2nd Track Workout in a Week

I posted some faster times on the track today for the same workout as last week: 6×400m, 1×800m.

1.  1:14  (400m)

2.  1:17  (400m)

3.  1:16  (400m)

4.  1:17  (400m)

5.  1:18  (400m)

6.  1:18  (400m)

7.  2:46  (800m)

All my 400’s were faster than my fastest time last week (1:19), and my rest was less (1 very slow lap instead of 1.5 very slow laps).  My goal was to do a 2:45 for the 800, and I went through 200m and 400m ahead of pace, but I slowed down in the 3rd 200m, picked it up a bit in the last 200m, but came through in just over 2:45 (rounded up to 2:46).

This past week was a very easy week for me because I pulled a muscle in my lower back last Friday (8 days ago), and so didn’t do any hard erg workouts and only lifted weights once (yesterday).  So while I had less rest time between intervals this week, I was far more rested than last week.

It took me about 48 minutes to do the whole workout, which is shorter than last week.  My rest time is still very long because I go veeeeery slowly on the rest lap, so over time my goal is to be able to do 75 second 400’s with the rest lap at a respectable pace, and not a I’m-on-mile-99-of-a-100-mile-road-race pace.

Almost invariably, on my 400’s I’d come through 200m around 36.5 seconds.  After a bunch of these, I thought “There are guys who can do 100m in 10 seconds, and I’m doing these in 18 seconds…”  Fortunately my goal is not to make the US Track and Field Team.

Overall, I’m pleased with this workout.  I’m now consistently faster than 80 seconds on my 400’s, and I ran 800m at about a 5:32 pace – “only” 20 seconds slower than my goal mile pace.

First Track Workout in 14 Years

One of my goals for 2009 is to break my personal best mile time of 5:14, set in 1990 at an outdoor track meet in the Spring of my sophomore year in high school.  I figure the best way to prepare is to run a bunch of 400’s and 800’s over the next few months to get my body used to the pace needed to set a personal best.

This morning was my first track workout in 14 years, and I did 6×400m and 1×800m, with about 5 minutes rest (1.5 to 2 laps) between intervals.  Halfway through my first 400m piece, I saw the time was over 45 seconds and I couldn’t believe how quickly time was passing…  I finished the first 400m in 1:41, and did my last 400m in 1:19.

After 6×400m (with lots of rest), I still felt pretty good, so I decided to do an 800m piece, just to gauge my stamina over a half-mile (almost) distance.  I wanted to do it in 2:50, but would have been satisfied with 3:00 since this would have been my first 800m sprint since high school.  I came through 400m in 1:24, so I knew I was within reach of hitting my goal pace.  I felt good through the second half, holding the pace and finished in 2:49.  By comparison, the world record in the 800m is a 1:41.11 set by Wilson Kipketer (a Dane!) in 1997.  Yup, Danes are mighty fast in rowing and running.

My times:

1:  1:41 (400m)

2:  1:30 (400m)

3:  1:27 (400m)

4:  1:23 (400m)

5:  1:21 (400m)

6:  1:19 (400m)

7:  2:49 (800m)

I’m very pleased with where I am right now.  To break a 5:14 mile, I have to do 400’s in 78 seconds, and 800’s in 2:36.  Had I been sufficiently stretched out and perhaps had one day of recovery between this workout and yesterday’s rowing machine and heavy weights workout, I think I could have run a 5:45 mile – “only” 32 seconds from setting a new personal record.  It’s clear my rowing training is satisfactory for running, but I plan to do regular track workouts for the next few months to gauge my progress toward this goal.  I think between these track workouts, the weightlifting, and the volume of AT work I’ll be doing on the rowing machine over the next four months, I’ll be ready to set a new record in the middle of September – perhaps a good time of year, when the air is not too humid and the morning temperatures are not too hot.  When I can pound out 6×400m each in 75 seconds and then 2×800m each in 2:33, with no more than 4 minutes rest between intervals (one veeeeery slow lap), then I’ll be ready to set a new personal record.

New Personal Record!

