Pondering the Beginner Pete Plan

[AndyH]

8.2 4 x 1500m / 3min rest – If you did the optional session last week you’ll have a good idea how to pace this one. If not, aim for the same pace as you did the 2000m reps in week 6. See if you can go slightly faster on the 4th rep – although there are 4 reps this week, the total distance is still 6000m.

HR crept up a bit higher that AT on the last interval

I would always expect to go above AT, usually by the end of the second one. Why did you think this wasn't advisable?

I thought of these intervals as AT workouts vs the speed intervals which go above.

[winniewinser]

BPP W21S2 - 4x1km/3'R...target 1:47.7 from week 18. Finally grew a pair ...but this really is all I had.

14:18.6 4,000m 1:47.3 283 1274 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:33.7 1,000m 1:46.8 287 1287 30

[nick rockliff]

BPP W21S2 - 4x1km/3'R...target 1:47.7 from week 18. Finally grew a pair ...but this really is all I had.

14:18.6 4,000m 1:47.3 283 1274 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:33.7 1,000m 1:46.8 287 1287 30

That's a great session on 3 min recovery, always thought the norm was 5 min?

[winniewinser]

BPP W21S2 - 4x1km/3'R...target 1:47.7 from week 18. Finally grew a pair ...but this really is all I had.

14:18.6 4,000m 1:47.3 283 1274 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:33.7 1,000m 1:46.8 287 1287 30

That's a great session on 3 min recovery, always thought the norm was 5 min?

Thx Nick.....I think it's 5' on the Pete Plan proper

[Dangerscouse]

BPP W21S2 - 4x1km/3'R...target 1:47.7 from week 18. Finally grew a pair ...but this really is all I had.

It's all you needed

[AndyH]

BPP W21S2 - 4x1km/3'R...target 1:47.7 from week 18. Finally grew a pair ...but this really is all I had.

14:18.6 4,000m 1:47.3 283 1274 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:33.7 1,000m 1:46.8 287 1287 30

Solid work! Your warmup is my workout

[dmuskett]

Week 2.1 5500m – You’ll see a pattern develop over the first few weeks of your new training plan. These single distance sessions will increase by 500m each week, building the duration gradually up. As your fitness will be increasing each week, and your technique improving, you should find that despite the increase is distance, the pace can be kept the same as the 5000m rows from last week.

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M HR
26:12.6 5,500m 2:22.9 120 712 19 155
5:15.2 1,100m 2:23.2 119 709 19 144
5:14.5 2,200m 2:22.9 120 712 20 153
5:15.3 3,300m 2:23.3 119 709 20 159
5:15.2 4,400m 2:23.2 119 709 20 160
5:12.5 5,500m 2:22.0 122 720 20 162

Stuck right around the 2:23 pace from my last few rows. I upped the S/M from 18 to 20, trying to get something a bit more fluid - I'll never have super long strokes with my body type, and right now my gut is preventing me from getting to an 11 o'clock position.

Big mental focus today was on trying to keep the back straight - when I did it the stroke felt much easier/efficient, but man those muscles are not used to that yet. The row itself felt fine, could have kept going quite a while. Definitely doing a significant amount of the row in the AT zone.

[winniewinser]

BPP W21S2 - 4x1km/3'R...target 1:47.7 from week 18. Finally grew a pair ...but this really is all I had.

It's all you needed

Yep... getting harder to find improvements now but that's the game

BPP W21S2 - 4x1km/3'R...target 1:47.7 from week 18. Finally grew a pair ...but this really is all I had.

14:18.6 4,000m 1:47.3 283 1274 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:35.0 1,000m 1:47.5 282 1269 30
3:33.7 1,000m 1:46.8 287 1287 30

Solid work! Your warmup is my workout

[AndyH]

Week 2.1 5500m – You’ll see a pattern develop over the first few weeks of your new training plan. These single distance sessions will increase by 500m each week, building the duration gradually up. As your fitness will be increasing each week, and your technique improving, you should find that despite the increase is distance, the pace can be kept the same as the 5000m rows from last week.

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M HR
26:12.6 5,500m 2:22.9 120 712 19 155
5:15.2 1,100m 2:23.2 119 709 19 144
5:14.5 2,200m 2:22.9 120 712 20 153
5:15.3 3,300m 2:23.3 119 709 20 159
5:15.2 4,400m 2:23.2 119 709 20 160
5:12.5 5,500m 2:22.0 122 720 20 162

Stuck right around the 2:23 pace from my last few rows. I upped the S/M from 18 to 20, trying to get something a bit more fluid - I'll never have super long strokes with my body type, and right now my gut is preventing me from getting to an 11 o'clock position.

Big mental focus today was on trying to keep the back straight - when I did it the stroke felt much easier/efficient, but man those muscles are not used to that yet. The row itself felt fine, could have kept going quite a while. Definitely doing a significant amount of the row in the AT zone.

I believe the intent of the first several weeks of the plan is to keep the pace somewhat constant for the long rows as the distances increase. Around week 8 or 9 pace starts coming down here and there, which seems to pick up even more towards the latter weeks of the plan.

If it helps for some perspective, I'm currently in week 8. My pace has come down a little even though that wasn't a focus, as I've had to row a little bit faster to get my HR on the easiest workouts in the UT2 zone.

[AndyH]

8.4 [25min] – Rowing to a set time, rather than distance, doesn’t affect how to pace a training row. Still aim for a stroke rate of 24 or just below, and a constant pace throughout, perhaps 1sec faster than the previous 8000m session.

