at max drag:

Lwt 6:36, 6:33, 6:30, 6:32, 6:29, 6:28, 6:32

If Mike C. would like to argue for the effectiveness of the WP, he might want to start there.

Then we could go on to talk about much more diffcult things, like 6:16 at 60, rowing well at low drag.

If Mike C. isn't interested, well, then I guess he just has no balls.

He's just resting on his laurels, like every other suck in town.

ranger

[pmacaula]

When I was 52, I did this, as a total novice, rowing badly...

Rich - You might consider that your personal motivation to erg came after 25+ years of running. While I don't doubt your ankle injuries played a role, is it not possible that you had also become a bit bored with running ?
You have pointed out a number of times how many other sports you competed in as a younger man. All of these seem to have largely gone by the wayside except as light family recreation, even though there are masters competitions in many of of those sports. I can only assume that you became bored with these also, as a number do not require ankle strength or flexibility (or less than rowing and erging require), so physical limitations & fitness cannot have been a barrier.

You did not try erging until your early 50s & rowing even later. Both are fresh for you & that is great. The fact that you have chosen to focus on erging (& to some degree rowing) exclusively is fine, but it may be different for others.

Many of those who start rowing in their youth branch out in their athletic pursuits later in life - the reverse of your move from multi-sport to single sport as you have aged. For example, I rowed competitively from age 14 to 21, when I had to stop due to surgery. I competed in a number of other sports for 20+ years before discovering I could in fact return to rowing without re-injuring myself. The sport is fresh and enjoyable now, but I am doubtful it would have been the case if I had done it continuously for 30+ years.

There are relatively few people who compete at a high level in a single sport continuously from their teenage years through their sixties. I would hazard a guess that would be even more true of erging, which became a sport only as a byproduct of the equipment providing precise power generation measurement to be used as one element in crew selection processes.

As you well know, erging is a largely solitary pursuit (though RowPro can make it more social in some limited fashion) that, for the most part, lacks many of the external factors that make exercise and competition enjoyable for many, such as being outdoors, being with friends, the thrust and parry of live competition, etc.

You seem to enjoy the solitary element much more than most - erging offline, avoiding social opportunities at those ergattas you do attend & limiting your interaction with others in the rowing and erging community to the narrow window of an internet forum. Possibly the feeling of being set upon by largely anonymous/unseen foes is a motivator for you.

All that is fine, but outside of straight-up trolling, it is hard to understand your perspective on others not competing or training when you do. Your notable and public erging achievements were produced over a short period. The jury is out on whether you can repeat. The timing is your choice. Respect the fact that others will choose to compete (or not) at a time in their lives that works for them as well.

Cheers. Patrick.

[chgoss]

Over the last ten years, I have the best record as a veteran rower--bar none--without even preparing for my races.

Rich, you're very good. But as you dont hold any world records, by definition you don't have the best record and by definition you arent the best. Just the facts. Dreams and goals have their place and are essential to living, but they dont hand out records based on what you think you should be able to do.

Event Record Age Name Wt. Gender Country Season Verification*
2000 6:07.7 50 Andy Ripley H M GBR 1998 Indoor rowing race
2000 6:25.1 50 Paul Siebach L M USA 2009 Indoor rowing race


2000 6:18.6 55 Dick Cashin H M USA 2009 Indoor rowing race
2000 6:38.1 55 Roy Brook L M GBR 2006 Indoor rowing race


2000 6:23.7 60 Paul Hendershott H M USA 2004 Indoor rowing race
2000 6:42.5 61 Brian Bailey L M GBR 2007 Indoor rowing race


Check that attitude at the door and venture out into the world. You want to go to your grave being unhappy railing against everyone and everything? Thats no way to live fella.
-chad

[ranger]

No you don't. That distinction goes to the lovely and amazing Joan van Blom, who won Crash-Bs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Along with at least four EIRC wins (Dresden, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris) and I think two BIRC wins (setting the Championship record in passing). All while setting world records for 50-54 and 55-59 age categories along the way.

Yes, sure.

I meant males, 40-70.

ranger

[ranger]

Wow.

Now that my stroke is entirely together, with good finishes to go with good catches, drives, and recoveries, too, I am starting to get some holistic effects out of my technique, with one part of the stroke helping another, etc. Of course, this sort of thing also aids relaxation, which is crucial to rowing well, especially relaxation at the catch when you fire off the footplate with your quads leveraged against the balls of your feet. If your body is entirely relaxed in other ways at the catch, your foot naturally gives way from the balls of your feet to your heels to engage your hams and gluts, which really lay down the power.

Back last summer, I was excited because I was getting the rate up in my distance rowing to 29 spm and still doing pretty close to 10 MPS, e.g., 1:43 @ 29 spm (11 SPI).

But now, with better length, relaxation, catches, and finishes, and rowing at low drag, which shortens the drive time and raises the ratio, I am now doing 1:44 @ 24 spm (13 SPI), easy as pie.

I am rowing perfectly, for a lightweight of any age.

