Pete Plan Group - Startup Aug 20th thru 22nd

[JohnAd]

Lindsay, Sanz, more great pyramids. Slightly different pacing but both looking strong.

Glenn, ouch, hope it goes well tomorrow.Nice SD too.

Ben, great work another 500m down, don't look too far ahead or you might see the cheeky 12k Pete throws in.

Dean, not many people row a HM at all let alone on a dodgy knee. Enjoy your race at the weekend, I'm sure you'll end up convincing the rest of the crew to turn round and do it again.

PP 2.2.1 Pyramid
Last 1:45.5 r28
target <1:45.0 r30
01:44.8 r30
01:44.9 r30
01:44.8 r29
01:44.8 r30
01:44.4 r30
01:41.8 r32
01:36.6 r35
Avg 1.43.9 r30
max HR 166 (new toy)
For 6 of the 7 intervals I was good and tried to keep my form, think about pacing and technique. I did go a bit silly for the last one and had a horrendous fly and die 250m after starting off at 1:30 r40 and finding the tank was empty after about 10 strokes, at least it was over quickly. Overall good session, peak PE of about 8/9 at the end of the second 750, it's very encouraging to see all the splits under the magic 1:45 but I'd like to see a bit more progress on the endurance side before I try for a 2k PB.

[G-dub]

Solid one, John. I don't know about you but I feel like I am getting close to squeezing out what I can on the old Speed Pyramid - mentally at least. It is a tough one - seems to go on forever and the distance changes really make it hard to get into a flow.

[JohnAd]

I don't know about you but I feel like I am getting close to squeezing out what I can on the old Speed Pyramid - mentally at least. It is a tough one - seems to go on forever and the distance changes really make it hard to get into a flow.

I'm certainly not expecting to improve in a over a second chunks any more and I find the 250m parts a bit superfluous, but I still think I prefer it to the 4x1k the 750, 1000, 750 is somehow much nicer. Maybe I'll switch to the igloo session which would be 500, 750, 1000, 750, 500, 500 so still 4k but no 250m bits.

[G-dub]

Well the first one is a warm up. The last one for me this time was survival, but usually you can get by with 10-15 hard ones and then its almost over. I thought you were all under 1:45 last time? I was (OK the screen said so on the 1K but it recorded 1:45) and I thought you made sure to beat me by a few tenths?!

[mudgeg]

PP Beginners. Week 4 Day 1

Another 500m on the distance row, so 6500m, same pace as last week's 6000m (2:12.8)

Actual 2:10.2 @ 25spm

Made the pace quite easily and actually stuck to 2:10.5 for pretty much the entire piece. I feel a bit bad because I could have pushed that last 500m or even 750m a bit harder probably. However, half of me was glad to just come in on target after a bad day at work and half of me was thinking the harder I push it the higher the bar for the next row!!

Pleased that in three weeks, I have gone from 5000m to 6500m and improved my pace by a full 6 seconds. How much longer I will be able to sustain that I don't know. Must level off soon.

[G-dub]

Gordon, you should copy this post and look at it 6 months, 1 year and 3 years from now. You will chuckle I am sure. You have lots of blue sky in you I bet with your size and gusto.

[mdpfirrman]

John - pretty much perfect execution. Very consistent throughout - the toughest part about the pyramid. Seems like you challenged yourself but didn't go too heavy up the front end. Very nice!

Gordon - you guys have me thinking the PBB is no joke. Nice work and progress! You'll be really surprised if you stick with it what improvements you see. Like Glenn said, the difference now and a year or a 18 months ago is night and day for me. I didn't really start rowing "serious" until Fall of last year - before that is was 3 hard times a week for like 6 months. Before I started PP last Fall, my rows are all very erratic - rates all over the place, sudden bursts all the time - basically my "style" of rowing then was fly and die, repeat... PP teaches you control, to take days easier (not off but easier) and the proper way to really push it. And it's fun seeing others make the same mistakes and great when people really execute a training plan exceptionally well, they demonstrate it on a race (and you've sort of witnessed all their hard work).

As for the 250m piece of the pyramid - I get what you're saying John. But this Summer, one of the hardest workouts I tried all year was the Ed McNeely power workout - 10 seconds as absolutely hard as you can go, 1 minute off, repeat 20 times. Ten seconds (as most you know) isn't very far in meters, but that element of rating up as fast as you can just for 10 seconds while pulling as hard as you can on those last few rows (and seeing your peak Watts) is incredibly hard. I kind of like the 250 because of that. Reminds me a bit of that type of "low pull" work. First time I tried that workout - I got to only 6 reps. The last time I tried it, got to 18 before I lost 10% power (the point at which McNeely recommends taking longer to recover than 1 minute). When not doing the PP by the letter, that's a great workout to replace the speed interval day if someone were doing a loose interpretation of the PP (one speed day / one longer interval day / 3 SS sessions / 1 SS or Timed row day depending on the season).

