Stuff since I got back

Bike ride with Chris on Tuesday, 25 miles at 17mph average; bike ride on Tuesday morning, 13.5mph at 17.5mph average; race with Simoco and training outing in M1 on Saturday, and bike ride of 30 miles at 18mph average.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=154845

What the hell is wrong with me?

I have had a couple of practices at 2k ergs this week - 7.15 and 7.11. In addition to that there was one where I did the first 1k in 3.27 and was absolutely shattered.

I need to get back my sheer bloody-mindedness in two days or else I am going to blow up on Monday evening. Plan is as follows:

1. Go down to erg room tomorrow, do 30mins flat out trying to get 8km or at worst a PB on the sliders.
2. On Sunday morning, row as fast as I possibly can for 2km. Use the time I get as the target for the following day, whatever that may be.
3. Monday evening. Eat 10 KitKats beforehand and then destroy my time from Sunday - preferably getting close to 7mins flat.

If I fail - I will be rowing 4th boat this term!

Matthew

4 more ergs

With going home for Easter i have taken a little more time off than I normall would, but will be back on the erg tomorrow in the gym for a bit. Anyway, here was last weeks efforts.

11/04/06 3k Warm up 12.09.1 @23. 3*10 mins but continuous, rates 22, 24 and 26. 2693 (1.51.3), 2759 (1.48.7), 2840 (1.45.6).
12/04/06 15k 56.54.8 (1.53.8) @21
13/04/06 2k warm up 7.49.1 @23. 4*2k with 4 min rests: 6.56.1 @27, 6.51.5 @28, 6.53.8 @28, 6.52.4 @28.
15/04/06 10k 38.24.3 (1.55.2) @22

Just hoping that some of the higher rate stuff I have been doing will translate to a 2k pb when I have to do one properly.

Three bike rides of about an hour in the last three days, again quite windy so was quite hard work. Also went on the ergo and did forty minutes on Tuesday. Going in a pair tomorrrow morning, a few more bike rides and a blast on the ergo before I return on Saturday I think. Anyone keen for a row in the eight on Saturday evening about 5 or 6?

Taking the rough with the smooth

If you are going to put up the good ones, you have to be prepared to put up the bad ones too!

Wasn't feeling well yesterday and it appears I have got some kind of bug - 3 bad erg scores on the spin really isn't like me. I just felt like I wasn't breathing properly when I was rowing. Anyway:

12/4 - 3*20' 5'r. 5,015, 5,011, 5,014 @ 21/22/23. (1264m)
13/4 - 2*30'. 7,914m @24 and then 7,313m @22. (1097m)
15/4 - 3h tennis in the morning (not really that tiring - I stand at the net in doubles matches and don't run anywhere usually!). 2k @29 - 7:15.8 and then 10k @21, 40:57.4. (1083m).

Apart from the 30min PB (which was an attempt at 8000m - couldn't keep it up for more than 18 mins or so though), rest weren't great. I kept going though - there was a gym Marathon Challenge which I wanted to do in 3 visits. A couple of days off and I'll be fine again.

Next update will be from King's, so see you soon.

Previous target: 472,423m Weekly total: 45,711m New target: 426,712m

training

did 30m at 22 this week, got 7660, 7762 and 7847. again started a couple of others but didnt finish and did a weights session

Lots of cycling

Lots of cycling in the last few days. It's not like the Fens round here though, there are these things called hills that you have to get out of the saddle to cycle up. It's also been bloody windy, it seems that which ever way I was facing it was into a headwind.

Anyway, I did an hour on Friday (though this included me practicing with my Look pedals), an half and a half at 16mph on Saturday then two hours on Sunday with an old mate, though he was drastically unfit so I went much more slowly and olny covered the same mileage. It's blowing a gale here today so I'll have to go on the ergo, and pray that it's not as windy tomorrow and I can go sculling.

Here is one of my routes routes:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=114020

Turn on elevation as well.

I did a session that wasn't an erg or weights.

But only one mind.

04/04/06: 12k, 45.42.3 (1.54.2) @20
05/04/06: 12k, 45.23.4 (1.53.4) @21
06/04/06: 10k, 36.38.7 (1.49.9) @23
07/04/06: Day off
08/04/06: Weights plus swimming
09/04/06: 3k warm up 12.09.6. 10k, 36.06.2 (1.48.3) @24
10/04/06: 15k, 57.25.7 (1.54.8) @21

To set some Tancock stylee targets:

1. Do a good AT session on Thursday (you will see next week if I managed).
2. Train while at home for Easter
3. Break club 2k record in erg test.
4. Break club hour record (I would quite like sub 1:50)
5. Do some sculling.

Targets for Easter term are as follows

1. 17:55 5k - this is what I need to achieve to get inside Chris for weight-adjusted score!
2. 2k in 6:50. (Presuming I get sub-7mins this holiday).
3. 30 mins - 8000m.
4. Win end of term sculling competition!

