Running and rowing (erging)

Got back on the C2 tonight so I could do a 20 min session whilst the dinner was cooking. Long way from anything serious but did manage some intervals resulting in 3200m and a sore bum!

Argh, still fighting the annoying low-level sniffle. It's on my throat now. I think it's finally on its way out but still, nothing for me today. Frustrating.

Unless I feel really crap tomorrow I shall resume with a Pete Plan steady 10K.

Pete Plan Week 1 now done. I did a 10k which I felt in the backside the next day. I quite liked the 5 x 1500m, being able to stand up and stagger around for a few minutes. I probably didn't go hard enough, but in 3 weeks time when its repeated, I know what I have to beat.

I much preferred this week  to the RowPro cardio plan that I had generated. Busy this weekend, otherwise would do one more long steady row.

Well you're doing a lot better than I am, Also-ran.You might not think you went hard enough, but you'll soon begin to feel the pressure on the PP intervals

Feeling reasonably okay and thinking I'd got the better of the man flu I sat down and started a steady 45-minute row. Five minutes in, sweating profusely and with hr 15 above where it should be, I down handled. Obviously not fit to resume yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Pah

Ah Muttley hope you feel better tomorrow.

It's amazing what 24 hours and a day's sick note does for one's recovery. Yesterday I was at hr 140+ just five minutes in at paddling pace. Today it was in the mid 120s, as normal. I set the machine for 45 minutes but stopped after 30 mins as the hr was creeping upwards by then. Best not to push my luck.

Gentle run tomorrow morning and then, all being well, to resume the Pete Plan.

Wahey

Back on the Pete Plan, yay. Standard 45-minute steady distance row done, hr well within the norm, recovery complete.

Next session is the 3k, 2.5k and 2k intervals ... which always hurts.

Good to hear you are back on the water Muttley.

I did the Pete Plan pyramid speed interval yesterday. After doing that, I will be glad to do a steady 10k row tomorrow. I haven't looked yet to see what speed endurance intervals come next .... one day at a time

Ah, the pyramid.That's my favourite session! You might think the rest intervals are long but jeez, go fast enough and you definitely need them.

I've just done the 3k, 2.5k and 2k endurance interval session, av pace 0.5 second per 500m quicker than last time so mission accomplished.

10k steady row for me next but will try to get in a run tomorrow.

I row as well as run. Earlier this year my club 2k test was the day after the London marathon. Painful. 

For non-rowers this (expletive-ridden) account sums how daunting a 2k is, with helpful illustrations

http://somethingaboutrowing.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/2k.html

Charles Jans wrote (see)

I row as well as run. Earlier this year my club 2k test was the day after the London marathon. Painful. 

For non-rowers this (expletive-ridden) account sums how daunting a 2k is, with helpful illustrations

http://somethingaboutrowing.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/2k.html

 

That has to be the best blog I've read in a long time - didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the pain. I've decided I'm not trying hard enough!

Question for you rowers. What is the best test to establish your Max heart rate on an erg. Tried doing a step test today and it all seemed to go wrong at the end (don't think I let my heart rate rise enough before I blasted off in the last step - crap pacing).

I read about another test: row steady for 1'30", increase power by 25 watts for next 1'30", and just keep upping the power till you explode

Hi Charles Jan

I loved your blog. I do a bit home rowing on a C2, mainly intervals pyramid fashion as cross training. Haven' t done anything like a fast as you can 2K but can imagine it hurts a lot. Note to myself to work harder! Thanks for the link.

Interesting how the 2K is the only pb that matters for rowers and how all other distances are kinda pushed aside. I'm not a fan of 2Ks - too short, fast and furious. I'm more a long slow take-it-easy guy

I do enjoy a good thrash on the Pete Plan short intervals but when it comes down to it, this is training not racing so I'm not going to wreck myself on them.

Even then, if we assume that rowing is 60 per cent legs and 20 each of torso and arms/shoulders, then a good 10K on the erg is equivalent to 6K running. I've found that if I do this on a Saturday evening I usually have a good race on the Sunday - the rowing seems to flush the legs out nicely.

Also-ran - I use my running max hr for the erg. Imho max hr is max hr regardless of how you achieve it.

I've never monitored HR whilst rowing but I can imagine it being similar to cycling, i.e. effective max being a fair bit lower / perceived effort being higher for the same HR, especially for a good runner.  If I wanted to get an approximation for max I'd probably just do a 2k flat-out after a good warm-up.

I've got back into the habit of erging as part of my gym sessions and I'm doing a 5k a couple of times a week.  I may consider doing a longer session once a week as well, although that would need to be sacrificed when I need to start working more seriously on duathlon fitness in the new year.  Today's 5k done in 19:00, although my best (only!) 10k time is 36:51, when I was doing a lot more rowing a year ago for running rehab.  Got a way to go to get that level back again I think.

I entered the RowPro Race Night Series last night, and managed another 4th place. The handicap system really plays in my favour (lightweight / vet), otherwise I'd be at at the bottom end of the pack.

This months event was 3 x 10min races. I paced fairly well, and managed to increase distance in each race. I went completely flat out in the last race at the end, and got my heart rate within 9 beats of my running max heart rate. Slightly mistimed it as I was slumped over with about 5 seconds to go! That will teach me.

That's a tidy 10k Phil.

Back to the Pete Plan now the fun is over.

I also get the impression that at a given hr I'm working harder on the C2 than I am when running.

Those are decent times, Phil. I'm working on getting my 5K time to below 20 minutes, a couple of seconds each session as part of the Pete Plan.

But yesterday's attempt was a failure. It felt really heavy going and the hr was very high for no apparent reason. Just a bad day. Another go tomorrow. I had a fairly long easy run today so should be fresh.

Don't feel bad Muttley, we all have days like that ...... so put the Doritos away ..... dont be making that phone call to the local Chinese down the road, and steel yourself for another session tomorrow.

So glad I found this thread as I am so looking forward to having my C2 delivered this Saturday - Yay!.  Am doing a half ironman next year and decided to include rowing in my cross training (yes, another sport!) as I cannot always get to a pool.  Having googled before I have come across the Pete Plan which I thought I would start using.  Also at the weekend I plan to download RowPro for the 20 day free trial.  Will also be using my Polar HRM so all the discussion over your max is perfect

I ended up with the C2 as I know I will use it (have had a treadmill at home for 10 years and have been using that all this time) and as you have already pointed out, they hold their value well so I took the plunge and purchased one online Sunday evening.

Another 'erger' joins Mutley's fold Let us all know how you get on Beck Boo

A steady 10K at lunchtime for me. Had I pushed it I would have been a couple of boat lengths (plus several minutes) behind PhilPub's 10k!