This week I spent a few days with the coach discussing everything from training, goals, science behind the training, technique and having a pop at a last minute 2K.
I started with a steady 15k on Monday before heading up to Casa de Q on Tuesday morning.
Conditions were tough for the TT. The heat wasn’t too bad but the humidity was horrible making breathing very hard (72%). Q admitted after the test that he knew a PB was probably out of the question the way the warm up went. We had done a 5k warm up with bursts and my HR was though the roof and he could see I was struggling to get the oxygen in. I had pretty much told myself it wasn’t on at this stage too but kept my thoughts to myself.
We set of at a higher rate than I have ever tried and concluded after that the pacing for the middle 1k might have been a bit ambitious given the conditions. I settled too early after a few hard strokes and in hindsight could have let the average drift down a bit slower but pushed on. The middle 1k was horrific as expected and Q said very little as I tried to keep the pace up and watched the predicted finish hover on 6.15/6.16.
I knew full well by 750m that I was not going to get close to a PB as I had to introduce power early on to keep the target split – I was however very consistent through out which pleased me but it was just too damn hard and wasn’t a middle cruise as I wanted.
As with all 2k’s the demons bit me early and stayed throughout (especially hard when you know your not going quick). Into the last 400 and Q made an appearance with some encouraging words (he knew I was struggling like hell but tried to give me something). I tried to open up with 250m to go but nothing – not a change in pace. At 150m to go I counted down 15 strokes, my length had shortened the rate had come down to around 30 and the split was agonisingly slow.
Limping through the line with some shocking numbers on the screen I came in at 6.17.4. It was then the time to attempt to control my body as it fought with suffocation and pain.
I dropped the handle and flopped around in absolute agony. Q tried to keep me moving as I lost control of bodily functions. If there was ever a time I wanted to die it was now – get me out of this state. Some encouraging words followed from the boss and I think I probably mumbled abuse at him to leave me alone ( I apologised later on – bearing in mind I had only met the guy 2 house before and here I was slumped on his machine in his house cursing him!).
After some minutes of flopping backwards and forwards I decided I needed to get up move. I wondered around outside searching for a hole to curl up in and die – I remember collapsing on a recycle bin all the time my head telling me to keep moving. After around 10 minutes my breathing had subsided but my legs were in a bad way. I hobbled back inside to sit back on the machine. I can honestly say my legs have never felt that bad before. I mumbled something to Q about how much trouble I was in as he took data down from the screen and computers. Eventually an eternity went by and decided I wasn’t infact dying and the pain does actually subside – it just took so bloody long. All in all around 30 minutes! Then shower, change and de-brief.
All in all actually pretty pleased with the outcome. As Q said conditions were tough, it was last minute, I had driven 3 hours to a foreign venue, put myself under pressure to perform in front of the boss and it is off season week 9 with absolutely no speed work under my belt. There was of course a lot more science involved in the de-brief but that is all I can remember for now!
After an evening spent chatting we decided the next day should be a 30r20 just to get some data. We had fully expected this to be slow all things considered!
So after watching the boss perform his heroics on the erg off I went. Again what I can describe as sheer hell! I set off at PB pace or what I now refer to as suicide pace! 8 minutes and my HR (which was being advertised amongst other technical read outs were on the big screen) was around the 180 mark. With 10 minutes gone we had reached well above 180 and it continued to nudge up for the remaining 20 minutes averaging 185. Pace was compromised at this point and by half way was agonisingly slow. Q intervened at this point and advised that the pace is irrelevant and that this was just training. Afterwards he would go on to praise my ability to keep my HR so high for so long.
A slow row but some good data recorded including a new max HR of 191. A very good few days spent with the coach with plenty to be getting on with as we head into race season.
Thursday was taken as a rest day with today (Friday) a double hitter.
4x1k (5r) this morning somehow sneaking a PB in 1.34.2 average with a fast last set of 1.33.4 on very tired legs.
I promptly e mailed Q asking if this afternoons 15k low rate distance row was needed or could I rest –I was feeling pretty beat up.
The reply was instant “do your 15k”. So with that in mind I grumbled, cursed, got changed and headed back down to the shed, dragged out the erg and did session #2 – 15k @ r18.
I am ready for a weekend of resting now.
Until next week ……
