Ranger's training thread

[Steve G]

I was referring to OTW rowing.

_I_ wasn't.

This is a forum for indoor rowing.

ranger

Why keep mentioning your new boat then, an expensive toy if you dont intent to race. Its like buying a TT bike and just paddling about!
Steve

[ranger]

I am picking up my new Fluidesign 1x in Port Huron, MI, at noon on Monday.

New toy!

It should be fun to paddle about in.

Maybe not as fun as a new iPad or iPhone to punch about on, or a new home threatre to peekaboo at, or a new Beemer to roll around in, or a new designer *** DELETE - SPAM *** to cook up a storm with, but what the heck.

To each his own.

Guess I am just strange.

Personally, I have more fun paddling about on the river than I have playing with the new hi-tech gizmos that everyone is using for entertainment these days.

ranger

[ranger]

Beautiful base pace rowing now, 1:44 @ 27 spm (11.5 SPI), right at my 60min target.

HR 165 bpm, well below my anaerobic threshold (at 172 bpm).

This summer, I need to train myself to hold my heart rate steady at that level for a couple of hours.

This is Caviston's Level 3 rowing.

No need to do any more low rate, Level 4 rowing.

My stroking power is fine.

As a 60s lwt, I am pulling 11.5 SPI in my distance rowing--and at pretty high rates (27-32 spm).

Love the low drag (123 cf.).

With such a snappy drive and recovery, you really get a lot of time to slow down, set up, conpress, and rest at the catch before firing off with your legs on the next stroke.

With this sort of slowing down and resting at the catch, 27 spm doesn't feel like a high rate at all for distance rowing.

You are resting about a quarter of the time.

Let that wheel spin!

Let that boat run!

ranger

P.S. Two hours of pretty stiff cross-training on my bike each day _after_ erging will get me doubly used to the sustained effort, patience, and relaxation I will need to complete these two-hour (35K?) Level 3 rows.

[ranger]

5K at this base pace (1:44 @ 27 spm, 11.5 SPI) would be a 60s lwt WR.

10K at this base pace would be a PB for me.

An hour at this base pace would be a 50s WR, both lightweight and heavyweight.

And a full two hours at this base pace would be just about as well as any lightweight has ever done.

That is, it would be an Open lwt WR.

ranger

[ranger]

Beautifully relaxed and consistent base pace stroke now, 1:44 @ 27 spm (11.5 SPI).

At this low drag (123 df.), 27 spm feels as natural as can be for my 60min target.

27 spm is perfect for a base pace rate.

From there, I can drop the rate to 24 spm for a FM and raise the rate to 30 spm for 6K--with incremental steps in rate in between.

24 spm FM
25 spm 30K
26 spm HM
27 spm 60min>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>base pace
28 spm 10K
29 spm 30min
30 spm 6K

No matter what the rate, my stroking power remains constant--11.5 SPI.

Delighted with all of this.

Now I just need to do it for a month or two, working this base pace rowing into distance trials some time in late August so that I can begin full sharpening on Septemberr 1st.

1:44 is UT1 for a 6:16/1:34 2K.

11.5 SPI is about 2 SPI better than I used to do in my distance rowing back in 2002-2003, 1 SPI better than I used to do for 2K.

At the same rate, each SPI is worth 10 seconds over 2K.

ranger

[ranger]

At this stroking power, to reach my 2K target when I sharpen in September, I will need to do 5Ks at 31 spm and 4 x 2K at 32 spm.

This seems just right.

ranger

[ranger]

Picked up my new Fluidesign 1x today in Port Huron.

Gord Henry drove it over the border to me from Canada--personally.

It was fun to chat with him about rowing.

Today is his birthday.

He is 57.

Gord thinks that my new Fluidesign is about five seconds per 500m faster than my old Peinert26.

Nice!

I'll take it out OTW tomorrow for the first time.

ranger

[Nosmo]

Gord thinks that my new Fluidesign is about five seconds per 500m faster than my old Peinert26.

Its not.

[ranger]

It's not.

When nay-aying becomes a knee-jerk reflex, it's for sure that you are brain dead.

ranger

[Nosmo]

It's not.

When nay-aying becomes a knee-jerk reflex, it's for sure that you are brain dead.

ranger

Its not a knee jerk reaction. I've rowed them both (well I've rowed the X25, the 26 is a bit big for me). The Fluiddesign is a really nice boat, really lovely to row and fast, but it will not give you 50 seconds in a 5K over a Pinert, (unless the of course the Pinert doesn't fit or is set up completely wrong)

Pinerts are a little heavy, have a cheep riggers and are not as adjustable as more expensive boats but they are actually fast and very much under rated. They are also a hell of a lot more robust then the Fluids.

But go on believe all the marking hype and ignore me. After all I must be brain dead to post on this thread.

[ranger]

But go on... and ignore me

O.K.

If you say so.

ranger

[ranger]

10MPS is 1:51 @ 27 spm (9.5 SPI), not 1:44 @ 27 spm (11.5 SPI).

There's that seven seconds per 500m again!

ranger

[ranger]

My new Fluid is a _gorgeous_ ride.

No problem with balance.

Much firmer catches.

Beautiful run.

I have no problem holding 27 spm OTW, so over the summer, it looks as though I might be able to just match my base pace erging with similar OTW rowing.

It will be interesting to see what pace I go at 27 spm in the Fluid vis-a-vis the 1:44 @ 27 spm I pull on the erg.

My new Fluid is a torpedo; my old Peinert is a barge.

ranger

[bloomp]

And compared to my Hudson, your Fluid is a piece of garbage. Also, if you somehow became ME (Paul Bloom) you might gain 5s/500m OTW, but no boat will make you that much faster.

[ranger]

And compared to my Hudson, your Fluid is a piece of garbage. Also, if you somehow became ME (Paul Bloom) you might gain 5s/500m OTW, but no boat will make you that much faster.

Sure, because of your age, weight, and skill.

But, hey.

The numbers are interesting.

For instance, if Mike VB can do 1:48 for 5K on the erg, the best he could do for 5K OTW is 2:00 pace, 20:00, or 19:20 for 3 miles at the Head of the Charles.

For lightweights, 12 seconds per 500m is pretty much a limit on the gap between a 5K on the erg and a 5K on the water.

But what if I do 1:39 for 5K on the erg--at 60 years old?

Hmm.

This would mean that my limit OTW for 5K would be 1:51 pace, if my weight were minimal and skills maximal.

That's 18:30 for 5K, 17:50 for 3 miles.

That's encouraging, no?

2:00 pace is pretty much the best that any 60s/Veteran rower has ever done the Head of the Charles.

Sure, I still have a lot to learn and lot of work to do OTW.

But when all is said and done, I think I will rate 30-32 spm OTW over 5K.

Mike VB's preference is something closer to 25 spm.

And he is not alone in this.

Because of lifelong neglect, and therefore loss of aerobic capacity, veteran (i.e., 60s) OTW rowers can't both row well and get the rate up.

If they try, they run out of air.

Their major limitation is not technical.

Theeir major limitation is physical/physiological.

ranger