The Road To Boston 2008

Rowmaniac · Post by **Rowmaniac** » February 4th, 2008, 8:33 pm

Today was 4 x 1' AN for me. IP calls for 6 x 1' AN, but since I am doing some jiggling with the plan and some time trials on Wednesday to prepare for the PIRC this weekend, this was all I was supposed to do today. My arms are still sore from another torturous training session on Saturday evening, and I felt more like a nap than a row, but I am supposed to call my trainer and tell him how I did, so the push was there.

I got on the erg and did my warmup, with 10 hard strokes every 90 seconds. No matter how hard I seemed to try, I could not get the splits down below 1:45 the whole warmup. I figured I'd go for it anyway. I think adrenaline helped me out here.

AN Target for 7:10 2K is 1:43 on the fastest end of the band. I did:

137.0 / 309m / 37 spm
138.2 / 305m / 36
138.8 / 304m / 36
138.8 / 304m / 37

w/u 2000m
c/d 2000m

Total meters 5222

I looked back 5 weeks ago today at the other 1' AN workouts, and my average split was 143.2. (I did do more reps then but I couldn't get one interval below 142.0 that day.) I'm not sure if this power can or will translate to a better 2K time, but I suppose it is a testament to both the IP plan and the strength training.

That said, 6 days until the satellite 2K qualifying regatta, and I look forward to getting it done!. I have friends and teammates coming, but the work is all mine. I hope I can do it.

seat5 · Post by **seat5** » February 5th, 2008, 12:23 am

Wow, a lot to catch up on since I was here last!
Rick, you do so many 2K tests you must be bored with them.

Today was 8 x 45s AN. I feel like a slow poke next to your AN, Deborah.

Today was 8 x 45s AN. Target for a 7:20 2K is 1:47 for AN.
Did them at av 1:41.9/38

220 1:42.2 /41
221 1:41.8/39
221 1:41.8/37
221 1:41.8/39
221 1:41.8/39
220 1:42.2/39
221 1:41.8/39
221 1:41.8/37

I don't think AN is worth anything as this pace is indicative of a 7:00 2K which is patently, absurdly impossible. I think TR is about the only real indicator (and that sadly points to a 7:24 or thereabouts at best.)

tomorrow--UT1 yay!

Rowmaniac · Post by **Rowmaniac** » February 5th, 2008, 1:02 am

I just realized I misread the plan and today was 8 x 45 sec. AN and not the 6x 1' AN. Oh well. I think a little speed work is good, but I agree with you, Carla. There is no way this is a predictor of a 2K. I'd need wings and some divine intervention to go sub 7:00.

However, you pulled some nice splits on these, Carla. I didn't go back and look, but I think you rowed these faster than the ones we did about 3 weeks ago. You are getting faster and stronger, no doubt.

Tomorrow I'm gong to do a UT1 here as well. Just as I commit to come off the water for the final weeks of 2K training, we are having some amazingly beautiful weather. Go figure.

Yankeerunner · Post by **Yankeerunner** » February 5th, 2008, 8:53 am

Veronique, good work at such a low stroke rate. You are strong!

Tom, keep hanging in there. Arlen Spectre is a boob, and I don't mean that in a nice way. Do you remember him pompously announcing that he was going to bring perjury charges against Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas hearing? He didn't actually do it, but he made the news with it. I predict that he will now quietly decide that what the commissioner did was satisfactory after all. I also predict that the Randy Moss controversy will quietly disappear and that it will be considered all an unfortunate misunderstanding.

Carla & Deborah, smokin' ANs! I'll be doing my equivalent tonight.

This morning though, the usual 5km at 5:30am at the Hard Nock's Gym.

1575m 08:00.0 2:32.3 20spm (warmup)
5000m 21:59.1 2:11.9 23spm
1615m 08:00.0 2:28.5 20spm (cooldown)

S10MPS with the monitor covered except for meters, 109df, ribs wrapped, XM Satellite Radio playing rude & suggestive music (such as Cuntry Boner by Puscifer). Slowish, but I had a deep muscle massage last night and was still a bit lethargic from the exquisite relaxation. Also in the back of my mind was the AN workout that I'll be doing tonight, and I was probably subconciously saving a bit for that.

TomR · Post by **TomR** » February 5th, 2008, 10:22 am

Yankeerunner wrote: XM Satellite Radio playing rude & suggestive music (such as Cuntry Boner by Puscifer).

Is it possible that the music affected your concentration while rowing?

