7km UT3 at the gym - only noteworthy thing was seeing a gnarly old fella get so ****ed off with the behaviour of 3 teenage boys messing around near his bench that he tried to fight all 3 of them. Very funny until one of the boys called his father and it got quite messy

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
30:56.6 7,003m 2:12.5 150 817 17

6k warm up
1k time trial
1.5k warm down

managed to get the CTC done on the deadline. I knew I wasn't quite in PR shape so I was happy to get within a second of it. I worked really hard to slow down from 100-300 to ensure I went through 500 in the 1.34s and it meant I actually had some energy left to attack in the last 200 and I managed a slight acceleration.

from a CTC perspective I'm currently 42/630 all ages and from a rankings perspective it's 14th in the world out of 706 in my age group for the rowing year, which runs til April 30th

There's just over 5 weeks til the World Indoor Sprint 1k and I'm really keen to get a PR at that. I've found a 5k 1k training program which actually looks good, manageable and enjoyable so...my plan right now is to follow that from Monday and see if it can make me faster. While I know I can't continue to just expect PRs at my age...particularly given I trained with a lot of intensity last year to hit those times, but I'll feel really flat if I can't end the rowing year with a new, faster 1 time.

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
3:10.0 1,000m 1:35.0 408 1704 35

0:22.6 125m 1:30.4 474 1930 37
0:23.6 125m 1:34.4 416 1731 36
0:24.0 125m 1:36.0 396 1661 32
0:24.1 125m 1:36.4 391 1644 35
0:24.1 125m 1:36.4 391 1644 32
0:24.1 125m 1:36.4 391 1644 37
0:23.8 125m 1:35.2 406 1696 35
0:23.6 125m 1:34.4 416 1731 38

45 min easy row

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
45:03.4 10,508m 2:08.6 164 865 18

5:00.0 1,161m 2:09.1 162 858 17
5:00.0 1,169m 2:08.3 166 870 18
5:00.0 1,168m 2:08.4 165 868 18
5:00.0 1,172m 2:07.9 167 874 19
5:00.0 1,177m 2:07.4 169 881 18
5:00.0 1,166m 2:08.6 164 865 18
5:00.0 1,169m 2:08.3 166 870 19
5:00.0 1,158m 2:09.5 161 854 18
5:00.0 1,166m 2:08.6 164 865 18

2k warm up then

3,2.5,2,1.5,1min 1r

Did an early sighter on the FEB CTC. This hit my legs more than my lungs, maybe because it’s the 4th rowing day in a row for me and I did it in the midday heat and humidity of a 30 degree day. I would hope to take 2 splits off this on a better day. D

Didn't have much magic, but we got her done.


Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
10:00.0 2,893m 1:43.6 314 1380 31

3:00.0 872m 1:43.2 318 1395 31
r: 1:00 35m
2:30.0 723m 1:43.7 314 1379 32
r: 1:00 41m
2:00.0 574m 1:44.5 306 1354 31
r: 1:00 40m
1:30.0 431m 1:44.4 308 1358 31
r: 1:00 39m
1:00.0 292m 1:42.7 323 1410 32
r: 1:00 21m

Did a weights session in a hotel gym. Quite meh. Only weights for the week too makes it a little annoying

Machine bench - some
Machine Incline
Machine shoulder press
Wide grip pull downs
Seated cable row
Triceps push downs/extensions superset

hungover 30min in the hotel gym. 7k, 2.11.4 I think

6th day in a row. Rest day Sunday and then start a 5 week 1k program on Mon. Also hoping to make the diet and booze ban stick - after this weekend, I have no social plans at all for the next month which means I'm half a chance if I can get through the first 4 days

first day of 5 week 1k program

8x1min/1r...supposedly at 1k pace.

Oof. Had quite a boozy weekend, but thought I should have been able to manage 1.35 average. However, I fell apart in the second half. Considered quitting a few times but I'm committed to finishing every workout this year and so I'm at least proud that I managed that.

