OTW

myimage19.png

Apr 9 2017

Friday: Travel to Hořín and reconnaissance row

I traveled with the other rowers in the minivan that towed the boat trailer. We left Brno at 1pm in rainy weather. It rained a lot during the 4 hour drive.

Arrived at Vranany, the village that is closest to the start of the race, and where the boats are stored on a muddy field where the canal splits off from the Vltava (Moldau) river. It was about 6 degrees, but it was dry.

I rigged my single and launched for a quick row to check the conditions. A strong tailwind in the race direction. I did 15 strokes at race pace on the start of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th kilometer.

myimage (19)

 

You can see from the difference in pace that the wind was quite strong.

When I was ready with my row, the second wave of our rowers launched (some of us share boats). I instructed Iva to do 10 to 15 stroke intervals in the tailwind direction. She has more technique problems in tailwind conditions.

I waited in the minivan for the second wave of rowers to return. Then we had to drive to the finish area in Hořín and park the trailer among the other trailers, which involved some manual trailer manipulation in heavy rain.

It was 8pm when we arrived in the hotel. Luckily, I had anticipated this and prepared some sandwiches, so I didn’t have to go to the restaurant for a 9pm dinner. Instead, I had one beer and then I went to bed.

I weighed 71.8kg when going to sleep. I usually weigh in after my morning bathroom visit around 200-300g lighter than before going to bed, so all was fine, given the 72.5kg weigh-in limit.

By • Uncategorized • 0 • Tags: , , ,

myimage (14)

Apr 4 2017

Head Race Prep Rate Ladders – and: To Program Workouts or not to Program Workouts?

Most on-the-water rowing electronics units (SpeedCoach, CoxMate) and smartphone apps (CrewNerd) offer programmable workouts. This looks attractive for complex interval workouts. You don’t have to keep an eye on time or distance, and in the resulting report your sets and intervals are clearly marked. It also eases up the processing after the row.

There are also disadvantages, though. The first one is that programming the workouts in the app/unit is a hassle and it is prone to errors.

If you are coaching a group of boats doing the same workout, you would have to make sure that they all start at the same time, and, in case you are doing distance based intervals, you have to hope that the recorded GPS or impeller distance will remain similar between the units in the various boats.

And even when rowing single, you sometimes have to abandon a workout because of traffic, because you are running out of lake, or other reasons. Finally, if you want to set up your unit/app in such a way that it shows other parameters than time or distance, you have a problem (unless the app has audio signals, such as CrewNerd).

It just takes away the much needed flexibility.

So, lately I have started to just record everything as a “just row”. I start recording when I push off the dock, and I finish recording when I arrive back at the dock. This gives me the maximum flexibility, but I do need two devices for some workouts (to see time and distance on the Garmin, when the SpeedCoach is set to stroke length, power, stroke rate, and work per stroke). The other problem is that it makes it a bit more work to figure out when the intervals start and stop, when I want to create a workout summary, like this one:


Workout Summary - media/20170404-104046-Sanders SpeedCoach 20170404 0741amo.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|11114|57:54.0|02:36.3|183.3|22.2|157.8|186.0|08.6
W-|08523|40:42.0|02:23.3|200.5|22.6|160.2|186.0|09.4
R-|02598|17:12.0|03:18.6|109.0|19.1|142.5|186.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|01855|10:00.0|02:41.8|156.6|18.0|137.4|150.0|10.3 - WU
01|01118|05:00.0|02:14.1|201.6|22.2|161.1|167.0|10.1 - tail
02|01019|04:50.0|02:22.4|224.5|23.8|170.0|175.0|08.9 - head
03|01178|04:56.0|02:05.6|244.0|26.1|174.6|181.0|09.2 - tail
04|01106|04:58.0|02:14.7|248.4|26.9|179.7|186.0|08.3 - head, w coach
05|01191|04:54.0|02:03.5|266.0|28.2|178.5|185.0|08.6 - tail, w coach
06|01057|06:04.6|02:52.5|125.8|18.9|146.8|163.0|09.2 - CD

I do have to mention that tidying up an interval summary from a “just row” workout is one of the advanced features of rowsandall.com. The interval editor allows you to “insert” the intervals after the fact. It takes a bit of time to figure out what exactly the durations are if you didn’t exactly stick to the script of your training plan, but it is worth it.

This training was 5x5min/4min at 22,24,26,28 and 30spm. During the fourth interval I caught up with our head coach training one of our men in the single. This guy was doing the 24spm while I was doing 28spm. So I shortened the break between interval 4 and 5 and after 2.5 minutes did the 30spm next to the guy (rowing the 26spm).