If only our parents had stopped Elvis when he started shaking his moneymaker, society wouldn't have degnerated to this point. This is the domino theory of cultural deterioration, visually evident at any place where youth gathers, with their recent purchases from the hardware store embeded in their bodies.

seat5 · Post by **seat5** » February 5th, 2008, 8:35 pm

Today was 4 x 13 UT1. I actually did do it in 4 pieces because tomorrow is TR and I don't want any possibility of using it as an excuse that I didn't break it up. This was easy but I suppose UT1 is supposed to be easy after all.

3146 2:03.9/22
3154 2:03.6/22
3155 2:03.6/22
3149 2:03.8/22

target is 2:04.5.

Too bad about the nice OTW weather you are giving up, Deborah! Veronique, Rick's comment made me look back at your post. Very nice pacees at 20 and 22 spm!

Rick, isn't this early morning stuff getting old? I'm working out later than you (start at 6:15) and I find it perfectly beastly. I'm used to it now and wake up before my clock but it's still a struggle. What time to you go to bed to be able to be at the gymn at 5:30?

tdekoekkoek · Post by **tdekoekkoek** » February 5th, 2008, 9:39 pm

After an aborted attempt at a 2K this Saturday, the last few days have been rather down and not much energy. Tried to pull things together today.

AM: 9000m @ 1:51.5 23 spm

PM 2K warmup with some sprints down to 1:24

3*1500 m with 2 min rest. Started a little ambitious had to back off for the next 2:

5:12.2 (1:44)
5:17.0 (1:45.6)
5:18 (1:46.1)

Might be going to Atlanta this weekend for business and while I'm there do the Atlanta Erg Sprints

Cheers

Trevor

TomR · Post by **TomR** » February 5th, 2008, 9:51 pm

3x12 AT/6 min recovery (7 mins a year ago)

today--2.00.7 avg/8944 mtrs/? HR
2007-- 1.59.4 avg/9041 mtrs/159 HR

HR monitor died. Better it than me.

seat5 · Post by **seat5** » February 6th, 2008, 9:19 am

Tom, maybe you are better off with the HR monitor dead. I wonder what your results will be without the tyranny of that machine on top of the PM.

Trevor, good luck at Atlanta if you make it there. Sprints down to 1:24

Your training has been so consistently top notch, you must just need a few days real rest, which from the sound of it you never give yourself.

I am really struggling with the TR workouts. Last night I went to bed early and yesterday I did the UT1 in pieces so I would be all ready for 4 x 4 TR today. But again I croaked on the 4th interval:

1077 1:51.4/33
1076 1:51.5/31
1071 1:52.0/31 this really was awful the last minute

I quit 2 min into the 4th one.The pace was dropping to 1:54 and my legs were stupid and thick. I think if maybe someone was there I might have done it but facing the pain and nausea alone I just couldn't hack it.

So then I rested a few more minutes, gave myself a pep talk and tried the 4th one again. This time I managed 3 mins:
803 1:52.1/30
but again just could not muster up the guts to finish the last minute. If I had someone to count for me, maybe, just maybe.

The only encouragement I get from it is that if it had been the 4 x 3 that killed me last week I would have made it.

Waughgghghghghg! where is that picture of a wailing baby? It belongs at the end of this post.

Yankeerunner · Post by **Yankeerunner** » February 6th, 2008, 9:45 am

Tom, "Cool" cannot be stopped.

The King was a product of our desires, not the other way around. Give the monitor a decent burial. I've been working without a net this time around (no monitor) and it hasn't seemed to make a difference.

Carla, I hate mornings. But they have to be done because that's the time I have before work and because that's when my races occur.

On Gym days I'm up at 4:50am.

I'd rather sleep in.

Trevor, best wishes at Atlanta.

Last night I added 10% to the work intervals of the previous sprint session. 10 X 330m (1'ar)

2929m 13:00.0 2:13.1 23spm (warmup)
5108m 21:43.8 (3300m of sprints/1808m of 20spm paddling)
2604m 13:00.0 2:29.7 17spm (cooldown)

50 degrees, 150df, ribs wrapped, ZZ Top on the CD player. Started at my new Current 2km pace of 1:49.6 and sped up by half a second each work interval until cutting loose on the final one with 1:39.5. Averaged 1:46.6 @ 32spm. Good progress, and still some to give. Will probably bump up another 10% next time.

Back to steady state this morning.

1497m 07:00.0 2:20.3 20spm (warmup)
9000m 37:21.1 2:04.6 24spm
1387m 07:00.0 2:31.4 19spm (cooldown)

S10MPS with the monitor covered except for meters, 50 degrees, 114df, ribs wrapped, Classical music on the CD player. Got a bit more weary in the legs than usual, probably some residual fatigue from the sprints last night. I'll be taking the evening session off tonight so that hopefully I will bounce back with the strength of 10 men tomorrow morning.

