Pete Plan Thread

[hobbit]

Hmm, pretty quiet here. Am I the only one doing PP?

C1W1D2 10K SS @2:17 22spm. Easy, but maybe still a teeny bit too fast.

C1W1D3 The dreaded 5 x 1500 R5'. Target pace 2:06. Started off well, but a touch optimistic. Sagged a bit in the middle of the last one, but made it in the end.

[estragon]

Is there any demand for splitting up the Pete Plan and Beginners' Pete Plan discussions? I've been doing and repeating BPP on and off for a while and quite often check this thread for encouragement but it's hard to pick through the 100+ pages and work out which of the two plans people are doing.

Also, the experienced PP rowers tend to be faster and more focused on record breaking -- which is totally understandable at their level. But it's also a bit intimidating for us more stately rowers. There have been a few comments about people not posting much and I wonder if this is part of the reason? There are certainly some good athletes on the PPB too but in general, PPB types are more likely to be (as the name suggests) relative beginners and more in need of newbie chat and encouragement, and a place to ask dumb questions.

It's such a well-established thread that I wouldn't want to dive in and dictate change to the long-time contributors. That doesn't seem respectful. Any thoughts on this as we approach a new year? Thanks.

[RayOfSunshine]

I did the entire BPP last year.. including the 2 optional sessions each week. I doubt I would've finished the BPP had I been on a separate thread. I learned so much from those with more time on machine. I forced myself to post all my workouts (other than steady states) on here. The accountability kept me from HDing a couple times. The motivation and support I received on this forum was incredible. I started around this time last year... there was more activity as there were a number of people on the PP training for races in February.

One thing I learned about the rowing community, it's AWESOME! I actually joined facebook recently because of a suggestion from someone on here. I don't use it for anything other than rowing and my dog's daycare/boarding facility. Well, that was until I just bought my new SkiErg. Now, I'm in a SkiErg group. I did my first workout on my new SkiErg today. It was pathetic.... BUT, I posted it! I plan on doing the BPP for the SkiErg and will post every session.

Also, you never know when your post may actually help someone else.

[derekpboland]

Just got new Concept 2 off Santa claus.......Starting petes plan next week. Will look back through posts to gain some knowledge etc.

[Dangerscouse]

Just got new Concept 2 off Santa claus.......Starting petes plan next week. Will look back through posts to gain some knowledge etc.

It's a great feeling having your own erg. I slightly pulled my back lifting it into the house!!!

@Ray, we have a big feeling of camaraderie which almost makes people obliged to help others. I personally get vicarious satisfaction out of knowing I am, or even just maybe, helping people.

[shadowpup]

Hello all,

I've had my Concept 2 rower and now my SkiErg since November. It's been fun to work on my own for these weeks, and also a ridiculously proud moment to go from sometimes using the rower to warm up for other things ... to completing the holiday challenge. That $2 donation was hard earned!

Still, I was playing around to see how to work with my new toys - it's time to settle into a pattern. The Beginner Peter Plan seems perfect for the rower. My SkiErg seems better (for now) as a motivation to get my strength training/antagonist muscle/pre-hab work done for climbing: 500 meters fast and then 2 minutes to do a few sets has somehow got far less dread factor (it's kind of fun) than doing either one solo. Three or four sessions a week will let me get most of those done. It helps to have the SkiErg set up and staring at me every time I step into the basement, with the TRX set up nearby.

Also, thanks to all those who posted in the past in this forum and this thread especially - I've learned quite a bit from you as to what to expect - and am looking forward to the motivation of having this Thread to complete the basics. I completed Week 1 Wednesday, and am looking to start Week 2 today.

[hobbit]

C1W1D4 supposed to be SS, but did not make it - gave myself a rest with aching knee and back (caused, ironically, by yoga spinal twist)

C1W1D5 Tempo 2k wu, 4.5k @2:08 25spm, 2k cd. Sort of aiming for a 6k PB, but did not have the required oomph. No worries.

[hobbit]

Thanks to all those who posted in the past in this forum and this thread especially - I've learned quite a bit from you as to what to expect - and am looking forward to the motivation of having this Thread to complete the basics. I completed Week 1 Wednesday, and am looking to start Week 2 today.

If you've started, then why not post your training? It helps motivation, and keeps me company .

I wish that I had the money for a Skierg. It would really raise my XC skiing game. The season is so short and getting to tracks is time-consuming (OK, so 45 minutes must seem pretty quick to most of you). I'd love to do a long distance race, but you need to get the time on the piste, or SkiErg, in.

[mdpfirrman]

Would agree with Hobbit. Please post your workouts on here. I started the thread last year (after we kept doing another one every year). The Pete Plan probably has very special meaning to me because I kind of came out of the lurking on a PP thread years ago.

When I started, I was the guy asking a million questions and Jack, Henry, Glen, Hardy, Greg and many others we very kind in helping me. I'm certainly not the fastest guy by far. Ironically, in this thread, that actually made me more relatable. I found that out because the first year that I did it, I was posting every workout in detail -- the struggles, the mental part, the physical challenges of it all. My race was late that year and by the time everyone else was done, I was still posting.