He did beat me. I am also convinced that if I want to row the head race at 30spm, I should lighten up my stroke much more. I don’t think I will row faster than a 240W average, coming Saturday. Still, at 30spm, I find it incredibly difficult to keep the Work per Stroke and the Power in the right ball park. In the beginning, I just push too hard, and towards the end of the set, I get fatigued and am working below the average.

myimage (12)

In the fourth interval, I was struggling a bit with the coach launch’s wake, until the coach noticed, and waited for me to pass him. This was great, because he gave me some valuable feedback on my rowing. Basically, when I get tired, my chest collapses on my knees at the catch, whereas I should be pushing my belly button to touch my upper legs. So in the final 30spm interval I tried to work on that (and keep up with the guy doing 26spm), which resulted in going out at around 300W. After 2 minutes, I got presented the bill for that. Had to rate down and “survive”, which unfortunately also meant that my “fatigued rowing technique” was clearly visible (too curved back, head not held straight). It is also clearly visible in the metrics plots:

You can very clearly see fatigue in the plot of Work per Stroke and Average Force. I am just not fit enough to keep that 300W effort for that long (at the end of a workout).

Well, that was a very useful workout. And if had “programmed” it, I wouldn’t have had the flexibility that I had today and I wouldn’t have got the coaching.

By • Uncategorized • 6 • Tags: , , , , , ,

myimage (11)

Apr 3 2017

The Wahoo is dead!

The training plan just said: “12km steady state at 20spm”. I decided to do rate ladders with a 20spm average. It’s almost the same but gives a few short sections with a higher stroke rate, just to get used to that head race pace.

I trained in the morning and I was a little time pressed, so when I discovered that the Wahoo Tickr didn’t pair with the SpeedCoach, and also not with the Garmin, I didn’t go back to the locker room to get the new Tickr X, but just pushed the boat off the dock and rowed without the heart rate belt.

It was pretty windy, so there is a lot of difference between the two rowing directions on the lake. In the last ladder I did a ‘head race start’ and tried to find that “light” stroke at 29spm. I think I am still rowing a bit too heavy.

Work per stroke is a bit higher than on my last 6k trial, in the high rate pieces.

I wonder why the Tickr was dead. I recently replaced the battery. Probably, Saturday’s issues with the SpeedCoach were also due to a low battery on the Tickr, so I will revert to my new Tickr X for the rest of the week. Except for Saturday’s race. I will row that one with an unmeasured heart.

Tomorrow: 5×5’/4′ at 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30spm.

By • Uncategorized • 2 • Tags: , , , , ,

myimage (8)

Mar 28 2017

Monday – Guest row with the double

Arjan is my old training partner when we were both studying in Utrecht and rowing for Orca. He is over in Vienna for a week long conference, decided to fly in half a day earlier and hop on the train to Brno. I picked him up at the railway station at the end of the afternoon and we headed to the lake.

We took the double “Orca” for a tour of the lake. We rowed up to the castle and then crossed the lake. This was a steady state session so we did most of it at 20spm, with an occasional excursion to 22spm. Arjan really enjoyed the scenery. In Weert and Eindhoven they are rowing on narrow canals in an industrial setting, so being in the middle of a forest, in a canyon, between rocks, was quite a change for him.

He also needed some time to get used to navigating on the lake.

Then we went to my place to have dinner, chat a bit, and at in the end I brought him to the last train to Vienna.

This morning the alarm clock rang at 5AM. At 5:30 the driver was already waiting. I hopped in the car and headed to the Vienna airport. I took the flight to Brussels. First time I flew on a Sukhoi SSJ100 aircraft, operated by City Jet for Brussels airlines. Lots of leg space!

Tomorrow morning: Hotel gym workout.

By • Uncategorized • 0 • Tags: , , , , , ,

myimage (6)

Mar 26 2017

Technique row in the 2x

A short outing with Romana, just to check that our double “Orca” is in good shape. She is.

Lots of technique drills and footstretcher adjustments.

The water was a bit “bumpy” today. Sunny but not so warm.

Tomorrow: A 6k row on the erg. Tuesday travel / rest day and wednesday hotel fitness circuit.

By • Uncategorized • 1 • Tags: , , , , ,

myimage (5)

Mar 25 2017

Sunny Steady State Session (SSS session)

This was just a very nice morning at the rowing club. Arrived at 9:30, in time for my son’s training time. Lenka helped me swap the oarlock pins on my single for better ones. Since I have backstays, I need the screw-thread on the top of the pin to be longer for all the bolts to fit on nicely. So that is now the case.

Then I took the single for this year’s first row on the lake.

Here is the graph from rowsandall.com:

During the row, I had set the SpeedCoach monitor to the most basic parameters you can have: Stroke Rate, Pace, Distance and Elapsed Time. I just focused on rowing. It was nice weather. This was a 12km steady state. I was tired from the week in Račice, and I didn’t feel like focusing on complex parameters.

The Empower Oarlock magnet moved a bit during the row. Even though I had screwed it tight. I suspect that the new pins are a bit greasy. This made the catch and finish angle measurements unusable, but all the other metrics are still valid. I leave it as an exercise to the reader to spot the headwind and tailwind segments. As a hint, the nearest airport (16km) reported 3kt wind from the North.

After the row, I took out our double and rigged it. It was nice to stand in the sun, mess around with a double, and chat with the other rowers.

I fell asleep in my chair while trying to process my workout. I guess I have some lack of sleep and accumulated fatigue.

I hope to persuade Romana to go for a technique outing in the double, followed by a sauna session. By the way, Romana was in Pardubice today to do rowing trainers’ exams. She passed. Yay! Now she is officially certified.

By • Uncategorized • 0 • Tags: , , , , ,

myimage2.png

Mar 24 2017

The Proof of the Pudding – a 6k head race test with power meter

So yesterday I had some theories about how you can use the metrics of a power measuring oarlock (the NK Empower Oarlock in this case) to find an optimum race strategy and keep an eye on technique during the race.

This morning I tested some aspects of this theory. This is part of the philosophy I have for the rowsandall.com rowing data analytics site. I will try to test as much as I can so that you, the users, can be sure that what we recommend has been tried and tested. We (that is I and our alpha and beta testers) use all the apps that the site is compatible with and we make quick adjustments when something doesn’t work.

Back to the 6k test now. First, I did a 2k warming up:

myimage (1)

After that is was time for the proof. I set the SpeedCoach display as follows:

  1. Top Left: Stroke Rate
  2. Top Right: Instantaneous Power (Watts)
  3. Bottom Left: Effective Stroke Rate (degrees)
  4. Bottom Right: Work per Stroke

For (4), you could argue that I should have chosen maximum or average force, but the problem was that I didn’t have a feel for the data. This is partly my own fault. On the site, I am using pounds, a horrible American unit, while the SpeedCoach uses the perfectly sound Newton. I need to convert the site to Newtons. I don’t think anyone will object. For now I use work per stroke, though, because I feel I shouldn’t go above 550 J or below 500 J.

The effective stroke length is the stroke length minus slip and wash, so it is the arc through which you are effectively pulling. Stroke rate was there to check that when the other metrics tell me to lighten up and rate up, I am actually achieving that goal.

So, no pace information? No distance? Correct. As I was rowing on a 2k FISA compliant race course, I had enough visual clues about my position, with a sign every 250m, and a sequence of buildings as you approach the finish line. And pace? I decided that pace was irrelevant. (I did cheat a little, because my Garmin watch on the scull provided pace in time per km, so a division by 2 would give me the infamous pace per 500m.

There was a light wind, which would be a headwind in the first and last 2k sections. After each 2k section, I would have to quickly turn. I contemplated setting the row up as a 3x2km workout with 1 minute rest, but decided I wouldn’t do that. I rowed it as a Just Row.

Here are the results:


Workout Summary - media/20170324-083240-SpdCoach 2136923 20170324 0726amo.csv
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Max-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|-Pwr-|SPM-|-HR--|-HR--|-DPS
--|06117|27:20.0|02:14.1|225.9|26.3|173.9|185.0|08.5
W-|05908|25:36.0|02:10.0|232.8|26.4|174.0|185.0|08.7
R-|00211|01:44.0|04:06.0|099.1|24.0|171.9|185.0|00.0
Workout Details
#-|SDist|-Split-|-SPace-|-Pwr-|SPM-|AvgHR|MaxHR|DPS-
00|01968|08:33.0|02:10.3|234.7|26.4|167.0|177.0|08.7
01|01976|08:34.0|02:10.0|231.0|26.1|175.4|181.0|08.8
02|01963|08:29.2|02:09.7|232.7|26.8|179.6|185.0|08.6

In graphs:

myimage (2)

 

myimage (4)

 

myimage (3)

 

I wasn’t entirely sure about the ideal Power value, but I guessed that 250W would be too much, and I took Monday’s 4x2km at 211W as the lower boundary. In the end that worked out to 233W average. During the row I saw it vary between 210W and 250W. Some of that was due to course corrections (the wind was a headwind but also a slight crosswind). I was worried about the low stroke rate, but I also know it takes a few of these trials to get the stroke rate higher. I decided to stop worrying about it and focus on length, power, and work per stroke.

The effective length was a bit lower than I had hoped, and I consciously worked to get the values above 90 degrees. But then, I didn’t want to look at the SpeedCoach for each and every stroke, so the values slipped a bit as I got tired. I think you can also see that my effort was quite constant in the end.

The question is always if I could have gone faster. In a 6k race, on race day with the adrenalin, and without the turns, I think I could. But still it will be a smart strategy to stick to these values for the first 4.5km, and only go faster in the final stretch.

bokeh plot (12)

Drive length oscillating around 89 degrees (would have liked to see a bit more there).

 

bokeh plot (11)

Catch and finish angles in a pretty narrow range.

 

bokeh plot (10)

It looks like work per stroke and power are mainly determined by the drive length.

 

bokeh plot (9)

 

bokeh plot (8)

Pretty constant in the average drive force. This tells me that most of the Work per Stroke variations are from the effective drive length.

 

bokeh plot (7)

Not sure what the big differences in catch angle mean.

 

bokeh plot (6)

By • Uncategorized • 1 • Tags: , , , , , ,

«< 24 25 26 27 28 >»