We'll see, but I think I might do 1:44 @ 24 spm (13 SPI) for a FM.

1:44 is pretty much the Open hwt FM WR.

If you are just rowing naturally, 1:44 @ 24 spm (13 SPI) is so much better than 1:43 @ 29 spm (11 SPI) that it's ridiculous.

2 SPI better.

In any event, I have certainly found the ideal combination of rate and pace for my everyday rowing: 1:44 @ 24 spm (13 SPI).

Perfect rowing at 24 spm--stroke after stroke, K after K, session after session, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.

Amazing stuff.

12K of this sort of rowing right before dawn.

ranger

P.S. Given the low drag and my short little lightweight legs, at 24 spm and 13 SPI, I am in a _huge_ ratio, over 4-to-1. This makes the rowing feel ridiculously slow, even though 1:44 is the 60s lwt 2K American record. The Viking won the 60s lwt race at WIRC 2011 at 1:43.

[Citroen]

Now that my stroke is entirely together, with good finishes to go with good catches, drives, and recoveries, too, I am starting to get some holistic effects out of my technique, with one part of the stroke helping another, etc. Of course, this sort of thing also aids relaxation, which is crucial to rowing well, especially relaxation at the catch when you fire off the footplate with your quads leveraged against the balls of your feet. If your body is entirely relaxed in other ways at the catch, your foot naturally gives way from the balls of your feet to your heels to engage your hams and gluts, which really lay down the power.

Go on, post a video from the basement on YouTube. We need to be sure you've ironed out all those technical problems that were pointed out from your last video. Or even better, lets have a video from the banks of the lake, lets see that perfect sculling stroke.

[ben990]

ranger's brain:

[NavigationHazard]

No you don't. That distinction goes to the lovely and amazing Joan van Blom, who won Crash-Bs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Along with at least four EIRC wins (Dresden, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris) and I think two BIRC wins (setting the Championship record in passing). All while setting world records for 50-54 and 55-59 age categories along the way.

Yes, sure.

I meant males, 40-70.

ranger

Still wrong. Paul Siebach finished second to Caviston at the 2005 Crash-Bs and won in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. He won BIRC in 2008 setting the championship record; won EIRC in 2007, 2006, 2nd in 2005. And is the current age-group WR holder. You're not even close.

[aharmer]

Oh sure, Siebach has all the hardware. How often does Siebach come on here and claim he will pull 6:16 someday? How many times has Siebach claimed that he'll pull a FM in 1:44? How good could the guy really be?

[ranger]

Interesting weather today.

Huge wind out of the south--blowing off shore.

Hazy sunrise.



ranger

[ranger]

No you don't. That distinction goes to the lovely and amazing Joan van Blom, who won Crash-Bs in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Along with at least four EIRC wins (Dresden, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris) and I think two BIRC wins (setting the Championship record in passing). All while setting world records for 50-54 and 55-59 age categories along the way.

Yes, sure.

I meant males, 40-70.

ranger

Still wrong. Paul Siebach finished second to Caviston at the 2005 Crash-Bs and won in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. He won BIRC in 2008 setting the championship record; won EIRC in 2007, 2006, 2nd in 2005. And is the current age-group WR holder. You're not even close.

Paul has only been a veteran for a couple of years.

His times have already dropped to 6:34.7, at 52.

The decline is severe.

6:25 at 50.

6:31 at 51.

10 seconds in two years?

I didn't race until I was 51.

I didn't race as a lightweight until I was 52.

At just shy of 53, I pulled 6:28.

It's not very likely that Paul will get back to that.

If Paul's 2K is declining by five seconds a year, the prediction for this year would be in and around 6:40.

The prediction for when he is 60 would be 7:15.

ranger

[whp4]

Yes, sure.

I meant males, 40-70.

ranger

Still wrong. Paul Siebach finished second to Caviston at the 2005 Crash-Bs and won in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. He won BIRC in 2008 setting the championship record; won EIRC in 2007, 2006, 2nd in 2005. And is the current age-group WR holder. You're not even close.

Paul has only been a veteran for a couple of years.

His times have already dropped to 6:34.7, at 52.

The decline is severe.

6:25 at 50.

6:31 at 51.

10 seconds in two years?

ranger

6:41 to 7:02 in one year, how many seconds is that? Equal preparation and fitness, remember?

[ranger]

6:41 to 7:02 in one year, how many seconds is that? Equal preparation and fitness, remember?

I didn't get my weight right, and I only raced that once.

My poor showing at BIRC 2010 wasn't a matter of preparation or fitness at all.

I didn't have any energy.

So, I just had to paddle it in.

As I mentioned, in terms of fitness and technique, I was ready to pull sub-6:30, if I had had some energy.

Even so, I didn't do any race preparation.

It will quite a different show this winter, I think.

I will be prepared to race, and I will race six or seven times, as both a heavyweight and lightweight.

Rowing well at low drag, fully prepared, my 2K target is 1:34 @ 34 spm (12.5 SPI), 6:16.

ranger