[mudgeg]

Yep, the beginners plan gives me the rigour and discipline I needed. I have been rowing on and off for a few years and always wished I had done on water rowing in my youth but I played too much rugby. But I just love watching the sport, and of course, we Brits seem to be rather good at it (and cycling)! I started serious erging again in January but like you Mike, was up and down and all over the place even though I have been rowing in the gym most days.

Even if I stopped now (which I won't), I would highly recommend the PBB. Fitness wise, I am feeling great. I had the whole of 2015 doing nothing after a virus caught travelling in Africa in late 2014 gave me a passing acquaintance with the Reaper. Affected my heart and lungs and completely wiped me out. My medical man told me I would never reach the levels of fitness I had even just a few years ago. Well, screw that, because rowing has allowed me not only to equal but surpass them. Even at the indoor level it's a great sport.

[jackarabit]

Pete 2.2.4 (out of sequence)
60' SS
PE: moderate (belt)
HR capped UT2 (suspenders)
Df 115
(4x2 manana)

2:21.5
68% 2kW @ 68%HRR

[JohnAd]

You have lots of blue sky in you I bet with your size and gusto.

Agree completely, plenty or room up there.

Seems like you challenged yourself but didn't go too heavy up the front end.

Yep, I was more careful to bite off something achievable this time and pace it properly, turns out it was a bit tougher than I planned in the 1k but OK.

I thought you were all under 1:45 last time? I was (OK the screen said so on the 1K but it recorded 1:45) and I thought you made sure to beat me by a few tenths?!

On the 8x500 maybe but not this one, last time I was 1:46.6 on the 1k, and higher than that on the way up.

10 seconds as absolutely hard as you can go, 1 minute off, repeat 20 times.

Interesting, sounds a bit like a way of me falling off the seat 20 times, but I might give it a go post December, I don't think I have any sprints PBs and that sort of thing might help prepare for something half decent.

[Bloodbuzz Corio]

@ John - great pyramid there - getting under 1:45 for all 7 intervals a real achievement - nice second 500 too!
@ Sanz - nice pyramid - good even pacing a solid improvement from cycle 1
@ Gordon - good work on the 6k - and sensibly paced in my opinion - still lots of upside but best to let it come gradually
@ Ben - nice work on the 7k - and things are starting to get interesting now! In a few weeks you BPPers will be rowing further than the rest of us!
@ Glenn - good luck tomorrow buddy - and I reckon given the strength of your performance so far you'd be justified to ease back into it - even if it means missing the 4x2 or similar.
@ Jack - teased us with a busted tomato now back to read only? I'd love you back at your previous level of contribution to our 'ergucation'!

PP 2.2.3 - 4x2000/5:00r 1:54.1 (Cycle 1 - 0.6, 5k - 1.1)

Certainly in cycle 1 this was the hardest workout for me. Better this time round, but still my least favourite! No ergdata or HRM today - so just the monitor photo.

Was very happy with my inrta-interval pacing though - 1:54s and 1:55s everywhere - some 1:53s but only the odd 1:52 or 1:56 across the first 3 intervals. I realise the 4th interval here is nowhere near as bad as a 2k TT either physically or mentally (or maybe it should be but I'm not doing them hard enough), but in any case for pacing of the 4th one (with a target going in of 1:54) I tried Mike C's 2k pacing strategy of gaol pace (GP) + 1 for the first 800m, GP the next 600, GP -1 for the next 400 and GP - 2 for the last 200. I was slightly under the pace the whole way - but was a nice mental change to the counting down which did help it go by.

[G-dub]

Nice one Blood. Walked on down. I like the rate too! Spinnings not bad is it!

[JohnAd]

PP 2.2.3 - 4x2000/5:00r 1:54.1 (Cycle 1 - 0.6, 5k - 1.1)

Certainly in cycle 1 this was the hardest workout for me. Better this time round, but still my least favourite!

Rohan, I take it the evil twin is safely back in his box. Great session, still predicting solidly under 19 even without his help.

[jackarabit]

Stickin tight as a tick to your 4x2, Rohan. Bump down on 4th no rate increase says grunt in reserve. Lovely!

[mdpfirrman]

Nice Rohan - slight negative pacing throughout and dropped the last one more than the rest - perfect job!