What OTW Training have you done today

[Bob S.]

Hi Roy,

The UK KIRS website is neat.

http://www.kirsuk.co.uk/

I like the videos with Mahe D in the images & video section. In the second video, while sitting in the boat he takes out the oars. He can get away with it and I am pretty sure I could do that too. But it is best to hold onto both oars with one hand until you are out of the boat. Among other things, if the water side oar is not there and if a wake from a power boat comes your way before you get out of the boat, you have a good chance of going swimming.

Speaking of not flipping, here is a tip:

Once you have your own shell, you can wrap a small piece of Velcro around the rigger. While you are on the water and want to do something a little complicated such as changing clothing, fussing with footstretchers, pouring coffee from your thermos into a cup, taking photos, etc., you can bring the handles together with the blades resting flat on the water and tie them together with your piece of Velcro, and then you have both hands free. For something not complicated, the usual way is to tuck the handles behind your elbows and then you can free up your hands.

Byron

Then there are those who trade seats in a pair (seen on videos) - not to mention an LBRA club member who was reported to have done head stands in a free floating single.

Bob S.

[Byron Drachman]

Then there are those who trade seats in a pair (seen on videos) - not to mention an LBRA club member who was reported to have done head stands in a free floating single.

Bob S.

Hi Bob,

Switching seats in a pair:

http://www.row2k.com/video/view.cfm?vid=7332

sculling magic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcbwMDb2NnQ

head stand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZCd4hs8nQg

[Bob S.]

Then there are those who trade seats in a pair (seen on videos) - not to mention an LBRA club member who was reported to have done head stands in a free floating single.

Bob S.

Hi Bob,

Switching seats in a pair:

http://www.row2k.com/video/view.cfm?vid=7332

sculling magic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcbwMDb2NnQ

head stand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZCd4hs8nQg

Byron,

Those are great! The first one was, I believe, the one that I had seen before, but I remember it has seeing the move completed successfully. The other two are new to me. I had never actually seen a head stand done nor a video of one. It is interesting that it was a youngster doing it. The one headstander that I had been told about was JVB (Mr., that is) who got his start in sculling very early on - perhaps in his preteens. His scull handling, under all conditions, is a delight to behold.

Bob S.

[Rocket Roy]

Would any of you guys row in a life jacket in frozen waters?

Do they make very lwt one's that inflate in contact with water and that you can row in?

I found this, thoughts?

http://www.getek.co.uk/index.html

[Bob S.]

Would any of you guys row in a life jacket in frozen waters?

Do they make very lwt one's that inflate in contact with water and that you can row in?

I found this, thoughts?

http://www.getek.co.uk/index.html

I wouldn't know about icy waters, but it looks like it might be good for open water races like the Catalina Island race in SoCal and the Farallones race off San Francisco assuming only a limited time before pickup.

For icy waters you would want a lot more than just flotation. The same would apply to the races mentioned above for long exposures. They may not be icy, but would be cold enough to bring on hypothermia.

Bob S.

[sander]

This morning, I did a 14.3km in my single. Mostly 20spm technique but also:

1x 4min plus start 31spm
1x 2min plus start 32spm
1x 4min running start 1min 27spm, 1min 28spm, 1min 29spm, 1min 30spm
1x 2min running start 1min 30spm, 1min 32spm, finishing in 34spm

The pieces were done in headwind.

[Rocket Roy]

I don't know but it looks like you are flying Sander.

Me 90 mins all technique...

[sander]

I don't know but it looks like you are flying Sander.

Me 90 mins all technique...

Not flying yesterday, because it was all in headwind and I had done quite a lot of cycling the day before. However, I am getting more and more comfortable at the 30+ rates, definitely compared to earlier in the season. I'd better be, because in a week time I will be rowing 1km races at FISA Masters in Poznan.

[Rocket Roy]

I wonder what it's like to rate at 30 and above OTW, I think with my coach it's around 18-20 most of the time but that is a guess too.

Sander what will your race rate be at over 1k?

[sander]

I wonder what it's like to rate at 30 and above OTW, I think with my coach it's around 18-20 most of the time but that is a guess too.

Sander what will your race rate be at over 1k?

I will not reveal that on a public forum.

Last weekend it was 32spm in headwind, but I was leading by several lengths so no need to go to a plan B or anything.

The 1km is a very hard distance. For a 2km, you go out at the start, then "settle" at race pace. For a 1km there's not much settling because there's not many meters left. On the other hand, it's too long to sprint, so it's going to be very very painful. That's on of the things I am trying to train, being relatively comfortable at high lactate levels and high ratings.

By the way, the bulk of my work is at 18-22 as well.

[Byron Drachman]

I wonder what it's like to rate at 30 and above OTW, I think with my coach it's around 18-20 most of the time but that is a guess too.

Sander what will your race rate be at over 1k?

I will not reveal that on a public forum.

Last weekend it was 32spm in headwind, but I was leading by several lengths so no need to go to a plan B or anything.

The 1km is a very hard distance. For a 2km, you go out at the start, then "settle" at race pace. For a 1km there's not much settling because there's not many meters left. On the other hand, it's too long to sprint, so it's going to be very very painful. That's on of the things I am trying to train, being relatively comfortable at high lactate levels and high ratings.

By the way, the bulk of my work is at 18-22 as well.

Hi Sander,

I hope your race goes well. That is an interesting comment about 1K vs 2K. At regattas around here they make geezers go 1K instead of 2K, as if that would be easier. Hah! The shorter the distance, the more anaerobic and the more painful.

