Pete Plan 2017

[mdpfirrman]

I'm sure I'll miss something but here goes - welcome back John / Gordon - great rows coming back. Andy - what a way to come back - sub 40 10K! That's one on my to do list. I've just been too lazy to try it. That's a painful row! I've managed to crack 7500 for 30 and my 5K now indicates I should be able to crack 40 for 10K but I hate pain!

Hawker - Welcome! Glad you joined us. From your height for a 500m, that's about right. Some people just do lower, more powerful strokes and others rate higher but that's around right. Just keep warming up / cooling down unstrapped and your form will get better and better.

Magnus - welcome. I would agree with Glenn. You're probably around a 7:48 to 7:50 right now. That's just a rough guess. After a round or two we'll have a much better idea of what you probably will do, though racing, etc can effect that dramatically.

Tim - that's the tough way to improve or match your previous one! Been there before and that's the harder way to do it.

PP W1 D3 (1500 X 5 / 5' rest)

1500 / 1:56.6 / 27
1500 / 1:56.2 / 27
1500 / 1:56.2 / 27
1500 / 1:56.4 / 27
1500 / 1:56.5 / 27

1:56.4 / 27

Really actually pleased with this workout. First hard interval in a while where I didn't fall off the cliff on the last interval. Couldn't really hammer the last one home but certainly didn't leave anything on the table either, which is what you're supposed to do. I don't think this was my PB for this workout but it did match and beat the PP suggested pace of PB 5K, which for me is a 1:56.7.

[G-dub]

Mike - that is a really solid workout! Nice to see it coming back.

[mdpfirrman]

Mike - that is a really solid workout! Nice to see it coming back.

Thanks Glenn! Yeah, I couldn't resist - I looked up my PB on that workout - a 1:55.7 in August (the first week we kicked off but the second cycle of the plan for me). Aside from that workout and one other (1:56.4), this was one of my best 5 X 1500s. I'm debating a race in two weeks. I wanted to at least get closer to form to determine if I want to do it. This is the one in Dayton (Dayton Erg Sprints). My main focus is the Cincy Indoor Rowing Championships in Feb. I know I'm doing the Cincy race but might add in the Dayton race. With today's workout and the way I've been feeling, I'm thinking I will. I just don't want to race if I'm going to dud out. I want to at least approach my PB (or beat it). I'm getting close right now.

[G-dub]

Well there would be nothing wrong with using the first to get ready for the second, no? Unless the drive was too much of a hassle. Sort of go into it knowing you didn't NEED to PB and a little conservative? Make it a no pressure gig and use it as a practice run.

[mdpfirrman]

That's what I was thinking. No, it's not a far drive at all. I live in the burbs right between Dayton and Cincy (half hour from each). The only hesitancy now is they only have one guy signed up according to Regatta Central. Have a feeling, though, that's just the organizers not being up to the minute with entering in the entrants. Last year's winner in the Master's division was 7:22. I hoped he would enter again. Would be fun to race someone close to me (assuming he's not improved a lot).

[mudgeg]

BBP Week 16 Day 2

5 x 1500m. Target pace same as Week 15 4 x 1500m which was 2:04.

1. 6:13.5 / 1500 / 2:04.5
2. 6:13.2 / 1500 / 2:04.4
3. 6:11.1 / 1500 / 2:03.7
4. 6:10.8 / 1500 / 2:03.6
5. 6:15.6 / 1500 / 2:05.2

Really wanted to beat my best 1500m pace from last week which was rep 4 at 2:00.7. Was on for a sub 2 min pace in rep 5 but blew up with about 150m to go. Didn't HD but limped over the line which trashed my time.

[mdpfirrman]

Tale of two workouts Paul / Gordon. Both are fine efforts but I prefer the type like Paul's. I credit you though Gordon for sticking to it. That's mentally very hard when you're fighting the HD demons. I just take a few deep breaths and slow down when you can't recover. Feels better to coast in than give up. Nice work both of you.

