It was the usual 31 days, but January seemed extra long this year. I'm glad it's over, and I hope it doesn't return for at least another eleven months.
My enthusiasm for training felt low all month--partly because of the weather, no doubt, and partly because I was busy with all kinds of other silly things. But I did everything I had planned to do: I was in the boat three times a week and I did my January strength routine three times a week. I feel some satisfaction from having kept moving like that and I hope it will pay off later when there are races to do and my head and heart are into it more.
I'm not a big fan of February either, but at least this one started off with a bang. I paddled for 80 minutes this morning in steady rain and gusting winds. After warming up and doing three of my 8-stroke sprints, I began my first experiment in "ultra-short race pace training," described by Ron Lugbill here. Since I hate trying to read my watch while paddling, I did it in the form of 10 strokes on, 20 strokes off. When it was over, I'd done many intervals over a 45-minute period. I'd hoped to do it for 50 minutes, but I could feel my form breaking down, so I stopped after 45.
It was plenty taxing--I probably went harder than I should have on some of the pieces, and I had to keep reminding myself to keep them at race pace--but it actually wasn't radically different from how I've always trained. Even during a long distance session, I typically throw in some surges. The truth is, I like to go fast and push the pace. USRP training adds a little more structure to the exercise, so I'll be doing more of it this season.
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