Pete Plan 2017

[Rod]

This is the deadliest of all PP sessions...in my humble opinion!

4 x 1k.5'r

1) 1:45.4....36spm
2) 1:45.5....36
3) 1:45.5....37
4) 1:45.3....37

Average...1:45.4. 36spm. DF 128

I improved my average by 0.3 from last week but it's not really good enough to get me where I think I should be and I'm disappointed to have worked so hard only to get 1:45.4....so....I'm going to have to take it easy until Friday night and then... do it again!

[mudgeg]

BPP Week 17 Day 2

8 x 500m. Encountered these sessions in Week 11 and Week 14, so targeted the same pace. Pete (ever the comedian), says 'look back to Week 11, I bet that pace seems easy now'. No Pete, 'easy' in this context really depends on your definition of a near death experience. Anyway, mustn't complain, so target pace was 1:52 but faster on the final rep.

1. 1:51.5
2. 1:51.5
3. 1:51.4
4. 1:51.6
5. 1:51.5
6. 1:51.5
7. 1:51.6
8. 1:46.5

Almost exactly the same, give or take a tenth here and there as the previous sessions. Could certainly have been faster on 1 - 4, but could I have sustained it? This session next occurs in Week 20, when I will definitely target a much more agggresive pace.

[mdpfirrman]

Still a solid workout Rod. You're looking very close to a sub-7 with that row.

Gordon - nice work and nice negative splits! Solid last set.

I'm still in half workout mode right now. Did 40 minutes today @ around a 2:07 pace. Finished that up with 5 minutes on the stepper and then some KB work. I will probably take off tomorrow (shoulder feels slightly tweaked, probably from the KB presses). I'm hoping to get back into six days of rowing next week. I might abbreviate some of the number of reps of the PP, though, until close to my race date so I don't end up sick again!

[Slacker]

BPP 19.1
10k

I'm trying to get back on the wagon again. Slow 10k to get the blood flowing again. It's still work though.

[Litewait]

Still in "back recovery mode", 5k @ 2.16.5, still hurts a bit.

@everyone - way to keep plugging
@gordon,@ben next week I am away so we may join up at BPP Week 21.

[JerekKruger]

Woke up this morning feeling terrible, so I decided I'd postpone todays row to tomorrow. By lunch time I was feeling a bit better so decided to go in and do it.

BPP Week 3 Session 3: 6000m in 24:11.9 (avg 2:01.0) at 22 SPM

No split data since I forgot to change it to 500m. I tried to negative split this but I just couldn't make myself drop my splits for 4500-5500m, and even the last 500m was fairly slow apart from my obligatory super fast last ten strokes.

I've been pondering it, and I think Paul might be right. The problem with the BPP at the moment is that the longer distances aren't really long enough, and I'm rowing them faster than I should do. Looking at the PP you're expected to be able to do sessions at least two days in a row, whilst my current 6ks leave me exhausted the next day. So I'm thinking about changing things up a bit and running a hybrid version of the BPP and the PP. I'll start out with three sessions a week and, after seeing how it goes, I might bump that to four. Two sessions will be proper steady states: I'll probably start with 10km at 2:05 (this is a split I am fairly confident I can keep for this distance, as pre-BPP I was rowing ~7350 in 30min). The other one or two sessions will be intervals taken from the PP, though I might initially scale the endurance intervals back a little (4x1500, 3x2000 and perhaps 2.5k, 2k, 1.5k). Thoughts?

EDIT: hmm... it seems the suggestion for steady state is to row at 50-55% of your 2k. Even if I plug in my old PB (which I doubt I could pull today) that gives a split of 2:11.8 which seems really slow for me. Any suggestion of pacing?

[mdpfirrman]

Woke up this morning feeling terrible, so I decided I'd postpone todays row to tomorrow. By lunch time I was feeling a bit better so decided to go in and do it.

BPP Week 3 Session 3: 6000m in 24:11.9 (avg 2:01.0) at 22 SPM

No split data since I forgot to change it to 500m. I tried to negative split this but I just couldn't make myself drop my splits for 4500-5500m, and even the last 500m was fairly slow apart from my obligatory super fast last ten strokes.

I've been pondering it, and I think Paul might be right. The problem with the BPP at the moment is that the longer distances aren't really long enough, and I'm rowing them faster than I should do. Looking at the PP you're expected to be able to do sessions at least two days in a row, whilst my current 6ks leave me exhausted the next day. So I'm thinking about changing things up a bit and running a hybrid version of the BPP and the PP. I'll start out with three sessions a week and, after seeing how it goes, I might bump that to four. Two sessions will be proper steady states: I'll probably start with 10km at 2:05 (this is a split I am fairly confident I can keep for this distance, as pre-BPP I was rowing ~7350 in 30min). The other one or two sessions will be intervals taken from the PP, though I might initially scale the endurance intervals back a little (4x1500, 3x2000 and perhaps 2.5k, 2k, 1.5k). Thoughts?

EDIT: hmm... it seems the suggestion for steady state is to row at 50-55% of your 2k. Even if I plug in my old PB (which I doubt I could pull today) that gives a split of 2:11.8 which seems really slow for me. Any suggestion of pacing?