SS Work (PP W1 D4)

10:00 / 2264 / 2:12.5 / 23
20:00 / 2254 / 2:13.0 / 23
30:00 / 2253 / 2:13.1 / 22
40:00 / 2275 / 2:11.8 / 22
50:00 / 2282 / 2:11.4 / 23

2:12.4 / 22 Avg

Went easy pretty much all row but still didn't find it all that easy. Seemed a bit tired from the workout yesterday still (as I probably should be). Still doing lifting (not that hard) daily. Probably the accumulation of lifting daily with the PP tiring me out a bit so I took it especially easy today. Listened to my body.

I now have a 24 kg kettlebell and another that adjusts up from 20 lbs to 40 lbs (whatever that is in kg). Been trying to do at least 50 KB squats or swings daily / 80 pushups / 80 or so shoulder presses. It's not too hard but it does add to the muscle fatigue from rowing. I like it better than doing lifting 3X a week for an hour. Trying something new.

[mudgeg]

My gym has only one erg, so for the most part I row my own boat gently down the stream. Tonight though I was in another gym with two ergs side by side. So on I hopped for my usual strapless warm-up 'you cant do that' yelled the guy on the next machine 'you'll hurt yourself'. I politely said I would be fine, but I could feel his disquiet the whole time and felt I should have told him his own technique was utterly hopeless. Next up was a younger guy, who immediately shoved the damper up to 10 and went off like a train. Slowing down markedly after about five minutes he then fixed his gaze on my monitor which was showing a 2:12 pace whereas he for all his efforts was barely making 2:30/2:40.

So feeling a bit superior after all that, tonight's effort:

BPP Week 16 Day 3

30 min row. Target was my 10k which is hovering around 2:13.0

Actual: 6815 / 30min / 2:12.0

So that was OK but currrent times are full of minor dissapointments which I would love to fix before the end of the BPP. Sub 43, 10k (almost there but not quite). Sub 8, 2k (think I might be about there). Finally 7k in 30 min (still short of that).

[JohnAd]

Hawker, welcome. I wouldn't worry too much about rate too early 30 is fine, just concentrate in the technique, relaxation and efficiency and let your stroke develop over the next couple of months. Most people seem to end up with a roughly constant watts per stroke so that to vary the pace you simply vary the rate but I'm sure your stoke will change quite a bit through practice.

Gordon, welcome back after the xmas break, well gritted out on the intervals, going for the same times as pre-break was bold. Just crossed with your post, I also used to get a kick out of that feeling when you're cruising along and somebody with the damper higher and a higher rating can't get close to your split and you know they are trying to. Now I'm also stuck rowing my boat down the stream alone.

Tim, another one afflicted by the post holidays fly and die intervals but you gritted it out, well done.

Andy, great work on the 10k, next stop sub-39.

Mike, impressively even intervals.

Paul, keep those improvement coming, great consistency.

PP07Lite 3.2 4x1500m 4'r
Yesterday Target 1:51 pre-xmas pace 1:49.2
1:51 r26
1:52 then HD
Hopeless session, feeling very bad so promised to myself to have another go tomorrow and did 10' of SS just to keep the session to a decent length.

Today Target 1:53 pre-xmas pace 1:49.2
01:52.3 r27
01:52.6 r25
01:52.7 r26
01:51.9 r26
Avg 1:52.4 r26 MHR 171

Glad I finished the session finally but am horrified at how quickly my times have fallen off, nearly 4 seconds slower than my best 5x1500 5' session in the PP. Kind of hoping it may be an early warning that I'm coming down with something as I'm finding I'm not recovering as well as usual either otherwise it's going to be very tough to try and maintain erg fitness and try and do any kind of strength work at the same time.

[Litewait]

BPP 20.3 30' DF124

30:00.0 6,830m 2:11.7 153 826 25 149
6:00.0 1,353m 2:13.0 149 812 26 137
12:00.0 1,356m 2:12.7 150 816 25 143
18:00.0 1,352m 2:13.1 148 809 25 148
24:00.0 1,362m 2:12.1 152 822 26 154
30:00.0 1,408m 2:07.8 168 877 27 166

Best 30' I could manage. First time I think I chose a good target pace.

