Pondering the Beginner Pete Plan

[fancyoats]

Another stormer of a final rep there, FO. You sure you're going hard enough in the others?

probably not! Just trying to avoid any more fly-and-die situations. Seems like any time I think I can do better, I aim too high and then hit smack into a wall.

[Rowan McSheen]

Fly and die, crash and burn ... been there, done that. This is why I approached those 1000m reps with trepidation, having been bitten before. It's about making incremental gains. Always nicer on the way up to the plateau than on the way down!

[fancyoats]

W13S4 8000m



RH 91%

I worked very late yesterday - didn't get home til after 9:30pm, and then had a hard time winding down for bedtime, so only ended up getting 5 hours of sleep, give or take. Today's going to be rough, but at least it's Friday.

[Rowan McSheen]

W4 S3 6,500m. As with the distance pieces, second one done at UT1 effort. Slightly slower than previous 6,000m piece, eased off a little in second half to stay within hr band. 25 degrees and 60% humidity in the room. All good.

[fancyoats]

W13S5 3x2000/4min

Target was 2:18.2, from the 4x1500 last week. Had some trepidation about maintaining that for 2k but I managed to pull it out. Not sure if the final rep counts as a "stormer" but I was only a couple beats away from my max observed HR so I don't think I was holding much back.



RH: 84%

[fancyoats]

Also I love how me going flat out as fast as I can is just like a leisurely paddle for everyone else.

[badge48]

W1s3

End of first week. Am I taking it too easy? It seems so. What sort of pace should I follow for the long pieces pls? I actually did a second 5k piece this same day too to burn some more cals. Should I have just gone harder in the first?

Thank you

Splits
Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
22:42.5 5,000m 2:16.2 138 776 20 128
4:37.0 1,000m 2:18.5 132 753 19 118
4:34.6 2,000m 2:17.3 135 765 20 124
4:31.6 3,000m 2:15.8 140 780 20 132
4:29.9 4,000m 2:14.9 142 790 21 132
4:29.4 5,000m 2:14.7 143 792 22 137

[badge48]

Did a 10km easy row to burn a couple of beers at the footy last night.

Splits
Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
45:11.0 10,000m 2:15.5 141 783 20 131
9:04.5 2,000m 2:16.1 139 777 19 122
8:58.1 4,000m 2:14.5 144 794 19 128
8:58.9 6,000m 2:14.7 143 792 20 132
9:01.8 8,000m 2:15.4 141 784 20 137
9:07.6 10,000m 2:16.9 136 769 22 139

[Rowan McSheen]

Also I love how me going flat out as fast as I can is just like a leisurely paddle for everyone else.

I feel your pain but I like to say of myself that I'm not slow, I'm an endurance athlete.

And anyway, going faster to get it over and done with sooner is cheating, isn't it?

[Rowan McSheen]

W1s3

End of first week. Am I taking it too easy? It seems so. What sort of pace should I follow for the long pieces pls? I actually did a second 5k piece this same day too to burn some more cals. Should I have just gone harder in the first?

Thank you

Splits
Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
22:42.5 5,000m 2:16.2 138 776 20 128
4:37.0 1,000m 2:18.5 132 753 19 118
4:34.6 2,000m 2:17.3 135 765 20 124
4:31.6 3,000m 2:15.8 140 780 20 132
4:29.9 4,000m 2:14.9 142 790 21 132
4:29.4 5,000m 2:14.7 143 792 22 137

Disclaimer: I am no coach or expert, just a random bloke on the internet. That said, my understanding of Pete's plans is that the distance pieces are rowed steadily but quite energetically, about 24 spm. It's called the beginner plan but by beginner he means a fit and trained athlete who happens to be a newbie to the erg. I do the distance pieces at UT1, which for me works out as 22-24 spm (well, actually I alternate between UT2 and UT1 but that's by the by)*. So from you've posted here I would say yes, you might be going too easy by 2-3 spm. But the distances ramp up quite rapidly so beware overdoing it.

*You said earlier that you've rowed before so I assume you know the jargon.

[Rowan McSheen]

W4 S4 6,000m. Instrux say same pace as preceding 6,500m but to make it more interesting I opted for first half at current UT2 pace (2:19-ish) and second at current UT1 (2:13-ish). Which made for a satisfying workout. Didn't bother with the hrm.

[fancyoats]

W14S1 10000m



RH 82%

And anyway, going faster to get it over and done with sooner is cheating, isn't it?

Funny you should say such a thing, bc Pete's "advice" for this session is "Keep those improvements coming, the faster you row, the quicker you finish!" Sadly I did not follow his advice very well this morning. Almost 4 seconds slower than last week's 10k.

Happy Monday!

[flabby100]

Random 2K: 8:41.2 at 24s/m
W1S1: 5k in 22:53.7 at 23s/m
W1S2: 6x500 in avg 2:01.5 at 26s/m

Hoping that posting here will help me hold myself accountable. I’m a beginner, and not in shape. Virtually no athletic background unfortunately. Been following some YouTube videos to learn the basics. 43M / 5’10 / 175lbs.

[fancyoats]

Random 2K: 8:41.2 at 24s/m
W1S1: 5k in 22:53.7 at 23s/m
W1S2: 6x500 in avg 2:01.5 at 26s/m

Hoping that posting here will help me hold myself accountable. I’m a beginner, and not in shape. Virtually no athletic background unfortunately. Been following some YouTube videos to learn the basics. 43M / 5’10 / 175lbs.

Welcome, flabby! (I feel a little rude for calling you by your username )

[flabby100]

Random 2K: 8:41.2 at 24s/m
W1S1: 5k in 22:53.7 at 23s/m
W1S2: 6x500 in avg 2:01.5 at 26s/m

Hoping that posting here will help me hold myself accountable. I’m a beginner, and not in shape. Virtually no athletic background unfortunately. Been following some YouTube videos to learn the basics. 43M / 5’10 / 175lbs.

Welcome, flabby! (I feel a little rude for calling you by your username )

I assure you the moniker is highly accurate and can be used without concern.

W1S3: 5k in 22:24.0 at 24s/m