Happy Easter everyone

0.9 seconds away

What a week! I started with the intention of seeing a genuine improvement this week. 5 PBs later, it has to be my most successful ever.

3/4 - 30m @22 - 7,841m. PB No. 1. (1276m warm-up/cool down). Weights + core exercises.
4/4 - 10k @21 - 38:52.2. PB No. 2. (1234m). Weights.
5/4 - Round of golf. This one counted - a good round and I would be able to put a card in for my handicap certficate. 9 holes of dross, 3 OK ones and then 5/4/4/6/5/5 on pars 4/4/3/4/4/5 for the last 6 holes. Went from last place after 9 to winner after 18 on Stableford points.
6/4 - 2*5k - 18:20.6 @ 24. PB No. 3. 19:54.1 @22. (1157m).
7/4 - 40m @21 - 10,219m. PB No. 4. (1246m). Weights.
8/4 - Tennis.
9/4 - 2k @30-33 - 7:00.8. PB No. 5. 10k @20 - 40:44.8. (1230m).

A couple of ordinary ergs in there, but I am so close to a sub-7min 2k. Two days away this week, so may not get quite as much training done.

Start of week: 528,636m Weekly total: 56,213m New target: 472,423m

Faster than Chris? Possibly...

Clearly I am still a good way off Mr 'I do 8071m pace for a 10k' Braithwaite when it comes to the erg scores. However, I came across an interesting calculator on the Concept 2 website, which adjusts the speed for your body weight and the resulting drag you create. I did a few calculations:

Tancock 5k PB @ 25 (fixed, of course): 18:20.6. Mass - 68kg. Adjusted time: 16:05.8.
Braithwaite 5k PB @ 25: 17:29?(That's what you did for the trial last term isn't it?) Mass - ? Say 90kg if you are anything like the weight of the blue boat rowers. Adjusted time: 16:19.7.

Feel free to correct me, but at the moment I'm claiming a higher power-to-weight ratio! Now I've just got to learn to row and make the boat move as fast!

training

decided i'd do 5k's at 24 all week and see how much i could improve, got 19.38, 19.32, 19.22, 19.13. also started but didnt finish another. also did a weights session on saturday.

Update from el capitan

Hello, I thought it was about time I logged something on here. Haven't been on the ergo much since I got home but I went out in a scull and did about 9km on Sunday morning for an hour and a half. The river is only 1200m long at the most so that includes lots of spinning. You may have seen CLSARC in regatta as well, but the picture is not Chester but Durham! I'll include a proper picture in my next post.

I've also been out on my bike three times, the first two just going round the block a few times for an hour each, but I broadened out today and did 25.69 miles in 1:35:47, av speed 16.0 mph, max speed 33.5 mph. I had my HRM on as well: av 169, max 191, UT2 11:35, UT1 34:25, AT 38:35.

I also measured my resting HR yesterday and it as about 48, plus my HRM predicts your VO2 max as well and that worked out to be 71. This sounds really high though, so I'm going to do it again tomorrow.

Ergo tomorrow I think unless the weather is nice and I'll go on my bike again.

Not really counting the meters

I have been here plodding along in the erg room. I had a bit of a break after HORR to recover and then started erging again (might get a scull out at some point). So anyway:

29/03/06 - 15k, 56.46.4 (1.53.5) @ 21
30/03/06 - 10k, 38.10.7 (1.54.5) @ 21
30/03/06 - Weights
31/03/06 - 12k, 46.10.2 (1.55.4) @ 19
01/04/06 - 10k, 37.10.2 (1.51.5) @ 20 (just for Matt T I worked out that this is an 8071 half hour ;-)
03/04/06 - 10k, 38.25.7 (1.55.3) @ 20
03/04/06 - Weights

Ridiculous, yes. Stop, no.

I want my erg room back! How difficult do you think it is to row with some of the worst technique in the world alongside you. My favourite is the lady who drove with her legs, pulled with the arms and as a result went back down the slide, before driving with legs again to get to backstops. I want to see that power curve!

28/3 - 2x30m. First one was a power erg - 7,541 @20. Second one really hurt - 7,534 @22. (1137m)
29/3 - 10k in 39:25.9 @22. (1213m). Weights
31/3 - 2x20m. First one flat out - 5,383m @24 (that's quicker than the pace required for a 8000m 30 minute erg, my next target). Second one 5,125m @24 (1249m). Weights
1/4 - 2k in 7:05.5 @31 followed by 10k @22 - 39:32.5. (1232m) Weights and core strength after. Managed to do the Andy Twigg balancing act one for a minute without stopping.

Two rounds of golf as well this week but I took my trolley, so no real exercise. Bike has a puncture so haven't got on that either. Have been lazy on the erg this week, so will be more focused for the next 7 days and try to see a genuine improvement.

Start of week target: 581,050m Weekly total: 52,414m New target: 528,636m