What a rush!! Another VHARD workout attacked today, and it was no other than my favourite pyramid piece….two of them actually (although my first one was the real workout, ha!).
When I first did the pyramid back in the fall, my teammates and I started at stroke rate 12 (working up to 20 and back down). After building up our strength, we got to a point where we could hold our target watts…120W, 140W, 160, 180, 200, etc. Since then, the stroke rates have increased, and we are now starting at SR18.
Today I surprised myself and almost hit all of my watts…at these higher stroke rates (woot woot!). This means that eventually I should be able to hold my 2km personal best at stroke rate 26-27! Not yet, but on my wayJ.
So now we’re doing this pyramid with SR 18/20/22/24/26/24/22/20/18, and I am holding 250W at SR26 as my peak..10W to get to 260W! So close!!!
It’s helpful to remember that as athletes we will not always see results from our hard work right away. It takes time to build power, build endurance, build confidence, etc. I feel I’m constantly learning and growing as an athlete, and days like today are very encouraging.
Do you see the value in each of your workouts? Make a point to find the “purpose” in your workouts and know that every stroke, every day, every week of training is contributing to a bigger result.
Today RADAR begins (RADAR is the testing rowers need to do for National Team consideration).
So I expect that before I leave for training camp next Thursday, I’ll be doing a fun 2km test (hopefully I’ll be in the company of some great teammates doing just the same!). I hope we’ll be at a stroke rate higher than 26 thoughJ.
Happy Training!
ps. Here's a delicious healthy pancake recipe that you can try at home (thanks Katie Sauks for getting me on this, yum!)
- 1 mashed banana
- 2 eggs
- 3 handfuls of oatmeal
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Optional: chocolate chips, blueberries, anything else you like
- Combine ingredients and fry as pancakes in a pan
You've got this training down to a real science! Former colleague of mine just started out as a personal trainer and she's put together a program for me. Turns out I need to start with strengthening my core before I could even consider the kind of intense workouts you describe here. Good luck with RADAR.
ReplyDelete