2by5k at22 5r (30TT+4)

So with the ankle seemingly holding out - or maybe the drugs masking the pain - although I personally reckon the Dr pushed the floaty bit back to somewhere it isn’t causing issues - today I was able to return to schedule - that meant 2by5k @22 on 30min TT pace +4 - so for me that meant 1:44.6 pace - nice and simple - although felt like crap before I started (I don't do well on prescription drugs - which is why I don't normally take them if I can help it) sat on the erg and saw the HR popping around the 42bpm mark - so yes I was indeed half asleep - still feel better now - although about to take the next dose :lol:

4min challenge series - Dr's orders

Well after ending up in more sporadic and intense pain yesterday afternoon – especially just before I left work – I booked myself into the Dr’s for a 7:45pmappointment – got home and had some food and then hobbled round with the dogs in “discomfort pain” and then off to the Dr’s we went – Mrs drove and came in with me – after a few questions the Dr got me to sit on the bed with both socks and shoes off – prod – poke – touch – scream – yelp – tears (yep – I cried from the pain – Mrs said after it was the first time she had seen me cry in ten years from pain – I’d broken a leg in that time :lol: ) after a few minutes the pain subsided and the Dr prodded again – she said she was looking for the same spot – I said I hoped she didn’t find it and she didn’t. Sitting down and discussing she thought maybe I had either ruptured the tendon or got something floating about in there - bit of bone or something – I asked for a MRI and she sent in the form – meanwhile I got drugs – which are spacing me out :lol: I asked about training and she agree’d that if I wasn’t in actual pain it should be OK – so today I trained.

 

Went down and did the usual warm up – slightly stiff/sore on the first 1k but no intense pain – so I set up the 4min for the challenge series – I know that I could do better than Mondays attempt (1335) and so set the target at 1:29 split and set off – the toughest bit for me in these is the breathing but I managed to control the drowning feeling and came out with a more solid – but not yet heroic – score – will have to take each day as it comes for now – oh yes – drug time :o)

Broken

well ankle flared up again just before lunch - while I was sat at my desk FFS - sharp pain across the top and a small yelp from me - head went down to hold down the pain and a few concerned looks from the team - still went down at lunch to train - got on the erg and took about 3 strokes before the pain flared again - took a few more hoping it would go - it didn't - I did  :(

 

Challenge Series 4min - knackered ankle

I don't like not training because of a niggling injury (ie one that comes and goes) and although obviously training on a knackered ankle isn't good - not training on it with only weeks before a comp in my mind is worse - so went down to test it out - first plan was to get through the morning without collapsing in pain - check - next step was to get changed - fail (forgot my socks) - but I had an ankle brace thing so I went barefoot in my shoes with that on the bad ankle - next step warm up - fail - after the first 1k I stopped as usual and although the row itself went pain free something went in the ankle again and the pain flared up - I saw the 1 minute countdown go over and all I could do was sit and wait for the pain to subside – then I got up and went for a little walk gingerly around – seemed OK so sat on the machine for the next part of the warm up – all OK – phew – OK the last part of the warm up 3k with bursts and that was OK too – I was very conscious of the ankle and tried to maintain a very rigid stroke.

OK so now the 4min for the challenge series – I reckon on recent form I should be 1340+ meters on this – but with the ankle issues and a HD before the holiday on this session I just wanted a solid row – so with a split of 1:30 in my head I set off and waited for the usual pain and hoped the ankle would hold – well the usual breathlessness came within the first minute and had to remind myself that although this was uncomfortable it wasn’t going to get much worse – first three minutes I was in more control than I would have thought before I started – but still conscious of the ankle going “ping” I left the drive to the last 30sec and drove I did – hitting 1:25 I believe to be the lowest split – job done – not quite the distance I should be at – but good enough for the moment

The main pain in the ankle is across the top where the finger is when it comes 

Back from holiday - 30r18 HRR 70%

Well got back from vacation last night - midnight by the time we hit the house - 1amby the time I hit the pillow - will fill in the vacation training on another blog.

 

So today I'm back in work and tired so just wanted to crack through the 30r18 hrr 70% and see what the body was like - turns out the body held up well - seems the holiday training did it's bit

 

8262m @18 - 1:48.9

Training on vacation part 2 - 10by1min @32 - 20k mix - 6 by500m's

So Monday and back in the Power House Gym - as I had updated the firmware I could use ergdata :o) and set off on a warm up - the aim after that was controlled pace - the initial target was 334m (just under 1:30 pace) but as I went on I found a little pace - especially on the last one ;o)

On the Tuesday I wanted to put some meters in the bank yet still through a few minute sprints in so I rowed 29@18 on HRR 70% and 1 min @1:27.4 pace then two minute rest followed by two by 14@18 on HRR 70% with 1 min @1:27.4

Final day of training on the Wednesday  before heading off home on the Thursday  and I chose to repeat the 6by500's - these where tough again with HD' from the outset but I fought through and completed a pretty successful week of training to say I was on "vacation"

Bye bye ergs :-(

No such thing as a holiday from training - first 4 days in Lanzarote

Thursday -

 

So the first night on holiday and after a meal we went "erg hunting" the first place was the Fariones gym - I had a nosey in and spotted two model C's in the corner and spoke broken English to the trainer there - as you can see from the pictures below they happened to be in a bad way - one had an "out of order" sign on - the other should have had one - rusted chains - poor ergs - I went back two days later and offered to buy them - would have shipped them home and renovated them but - even though the gym was due a refurb in two weeks they said no ;o(

 

So then I popped down to the "Power House Gym" in Puerto Del Carmen and was lucky to spot the owner leaving after locking up - had a quick word and again in broken English arranged to pop in the next day. That night my left ankle started getting quite painful - I noticed during the week that I strained it - so put it down to ligaments/tendons and found some anti-inflame.

 

Friday -

 

Into the Power House gym and spotted the two model D's sat in the corner (which I had noted from a visit three years ago) and I signed up for the week €25 - bargain - until I got on the ergs and neither of the monitors powered up - feck - they worked fine once moving but figured the batteries in both ergs where gone - still I was able to get the monitor going long enough to set up the display into meters and set off on a warm up - then 29@20 and a final 1min @32 burst at 1:30 pace - cool down and planned my next visit - with laptop ;o) (that way it would power the monitor up so I could set up what I needed - also meant I could update the firmware)

 

Saturday -

 

Plan for today was 6by 500m @1:30 pace and 1:30 rest. Firstly I updated the firmware on both machines - also spotted that the batteries on the machine on the left where actually in the wrong way round (I brought spare batteries with me to use) so popped them in the right way and was able to use that machine as with the C-Breeze on it gave a higher drag -140 as opposed to the one on the right which had 120.

 

Race warm up done and into the session - the first 500m felt as tough as the 4th on a normal 8by500m so this was going to be a tough session to get through - but through it I got in reasonable form.

 

Sunday -

A day of rest ... TBC