2x6x1 [1r] [5r] welcome to lactic hell

I feel very ill now - I felt very  very ill during the 2x6x1 [1r] [5r] - I got into work with a sore throat - this I'm not sure if this is from the all out 2x2 [10] 14 hours ago or if i have picked up the office bug - still got through the session by the skin of my teeth in the first set - second set was a case of pacing it to finish

 

1:24.7 r36

1:24.5 r37

1:24.7 r37

1:24.7 r38

1:27.7 r36

1:29.9 r35

ave 1:25.8 (stand alone PB 1:25.1)

 

set 2

1:29.8 r34

1:30.0 r34

1:30.0 r33

1:30.0 r33

1:30.0 r34

1:29.5 r34

ave 1:29.9 r33

 

tiredness was an issue (5 hours kip at most) found it hard to get rate up which kicked in lactic earlier - rep 5 on first set nearly ended in a HD - as did rep 1 on second set

2by2min 10:30 rest muck up

Evening session 2by2min with 10min rest - in from work - spent a little time with the baby before she went for a snooze - then walked dogs - back and baby was up then out to shed at about 10pm - ooops I forgot to eat - well actually I didn't - I just didn't know what time I would get to train so didn't get a chance - so up to the shed 6 degrees C and 100% humidity - lovely - through the 5k race warm up and set the stop watch going - as it hit 2min I started the first rep - aimed to hit 1:20 and hold it as much as I could all went about as well as it could and then a paddle for 6min - as I paddled I had the splits up from the first rep on the PM (but was also connected to rowpro) as I paddled rowpro kept the split but the monitor stayed on the splits - as I got towards the start for the second I stopped and took a drink - set up the 2min on Rowpro and nothing showed on the PM (well the split still showed) so reset it again - no good - OK was hoping as I started the PM would flick to life - it did - the Rowpro display didn't - feck - so stopped and reset it again and was ready to go on the 10min 30sec and off - no - yes - balls I miss timed the start and hit a 2:36 for the first pull - took forever to get it down and then time to hold on again - think I started to protect the rib pain a little and possibly could of gone harder - but plenty of pain by the end - thanks Q!

3by2k r24 HRR 80% (168) incl sub 6:30 2k

Looking back I completed this row on the 4th October but without the HR cap that day – result was1:39.6 so target for today – well “go hard or go home” 5k race warm up and so I targeted sub 6:30 on the first rep and if I had to back off due to HR cap I would – luckily I didn’t until the last 20 seconds or so but still managed the target – funny thing was on the first rep I was hoping the HR would stay down as I was feeling great – the second rep and it was like the energy had been pulled from me – still head down and maintained a decent split – the third rep I was trying to work out why I hadn’t taken up golf three years ago … still job done and overall 0.3 seconds faster per 500m than Oct and on a HR cap

 

Just want to keep track of current “niggles” as I noticed when I looked back in Octobers entry that I had the issue with my left middle finger back then (this isn’t a moan it’s just for the record) butt blister (left cheek) - right knee clunking - middle finger left hand still giving gip - and possibly most concerning - right lower ribs at the front (first noticed after 750's) will keep an eye on them but this close to crash-b i don't see a point in backing off - worse that happens is it takes longer after to recover

Session two - 2by300m race starts

Managed to get second session in - 2by300m race starts - went hard to see what a hard and fast start felt like - think my issue with this would be the big slow down to 1:31's as a cruise - can see me under rating and then yo-yoying

First one too aggressive so second was more controlled

40r18 HRR 70% (146) gentle plod

Quite nice to get the 40 minutes in under 1:50 for a HR capped piece at 18 – shows the engine room is ticking along nicely inside – left hip/upper leg flared up a little after – old age or sciatica – sure it will be gone in a few hours

As usual with these pieces I start hard and get the HR to within 10bpm of the limit within 3 minutes then drop the pace as I nudge that limit – jumped over a few times – mainly due to thinking about racing for some reason :lol:

**** 4by750 PB **** - still not motivated

I saw a post on Facebook this morning (seen it a few times before - but popped up again today) simply stating "The mind will give up 10 times before the body will” – just looking it up now the quote might be 1000 times :lol: anyway it kind of stuck with me. Q sent out our schedule up to and including Boston today – we have two options – light and heavy – the heavy starts with 750s – I was close to choosing the light option today having not erg’d since Friday and nothing hard for two weeks – still a lack of motivation for Boston – but the flights are paid for and I have a lot of people I’m looking forward to meeting up – so as I will be going I just need to tick the boxes over the next four weeks – hopefully at some point I will pick up a bit of fire for the belly.

