Training for BIRC December 9th

[NavigationHazard]

40 x 1' r32 on 1' this afternoon. This might have been the most gonzo 60s fatties interval workout ever, if for no other reason than I can't think of anyone else daft enough to essay anything like unto it. Warning: mind-numbing data follows.....

01] 301m 1:39.7 pace 354w HR range 085-130 bpm
02] 300m 1:40.0 pace 350w HR range 103-143 bpm
03] 302m 1:39.4 pace 357w HR range 105-145 bpm
04] 303m 1:39.0 pace 361w HR range 105-146 bpm
05] 305m 1:38.4 pace 368w HR range 111-147 bpm
06] 306m 1:38.1 pace 371w HR range 113-148 bpm
07] 306m 1:38.1 pace 371w HR range 114-150 bpm
08] 306m 1:38.1 pace 371w HR range 115-150 bpm
09] 306m 1:38.1 pace 371w HR range 116-149 bpm
10] 307m 1:37.8 pace 375w HR range 120-151 bpm

11] 307m 1:37.8 pace 375w HR range 121-151 bpm
12] 307m 1:37.8 pace 375w HR range 123-151 bpm
13] 308m 1:37.4 pace 379w HR range 119-153 bpm
14] 307m 1:37.8 pace 375w HR range 123-153 bpm
15] 308m 1:37.4 pace 379w HR range 125-154 bpm
16] 307m 1:37.8 pace 375w HR range 123-153 bpm
17] 307m 1:37.8 pace 375w HR range 127-153 bpm
18] 307m 1:37.8 pace 375w HR range 127-152 bpm
19] 307m 1:37.8 pace 375w HR range 130-152 bpm
20] 307m 1:37.8 pace 375w HR range 128-154 bpm

21] 307m 1:37.8 pace 375w HR range 131-153 bpm
22] 307m 1:37.8 pace 375w HR range 130-153 bpm
23] 308m 1:37.4 pace 379w HR range 128-154 bpm
24] 308m 1:37.4 pace 379w HR range 131-154 bpm
25] 308m 1:37.4 pace 379w HR range 133-153 bpm
26] 308m 1:37.4 pace 379w HR range 135-155 bpm
27] 308m 1:37.4 pace 379w HR range 130-152 bpm
28] 308m 1:37.4 pace 379w HR range 133-153 bpm
29] 308m 1:37.4 pace 379w HR range 134-153 bpm
30] 308m 1:37.4 pace 379w HR range 135-155 bpm
31] 308m 1:37.4 pace 379w HR range 134-154 bpm
32] 309m 1:37.1 pace 382w HR range 133-155 bpm
33] 310m 1:36.8 pace 386w HR range 136-156 bpm
34] 311m 1:36.5 pace 390w HR range 134-157 bpm
35] 312m 1:36.2 pace 394w HR range 135-156 bpm
36] 312m 1:36.2 pace 394w HR range 137-157 bpm
37] 315m 1:35.3 pace 405w HR range 140-158 bpm
38] 315m 1:35.3 pace 405w HR range 141-160 bpm
39] 316m 1:35.0 pace 409w HR range 142-160 bpm
40] 329m 1:31.1 pace 462w HR range 145-165 bpm r34

12329m total work distance in 40:00.0 net elapsed work time, 1:37.3 average pace, 380w, r32 [PM5]. If I totaled everything correctly the last 13 were at an average 1:36.0 pace, or >fractionally< over age-group 2k WR pace. Sometimes you're in the mood for such things.

I added 60' on the recline cycle at 289w, cadence 46, average HR 126 bpm with a peak of 134 bpm.

[PaulG]

40 x 1' r32 on 1' this afternoon. . If I totaled everything correctly the last 13 were at an average 1:36.0 pace, or >fractionally< over age-group 2k WR pace. Sometimes you're in the mood for such things.

I added 60' on the recline cycle at 289w, cadence 46, average HR 126 bpm with a peak of 134 bpm.

No, actually as a 60+ skinny I am never in the mood for such a thing.

