4 by 1k 5min rest - interrupted!!! - 2 by 1k 5min rest

I feckin had it by the balls as well - at least I would have got the third done on a similar pace and quite possibly the fourth! So after this mornings no so great row I decided to make my own condfidence (they say you make your own luck so why not your own confidence) in the words of Bowie "just for one day" so down I went with the attitude of just going for it (sensibly) and dismiss the doubts in my head - I had to do that a lot - but they where kept to the head - sure the breathing sounded like a fricken steam train and the legs weren't fresh - but I had a good handle on the physical - but the mental gremlins where all over me - I had them beat by the end of the second rep - then the mrs called me (headphones are bluetooth and came straight into my ears) - her car wouldn't start - I guess that was kind of important ... to her ... but poofing like a choo choo I couldn't quite make sense of what she was saying - had to get off the erg and go out to the corridor in work and then call her back - several times before she would answer - to let me know the car was started ..... of course any protests I have where mute and void ... got back into the gym and not in the best frame of mind I packed up and showered - I did contemplate finishing the set but I had cooled off and was conscious of doing the 1k's in anger on a cold back

The previous time - therefore the target

4by1k 5r - run in to the Irish

Q's plan for the run up to the Irish has been delivered and it's quite an interesting and brutal path - wouldn't have it any other way - one of the mainstay sessions is the 4by1k on 5 min rest - he's given me a desired target which may or may not come before the Irish but a first session target was 1:33.9 and so the plan for the first session would be 1:34.2 - 1:34.2 - 1:33.9 - 1:33.3.

Bit late at night after waiting for the Mrs to finish work so I could get the dogs walked and am carrying a touch of a sore throat (both the daughter and Mrs have been ill recently) but decided feck it lets see what happens - one rep at a time and commit to the session.

Over 90% humidity in the shed - warm up completed and so into the first rep - sat on sub 1:34 pace from start to finish at 30 SPM so just went with it. Second rep and got the dry mouth sensation again - still had that half way through the 2k recently and managed to finish it so kept on the pressure and finished it. OK third rep and commit to the session - no point tip toeing through just to finish the four - could easily have called it a day after that one to be honest - lol - eyed up my target and figured I could row a 1:34.9 and still finish on target - again what's the point - the idea is to drive myself into a place I don't want to be and endure - so I did - and I endured - boy did I endure - one thing about the recent back problems is I know that the is a whole lot worse pain than I ever get to on the erg - finished the fourth rep and down on the floor - 3 minutes later I crawled literally back on to take the snapshot and do a 2 min cool down and then nearly fell down the stairs back to the house ....

all reps from a "standing start"

not feeling it this morning (30r20 75% HRR) felt it at lunch! (4by1k 5r) (with video)

Got in and on the erg the morning feeling tired and it showed - struggled to get any power on at the start so rather than the usual dip into low 1:40 splits I sat at the high end and sweated my way through it - felt a lot harder than it should. 

8,281m 1:48.6 r20 - 30 min 75% HRR

So then lunchtime and i had been dabbling with a 2k test at 1:36 pace with a thump on the end - but after this morning I didn't want to tempt that so the next choice was 4by1k and get used to the higher rating needed - target was a 1:36 arbitrary figure r30 but as I set off on the first I found without pushing too hard I was able to come in under 1:35 - first rep felt pretty OK - second one felt like hell lol serious thoughts of binning the session but after the long rest I was ready to go again and dug in to keep the negative splitting - so for the final rep I set up the camera to check my fat belly and crappy technique (as at this point I've not watched it back) maintained the low 1:34 needed through the first 500m and then increased the pressure - felt tough but under control - back a little sore but not too bad.

 

Friday the 13th blues - HD on 4by1k

oh yes - just remembered - it's Friday the 13th!

disaster of a session and i won't get near the erg again till Monday which makes it three times as bad! just feeling "empty" at the moment and tired - went down with the intention of 4by1k 5r and went through warm up - bicarb before and not sure if that messed me up more but felt bloated and stiff - pains in upper back and knee plus thighs feel solid.

6 times I set off on a 1k and 6 times I HD'd furthest I got was 480m shortest was 118m - mixed it up by just setting up a single 1k and then going back to reps - nope - nada - no go - completely mental as although the body is tired it wasn't collapsing

4by1k r24

Decided to do the 4by1k r24 today (scheduled for weekend) as its a short session and easier to fit in at lunch

HR monitors (both Suunto and Garmin) playing up and pissing me off - nearly binned session cos of that - but due to the fact I'm calorie counting that would mean no dinner - sod that

1:34.9 (set of with target of 1:36.8 in head - I was faster)
1:34.8 - had to go faster than first
1:34.5 - thought I'd done 1:34.6 in the second one lol)
1:32.7 - decided to thump it

all bang on 24 strokes per minute ;o)

When the rowing gets tough...

the tough gets rowing! :lol:

First the race data from the Irish (thanks Q for putting it together - can see it on the site url=http://q-power.co/Irish_Champs_2013.html – plan was to hit 1:32’s from 0 to 1200m then increase – seemed to work

On to today – feel exhausted – been a busy few days and basically I was looking for a gentle row to hide away in – asked Q what he thought and he pointed me at the “schedule” now I had a way out as todays row was 40r18 70% HRR – but I did that yesterday and missed the 4by1k 5r – oh well bugger it – might as well completely destroy myself :lol:

Hobbled down to get changed – slogged my way through the 5k warm up – set the 4by1k and decided that I would sit on 1:32’s as much as I could and just get comfortable with uncomfortable – seems to be working and the body just ticked through them – it hurt – it was tough – I was blowing and the legs where burning – but the job got done for the first three and I worked out if I pulled 3:03 on the last one I could PB the session (1:31.9) so aimed at sitting on 1:32 ave and then pull it down in the last 150m – alas the mind was willing – the legs were not and I slumped through at 1:33ish pace after 500m to leave too much to do at the end – but still I tried – bless my little legs really are stuffed now :lol:

Get comfortable with uncomfortable – **** 4by1k

 
Blinking life getting in the way of training again – really knocks me when I get out of a routine – so although I had a good week last week culminating with a PB on the 6by1 on Thursday – Friday we had a wedding to attend – funnily enough the reception was at the same hotel I started my erging in three years ago – so I took my gear hoping I might get a chance in the afternoon to sneak in a 30min or at the very least in the Sat morning before check out – sadly neither opportunities availed as Sat morning I woke at 10am and needed to get back for the dogs – I’d only had two pints the night before but obviously needed the sleep. Sat then flew past with getting jobs done and decided I was better to rest and do the 4by1k’s on Sunday – mid-afternoon I went out but as the dogs had woken me at 2:30am 4am and 7:30am I was pretty pooped and after the first 1k was done about a minute into the second my concentration levels just left me and I found myself handing down. That led me to questioning everything about my erging and whether or not it was worth training at this level with all life was throwing at me – should I even bother going to the Irish on Saturday!
 
So today the plan was to go down and get a pure 30r18 70% done as again the dogs had woken me at 5am after not getting to bed till 1am – but on the way down the mind decided it wanted to do the 4by1k – even if I only did one – I needed to get comfortable with uncomfortable by rowing some distance at 1:32 pace – and so I found myself going through the race warm up – and then I started on the first 1k – it went OK although breathing hard at the end – it’s not so much the legs that get me on this row it’s the breathing – and that’s more scary than the lactic legs – the feeling of drowning is a horrid one – especially if you’ve experienced it in the water – still got to get comfortable for the Irish and so I floundered through it – first minute of the 2nd 3rd and 4th rep are OK – the last 2 minutes make you wonder about how you are going to get enough oxygen in to move – still I did it – I survived – I got comfortable with uncomfortable and a shiney new PB – previous one was 1:33.6 – it’s now 1:31.9 – can’t wait for a time when I can start training properly.