Skierg option - 10k and 30 min HRR 70%

The Mrs is in hospital at moment, 26 weeks pregnant and needs a bit of observation but all is well now we believe. This means that I can't get out to the shed with the daughter in bed to row but I can complete this weeks session by jumping on the skierg - was supposed to be a 45 min r18 2r 30 min r18 70% HRR so I converted that to be a 10k and 30  min on the skierg - I ended up rating around 36 and just tried to push the HR up to 146.

10k r36 TE 3.2 Ave HR 133 Max HR 147
30 min r36 TE 3.3 Ave HR 140 Max HR 149

I believe, by virtue of no one else logging/claiming them, they are Irish 40-49H records

Full Marathon - Age Group PB and Irish Record (TBC)

Continuing with the Crazy Bear challenge with days lost and finishing line closing in I had to come up with a plan to try and get the remaining 7 half marathons in with 6 days left - simple - 1 a day and with a double up. Hmm but that was complicated when I offered to help out my father in law with some work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday ... so 7 half marathons in effectively 3 days - bugger - ok then 3 HM's on two days and then a gentle one to get over the line - well if I'm doing three a day I might as well do a full marathon and so that was today's plan - get up at 6 and do a HM at the gym then home and refuel while doing a few chores and back to the gym for a full marathon. After which I was popping round to finish laying a laminate floor and then put a bed together.. good job I ain't working.

This mornings HM went pretty well - lifted the stroke rate to 22 to ease the pressure on the legs and kept it at 70% HRR finished with decent time of 1:18:28.2 or 1:51.6 ave.

So back in and a fiddle to get set up off I set the target was the current Irish 40-49H record of 1:53.1 or 2:39:06.3 set by Ally Cooper. I find a groove of sitting just below 1:50 pace rating 24 and felt confident of holding it - although the HR did rise quite quickly initially - so went with that - all was going well until about a hour from the end when I guess the earlier HM and lack of proper refueling took it's toll and had to draw on a lot of grit to try and even continue - took a few stops for water and chocolate but I'll be honest I was looking at the "wave" (the erg equivalent of the runners wall lol) well after what seemed like a eternity I did manage to get back into a groove but the initial plan was in tatters and it was a case of best of what was left - bearing in mind the circumstance I was happy with result and after all it is a new record and age group PB - plus only 4 HM's left to do now!

 the list above is missing a HM on the skierg

10k TT - Irish Record - Age Group PB - 21 million lifetime meters - CTC

Think the title sums it all up - after yesterday's aborted lunchtime row (too many "distractions" in the gym and was pretty bloody tired after the weekend) I realised I was only 10,718m short of 21 million meters - and today the rain caused a delay getting into work so that pretty much set up the session itself - 718m warm up then 10k TT - no point celebrating 21 million meters on a paddle - maybe it's my coming of age number :o) I went through 20 million meters on the 3rd of August - on the 19th August I was in hospital having part of one of my discs removed ... so by my calculations I've covers a million meters since the op lol

The row itself started of well enough - I knew my 40-49H Irish record was average of 1:44.3 (no not amazing by all standards) so set off rating 24 and found myself sitting at around 1:42 so then I figured I'd clip the 5k for the CTC as well.... got that and backed off as my little legs where tired - but made myself stay under the 1:44.3 and although tough - I was more tired than beat so kept the pressure on and managed a little lift inside the last 500m finishing on a 1:28 split - with a lot of sweat!

trials and tribulations - AGPB - Irish Record

So yesterday I was in the kitchen literally in tears from the pain down the right hip/lower back/leg/knee from merely doing a bit of housework – so back to the drugs and a early night. Today I managed to struggle through a 30 minute r20 piece – probably came out about 75% HRR with 8228m. So lunchtime I wanted to crack out a 10k piece – partly because I haven’t ranked on this season and partly to get my 20 million meters sorted out and so decided to target a hard one. Looking at this years 40-49 ranked 10k’s the obvious “carrot on the stick” was “Nik Fleming” with 36:00.0 (not sure if that was a r20 piece or what – but a nice pace target for me 1:48.0) as I set off I found myself knocking around the 1:45 pace at rate 24 and just went along with it – but just after halfway I really started to struggle both in terms of pain in knee (right one) as well as basic fitness – I actually put the handle down – for about 3-4 seconds – but then picked up and got back into the grove from just under 3k out I just started counting down the strokes – one stroke being over 10m meant from about 2800m I was simply counting backwards from 280 – managed to ramp it up a little at the end – and to my surprise bagged a Irish record (Just checked and I set that during the “Trying To Stay Strong” charity event - TTSS) so that was a nice surprise then :o)

oh yes - that puts me on 19,940,226m - getting there

 The mornings row

60r20 - 17k - if at first you don't succeed - Irish Record 40-49H Hour

So got in early this morning and intended on cranking out a 17k hour – (1:45.8 pace) as my legs where feeling a little heavy I decided to go r24 (I was thinking about doing it r20 originally – I have done a sub 1:45 pace r20 17k in my youth – well last year I think lol *update just found it - 2nd July 2014 - 1:44.3 pace ) so off I set and zoom my heart rate went – thought maybe the belt was not sat properly and it would settle – but no it was racing away – still I cracked on – but after I got through the third split (22m30s) I just didn’t have it in me to push on and stopped :o(

