Pondering the Beginner Pete Plan

[RayOfSunshine]

BPP 15.2
5x750 2r
Pleased to hold on the last 200m without too much of a fade. Lungs are burning.

[btswims]

Week 8 Day 2 -

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	HR
24:39.9	6,000m	2:03.3	187	942	23	170
6:09.1	1,500m	2:03.0	188	946	23	166
6:11.3	1,500m	2:03.7	185	935	23	168
6:13.9	1,500m	2:04.6	181	922	23	169
6:05.6	1,500m	2:01.8	193	965	25	177
r1,553m					

[RayOfSunshine]

Ski BPP 15.3
3x10' 2r
Target 2:12.8 first 2, fast last

[istro]

Hi again everyone!

The DF will most commonly change due to the accumulation of dust on the flywheel. When did you last clean it? Admittedly, moving from low 5s to high 6s is a big movement. Do you live at altitude?

I live near sea level, and I _think_ I cleaned it when I got it - about 455km ago... I'll see about taking it apart tomorrow or the day after though, thanks for the tip. Now in the last couple of workouts it was a tiny bit over 130, so I adjusted it down a tiny bit again... Maybe I'm just looking for more fidelity than margin of error allows for

@btswims, keep up the good work!
@RayOfSunshine, awesome comparisons with an older session splits - great to see progress!
@EastClintwood, I hope you've recovered fully from NYE illness! Solid effort pushing through with steadies rather than just taking a break, well done!
@namtran0510, welcome to the BPP party!

---
As to my BPP update - took a couple of days off for a winter sports trip, then did a 10k before continuing with BPP. And today I finished week 22 workouts. 10 workouts left in the plan! Keeping up with my idea of bumping up steady states by 500m every time in preparation for a HM attempt after BPP, tomorrow to start week 23 I'll do 15.5k.

Then, for 2nd steady state of that week (presumably on next Wednesday) I'll do 16094, to make it even 10 miles . If someone had told me 6 months ago that I would aim to row 10 miles as my "just another day, just next planned workout", I would have thought them crazy . Grateful for you all in this thread cheering me on, definitely helps with motivation!

[RayOfSunshine]

Then, for 2nd steady state of that week (presumably on next Wednesday) I'll do 16094, to make it even 10 miles . If someone had told me 6 months ago that I would aim to row 10 miles as my "just another day, just next planned workout", I would have thought them crazy . Grateful for you all in this thread cheering me on, definitely helps with motivation!

That's awesome! The furthest I went before my 1st HM was 15k. I love how you're approaching it. When I was new to the board/rowing, I remember reading about a guy who did 16094 each day before work. What sounded absurd now sounds like a great way to start the day.

[RayOfSunshine]

BPP 15.4 on skierg
Restrict the stroke rate as you have done before to a maximum of 22spm, focus on technique, and don’t worry too much about the pace.
22spm on rower is about 36-37 on the skierg
DF = 74

[btswims]

Week 8 Day 3 -

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Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	HR
36:13.6	8,000m	2:15.8	140	780	20	151
7:18.1	1,600m	2:16.9	136	769	19	147
7:16.5	1,600m	2:16.4	138	774	20	148
7:15.9	1,600m	2:16.2	138	776	20	153
7:11.7	1,600m	2:14.9	143	790	21	156
7:11.5	1,600m	2:14.8	143	791	21	154

[RayOfSunshine]

Week 8 Day 3 -

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	HR
36:13.6	8,000m	2:15.8	140	780	20	151
7:18.1	1,600m	2:16.9	136	769	19	147
7:16.5	1,600m	2:16.4	138	774	20	148
7:15.9	1,600m	2:16.2	138	776	20	153
7:11.7	1,600m	2:14.9	143	790	21	156
7:11.5	1,600m	2:14.8	143	791	21	154

Nice work. I like that you could pick it up and not have your HR go up too much.

I did BPP 15.5 today.
You’ll be doing 5 reps of this session next week, so use this as a good indicator of how fast you can pace that. Go for the same pace as you managed for the 3 x 2000m last week, but resist the temptation to do a faster last rep, unless it feels really easy!

I've been pushing myself on all 5 sessions each week, so it was definitely not feeling really easy.

[btswims]

Nice work. I like that you could pick it up and not have your HR go up too much.

Thanks! It felt good so I pushed it a bit a the end.

Week 9 Day 1 -

I was worried about this distance since 8500 was rough. I did the logical thing and pushed the pace at the start and overall was happy with how it turned out.