Veronique · Post by **Veronique** » February 6th, 2008, 2:23 pm

Trevor, good luck in Atlanta. Great intervals Rick; especially when adding one to an already long list.

Carla & Deborah, can't believe the AN paces you're pulling; just amazing! Cara, I wonder whether you would benefit from an approach like Rick used on his 330m pieces: plan for starting higher and ending lower. I usually use a "Pete-plan" type approach to TR work: all intervals (always distances for me) except the last one at the average pace of the last session and all-out on the last one only to get a new average. May be more difficult in the IP, however, since I'm not sure how many different workouts there are. But you get the idea.

Went running yesterday since I didn't want to go down into my dungeon basement. Felt great to be outside; can't wait to get back on the water. Today 40' WP L4(ish) session. Was a little stiff from running so took it easy: 2:11.0; average spm 19.1.

ranger · Post by **ranger** » February 6th, 2008, 6:56 pm

By some miracle transformation (don't ask me what did it; I have no idea), I have gotten my fluid distance rowing back, after several years of low rate rowing and other kinds of odd training (at high stroking powers).

26 spm seems most productive for this purpose, but anything from 24 spm to 28 spm seems to be fine.

I am now pulling in and around 12.5 SPI, so the paces I am hitting with this distance rowing are a little hard to believe.

So it goes.

I ain't complainin'!

1:42 @ 26 spm is a nice cadence.

Step on a little more gas and I go 1:40 @ 28 spm.

Take a little off and I go 1:44 @ 24 spm.

Wonderful training for Boston/WIRC and 2K trials more generally.

I'll be interested to see how this distance rowing, which I haven't done consistently for almost four years now, affects my race in Cincinnati this Saturday.

Tomorrow and Friday, I am going to try to do 8 x 500m (3:30 rest), too, but I am now warming up every day with 15K-20K of this free rate distance rowing at 24-28 spm.

Great stuff.

UT1/Level 3

During this rowing my HR, once it is warmed up, ranges from 150 bpm to 170 bpm.

This is perfect as a prelude to 500s, which I like to use to force my HR repeatedly up to 175 bpm, 180 bpm, 185 bpm, and beyond.

I saw 184 bpm on the monitor today.

Happy about that.

I think I might see 190 bpm before Saturday.

My weight is getting _very_ good.

If I can make weight in Cincinnati, I'll row as a heavyweight but with a lightweight stamp.

I'm watching my eating now.

Pretty much just fruits and vegetables.

And not much!

ranger

ranger · Post by **ranger** » February 7th, 2008, 5:51 am

Nice quick bout of 25 pull ups this morning.

When I get to 30, I am ready to race as a lightweight.

ranger

Yankeerunner · Post by **Yankeerunner** » February 7th, 2008, 7:35 am

Veronique, I turned to the erg when running became too painful after some three decades of bashing. While I've found it to be the best alternative, I badly miss being outdoors and moving through the landscape. Real rowers keep telling me to get in a boat, but that isn't as convenient as walking into the spare room to the erg. Maybe some day.

Just an easy paddle this morning, with a bit of snow-shoveling to be done immediately after, and with a harder evening row in the back of the mind.

1827m 09:00.0 2:27.8 20spm (warmup)
5000m 22:04.3 2:12.4 23spm
1851m 09:00.0 2:27.2 20spm (cooldown)

S10MPS with the monitor covered except for meters, 50 degrees, 125df, Travis Tritt on the CD player. Felt fine, just shaking out yesterday's weariness. Followed up with a quick cleanup of 2" of overnight snow to clear the sidewalks and cars. Sunny came with me and spent the time happily wriggling about on his back and inviting me to do the same. I passed.

Rocket Roy · Post by **Rocket Roy** » February 7th, 2008, 9:33 am

500m w/u...1.58.1...25spm
2 min rest
3k.........11.11.2...1.51.9...26.5...132 drag...target...1.53.0
2mr
1.5k......5.21.9...1.47.3...28.0...132 drag...target...1.48.0
2mr
1k........3.25.8...1.42.9...30.0...133.1 drag...target...1.43.0
2mr
500m...1.39.4...32.5...132.6....target...1.38.0
2mr
1k c/d...2.05.3...25spm

All S10MPS, from a dead flywheel.

Just some easy bike now and that will be all for the day, only 1 session today.

I thought the drag was set on 127 but Ergmonitor tells me differently, it felt good on this 132 so I'll leave it there.

40 mins bike