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
8:00.0 2,481m 1:36.7 387 1630 34

1:00.0 318m 1:34.3 417 1734 36
1:00.0 316m 1:34.9 409 1707 35
1:00.0 316m 1:34.9 409 1707 35
1:00.0 313m 1:35.8 398 1668 35
1:00.0 307m 1:37.7 375 1590 34
1:00.0 308m 1:37.4 379 1603 34
1:00.0 302m 1:39.3 357 1528 33
1:00.0 301m 1:39.6 354 1516 34

Nice WIM to get through that; an interval workout like that in the summer seems pretty rough.

thanks, I was actually at the gym for this one, albeit the air con isn't great.

I don't feel particularly confident in my body right now though. It just doesn't seem to be responding to and recovering from work as well as I'd like it to and I don't seem to be getting to better results.

- part of it is lifestyle and I'm hopeful a clean 4-5 weeks will help

- part of it is Summer for sure and I think the heat limits performance but also seems to slow recovery?

- and then part of it is the increase in expectations...I feel like I should still be making significant progress and improving and maybe that's unrealistic. I do think I'm training better and I think my stroke is more efficient than 12 months ago, but maybe I'm very close to my peak and expecting a few seconds improvement in a 1k or in intervals is wishful. But staying the same/getting slightly worse is dispiriting. I did a 3.10.0 the other day, which was only 0.2 slower than the time that won me a medal at the Aus/NZ champs in Oct 21 when I was absolutely delighted and felt unstoppable But the 3.10 left me feeling really flat.

idk...if I can stick to this 5 week 1k program and also much cleaner living and STILL can't beat my pr at the end of it then I'll start worrying.

4x10mins 2r at low rate....supposed to be 18/20/18/20 at 2k split+20 seconds

couldn't quite get the rate down to 18 on the slower splits but enjoyed this, despite feeling like I was rowing in a swamp. This is as close as the program gets to steady state, albeit I'd estimate my HR was 150, but it seems to focus a lot on pulling harder at lower rates. I enjoyed having the 2 min break every 10 mins to drink and towel down too.

Tomorrow looks to be an obnoxiously hard low rate interval session

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
40:00.0 9,842m 2:01.9 193 964 19

10:00.0 2,455m 2:02.1 192 960 19
10:00.0 2,475m 2:01.2 197 976 20
10:00.0 2,443m 2:02.7 189 950 19
10:00.0 2,468m 2:01.5 195 970 20

I think it's probably not intuitive how much "living clean" helps old guys like us vs how much more giving in to vice hurts us (which is probably the more useful framing). Our baseline level of performance is worse than it used to be and more sensitive to the dumb **** we do. Weak.

yep. Really need to stick at it. I have a client lunch on Fri but if I can manage that and then stay dry over the weekend I hope I'll be over the hump and manage to stick to my clean month plan

the wildcard for me is how badly I now sleep with any alcohol in my system. my stress levels are accentuated because of life issues and any booze just wakes me up and breaks my sleep for 60-90 mins

I had a week of full, unbroken sleeps in Jan and I felt unstoppable. Really brought home how important that is too on an ageing body

2k warm up then 20 rounds of 1min/1r at 20spm

Really interesting interval session that helps you focus on power per stroke, technique etc. I could see the pace improving on the strokes when I focused on driving equally through my weaker left foot and more importantly, accentuating the hip hinge on the second pull

Nice piece - must have smoked your legs.

yes, legs and back a little sore today. Definitely can't integrate lower body lifting with this plan for the next 4 weeks. But looking forward to getting back to that once this is over

first decent weights session in 3 weeks

DB Bench 4x5 - 32kg ss with 4x8 Barbell Curl 35kg
Press 4x5 - 45kg ss with 4x8 Hammer Curl 16kg
seated wide grip Hammer Row 4x8-160kg
wide grip pull down 4x8-67kg ss with 4x6/8 Tricep Push Down 35kg/Tricep extension 25kg