Your SS on the PP should be fairly slow. The longer days are supposed to be "recovery days", like in running. You'll hear runners use the term, "long slow day" or "LSD". Your SS work on the PP should be like that. If you're feeling it, you can speed up (the PP doesn't restrict you from doing that) but it's meant to loosen you up and prepare you for the hard interval days, which are really hard.

At my best this year, I was tracking to do around a 7:10 or so 2K. Now, I'm tracking around a 7:20. When I was doing better, I was really going easy on my SS days and REALLY hard on my interval days (including lifting on them right before rowing). I wasn't doing the full PP at the time - I was doing an abbreviated plan with slightly less intervals at a faster pace.

The PP assumes that your cardio performance is already there. Don't forget, it's a sharpening plan, not a base building plan. The full PP is meant to sharpen you after a long season preparing for the rigors of doing the plan. For many, that means taking a break in the offseason (or limited rowing), followed by lots and lots of meters during a base building phase.

For me, I like two hard sessions a week. Three drains me though I love the PP. The rest of the SS work depends on how your body responds to it and if you're gradually ready for it. The more SS work you do, your rates will drop and it will feel easier and easier for you. My SS work around 10K or more used to be around the 2:17 range. Now, for that distance, it's around 2:12 (with roughly the same HR).

There's no right or wrong way. Just listen to your body and adjust accordingly and stay consistent. Do give your body the easier rows, though, when needed.

[mdpfirrman]

Some fine training by all guys, Rod you are a machine.


PP 1.1 @ 8 x 500m/3'30r ( - 3 seconds faster than 2k @ 1:59.5 4 weeks ago)

I decided - 2 sec @ 1:57.5 as a marker, i got that spot on, nice to breath again lol

15:35.9 @ 4000m @ 1:56.9/27

1:57.5/27
1:57.5/27
1:57.5/27
1:57.5/27
1:57.3/27
1:57.0/27
1:56.6/27
1:54.9/28

Glad that's over, recvered on each rep in last 40 sec of rest, made me work for it.

Good work Paul. Glad to see you on the full PP now (not that the other stuff is easy, I know it's not). Well executed.

[Slacker]

BPP 19.2
5x800m/2:00r row

@1:59.8 r27 average
@2:00.5 r27
@2:00.1 r27
@2:00.2 r27
@1:59.9 r27
@1:58.2 r28

These seemed about right for me today. I was happy with a consistently even pace during each one. I had just a little left at the end to go faster but not too much. The last similar workout was 5x750 that I averaged 2:00.6.

[mudgeg]

BPP Week 17 Day 3

2x 15 min. Targeted a modest 2:08.5 pace to achieve 3500m in 15 min.

1. 3431 / 15 min / 2:11.1
2. 3449 / 15 min / 2:10.4

Absolutely hopeless, felt completely drained, particularly my legs, after yesterday's 8 x 500. Best I can say is I completed the session. Embarrassed to post those times - have done better paces over 10k.

[mdpfirrman]

BPP Week 17 Day 3

2x 15 min. Targeted a modest 2:08.5 pace to achieve 3500m in 15 min.

1. 3431 / 15 min / 2:11.1
2. 3449 / 15 min / 2:10.4

Absolutely hopeless, felt completely drained, particularly my legs, after yesterday's 8 x 500. Best I can say is I completed the session. Embarrassed to post those times - have done better paces over 10k.

Gordon, just to do the work after doing a hard session yesterday is quite an accomplishment. I honestly think you'll like the full PP better probably than the BPP. At least with the full PP, every other day is a SS session with no time goal pace in mind. You take it as easy as you need to. Seems like the BPP has pace recommendations that keep you working hard cardio daily. The 500 X 8 takes a lot out of you. So do the intermediate distances (which you did today), so that's a very hard workout followed by a brisk workout (hard to do for anyone).

I think as we age, recovery takes longer too. I'm just a few years shy of you (and I know there are guys like Lindsay that are incredibly fit for their age) but that has to be factored in too. I wouldn't worry about an off pace day at all. Take it in stride and just hopefully continue on because the BPP seems more about just rowing consistently and building up the fitness base - that you've certainly done. You should be about done now, right?

Ben - good work. Nice negative splits!

[Slacker]

Tom,

The BPP is 24 weeks long partly because it builds up very slowly. Another option to consider is to fast forward somewhere in the plan that makes more sense distance wise.

[mudgeg]

@Mike. Appreciate your considered comments as always. I'm just about to start Week 18 of the BPP and will certainly finish the whole of the 24 week BPP before moving on. Part of my problem is that Christmas came in the way as well as a very busy work period, so I have struggled just to get the sessions in over late December/early January and consequently have probably lost a bit in both fitness and focus. That said the BPP is very nearly a six-month effort, so I think you are bound to get peaks and troughs, happily I have had more of the former.

[mudgeg]

Aplogies for the duplicate post error. I cannot seem to delete the entire message, so have replaced it with this apology.

[mudgeg]

@Paul, apologies the double post was a complete error caused by losing the network connection, so I thought the original had not been posted. Now, I can't seem to delete it either.