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	HR
40:33.9	9,000m	2:15.2	142	787	20	155
8:06.7	1,800m	2:15.1	142	787	20	149
8:08.0	1,800m	2:15.5	141	783	20	155
8:06.9	1,800m	2:15.2	141	786	20	157
8:05.7	1,800m	2:14.9	143	790	21	160
8:06.5	1,800m	2:15.1	142	788	21	157

[RayOfSunshine]

Week 9 Day 1 -

I was worried about this distance since 8500 was rough. I did the logical thing and pushed the pace at the start and overall was happy with how it turned out.

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	HR
40:33.9	9,000m	2:15.2	142	787	20	155
8:06.7	1,800m	2:15.1	142	787	20	149
8:08.0	1,800m	2:15.5	141	783	20	155
8:06.9	1,800m	2:15.2	141	786	20	157
8:05.7	1,800m	2:14.9	143	790	21	160
8:06.5	1,800m	2:15.1	142	788	21	157

Well done. Do you purposely try to keep it around 20 SPM, or is that what feels natural? When I started and went through the BPP, mine was always around 20 because that's where I felt comfortable holding form & technique. Nothing wrong with it at all, I was just curious.

[istro]

Nice work everyone, thanks for the updates!

My update - yesterday completed week 23. Last 5 workouts left!!! Then a HM, then back to BPP 1.1! Excited for that. This last week of BPP I'll rearrange the order a little bit to fit in the time-constrained schedule of the next few days, but will get them all done before the end of January for sure!

[btswims]

Week 9 Day 1 -

I was worried about this distance since 8500 was rough. I did the logical thing and pushed the pace at the start and overall was happy with how it turned out.

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	HR
40:33.9	9,000m	2:15.2	142	787	20	155
8:06.7	1,800m	2:15.1	142	787	20	149
8:08.0	1,800m	2:15.5	141	783	20	155
8:06.9	1,800m	2:15.2	141	786	20	157
8:05.7	1,800m	2:14.9	143	790	21	160
8:06.5	1,800m	2:15.1	142	788	21	157

Well done. Do you purposely try to keep it around 20 SPM, or is that what feels natural? When I started and went through the BPP, mine was always around 20 because that's where I felt comfortable holding form & technique. Nothing wrong with it at all, I was just curious.

Thank you. I started lower probably around 17/18 to keep my hr down, as I've gotten into better shape 20/21 feels good without making my hr spike too much. I have more trouble going faster, the idea of 30 spm seems crazy at my level right now.

[RayOfSunshine]

Well done. Do you purposely try to keep it around 20 SPM, or is that what feels natural? When I started and went through the BPP, mine was always around 20 because that's where I felt comfortable holding form & technique. Nothing wrong with it at all, I was just curious.

Thank you. I started lower probably around 17/18 to keep my hr down, as I've gotten into better shape 20/21 feels good without making my hr spike too much. I have more trouble going faster, the idea of 30 spm seems crazy at my level right now.

I remember feeling that same way. I remember my 1st 10k TT was around 22spm. After another year or so, I did a PB at 27spm. Heck, I think my 1st 2k was at 24spm. On the ski, I'm still lower on the SPM than most.

Today was BPP 16.2
5x1500 3r
I've been pushing myself hard on all 5 sessions each week and doing additional training. I knew I was going to break eventually. Well, today was the day. I blew up mentally & physically during the 4th rep. I finished it out and the final rep. Tomorrow... low & slow is the tempo on the rower.

[RayOfSunshine]

BPP 16.3
Aim for the same pace you achieved on the 10000m row in week 15. 30mins is less time than it took you to cover 10000m, so you should have some energy left to speed up in the final minutes.
Week 15 10k was 2:13.4 @ 39SPM w DF= 76. Finished with this piece an average of 2:13.2 @ 38SPM w DF = 64. This ended up being much more difficult due to recent diet limitations and overall fatigue. HR was higher throughout compared to the 10k TT in week 15. Overall, I'm pleased I finished after the last session.

Tomorrow is BPP 16.4
You’re putting in a lot of distance each week now, so it is becoming even more essential to know when to take it easy. Restrict the rate again to a maximum of 22spm, and concentrate on technique, and an efficient delivery of power during the drive.

I'll be taking it easy this time.

[RayOfSunshine]

B

Tomorrow is BPP 16.4
You’re putting in a lot of distance each week now, so it is becoming even more essential to know when to take it easy. Restrict the rate again to a maximum of 22spm, and concentrate on technique, and an efficient delivery of power during the drive.

I'll be taking it easy this time.

BPP 16.4 - 10k restricted to 22spm (or about 37spm on the ski)
Also capped HR @ 60% HRR
2:30 pace @ 35spm

Looking forward to BPP 16.5, 4x1k 3r, tomorrow