My OTW "training" consisted of a leisurely row on flat water, followed by watching videos from Bled:

http://www.row2k.com/worlds/video.cfm

The women's pair was especially exciting.

[gregsmith01748]

At this point, I can only dream of 30 SPM in a single! It would be a certain invitation to flipping. I think I need to stick to low rates for the rest of this season.

Today was my second outing in a single. I did about 11.5K over about an hour. Two other rowers in a double went out with me.

Details
1K - Pick drill (arms only, arms and body, half slide in sets of 10)

1K - pause drill (1 to 2 second pause at arms away) - really helpful, almost half the strokes, I was able to keep both blades off the water. My balance felt good at low pressure.

1K - continuous rowing, checking heading during recovery on every fifth stroke

500m - 50 hard strokes at moderate stroke rate (a little over 20?)

3.5K - many many sets of 5. 5 strong strokes at about 20SPM, then coast to check heading and review how I was doing, probably about a 4 second pause during the recovery.

2K - continuous rowing at about 18SPM, concentrating on looking over my shoulder during the drive on every fifth stroke.

2K - cool down back to boat house. Easy rowing, trying to look as stylish as possible, rolling up the blades to square during recovery, trying to keep the blades off the water on recovery, trying to minimize check. I found a new check indicator. My water bottle was in the footwell. During the drive, the bottle would slide back to the stern and hit my heels in the footstretcher. If I checked the boat during recovery, the bottle would slide a bit toward to bow making an annoying scraping noise. It was a really good feedback mechanism!

Then the only low point. Coming back into the dock, I was unable to get a good line to the dock because of a moored sailboat and I ended up with an oar on the dock, but not close enough to reach to pull myself in. I was basically stuck with my bow touching the dock, at a diagonal so I was about 3 feet way at the rigger. I realized I was stuck, and thankfully just stopped and thought about it instead of doing something else stupid. I slowly backed the boat away from the dock, circled around and succeeded with the second attempt. It was good boat handling practice, but a bit tough on the ego.

It was a good session. My AvgHR was 141 over the hour, so I got a bit of a workout.

[Byron Drachman]

At this point, I can only dream of 30 SPM in a single! It would be a certain invitation to flipping. I think I need to stick to low rates for the rest of this season.

Today was my second outing in a single. I did about 11.5K over about an hour. Two other rowers in a double went out with me.

Details
1K - Pick drill (arms only, arms and body, half slide in sets of 10)

1K - pause drill (1 to 2 second pause at arms away) - really helpful, almost half the strokes, I was able to keep both blades off the water. My balance felt good at low pressure.

1K - continuous rowing, checking heading during recovery on every fifth stroke

500m - 50 hard strokes at moderate stroke rate (a little over 20?)

3.5K - many many sets of 5. 5 strong strokes at about 20SPM, then coast to check heading and review how I was doing, probably about a 4 second pause during the recovery.

2K - continuous rowing at about 18SPM, concentrating on looking over my shoulder during the drive on every fifth stroke.

2K - cool down back to boat house. Easy rowing, trying to look as stylish as possible, rolling up the blades to square during recovery, trying to keep the blades off the water on recovery, trying to minimize check. I found a new check indicator. My water bottle was in the footwell. During the drive, the bottle would slide back to the stern and hit my heels in the footstretcher. If I checked the boat during recovery, the bottle would slide a bit toward to bow making an annoying scraping noise. It was a really good feedback mechanism!

Then the only low point. Coming back into the dock, I was unable to get a good line to the dock because of a moored sailboat and I ended up with an oar on the dock, but not close enough to reach to pull myself in. I was basically stuck with my bow touching the dock, at a diagonal so I was about 3 feet way at the rigger. I realized I was stuck, and thankfully just stopped and thought about it instead of doing something else stupid. I slowly backed the boat away from the dock, circled around and succeeded with the second attempt. It was good boat handling practice, but a bit tough on the ego.

It was a good session. My AvgHR was 141 over the hour, so I got a bit of a workout.

It sounds like you are a natural. Second time in a single and you are doing drills? Wow!

I've done that 45 degree docking too. And I did exactly the same thing--push off and come back in. There is supposed to be a way to move your boat sideways, but I never mastered it. One of my friends can do it. It is described in Frank Cunningham's The Sculler at Ease.

[Rocket Roy]

Only his 2nd time, OMG, makes my efforts look like a drunken monkey, he definitely is a natural.

Well done Greg!

[Bob S.]

I've done that 45 degree docking too. And I did exactly the same thing--push off and come back in. There is supposed to be a way to move your boat sideways, but I never mastered it. One of my friends can do it. It is described in Frank Cunningham's The Sculler at Ease.

Nice going Greg.

Re moving a boat sideways: It can be done by what is called one-oared sculling. You move the blade back and forth continuously immersed in the water. You alter the tilt of the blade with each motion in such a way as to push water away from the boat. It is quite slow in moving the boat sideways because the whole length of the hull is resisting the movement. For regular one-oared sculling, which is done at the stern of a slender hull (not as slender as a rowing shell) it is surprisingly fast. In the days when I had a 26' sailing trimaran, I sometimes had to resort to that when my outboard conked out and there wasn't enough wind (or space) to sail. I could get about 1.5 knots. I know that it doesn't sound very fast, but the boat displaced over 2 tons and even the outboard got it up to only about 7 knots.

Bob S.