Body really tired today. Was only supposed to be 35 mins at 18sm and 2.02 but I pulled the pin at 25 mins

Have a scary looking interval session to do tomorrow

erg data didn't upload what was a very tough session

3x2mins 4r at 1k pace and rate

1st rep 1.34.6 ave at 34

2nd rep 1.34.9 ave at 34

3rd rep...was at 1.33.8 ave at about 50 secs and starting to really struggle when my right nut fell out of it's spot in my undies and got twisted up and made it impossible to concentrate on the row. I kept going for 10 secs but had to stop and rearrange and...in lung pain already and with all momentum lost, I finished the row at about 1.50 for a final ave of something like 1.45/500

was really annoyed because it's a really important workout in my current scheme and...while I do think I would have struggled to stay under 1.35, I wanted to finish it

waited 5 mins and then did a 1min finisher to replicate the hard minute I missed...1.30.5

rest day tomorrow and then back on the horse on Mon

Nice work not getting it caught in the track; one of the underrated problems of getting older I supposed. Probably time to bind that sack up with some compression shorts.

My thought exactly. Heading off to the store today

Erg data messing around.

6x1min 1r at 1k pace and rate.

1.3/500 faster than last week which is pleasing. Decided not to do the last two I did last week as not sure what I would have got out of it given it would have been 3 ish splits slower than race pace but IDK maybe I should finish it?

3x12mins 2.30r at 18sm

the guide was 2k +20. I really enjoy breaking up the longer slower stuff into mini intervals. Also really enjoying this program with more sprinting/intervals and less steady state but slightly faster than usual steady state

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
36:00.0 8,963m 2:00.4 200 988 18

12:00.0 3,007m 1:59.7 204 1001 19
12:00.0 3,000m 2:00.0 203 997 18
12:00.0 2,957m 2:01.7 194 967 19

What kind of training is technically quote unquote optimal doesn't really matter if you don't enjoy doing it, so pretty great you've managed to find something that works for you.

Yes I don’t think it’s a long term prescription for building aerobic capacity and over longer than 5 weeks (and maybe shorter…we’ll find out) it might be too much intensity for my ageing body. But the long term goal for rowing is to enjoy it and the short term one is a fast 1k which this is hopefully working towards so we’ll take it

20x1min 1r at 24 s/m. Max power.

**** me this was difficult. I was ready to puke after rep 14 and I could feel the power in my legs diminishing. great workout though for focusing on leg drive and watts per stroke.

last week we had the same protocol but at 20 s/m (ave 1.45.2). Next week the prescription is rates varying from 24 to 32 which is going to be a ****ing nightmare.

Time Meters Pace Watts Cal/Hr S/M
20:00.0 5,883m 1:41.9 330 1435 24

1:00.0 294m 1:42.0 329 1433 24
1:00.0 295m 1:41.6 333 1445 24
1:00.0 299m 1:40.3 347 1492 25
1:00.0 293m 1:42.3 326 1422 24
1:00.0 296m 1:41.3 336 1457 24
1:00.0 299m 1:40.3 347 1492 24
1:00.0 295m 1:41.6 333 1445 24
1:00.0 296m 1:41.3 336 1457 24
1:00.0 293m 1:42.3 326 1422 24
1:00.0 295m 1:41.6 333 1445 24
1:00.0 296m 1:41.3 336 1457 24
1:00.0 295m 1:41.6 333 1445 24
1:00.0 293m 1:42.3 326 1422 24
1:00.0 295m 1:41.6 333 1445 24
1:00.0 292m 1:42.7 323 1410 24
1:00.0 291m 1:43.0 319 1399 24
1:00.0 292m 1:42.7 323 1410 24
1:00.0 291m 1:43.0 319 1399 24
1:00.0 289m 1:43.8 313 1376 24
1:00.0 295m 1:41.6 333 1445 24