Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by strider77 »

I had a modest improvement in my 2k SB last night from 7:17.3 to 7:15.5 as the gym was relatively quiet I thought I would have a real go.

Still got some odd looks from the gym instructor as I thrashed away, technique completely out of the window.

She told me I tend to pull to the right, I really need someone to video me :oops:

7:15.5-1:48.8-36
1:46.8-36-too fast I am going to pay :oops:
1:49.3-35
1:50.4-36
1:49.0-38

No cough so hopefully will improve now I am starting to do some speed work :wink:
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by Grobi »

Nice improvement Alan, well done! =D> The third quarter looks painful, a true positive splitting up to that point, well done for fighting it back in the final quarter =D>
strider77 wrote:She told me I tend to pull to the right, I really need someone to video me :oops:
Go ahead, we always like good videos around here :D If she's good looking you might post a video of her as well :D
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by strider77 »

Thanks Peter, the first 500 was too fast I will have another go next week and see if I can even the splits out I think I have a 7:12 in me at the moment with the right apporach :D
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by J-Dog »

Bottled out of the 1k CTC, and went for another 10k instead.

HR was nearly 160 with 6k to go :-O but I managed to persevere and knock nearly a minute off my SB!

Another 58 secs to go for my PB, which was 4 years ago.

48:57.4 10,000m 2:26.8 26 156

9:49.2 2,000m 2:27.3 25 139
9:48.9 4,000m 2:27.2 26 154
9:47.4 6,000m 2:26.8 26 158
9:48.2 8,000m 2:27.0 27 165
9:43.7 10,000m 2:25.9 28 167

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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by zootMutant »

Alan -- that looks really painful! It took a lot of grit to pull back during those last 500m and not handle-down! Well done! =D>

J-Dog - based on your current fitness (HR 160 with 6k to go?) that was a very powerful 10K! (Even so, it was probably more enjoyable than your 1k?) Well done to you, too, for sticking it out. ^O^
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by J-Dog »

Cheers, Zoot.

Yes, it hurt, but I couldn't resist trying to beat the 49 mins :-)

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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by Paul Victory »

Nice 2k Alan and well done on smashing your 10k SB J-Dog. =D> =D> =D>
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by plummy »

58s off is pretty huge!

Well done Alan - a well earned well done too - looks like a nasty one. Re the video, I think there's a few of us could benefit from a re-visit to the technique lab (me especially). Maybe next year at Madchester? as it's part of the agenda!

I should have chipped in on this thread with my 3:31.3 from yesterday for a 2.8s improvement over my previous best 1k (and better than my best for 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons as well)
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by Rodger »

Well kept pace J-Dog, especially at that early high HR. You'll be in PB territory before you know it!

Strong improvement there, Alan! Your unconventional pacing and rating never fails to amaze me. I suppose many roads lead to Rome. I also noticed you rowed your 2k at the same pace as I did my 1k CTC.

I did a 2k TT myself today. And after the shock horror of rowing a mile in 6:00.1 last month (the IRL challenge) I did it again: I managed to row 2k in 7:30.1 when going sub 7:30 was my goal. I must say that during the row I never thought of looking at the predicted time, so I had no idea until I finished the last stroke. And frankly, I don't think I would have rowed sub 7:30 if I had seen it. There just wasn't any more fuel in the tank.

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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by J-Dog »

Wow. Nice rowing, Rodger ^O^

I'm hoping to go below 9:00 for a 2k next, but 7:30 seems a few years away at this stage :-)

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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by Rodger »

Cheers, J-Dog.

I think the most important thing is to keep the motivation alive. Having these type of goals helps, especially if they are round numbers. And there is always a distance or timed piece that's close to a nice round target.

On the 2k I'm now 10 sec off my PB (2.5 sec/500m). I'm hoping to challenge all my PBs before the end of the season.
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by zootMutant »

Well done, Rodger! =D>
Rodger wrote:On the 2k I'm now 10 sec off my PB (2.5 sec/500m). I'm hoping to challenge all my PBs before the end of the season.
I think all those PBs are within reach. Just keep rowing... just keep rowing... just keep rowing... :P
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by Rodger »

zootMutant wrote:Well done, Rodger! =D>
Rodger wrote:On the 2k I'm now 10 sec off my PB (2.5 sec/500m). I'm hoping to challenge all my PBs before the end of the season.
I think all those PBs are within reach. Just keep rowing... just keep rowing... just keep rowing... :P
Thanks, Zoot!
How about you? I see it's been six years since you have set most of your PBs. Do you see wiggle room in your set?
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by zootMutant »

Rodger wrote:Thanks, Zoot!
How about you? I see it's been six years since you have set most of your PBs. Do you see wiggle room in your set?
It's early days yet and will depend on whether I can stay injury-free and stick with my training, instead of wandering off chasing squirrels. :oops:

However, I'm optimistic that all of my PBs will fall within the next 12-18 months. :P

(not because I'm some sort of superman, but because those PBs were set after only 5-6 months of rowing and, at the time, I felt like there was much more to come! So, even though I'm 6 years older, I think those are reasonable targets.)
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by Rodger »

Good! Although I'm not sure if 'chasing squirrels' is an euphemism and of what. :P
But why do you reckon it takes three times longer now (12-18 months) to get to that level than it did in in 2010 (5-6 months)?
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by zootMutant »

Rodger wrote:... why do you reckon it takes three times longer now (12-18 months) to get to that level than it did in in 2010 (5-6 months)?
Short Answer
I made up those numbers. I have no idea how long it will take. :lol:

Long Answer
There are several reasons.

1. I am starting with lower fitness.
2. I need more time to recover between my workouts than I did 6 years ago.
3. I am focussed on overall fitness rather than rowing fitness, i.e., I'm mixing strength training with cardio training.

I suspect that our physical 'potential' peaks sometime in our late 20s or early 30s, then gradually drops off. So, my potential is less now than 6 years ago. However, 'performance' is determined not only by your 'potential' but also by the efficiency of your training and your mental fortitude.

I think I know a lot more about training now than I did 6 years ago! (My mental fortitude is about the same.) I understand the importance of a balanced training program, setting attainable goals, and sufficient recovery between workouts. It is unclear whether my 'training efficiency' is sufficient to overcome my loss of potential. But I have a hunch that it is.

I might come close to my PBs in 6 months... but maybe not. If I set a goal of 6 months and then don't achieve it, I might become discouraged and wander off to other things. But if I set a goal 18 months... Well, if I manage to exercise consistently for 18 months I will have established exercise as a part of my life. Even if I don't break any PBs, I will still have won. I love win-win scenarios. :P
Rodger wrote:Good! Although I'm not sure if 'chasing squirrels' is an euphemism and of what. :P
Chasing squirrels -- inability to stay focused on the task at hand.

For example, you and I might be troubleshooting a technical problem at a hydro-electric facility. I'll be explaining about pump curves and amperage ratings... and then I'll break off and look over your shoulder and say, "Oh, squirrels!" 8-[

I refuse to confirm or deny if this really happened. :lol:

=====================

Now that I look closer, I think that your PBs would make pretty good targets. Better watch out! :P
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by Rodger »

zootMutant wrote:I think I know a lot more about training now than I did 6 years ago! (My mental fortitude is about the same.) I understand the importance of a balanced training program, setting attainable goals, and sufficient recovery between workouts.

Very true. It took me a couple of years to figure out that I need at least two days of recovery after a hard workout. This means that all training programs that try to fit three or more hard days in a week are unrealistic for me to follow.
zootMutant wrote:I suspect that our physical 'potential' peaks sometime in our late 20s or early 30s, then gradually drops off. So, my potential is less now than 6 years ago. However, 'performance' is determined not only by your 'potential' but also by the efficiency of your training and your mental fortitude.
zootMutant wrote:It is unclear whether my 'training efficiency' is sufficient to overcome my loss of potential. But I have a hunch that it is.

I would argue that the potential peak may not really be all that relevant here, because, as you said earlier, you were nowhere near reaching your full potential last time.
zootMutant wrote:Now that I look closer, I think that your PBs would make pretty good targets. Better watch out!
Yes, our PBs are not far apart. I'm going to try to move these goal post in the next couple of months. Feel free to take some extra motivation by chasing my numbers. But first, let me have a look at that 30 min of yours. :P
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by zootMutant »

Rodger wrote:
zootMutant wrote:It is unclear whether my 'training efficiency' is sufficient to overcome my loss of potential. But I have a hunch that it is.

I would argue that the potential peak may not really be all that relevant here, because, as you said earlier, you were nowhere near reaching your full potential last time.
I hope you're right! :fsbgrin:
Rodger wrote:
zootMutant wrote:Now that I look closer, I think that your PBs would make pretty good targets. Better watch out!
Yes, our PBs are not far apart. I'm going to try to move these goal post in the next couple of months. Feel free to take some extra motivation by chasing my numbers. But first, let me have a look at that 30 min of yours. :P
Knock yourself out! :lol:
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by strider77 »

Well done everyone lots of great performances =D>
Rodger wrote:-
Strong improvement there, Alan! Your unconventional pacing and rating never fails to amaze me. I suppose many roads lead to Rome. I also noticed you rowed your 2k at the same pace as I did my 1k CTC.
I have always been a bit of an odd ball Rodger, being a sort of lightweight in the body of a Heavyweight I have always stroked faster than most.

My worst (best?) case of this was in the British Champs 2k in 2009 when I averaged 39spm , last 500m was at 45spm !!
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by J-Dog »

OK, decided to improve my 30' SB (and maybe PB).

SB was easy (I'd only done it once this year, right at the beginning).
PB from 4 years ago was 6,450 (2:19.6)

Putting my recent heart-bursting 10k and 2k times into the magic prediction machine told me to aim at 2:21.0

Here's what happened:

30:00.0 6,379m 2:21.0 125 730 28 154
6:00.0 1,280m 2:20.6 126 733 28 138
12:00.0 1,286m 2:19.9 128 740 28 152
18:00.0 1,282m 2:20.4 126 733 28 158
24:00.0 1,265m 2:22.2 121 716 28 159
30:00.0 1,267m 2:22.0 122 719 28 163

Really strange sort of 'bad' this one.

Starting off aiming at 2:21, but felt good so went a bit quicker.
Then, started to feel the HR go up before half-way, so got worried I'd gone too quickly and slacked off a bit.
Then, last third was flailing about feeling too weak to really give my HR much stress, trying to keep close to 2:22.

Overall, back to an overall 2:21.0, but not going to be posting the video of that any time soon :-)

First score over 700 in the Nonalthon, though, so not a disaster.

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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by zootMutant »

J-Dog wrote:Starting off aiming at 2:21, but felt good so went a bit quicker.
Then, started to feel the HR go up before half-way, so got worried I'd gone too quickly and slacked off a bit.
Then, last third was flailing about feeling too weak to really give my HR much stress, trying to keep close to 2:22.

Overall, back to an overall 2:21.0, but not going to be posting the video of that any time soon :-)
Well done, J-Dog! =D> =D>

That was a tough one. You are right on the edge of what you can do, where small changes in pace have a huge effect on how you feel. It always feels easiest at the very beginning of a row and it takes discipline to stick with your rowing plan. Once you get yourself into oxygen debt it is very hard to get back out.

If you were to try it again (sometime when you're fully rested) and forced yourself to stay slightly slower than 2:21 for the first 27 min, I think you'd find the last 3 minutes much easier. You might even have strength for a sprint. :-k On the other hand, 2:21 might still be too fast. If so, you might try starting at 2:22 and increasing your pace 0.5 sec every 6 min.

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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by J-Dog »

Thanks, Zoot.

Tried 30' again after work. Thought I could beat my PB of 6,450 2:19.5, but it seems I've got to the stage where I can only expect smaller improvements each time.

HR was at max with 10 mins still to go, and in those 10 mins I was getting slower, not faster :-)

30:00.0 6,419m 2:20.2 127 736 28 155
6:00.0 1,282m 2:20.4 126 733 28 135
12:00.0 1,291m 2:19.4 129 743 28 152
18:00.0 1,288m 2:19.7 128 740 28 157
24:00.0 1,284m 2:20.1 127 736 29 164
30:00.0 1,274m 2:21.2 124 726 29 167

Nevermind. Still a SB. Just need a bit more for the PB.

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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by Grobi »

Very nice SB nevertheless J-Dog! Give it another week or two and have a go when you're more relaxed (not directly after work), and I can see a 6460 coming along nicely :fswink:
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by zootMutant »

Grobi wrote:Very nice SB nevertheless J-Dog! Give it another week or two and have a go when you're more relaxed (not directly after work), and I can see a 6460 coming along nicely :fswink:
I agree! You're coming along nicely, J-Dog! =D>
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Re: Anyone had any SEASON's bests recently?

Post by plummy »

Two months into the season nearly so I thought I'd bump this thread back up as it was quite popular - plus I've scraped a few seconds off my previous 10k best (was 40:25.x) down to 40:13.3. Not bad as I wasn't really targeting it and soooooooo nearly quit at 30 mins as I thought there may be a tiny SB there with 2500m less pain to endure. I eventually figured I'd likely just miss out on the 30 mins but had a few seconds could sacrifice and still get a 10k SB.
Turned out to be true as I backed off for 300~400 to get me into the last 1500m and the push for home
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