@gordon - you are taking the words straight out of my mouth. Sure you will reach each one of those before me, but like I said I am coming after you

[mudgeg]

Tim, you beat me fair and square on that 30 min. I wished I had seen your time and pace before I did my row! If we had been on the water you would have been 15m (which I think is about 2 lengths of a single scull) ahead of me. Very impressive.

[Rowan McSheen]

Gents and ladies, if you don't mind me joining in ...

Beginners Pete Plan week 1. Actually been using the erg for 10 years but got a bit stale so took a couple of weeks off (tapering, I call it) and decided to start over from 1 Jan. I do three sessions a week and the goal is to methodically go through all the BPP sessions in sequence and complete by the end of the year.

So ... 5000 metres steady at 2:13.6 spm 21/22, hr average was UT2 mid point so probably scope to step it up a bit. And 6 x 500 metres 2 min rest at 2:00.6 spm 26/27. I'll see how that pace pans out for the 750m and 1K sessions in future weeks.

No particular goal other than to x-train in between runs. And in running and rowing I do better at mid-range stuff than at high end. But if I can get close to 20 minutes for a 5K at some point, that'll do for this recreational paddler.

[mdpfirrman]

Rowan - glad to have you. Only suggestion would be to let us know (because I'm not that familiar with the BPP) what your workout is for that day, your initial goal going into the workout and how you performed. The more detail the better. A 20 minute 5K is a great goal to start out with. I'm sure with some hard work (and consistency with the plan) you'll get there soon.

Nice work Tim / Gordon on the 30 minutes! That's a tougher row for me. Anything over 5K pushing it (to me) is especially tough, really so after doing the intermediate intervals a couple of days prior.

Paul - nice SS work.

John - I'd cut yourself some slack. I hope you're not coming down with something. Was the time you were shooting for pre X-mas on the full PP or the abbreviated rest? Just one minute less rest would have dramatic consequences for me personally. Really impressive you came back and did it the next day.

I had one of those rows today myself. I'm having a mental barrier (I think) on the TT day of the PP. Back nearly two years ago, I did a hard 10K weekly. That was long before the PP. Back then, it was killer, but I did it weekly and just did it. Since doing the PP, the TT I do weekly is 5K. I've set a PB not so many months ago while doing the PP too on the 5K. It's when I try to go beyond 5K I struggle. Today, I thought I'd do just 6K, you know -- gradually up the distance for the TT piece. I set the monitor to 6K and was OK (not great) the first 3K (averaging around 1:58 pace). The 4th was a bit more of a struggle and the 5th 1K interval was over 2:00 slightly. I finished the 5K around 19:50 or so (not great for me but respectable) but couldn't really do the rest again. What I did was take a couple deep breaths - I felt like I was really not able to do more and finished the row - 2:15 or so for the last 1000m (including the breather so it was more like a 2:06 or so). I guess technically I did the TT piece 5K again but I really wanted to do 6K and finish strong.

With that said, I've been pushing hard and lifting daily, so maybe there's some fatigue setting in. Perhaps that's not a terrible strategy - just do 5K hard and see what I can do beyond that - even if it's only 300m or 1000m until I progress from there. My body is gradually getting used to the lifting daily (it's light lifting) so I think it's just an adjustment period I'm dealing with here.

[Rowan McSheen]

Thanks Mike!

I used the first session, a 5K steady state, to set a baseline pace. The BPP is light on pacing advice. I turned in an average hr of mid point of UT2, not UT1 (I've edited my post). Is that about right at this stage, given that these sessions increase to 12K over time, or should I be in UT1 territory? Anyone?

[McKenzie]

Hi folks

It is really motivating to read all your PB and training.

Week 5 Day 4
This morning I did 4*2000 (5) at 2:04,4 down 0.5 seconds at SR 28. Had neg splits which I am really pleased about. This weekend is SS and Monday back to 16*250 m (1:30). I love this polarization.

Have a good one!