 

So there I was this morning – dealing with my erg split personality – one part saying do an easy row and do the hard one tomorrow – the other side going through what needs to be done to prepare for a hard row (eat and fluids at the right time) got to midday and off I set down to change – the mind already trying to quit on me two or more times – as I got changed I headed to my room – wanted the loo but they were being cleaned so did the warm up then popped out – this caused the HR connection to drop from the PM – thought it had picked up again on return after setting the 4by750s – I was wrong. The targets I set myself where the same as last time (when my foot came out) this time though I didn’t really have a “fire” to drive me through so it would be a case of get what I could and just get the session ticked targets where 1:29.5 – 1:29.5 – 1:29.2 – 1:28.6 – and after the first 750 I really wasn’t looking forward to any more but just seemed to go through the motions enough to get them done – by the end of the last one the legs where locking up bad from lactic and the throat was on fire – lack of this type of erging shows up quickly. Unable to drag the split down as far as I wanted to at the end – 1:27 through the line I think. Still session done and PB’d by 0.3 per 500m

Any chance of an early release?

from the 8k r18 @1:52.5 pace? we'll see - for now there isn't

Call me Mr ploddy

8k @1:52.5 r18 no minutes today - Q banned me - god that is a boring session - soul destroying without the minutes to look forwards to - it's like eating your dinner of cabbage and brussel sprouts without the promise of apple pie and custard after

Is there a bug in the system?

Not looking for excuses – nor moaning here (Nav :lol: ) just telling it like I see it.

 

Same restricted session as yesterday 8k r18 1:52.5 pace and followed up by 3by1min 1min r (OK yesterday was 2by1min – but that won’t make a difference in the EPOC TE that I see and the HR in the first 8k piece)

 

Yesterday the 8k topped out at 141 bpm – today I hit that about half way and ended up at 145 – TE 1.9 yesterday and 2.3 today – EPOC 26 vs 47 (the extra minute would not make it jump that high – too short) so time to reflect and take a stock check – physically and mentally I am tired – but I usually am – what has been different the last week to ten days is a coughing up of green stuff (but not so often it concerned) slightly sore lower back and a few dizzy spells (put down to tiredness/vertigo) but maybe there is a slight bug there – could that explain the HD’s last week – nope that was me being daft trying to TT a PB :lol: but it could certainly be a factor in current training load and I’m sure Q will advise me shortly

 

Anyway today went well enough – did have to make sure I concentrated on the session and plugged away at it – the minutes where tough enough but not so much I was on the floor at the end – quite surprised I rated that high :lol:

 

Oh I did have one issue - on the minutes I ended up shifting the erg at the front sideways by about 30cm - pushing the fan with it

Q's punishment - split personality of the indoor rower

Firstly Q-Punishment for me going “off-Piste” (as he calls it :lol: ) the last few days was to restrict me to 1:52.5 pace rows of between 2k and 8k and no more (r18) bearing in mind my 70% HRR cap rows come in just under 1:50 pace this was a cruel and unusual punishment – OK not that unusual – but cruel! So set up the 8k and knocked it off – HR got up to about 140 which is 65% HRR for me – strangely it was still tough work – not hard – but enough to keep the brain in the game to control it.

 

Then he did allow me a little play – 2by1min on 1min rest – I going to add a minute every day up to Saturday when I will be on the full 6 reps and then if I am a good boy next week I will be back on a schedule – going to aim at 355m per rep every day – if I manage to hold six of them it will be a PB – gives me something to work to and makes me feel less like I am just “paddling”.

 

So – the split personality of the indoor rower (I’m sure this happens OTW and other sports as well) since I HD’d on a 1250m piece last Thursday I have started and stopped 4 times at a 30min TT – why – well I put it down to a split personality – I’m trying to hit a 9k 30min piece 1:40.0 pace (I did 1:40.6 in September)  – the stats are there to say this is achievable – one part of my head says it is also – that’s the part that gets me to go down and set it up on the erg – problem is there is another part of my brain which pops up at different times that says “what you doing?” – “I think you should stop now for reasons a, b, & C” – this part of the brain has taken over control of the 30min piece at the moment – I need to nurture the other piece and get him strong again to win that battle – that will have to wait now until after Boston – I’ve got my aeroplane tickets – that’s not the sort of money I’m willing to through away being a tightwad :lol: