Oct 13 2015
Tuesday: 4x2km HD
How much force of will does one have on an average day?
Here’s a sample of the stuff I did today:
- Cycled to work in -1 degree C and enjoyed it
- Completed a difficult performance review
- Discussed salary expectations with a direct report – having to hold a line which I think is a fair one
- Listened in to a project review, discovering 55 minutes into the discussion, that the guys who are claiming to be in a verification/validation phase are actually still in a debugging phase, a few weeks from a presentation to a launch customer. Followed a long interrogation on where they think they ought to be vs where they really are, ending with a project leader who felt offended. Followed an hour long discussion with the guy’s manager on how to recover the project …
- Helping the boys with their homework … later than expected
Anyway, I still thought I could do a full erg workout, did a warming up and dialed up the 4x2km. I did have a modest target pace, 1:53. First 2km in 1:52.7 in 25spm. Still OK although a little high on the heart rate.
Five hundred meter into interval #2 I stopped. I was doing solid 1:52 pace at the time but I just didn’t feel like completing the workout. Actually, it felt like I was looking at the entire amount of workout work I have to/want to do in the coming winter.
Somehow I have a feeling that a person can be limited in the amount of force of will he can use on a day, and perhaps this is something that needs to be trained as well. Researching this a bit, I actually found an article about it. Key sentence from the abstract: “mentally fatigued subjects reached their maximal level of perceived exertion and disengaged from the physical task earlier than in the control condition. In conclusion, our study provides experimental evidence that mental fatigue limits exercise tolerance in humans through higher perception of effort rather than cardiorespiratory and musculoenergetic mechanisms.”
Will do some easy stretching this evening and that’s it. Tomorrow’s another day. A travel day, actually.
My morning ride:
Oct 27 2015
Tuesday: 4x2km in Blagnac
Monday
Flying to Toulouse, this time through Zurich. A grandiose view on the Alps during the Fokker 100 flight from Zurich to Toulouse. Never boring.
In meetings all afternoon and evening. No training.
Tuesday
Up early after a night in a too warm hotel room. Couldn’t get the climate control to start cooling. Couldn’t open the window. I chose this hotel only because of the gym and C2 erg. Not sure if I will stay with this.
It was very warm in the gym as well but I wanted to finish a 4x2km session this time. This meant that, after a 2km warming up, I started conservatively, at 1:55 pace, with a 1:55 pace boat. I rowed the first 2km flat, with a few fast pace intervals when there was someone passing. The second to fourth row I changed strategy. I started with 10 strong strokes, then flat at 1:55, then a ten strokes push at the 1km mark, and rowing the final 500m a bit faster. In the last interval I wanted to be under 7:30, and succeeded.
I made a nice puddle under the erg.
I managed a nice 2km cooling down.
https://www.strava.com/activities/421107956
By sanderroosendaal • Uncategorized • 0 • Tags: 4x2km, concept2, erg, L2, OTE, rowing, training