The full PP is meant as race prep, so this should be the height of the season for the PP. I'm not racing this year but I'd be happy to provide what feedback I can. I can't log on to the forums except on my work computer (my other one for some reason I plug in the same password and it says it's the wrong password).

What I found that year I was the only one posting was that there were many learning from my mistakes. When I stopped posting, a couple people came out of lurking and told me that they missed my posts and then I used the PP as a basis of training the full next year and we made it a continuous thread.

Even if you think you're the only one posting, you're likely not the only one paying attention. Ray did a nice job keeping this thread going. Stu has been an amazing contributor helping people. The BPP has a lot of similarities later on to the full PP. I personally enjoy watching people progress from the BPP to the full PP. Ray is blowing my socks off on times now after around a year and a half.

Any contribution to the thread is great. I'm going to be REALLY busy the first Q of this year and won't have a lot of time -- doing a cross country move from OH to AZ. I'll check in when I can but you guys doing the plan are the ones that keep it alive!

[Dangerscouse]

@Mike, thanks very much, I'm very pleased I can make a contribution to our crazy world of rowing.

If I can, and where I can, I'll always try and help, encourage and cajole people into being as good as they can be. I know from experience a bit of encouragement can go a long way!! Best of luck with moving house...that's a massive distance and change in weather!

If you've started, then why not post your training? It helps motivation, and keeps me company .

Definitely agree with Hobbit. There could be some valuable advice if you do post your sessions and it also holds you accountable to push that little bit harder, especially when you get encouragement and support.

[shadowpup]

Hobbit, Mike, Dangerscouse - thanks for the warm welcome and encouragement! I was startled to see all the replies … definitely motivating

I'll get my posting put together for yesterday and today. In the meantime, here are my ranking tests in December. There is *plenty of room* for new personal bests in 2019

RowErg best ranked December 2018: 500m 2:07.3 1000m 4:44.5 2000m 9:44.8 5000m 23:51.6 6000m 29:45.2 10000 49:43.4

[shadowpup]

Hobbit, the SkiErg purchase came as a partial impulse buy … if an expensive piece of equipment is an impulse buy, basically I decided against a bike … and wow, wrestling it into the house, then down to the basement, then setting it up solo was an adventure. It's a cool machine, definitely a great complementary system to the rower. It feels like it is balancing out my triceps and giving me a different kind of core workout, and it gets my HR up fast. It's also nice to have something that isn't so hard on my feet!

Yesterday's workout:
SkiErg at 500m x1, six intervals; TRX IYT reps, bench press, glute/hamstring raises during rests, 2x each**
** truth in advertising, while I set that rest interval at 60 seconds, it took more like two-three minutes for the intervals. Need to figure out how to set more realistic lengths for those

Today's workout:
Climbing routes indoors! 90 minutes, half on the wall/half belaying, hit max HR a few times. Hard workout. Definitely feeling stronger than early November.
Rower: BPP week 2 Day 1 (is that BPP W2D1?). 5500m 27:02.9, 2:27.5. HR smoothly crept from green to yellow/85% by minute 22.

Up tomorrow:
Climber laps at 6am (gulp).
Either rower or ski-erg strength or perhaps both. Still figuring out how to balance these three activities.

Wednesday will be a break from climbing. Not sure if I should take a break from ski/row then also, or to shift tomorrow's ergs to Wednesday.

[mdpfirrman]

@ Shadow - what you'll find, with time, is that you just want to keep the hard days hard and the "easier" days easier. I still struggle with that often. Tweaked my lower back around 3 months ago and during the recovery period wasn't able to really push hard. My strength is just really coming back to me. I was doing a lot of rows last month too hard on the easier days and not pushing hard enough on the harder/interval days.

You'll learn that cross training is great, just be cautious to keep the interval/hard days hard and plan around them. Early in the BPP, I'm not sure there's a lot of harder interval pieces yet, so you have time to sort that out.

You sound like a lot of others that do many activities and working a rowing plan is can be challenging. Andy S. that did the plan last year and some this year is primarily a climber and rowing is just for fun/fitness for him. He's doing tremendously well. Climbers seem to be really great rowers.

[SowfLondonRower]

Hi Shadowpup, welcome to the thread! I haven't posted much recently as I'm on an enforced Christmas hiatus, but on the 2nd of Jan I'll be starting week 22 of the BPP. I've absolutely loved it, and it's amazing the improvement and sense of achievement you get.

Listen to all the regulars, the advice is always helpful! And as others have said I've found it good to have the background pressure of posting my workouts in here.

I haven't decided yet whether I'll move straight on to the full PP when I finish the BPP, but I'll keep checking in to the thread anyway

[Dangerscouse]

@ Shadow - what you'll find, with time, is that you just want to keep the hard days hard and the "easier" days easier. I still struggle with that often.

This is really important to remember but a very simple trap to fall into. "If your low stuff is too high, your high stuff will be too low" - Pete Reed. For 'low' it means easy low rated sessions, so leave your ego at the door and embrace going slow to get faster, admittedly it's sometimes harder than an all out TT!!