I talked with Maks about my failure to hurt as badly as he wanted me to in Thursday's workout. He said we would have adjust the base stroke rate upward in workouts like that to get me into the anaerobic zone. So... I asked for stiffer punishment, and it sounds like Maks is happy to deliver. But I guess that's okay--I like to paddle hard. Even more than that, I like to find ways to make my boat go faster.
In other news, I got an e-mail from federal court informing me that "All federal trial jury activity has been suspended until further notice by order of the Court." There was no further explanation--maybe COVID-19 is the reason, maybe it's something else--but the upshot is that they will not be needing my services as a juror this month. So that adventure came to an end before it had even started.
I started Friday with a gym session, and then headed downtown. A front had moved through the Mid South behind those showers on Thursday, and after an overnight freeze it was 39 degrees Fahrenheit when I got to the river Friday morning. But the sun was out and there was very little wind, making it a more pleasant day overall for paddling than Thursday had been. The harbor was as smooth as glass, and that was ideal for a workout that put a premium on glide.
I put a few barbell plates amounting to approximately 5 kilograms in the boat, and commenced paddling. After a warmup, I did eight 6-minute pieces at 60 strokes per minute with 2 minutes recovery. Low-stroke-rate workouts like this are designed to build strength and power, I was feeling it plenty as I proceeded through it on top of my gym session. I tried to get as much glide as I could from each stroke; the extra weight in the boat seems to enhance the glide.
Yesterday morning I did an easy 40-minute paddle under an overcast sky with a temperature in the mid 40s. The Saturday morning paddle is usually a warmup for the afternoon session, and I try to use it for work on my stroke. This time I kept my rate around 64-68 spm.
By yesterday afternoon it had warmed up into the mid 50s. While the sky had some patches of blue, it was still mostly cloudy. It was time for some sprinting. The workout was eight sets, and each set was as follows: 200 meters at 80 spm with resistance on the boat; 2 minutes recovery; a 6-second flying-start sprint without the resistance; 2 minutes recovery. I felt sort of sloppy in the first two sets but smoothed out after that. Maks said I should apply maximum power to each stroke in the 200s while being mindful of good technique, and that the 6-second sprints were a way to "wake up" the body and nervous system as this challenging week nears its end.
The temperature took a dive overnight. When I got to the river this morning it was 33 degrees, and a north wind made it feel about ten degrees colder. Sunday is when I usually do longer endurance sessions, and that was the case again today. I did four sets of (6 minutes at 60 spm/1 minute recovery/4 minutes at 64 spm/1 minute recovery/3 minutes at 68 spm/2 minutes recovery/2 minutes at 72 spm/2 minutes recovery). I tried to put consistent power into each stroke regardless of the rate. I feel like I'm getting more and more used to the subtle differences among cadences. I was starting to feel some fatigue in the last set but overall I held up pretty well.
By the time I got back to the car it had warmed up all the way to 34 degrees. The forecast for the coming week looks sort of grim, with sub-freezing daily highs toward the end of the week. February is often our worst winter month, and it looks like that'll be the case again this year.
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