Previous 8k was 2:24.7. Took :02 off while keeping it as a UT2 session.

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	HR
25:00.0	5,261m	2:22.5	121	715	19	127
5:00.0	1,057m	2:21.9	122	721	20	115
10:00.0	1,051m	2:22.7	120	714	19	124
15:00.0	1,056m	2:22.0	122	720	19	129
20:00.0	1,050m	2:22.8	120	713	19	133
25:00.0	1,047m	2:23.2	119	709	19	134

[AndyH]

8.5. [3 x 1k / 3min rest] – See if you can row this at the same pace as the 7 x 500m last week. Start to notice the stroke rate on these interval sessions too now, and how it compares to the (slower paced) single distance or time sessions.

Night and day difference from the last time I did this workout - got the pacing right this time and stayed consistent.. Still a beast of a workout

Current:

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	HR
11:52.0	3,000m	1:58.6	209	1020	30	173
3:57.5	1,000m	1:58.7	209	1019	30	169
r: 3:01	187m						
3:57.4	1,000m	1:58.7	209	1020	30	174
r: 3:01	208m						
3:57.1	1,000m	1:58.5	210	1022	30	176
r395m				

Previous - I realized in hindsight I had done these on 2:00 rest instead of 3:00

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	HR	
12:06.8	3,000m	2:01.1	197	977	30	177
3:59.9	1,000m	1:59.9	203	997	31	175
r: 2:01	116m						
4:01.7	1,000m	2:00.8	198	982	30	177
r: 2:01	88m						
4:05.2	1,000m	2:02.6	190	953	30	179
r204m				

[winniewinser]

8.5. [3 x 1k / 3min rest] – See if you can row this at the same pace as the 7 x 500m last week. Start to notice the stroke rate on these interval sessions too now, and how it compares to the (slower paced) single distance or time sessions.

Night and day difference from the last time I did this workout - got the pacing right this time and stayed consistent.. Still a beast of a workout

Current:

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	HR
11:52.0	3,000m	1:58.6	209	1020	30	173
3:57.5	1,000m	1:58.7	209	1019	30	169
r: 3:01	187m						
3:57.4	1,000m	1:58.7	209	1020	30	174
r: 3:01	208m						
3:57.1	1,000m	1:58.5	210	1022	30	176
r395m				

Previous - I realized in hindsight I had done these on 2:00 rest instead of 3:00

Code: Select all

Time	Meters	Pace	Watts	Cal/Hr	S/M	HR	
12:06.8	3,000m	2:01.1	197	977	30	177
3:59.9	1,000m	1:59.9	203	997	31	175
r: 2:01	116m						
4:01.7	1,000m	2:00.8	198	982	30	177
r: 2:01	88m						
4:05.2	1,000m	2:02.6	190	953	30	179
r204m				

Very nicely done.....no wonder it was hard first time on 33% less rest ....you need every second

[AndyH]

Very nicely done.....no wonder it was hard first time on 33% less rest ....you need every second

Thanks - was hard this time too - was suffering on that last interval big time!!

[dmuskett]

2.2 4 x 750m / 2min rest – The intervals are 50% longer this week, but the total distance of the session is the same. Look back at your average pace from the 6 x 500m session last week, and try to row each interval at exactly that pace. Don’t go faster, no matter how tempted you feel!

I gave it everything I had last week on those intervals and flew and died, hard. But I averaged a 201.7. Was a bit nervous going into this one.

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M HR
12:28.7 3,000m 2:04.7 180 919 29 169
3:03.0 750m 2:02.0 193 963 31 160
3:03.7 750m 2:02.4 191 955 29 172
3:05.0 750m 2:03.3 187 942 30 175
3:17.0 750m 2:11.3 155 831 29 171

I died with about 80 meters left in the third interval. Tried to rally and held pace for the first 300 meters of the last interval then I had absolutely nothing left. I'm proud of myself here because I know I left it all on the rower. I'll drop pace for these to 2:05 for the next set of intervals. Definitely felt real signs of progress because on the first three intervals I felt pretty solid at the 500m point, where last week I certainly did not.

[AndyH]

2.2 4 x 750m / 2min rest – The intervals are 50% longer this week, but the total distance of the session is the same. Look back at your average pace from the 6 x 500m session last week, and try to row each interval at exactly that pace. Don’t go faster, no matter how tempted you feel!

I gave it everything I had last week on those intervals and flew and died, hard. But I averaged a 201.7. Was a bit nervous going into this one.

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M HR
12:28.7 3,000m 2:04.7 180 919 29 169
3:03.0 750m 2:02.0 193 963 31 160
3:03.7 750m 2:02.4 191 955 29 172
3:05.0 750m 2:03.3 187 942 30 175
3:17.0 750m 2:11.3 155 831 29 171

I died with about 80 meters left in the third interval. Tried to rally and held pace for the first 300 meters of the last interval then I had absolutely nothing left. I'm proud of myself here because I know I left it all on the rower. I'll drop pace for these to 2:05 for the next set of intervals. Definitely felt real signs of progress because on the first three intervals I felt pretty solid at the 500m point, where last week I certainly did not.

Great work staying with it and finishing the set. Almost exactly where I was back in the early weeks, including struggling to figure out the right pacing for those speed intervals. I think I blew up in the 2nd interval iirc. It will come.