The road to Sub6 2k : May 2014

Friday, 30 May 2014

4by2k r30 5r - neg split - all sub 6:30

So a repeat of the 4by2k r30 5r - but today I wanted to aim at getting them all sub 6:30 - I was hoping to just nudge under ie 6:29.9 - but mucked up - so went with it and neg split - got into trouble on the last rep so pumped it home to get it over with - it's interesting how the pain/leg ache develops with these and what you do with it - first rep wasn't any trouble - second rep the leg ache started after about 2 minutes and it comes on sudden but then doesn't really get much worse - that's where the training comes in to keep pumping - especially on the third rep when it kicks in within the first minute and the final rep after 30 seconds lol

Garmin Details

30r18 70% HRR

err - 30minutes - errr rowed at 18 strokes per minute with err 70% HRR

Garmin Details

Thursday, 29 May 2014

The 3 S's 2x4x2:30 [0:30] [3:30] r20

Stroke - Stamina - Strength I think sums up this session - got down and was having second thoughts about starting it - legs are pumped and head is tired - but shook my head and said "one rep at a time" target was last weeks results for the same session of 1:39.6 or 753m - that didn't last long now did it

Garmin Details

Set 1

Set 2

Just in case you think I took more than 50 strokes - got pictures of the 3rd and 4th rep on the last set

Or - should the three S's be

Sweat - snot - spit :lol:

30r18 HRR 70%

start the day with a 30r18 HRR 70% - very very sweaty - humidity is up and hot (for Ireland) still managed a decent result 8,219m 1:49.5

Garmin Details

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

10k r24 HRR 80% (160)

As it says on the tin - looked back to the last time I did this session (27th Dec 2013 1:44.2 pace that day) and I aimed at sub 1:41 pace and once I hit the HR cap I left the pace drift - did the same today

oh yes - weighed in this morning - 106.6kg - 235lb - 16stone 11lb

Garmin Details

60r20 HRR 70% - Sub 1:50 pace :o)

May have pushed it a little - but got the sub 1:50 pace in on a HRR 70% 60min piece for the first time since re-calibrating my HR (resting being at 33 now and max at 190) pretty chuffed with that - especially as I was up at 5am (baby) but meant I was in work with plenty of time to do this before I started for the day.

Ave HR 140 Max 146 TE 2.5

Garmin Details

Tuesday, 27 May 2014

500m Challenge Series - poor show

Well I said I was going to do weights after this morning - I kinda did - 2k warm up on drag 170 then 500m race start at drag 216 with two "bursts" at 300m and 100m (4 strokes each) then set the 500m up - started slow - didn't get much faster - got slower at the end - mind you the erg was jumping around a bit which didn't help - I may go again as i really should have a 1:18 something in there - might get someone to stand on the erg for me

Not sure yesterdays 30r20 PB would help either lol

Garmin Detail

40r20 HRR 70%

Tired this morning - Mrs is ill and so last night I slept on the coach to give her a better nights sleep as the night before she kept me awake most of the night :lol: - no actually I am knackered :lol:

In early enough to get 40 minutes in - r20 and HRR 70% - saw I could hit 11k and so targeted that at the end - lovely :-D

As my butt is still not healing I am considering doing weights at lunchtime instead of erg'ing! :shock:

Garmin Details

Monday, 26 May 2014

30r20 PB Scales of Justice

This lunchtime called for the 30r20 TT - set off down eyeing up my PB time of 1:42.6 or 8,770m from April. My brain did its usual job of deciding I should hit 1:42.5 flat split from start to finish. My body protested :lol: first a 4k warm up during which I had to move the erg in the gym due to a few extra bodies in there than usual (and more distraction) finally settled I kicked off - had to rate up a little at the start so the butt grazes could settle down but soon I was hitting the r20 quite nicely and under control. Sat just under my original target I was reasonably happy, and when the usual flood of discomfort came at around the 6min mark I was able to dig in. Got through to the ten minute to go mark and that’s when the biggest wave of HD demons popped up, got me thinking about the jury duty I was just on and the “Scales of Justice” so I started dropping in the reasons why I wanted to finish the session and hoped they would outweigh the reasons I really wanted to stop, the did and although I dropped the pace a little I was able to pick it up again. Almost near the end I saw that I was only a few metres short of 8,800m so I dropped the hammer, unfortunately I was slightly over on my strokes, so with one last almighty haul of the handle I stopped … with 5 seconds left on the clock … it didn’t quite get to 8,800m – oh well next time :o) The amount of snot and sweat was ridiculous – well it is a gym.

Garmin data

16 million lifetime meters - check

Needed to row 14,448m to hit 16 million lifetime meters - so I got into work in just enough time to do it as a r20 70% HRR row :-D

Garmin Details

Sunday, 25 May 2014

4by2k r30 5r

Almost ran out of time at the weekend - life huh!