So then lunchtime loomed and I decided to go back to basics – r20 hour (I had time as I got to my desk half an hour early) and cap it at 80% HRR (160bpm) got set up and set off – had a mess about with the HR strap as somehow I had it round towards the side – sorted that out and saw that I was sitting sub 1:46 without a huge strain – blew through the HR cap after about ten minutes and kept on it – worked out if I got to halfway with ave pace a 1:45.5 or lower that I could ease of and then pick it up at the end. That’s what I did – snot and spit and sweat flew everywhere and still a few demon moments to contend with but I got there in the end :o) Also qualifies as a new 40-49H Irish record (beating my own previous record) so that is nice

The Stats:

TE 5.0

EPOC 274m/kg

Ave HR 165bpm (85% HRR)

Max HR 178bpm

Ave resp rate 36 breaths per minute 

1414 kcal

6k r24 - weak Irish record

Went down hoping to do three 6k's targetting 1:44 pace or quicker and taking about 5 minutes rest - got the first one done and about half way through the second but didn't have the energy today - need to recharge

Still - broke my 6k 40-49H Irish record .... (very weak still - it will be sub 1:40 at least when I go at it)

5k Irish 40-49H record (incl CTC)

So I trained on Monday – Tuesday I was hoping to train early morning before the daughter got up (I was off for the day as the crèche was closed and the Mrs was in work so meant I needed to take the day off – had a lovely day though visiting a “open farm” with the crèche ;o) ) Wednesday was wiped out as I was messing about trying to get a loan car sorted out. So today was first day of training for a few days and decided to have a crack at my 5k and 6k Irish 40-49 records – they were both set during the “9 records in 24 hours” so not amazingly fast (1:43.7 pace for the 5k and 1:46 for the 6k) so just set up the 5k (with a 4810m split to tick the CTC) and set off aiming at r24 1:43.5 – errr I went through 1k at about 1:41.1 pace so as I felt OK just went with it – by halfway I was at 1:40.5 pace and increased the rate to 26 – by the end I was hitting 1:30 pace at r30 lol – I didn’t do the 6k after – not bad considering I’m not exactly on a up and up with my training at the moment – and only 4.3 seconds off my 5k PB – oops.

30min Irish 40-49H Record

This was a training row - ie not a all out guns blazing kill myself TT - although at the end it got to feel a little like that lol - the idea on going downstairs (I'm in work BTW) was to row a sub 1:43.6 pace r26 (Current Irish 40-49H 30min Record is (was) 8686m) so after a 2k warm up with some r26 1:43 strokes (I know I went all out) I set off on the row - still suffering a little from the head cold which I think I might have expelled a large part of during the row if my t-shirt, erg rail and floor around me are anything to go by (must wipe that up) so without that there is obviously more in me at the moment but this was about putting a score down. Once I set off I found myself sat at 1:40 pace - I managed to let that slide to sub 1:42 and fixed my sights on that. Trying to stay strong in that middle third and then dig in for the last ten minutes. Come the last 2 minutes I just wanted it over with lol. A few moments of doubt but I have a few images I can bring to mind to get through these - at least they worked today.

Why this row - well during the week I though I had broken the 30min record so thought I better set that right - also with yesterdays power work my legs where tender so wanted to stay away from r20 - and with the head cold the high rate stuff was out - so r26/28 seemed like a good plan.

 

HM r26 - 40-49H Irish Record

Got in work and figured I had about 1h15m to row in order to get to my desk in time. So figured I could just about squeeze in a HM and set it up. Started at r24 and then let the rate drift up. The HR is obviously faulty and doesn't show the story - the phlegm on the monitor does lol my HM PB is 1:12:43.8 or 1:43.4 pace so still way of that.

30r20 70% HRR and 1k TT

Did a 30r20 HRR 70% before work - the splits where down and not sure if this was because of early morning, lack of sleep or illness but jsut went with the HR.

Then at lunch I rowed a 1k TT – I’m happy enough with the row and confident of breaking the 2:50 barrier when the situation is more favourable

Issues today:
1) Lack of sleep for last few nights – even by my standards
2) Throat infection which is travelling to the chest

Now also to note other things of possible importance – the warm up left me with a lack of confidence in my power today – not sure if this was illness or nerves – probably a combination. I took an energy gel before going down to the warm up along with a black filter coffee – also took a caffeine energy gel between warm up and TT. Also I weighted down the erg on the front with two 20kg plates on the feet. Drag was at 145. Legs seemed to hold up pretty well as did the HR – the lungs weren’t too bad considering. Oh you can’t do 50m splits – I did set it up on the monitor with 50m splits but it defaulted to 100m splits.

So through 500 at 1:25.8 but then next 200m was at 1:25.5 then 1:25.0, 1:24.5 and 1:24.0 – although the final stroke was 1:26 I was holding 1:24 up to that last stroke but wasn’t seeing the predicted finish drop under 2:50 which was demoralising at the end

It actually showed 2:50.7 on the PM at the end but recorded at 2:50.8 - a PB and Irish Record but I know there is more in there.