It seems like this time around you are doing much more aerobic work and its in the form of time on the recline cycle. Why not on the erg? I think this aerobic work is going to bring you to new lows (time) at the 2k. Just watch your blood sugar. It would be interesting to see blood sugar levels before and after a max 2k if that is not too intrusive.
Paul

[NavigationHazard]

Cheers, I'm not convinced it's "more" work, at least in terms of volume. While I'm here in Poland, I'm not rowing OTW. My 1x is in storage in the US. That eliminates 10-12k worth of training meters/day, on average. Now, how much of that OTW work was at what intensities is very hard to say. I don't normally wear a HR monitor in a boat (chafing from the strap is annoying if you get wet, and then there's the problem of how do you actually look at the data while rowing your 1x). Pace-based reckoning doesn't work very well either because intensity is SO dependent on current, wind, waves, wakes, debris in the water, bridges and curves in the channel, other boats, etc. etc.

I've tried to track OTW meters anyway in years past, but haven't necessarily reported them in my erstwhile postings here. If there's a difference this time around, as you've put it, I think it's probably that I'm making an effort to ensure that the continuous, distance/base-building stuff actually is that. I'm also reporting it here, not least because I don't have a UK-Forum blog anymore as a way to keep track of it.

As for why the cycle and not the erg, the main reason is that I'm training in a gym setting. It's a great gym, but it's a gym as opposed to my own space. It has two well-maintained ergs that actually get quite a bit of use from the clientele. I have a certain flexibility in terms of my daily schedule, so I can avoid the peak-use periods. But I can't monopolize one of them for hour upon hour upon hour. My last workout, for example, took 80 minutes of erg time to complete. There's no way I can justify another 60 to 90 minutes on the erg.

There are a couple of secondary considerations as well. One is that after having had my right shoulder surgically reconstructed, I find it difficult to erg continuously for protracted periods of time. My neck muscles tend to tense up despite my best efforts to keep myself relaxed. Intervals help a lot with this. It's also a lot easier to drink fluids when you're on a cycle, or take on carbs if you need them, or for that matter do things like monitor blood sugar, lactate levels, HR, blood pressure, whatever....

As for plasma glucose before/after a max-effort 2k, that's an interesting question. Exercise turns out to affect my levels in complicated ways, both during it and after it. I was at 126 mg/dl before yesterday's 40 x 1' effort, for example, and 98 afterwards, with the latter value borderline problematic according to American Diabetes Association-recommended guidelines. You get below 100 during or after exercise and it's possible to put yourself in the hospital with a hypoglycemic crash/bonk. Here's a link to the ADA page, if there are any diabetics out there who ever come across this thread: http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitnes ... rcise.html

[NavigationHazard]

6 x 500m r24 on 1 min rest this afternoon. Depending on rating and pacing, 6 x 500 on 1 min is usually somewhere right around 2k pace on current form. +/-1 sec is a typical result. I'm not entirely convinced I could row a 2k r24 in the mid 6:30s right now but I am starting to like my dismal chances somewhat more than I used to....

01] 1:38.7 364w
02] 1:39.2 359w
03] 1:39.2 359w
04] 1:38.9 362w
05] 1:38.8 363w
06] 1:37.1 382w

3000 m total work distance in 9:51.9 net elapsed time. 1:38.6 average pace 365w r24.

I added 45' on the recline cycle at 320w. Average HR I think was 136 bpm -- somehow I again managed to blank the summary screen before noting all the pertinent details. Cadence was about 47.

[le grand fromage]

I've got that tomorrow Nav, 6 x 500 R1 at race rate (32-33). Never really been one for predictive rows but I'll give myself a target pace somewhere where I think I'll be around BRIC (6:25ish) and see how it goes.