4by2k @30 5r target pace 1:38.0 - got excited on the last one with controlled pressure for final minute to drop it sub 6:30

6:32.1 - 1:38.0
6:31.9 - 1:38.0
6:31.9 - 1:38.0
6:29.8 - 1:37.5

All r30

http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh630/Beowulf-91/Mobile%20Uploads/DSC_1617_zps2426079e.jpg

Friday, 23 May 2014

AM 30r20 HRR 70% PM 50r20 HRR 75%

Simple enough - 30r20 before work with HRR 70% (143) and then 50r20 at lunch HRR 75% (151) - no drama - just grimacing for a few minutes at the start while the pain receptors backed off in the butt - getting a little better I think

Total Metres for the day - 22,029

Garmin 30r20

Garmin 50r20

Thursday, 22 May 2014

Blood - Sweat - Tears - 2x4x2:30 [0:30] [3:30] r20

So the blood - well the butt ain't healed and is now bleeding after the shorts are pulled from the area :lol:

Sweat - well that would be 2x4x2:30 [0:30] [3:30] r20 - started off quite nicely, went through the full race warm up, only problem here was the pain on the start of each segment as the area that's scabbed on my butt is right at the seat edge, that would fade after about a minute. Started the reps and after two or three strokes I found that the pain wasn't too bad from the butt and found a rhythm. I was taking screen shots in the 30sec rest but after the third rep I hit the "yes" button on ergdata rather than "no" when the pop up comes up to ask if you had finished! Balls, quickly set up another rep and got through that but my concentration on the session had been distracted. Took a bit of boosting myself to start the second set, but start I did, then it was a case of get one rep done at a time. Finished with a reasonable result (target was 1:40.6)

The tears came after the shower and I applied the "new skin" spray plaster to the backside :-O

Garmin Details

Wednesday, 21 May 2014

40r20 70% HRR - skin healing

Well today I increased the time a little and dropped back to 20spm to make the move back to "normal" training. Hands still blistered but showing good signs of healing - butt still has one open blister which is feckin sore for the first few minutes of the row - constantly pulling the boxer shorts off it when it sticks to them lol other than that the only other side effect seems to be an outbreak of acne on my upper back - I seem to suffer allergic type reactions to heat - ow well.

Tuesday, 20 May 2014

30r24 HRR 70%

30r24 hrr 70% this morning - skinned areas still sore but the rest seems fine

Monday, 19 May 2014

enough rest - 30r22 @70% HRR

Well took yesterday as rest day after the 100k so back training this morning before court - kept it light - hands a little sore but butt cheeks are worse! :lol: the AIO creased during the row under the crease on my left cheek and took the skin with it.

Sunday, 18 May 2014

100km World Record - Overall

Well - err - where did it start - I suppose when I heard that the French rowers where launching a mass attack on 100km WR's the seed was sewn - then with Anita Pearce and Lucy O'Brien also entering the frey along with Anne Bourloux in Canada doing a tandem it seemed everyone was doing them - so I thought I'd set aside the date (17th May and have a go) now as mentioned in my blogs recently my knee is isn't in the best state - but with baby sitting arranged and the Mrs organised I said I'd have a crack at it anyway. Training wise - well just confidence in my training with Q and the recent FM PB helped. The only people to know I was going ahead before hand was the Mrs and close family and also Q. I kept it quiet as I wasn't sure how the knee would hold out.

So after spending part of last night and today setting up at about 11:20 am this morning I set off - I had targeted the overall WR of Jesper Jensen, Lemvig, Denmark from December 29, 2011 which was 6:13:49.3 average of 1:51.9 - but as I set off I found it comfortable at sub 1:50.9 pace and as I was seeing sub 6h10m on the predicted finish I ran with it - all went quite well - knee held up - big "pain" I had was the rubbing on the skin from the onesey - forgot the vaseline - so I was pootling along all fine and dandy then bang - hit the "wave" (what runners call the "wall" lol) so luckily because I had such a lead on the overall record I was able to drop off the pace and somehow I managed to get home and still knock a minute of the overall record - and 10 minutes of my previous 30-39 record - knee is sore now but I might let it have a rest tomorrow - blisters on my butt and hands got a lot as well. Overall I'm happy - but I know there is still a lot more there with some better prep work.

Result - 6:12:39.2 - monitor crashed after I stopped - luckily rowpro survived - I did get a screen shot from the video the mrs took (I'll add that in here in a day or so)

Big thanks to the mrs for looking after me and Mrs Mum for looking after the little one - also Q as ever for investing so much of his time in me

Click on me to go to the video direct

Or the physical link is here - http://youtu.be/xIHw-k5PPCc