Testing the Gears

Tonight was less about one big session and more about trying a few different pieces on the slides.

I’m getting more comfortable with them now, so the idea was to see how they felt across a range of distances, rates and power rather than just sitting in steady-state territory.

First up was 1,000m, which came out at 3:21.9 / 1:40.9 pace. The legs felt a bit heavy and the breathing was definitely working, but the pace stayed pretty even and I finished slightly quicker than I started.

After a recovery, I moved down to 500m and hit 1:30.1. That one should probably have sneaked under 1:30 — I had time for one more stroke at the end and somehow just sat there watching the screen instead. Brain fade at exactly the wrong moment.

Then came 1 minute, finishing with 348m at 1:26.2 pace. By that stage the earlier pieces were catching up with me, but there was still enough left to lift the final 20 seconds.

So tonight ended up as:

1,000m — 3:21.9

500m — 1:30.1

1 minute — 348m

A very different session from the longer r20–22 work I’ve been doing lately, and probably exactly what I needed — a chance to feel how the slides behave at higher rates, shorter pieces and different levels of effort.

And by the end of it, yes, I was definitely feeling my age. 😆

Plenty more combinations to try, but that was enough for one night.