30R20 for me today, didn't bother with a warm up just straight to it. Don't really like these as it really shows up the power loss as the years go by Gave myself a 265 watt target which was 3 watts better than last year so actually pleased to have got past that. Averaged 277 watts for the last 5 minutes

30min - 1:49.1 - 20 - 8248 - 269 - MHR 148

[NavigationHazard]

Did a 1k today, mostly to see how I reacted to something actually spilling over threshold intensity. 3:09.6 r32, nothing particularly special except for the pacing. I deliberately tried to provoke lactate accumulation by going out ridiculously fast. Glucose level afterwards was 109. For whatever it's worth it's the fastest age-group 1k ranked this year.

I added 45' on the recline cycle at 323 watts, average HR 136 bpm, cadence 50. I was wearing my bluetooth headphones and had left the phone in an unreachable spot in my gym bag. This was problematic in that I got to hear Santana's Black Magic Woman 8 1/2 times in a row.....

[le grand fromage]

Nice 1k Jon and now hopefully you know all the words to Black Magic Women as well

Well, just did my 6x500R1 at race rate and surprised myself Never been one for predictive rows but if I was, this one predicts 6:21.6 +/- 1 sec

Thought I was around 6:25 for 2k atm so gave myself a target pace of 395 watts. However, after the statutory 2k warm up, I blasted out the blocks on the 1st interval and felt quite good making 401w so changed the target to 400w. Fell asleep at the end of the 2nd interval but other than that made the target until the last where I just concentrated keeping the rate down and the power on. HR topped out at 157 so a bit spare there (max for me is around 164).

Pretty pleasing session although it's put me in a quandary now as I'd given up on the BR (6:21.3) but now I'm not so sure. I had a pretty good pacing plan for 6:25 that I was happy with now I'm wondering whether to tweek it abit.

Scores on the doors

2k WU - 1:44.4 - 28 - 307 - HR 135 - 6:57.8

6x500R1 race rate 32-33

1:35.6 - 33 - 401 - hr142
1:35.7 - 33 - 399 - hr147
1:35.6 - 33 - 401 - hr150
1:35.6 - 33 - 401 - hr153
1:35.6 - 33 - 401 - hr154
1:34.8 - 33 - 411 - hr157

9:32.8 - 3k - 1:35.4 - 33 - 402

[NavigationHazard]

It's always better to be pleasantly surprised than to come up against a roadblock.

Me, I expect nothing these days. That way anything and everything in the way of a result is a pleasant disappointment.

[NavigationHazard]

Rather gonzo revisit of the CTC this afternoon. 4 x 750m on 3' rest.

01] 2:25.6 1:37.0 pace 383w r32
02] 2:23.1 1:35.4 pace 403w r34
03] 2:22.7 1:35.1 pace 407w r35
04] 2:17.8 1:31.9 pace 451w r36

3k total work distance in 9:29.2, 1:34.9 pace, 410w r35.

On all of them I went out >hard< for the first 25 strokes and then 'lengthened'. Let's see how the system reacts to that kind of stress/demand for carbohydrates....

[NavigationHazard]

8 x 500m on 3:30 rest today, deliberately trying to provoke lactate accumulation by going out ridiculously fast for the first 250m of each. The basic point is that to get better at clearing it you have to produce it in the first place.....

01] 1:35.3 404w r33 HR range 090-145
02] 1:34.9 410w r33 HR range 099-152
03] 1:35.0 408w r33 HR range 103-155
04] 1:35.0 408w r33 HR range 109-155
05] 1:34.8 411w r34 HR range 114-156
06] 1:34.8 411w r34 HR range 117-157
07] 1:35.1 407w r33 HR range 113-156
08] 1:33.0 435w r35 HR range 124-157

4k total work distance in 12:38.0, 1:34.7 average pace according to the PM5 [that's a truncation; I make it 1:34.8], 411w r33.

I added 30' on the recline cycle at about 330w, cadence 51, average HR 133.

[NavigationHazard]

8 x 500m r24 on 1:40 rest today.

I brought my glucometer to the gym and tested myself before/during/after the workout to see definitively what might be going on...

Pre-workout blood glucose level 120 mg/dl. I retested roughly 1 minute after the end of each rep.

