Pete Plan Summer 2015 starts June 14

[G-dub]

Yes Galeere, it seems to me a major factor in the completion of the Pete Plan is to be able to appropriately maintain a social life and to learn how to row reasonably acceptable workouts the morning after.

[jackarabit]

The very worst that can happen is expressed by the equine nightmare of being "rode hard and put away wet." Hot engine blocks pop and crackle as they cool (and shrink). As the window washer said as he fell to his death: "The wind in your hair is nice but I don't think I'm going to like the sudden stop. Don't suffer a violent end--warm down! Jack

[jackarabit]

It's very difficult for an athalete to have a satisfactory social life! Many a time my wife and I have stayed up way late indulging ourselves only to find that by 10PM we're ready to toss our (milk and) cookies. Jack

[G-dub]

I added a UT1 5K to this mornings session to make up for not doing anything yesterday.

[Galeere]

Bar visit was nice and restricted to a sustainable quantum of beer.
Nonetheless I was pretty tired and didn´t feel like rowing at all. But then that seems to be the same every early morning
But then it went (everything at DF 154):
2k w/u
2k 1.54.8 - HR max 151
2k 1.54.6 - HR max 159 some starting cramps in left leg but vanished after readjusting posture
2k 1.54.4 - HR max 161
2k 1.53.5 - HR max 164
avg. 1.54.3
Very hard for me, as one can see on my blown HR cap
very slow 2k c/d

[G-dub]

Nice one Galeere. That's a long feeling session is it not?

[jackarabit]

Galeere ergs:

2k 1.54.8 - HR max 151
2k 1.54.6 - HR max 159 some starting cramps in left leg but vanished after readjusting posture
2k 1.54.4 - HR max 161
2k 1.53.5 - HR max 164
avg. 1.54.3

That is just so . . . negative, Galeere. Masterful! Going to be interesting on 31 July

[G-dub]

That is just so . . . negative, Galeere. Masterful! Going to be interesting on 31 July

Right!? I want a do over! I guess that will happen in a few weeks. Today I ran 40 minutes and popped on the erg for a UT1 5K. I'm thinking of doing a 6K for hard distance this week (tomorrow evening). Haven't done one of those for time yet.

[Galeere]

Nice one Galeere. That's a long feeling session is it not?

It´s hard to motivate oneself again each time. I find the long interval sessions harder than a a hard endurance session where one does not have the time to think about the next hard 7.40 minutes.

[Galeere]

That is just so . . . negative, Galeere. Masterful! Going to be interesting on 31 July

Thanks Jack, funny thing is that this negative erging is exactly the opposite to what the heart rate creeping would suggest: Go fast at the beginning and than tune down some. But probably Pete and his fellows suggested it for some good reason

[Galeere]

That is just so . . . negative, Galeere. Masterful! Going to be interesting on 31 July

Right!? I want a do over! I guess that will happen in a few weeks. Today I ran 40 minutes and popped on the erg for a UT1 5K. I'm thinking of doing a 6K for hard distance this week (tomorrow evening). Haven't done one of those for time yet.

Sounds good, G-dub, go for it.

[jackarabit]

Saving my share of fhe fun for later today. Try to avoid bassjackwards pacing and HOPE to also do 7:40. Plus another minute or so to deploy the drogue and come to a stop.

Picked up a CTS wrist splint at Chinamart a few minutes ago. Couldn't find my old ones. Think one of them disintegrated in '95. I've had white hand, neural spikes, pronation strains and everything in between in both hands and healed a half dozen times over the years. Have the usual and customary sleepy hands at nite but on the erg the burn in my left hand is starting to distract with requests for time off the handle at every recovery. This particular brace doesn't appear to obstruct hooking the handle so may delay the onset of discomfort. Jack

[gregsmith01748]

That is just so . . . negative, Galeere. Masterful! Going to be interesting on 31 July

Thanks Jack, funny thing is that this negative erging is exactly the opposite to what the heart rate creeping would suggest: Go fast at the beginning and than tune down some. But probably Pete and his fellows suggested it for some good reason

So, the logic around negative splitting has a few important threads.
1. Negative splitting and finishing strong provides a psychological boost. Walking away from a session feeling like a winner makes it more likely that you'll come back for more abuse.
2. Negative splitting is a logical and effective way to manage the progression of splits in a program where you are doing the same sessions over again. If you start fast and then slow down to a cap, what logic do you use for the next session? Stay the same and try to go further before slowing down? Start slower? Assume fitness improvement and start faster. With negative splits (well actually "faster last"), you just row to your prior session average and it simple.
3. Unlike in pure steady state, where the focus is almost purely on cardio vascular fitness. In the intervals (and to a lesser extent the hard distance), you are working at higher stroke rates and pressure and therefore working on neuro-muscular efficiency as well. If you row to a cap, and slow down, then you will lose some of the benefits of the session. By working on a "faster last", you work on efficiency when you most need it, when you are fatigued.

That's my view anyway.

[jackarabit]

Neuro-muscular efficiency. It is important to not fire any muscle tissue that isn't needed. Equally important to fire the ones that are needed in an orchestrated sequence. The reason why beginning cyclists lock up their legs in a leisurely 25 miler while racers and old cyclotourists are still spinning the cranks at light load in their graves. Jack

[Galeere]

Very understandable explanation Greg, thanks for that. Probably for training purposes it is also of no special relevance when it gets real hard (at the beginning or at the end or even better at the end for the efficiency reason you provided). I googled some about my observation of cardiac drift and found the following: https://coachjoeenglish.wordpress.com/2 ... treadmill/
I disagree with the statement coach Joe makes here: "Although your heart-rate is creeping up, it should only be coming up a small amount – not enough to cause big problems."
When I did my 5K PB or even worse my 30min-PB heart rate elevation was substantial even though I was at steady speed or even slowing down a bit due to the HR-elevation. Maybe its because we are rowing and coach Joe is referring to the Treadmill, but more likely its me that might be in more trouble than others as I easily break into sweat and am totally soaked after a 4x2K interval session or a 30min-hard distance or even a 60min UT2-workout - As the blood thickens. I am wondering what I can do about it and found:
"Prevention or minimization of cardiovascular drift includes consistently replacing fluids and maintaining electrolyte imbalance during exercise, acclimatization to the environment in which one is performing, and weight training to supplement cardiovascular efforts."
Sadly I am drinking like a horse already and weight training is also part of my workload. But drinking during the effort on a rowing machine is a problem on the hard distance workouts or the long-range TT (as articles as the following would suggest: http://www.active.com/running/Articles/ ... n-the-Heat ). So I will have to think about what else can be done.....