Today I pressed 135 lbs. for one rep.  Small victories can be very satisfying.  Have a great day.

Performance Measures

While the tendinitis/ligamentitis in my knees has improved considerably since last fall, there are still remnants which are tenaciously hanging on.  That’s ok – a longer recovery period will ensure I don’t make this mistake again.

My plan for 2009 is to set new personal records in many different performance measures.  On the rowing machine, this includes (current best in parantheses): 1k (3:11.2), 2k (6:36.7), 5k (17:38.3), 6k (21:31), 10k (37:25), and 1 hour (16015 meters) time trials.  On the track, this includes the mile run (to beat my personal best from sophomore year in high school of 5:14).  On the weights, this includes:  Squat (265 lbs.), Bench Press (200 lbs.), Deadlift (335 lbs.), Power Clean (180 lbs.), and Press (130 lbs., set today!).  And with respect to body weight, to weigh at least 165 lbs. at 8% body fat (right now I’m about 162 lbs. at about 9% body fat).

My new weightlifting program is working well, as I’m consistently getting stronger while at the same time increasing the intensity slowly to allow my knees to heal while the weight is getting heavier.  My knees are improving slowly but surely.  My aerobic fitness is improving, especially since I’ve increased the volume of aerobic work and just recently started into aerobic threshold workouts on the treadmill.  I’ve been doing a lot of work on the treadmill and stationary bike to take a break from the rowing machine, but will start back on that now that I’ll be easing my way into time trials each month.

Have a great day!

New Breathing Pattern

A few weeks ago I read this blog entry by Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist.  In it, he discusses a breathing pattern which he claims is necessary to achieve proper, effortless rowing.  This breathing pattern is different from what I’ve been doing for the past years, but I decided to give it a shot – you couldn’t get much more credibility from a source of information.  About two weeks into it, I’m regularly achieving this breathing pattern and making it easier and easier (more natural) at low ratings and power.  I haven’t yet tried it at elevated ratings and power because I’m still letting my knees heal from tendinitis (stupidly leg pressing waaaaayyyyy too much weight, and without being properly warmed up or stretched), but starting in January I’ll start building the intensity.

My weight training is going very well.  It’s a program I adapted from one called ‘Beat the Computer’ from the Bigger Faster Stronger program.  I read a book a few weeks ago (while I stopped all exercise for two weeks to let my tendinits heal) by Mark Rippetoe called “Starting Strength” which essentially promotes this training program, and I’ve used this program in the past with good success.  So, about 5 weeks ago after the worst of the tendinitis was over, I dumped the program that got me injured and went back to the one that worked really well.  Sometimes I have to learn things the hard way, and sometimes more than once…

Head of the Charles Regatta

My fall rowing season came to a close this past weekend with the Head of the Charles regatta in Boston, MA, where I placed 10th/57 in the Club 1x event. I was 37s slower than the winner, but it was a great race with regards to technique – the technical changes I made a month ago have helped tremendously. Now begins winter training, with lots of weightlifting and workouts on the rowing machine, with some water rowing when it’s not too cold.

Midway through my race at the Head of the Charles rowing regatta in Boston, MA

DMT’s Development in Rowing

On Sunday, I competed for the first time in 3 years, at the Head of the Potomac regatta in Washington, D.C. I got 4th of 8 in the Open Men’s 1x, 50 seconds slower than the winning time, and in the raced thought “I really need to improve my fitness.” The next day, I locked into a technique that has been eluding me for almost 2 years. It is a technique and rhythm that makes rowing miles and miles so enjoyable. It emphasizes elasticity of motion, and hanging my weight off the oar handles in a way that is both physically taxing and intoxicating. The analogy I use is riding a mountain bike on a slight decline – if you’re in too light a gear, you can’t properly lock onto a strong pedal motion; in the right gear, however, you can stand up and push down on the pedals with a deliberate, satisfying strength that keeps the bike going very fast.

My next race is the Occoquan Chase, on the Occoquan Reservoir in northern VA in a few weeks. One week later is the Head of the Charles, where I’ll be racing in the Club Singles event. More on this in the weeks to come.