01] 1:40.1 349w HR range 082-141 bpm glucose 116
02] 1:39.8 352w HR range 101-144 bpm glucose 108
03] 1:39.6 354w HR range 103-153 bpm glucose 104
04] 1:39.3 357w HR range 107-154 bpm glucose 095
05] 1:39.3 357w HR range 108-155 bpm glucose 093
06] 1:39.2 359w HR range 119-157 bpm glucose 107 ?! [I don't think I got a clean blood spat from the finger prick]
07] 1:39.2 359w HR range 121-157 bpm glucose 091
08] 1:37.2 381w HR range 125-161 bpm glucose 089

4k total work distance in 13:3.7, 1:39.2 pace, 358w r24 (all 40 strokes except #8, which was 39). Interestingly, two minutes after finishing my blood glucose had recovered to 103 mg/dl and 10 minutes after was back to 108 mg/dl. The idea is that your liver produces glucose to meet the demands of the exercise, but if like me you can't process it at the right rate, the 'fuel' can back up in the bloodstream when you stop....

Anyway, all of this was well within American Diabetes Association and Mayo Clinic guidelines for exercise. See https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-con ... t-20045697 if you're interested in more....

I added 30' on the recline cycle at 325w, cadence 52, average HR 133 bpm.

[NavigationHazard]

8 x 500m r32 on 1:40 rest this afternoon, more than anything else thinking about consistency and smoothness:

01] 1:40.0 350w r32
02] 1:40.0 350w r31
03] 1:40.1 349w r31
04] 1:40.1 349w r31
05] 1:39.9 351w r31
06] 1:39.6 354w r31
07] 1:37.0 383w r32
08] 1:30.1 479w r35

4k total work distance in 13:06.8 net elapsed work time, 1:38.3 average pace, 368w r32 [PM5; ErgData]. I have HR data but recorded it manually and can't be @r$ed to go get it out of the backpack.

I added 30' on the recline cycle at a nominal 348w, cadence 54, average HR 136 bpm.

[le grand fromage]

Getting to that time of year when BRIC looms and every little sniffle or cough makes one think "I'm going down with something" Not sure that I am as I get this just about every year but feels like I've picked something up from my wife/daughter who have both had recent ailments.

Anyway, todays feast was a dress rehersal with a full 20 min warm up followed by a 1k, done at my race plan pace for the 1st 1 k. (whatever that is ). Following on from the 6x500R1 I did the other day I did consider doing a BR race plan but as I HD'd big style at the week-end on a 3x750R1 I figured I needed a confidence booster so went for my sub 6:27 race plan which is 500 @ 415w followed by 370w for a target finish of 391 av watts.

Nailed it quite nicely although the rating seems a bit off, did'nt remember hitting too many 31s and felt I was rating a tadge high ie more 33-34 rather than 32-33s. Other than that all good.

1k
1:36.2 - 33 - 393 - 3:12.5

Splits
472 - 37
408 - 32
408 - 32
396 - 34
389 - 34 - 415 av
372 - 31
372 - 34
372 - 34
372 - 31
372 - 34 - 393 av

[NavigationHazard]

The PM displays rating in whole numbers, and afaik truncates fractional values rather than rounding them. How it allocates partial strokes also has an effect on displayed values for splits. You may not have actually rowed >any< strokes at a nominal 31 spm....

Anyway, I make that to have been 1:34.5 for the first 500 and 1:38.0 for the second.

[NavigationHazard]

8 x 500m r32 on 1:40 this afternoon. Negative splitted. I tried to take off a second of pace per rep, but didn't quite manage to pull it off.

01] 1:39.7 353w r32 HR 081-142
02] 1:39.3 357w r32 HR 111-148
03] 1:37.8 374w r32 HR 117-152
04] 1:36.8 386w r32 HR 123-153
05] 1:35.7 399w r32 HR 117-155
06] 1:35.0 408w r33 HR 125-157
07] 1:34.8 411w r33 HR 131-157
08] 1:33.5 428w r33 HR 136-159

4k total work distance in 12:52.7, 1:36.5 pace 388w r32 [PM5/ErgData].

In theory. the race timetable and erg assignments for BRIC should be out today....