No rest for the wicked

Last week's training plan was easier than it might have been because of my race on Saturday.  When Maks sent me this week's plan he said it would be pretty tough, and I do believe he wasn't kidding.

When I went to the river Tuesday morning there was a system of storms moving through the region, and while I got rained on only just a little, there was an east wind blowing that sort of swirled and whipped all over the place, especially under the bridges.  The workout was two sets of five 5-minute pieces with 1 minute recovery, with some extra weight in the boat.  The first set was to be done at 60 strokes per minute, and the second at 68 spm.  In the early going it didn't seem like a big deal, but I was starting to feel it in my arms by the last piece of the first set, and then the second set with the higher stroke rate was more taxing, especially the last piece.

Yesterday's workout was pretty substantial: five 1000-meter pieces at 76-84 spm, starting every 12th minute.  Maks told me to shoot for consistent times for all five.  I was hoping to break 5 minutes for them all, but the weather was still unsettled: a strong, gusty wind was blowing from the east-southeast, meaning I would often be paddling in a beam wind in the harbor.  So I told myself not to get all upset if I couldn't break 5:00 in all of them.

As it turned out, I did break 5:00 in all of them: 4:58, 4:49, 4:53, 4:48, 4:47.  I think the faster pieces took place in a more favorable wind, while the slower ones were the result of beam winds blowing me around.

Going into yesterday's workout I didn't feel particularly fazed, because I'd just done a race last Saturday that amounted to a series of 1000s.  Surely a mere five 1000s with 7 minutes to recover in between would be no big deal.  But nope!  Yesterday's workout was tough.  Last Saturday I had the excitement of competition and the flow of adrenaline, whereas yesterday I had to rely on sheer will to get it done.  I did feel good once it was over with.

Today was yet another windy day.  I went to the river and did a "sprint session with contrast": six sets of (15-second all-out sprint/2-minute rest/150 meters at 80 spm with moderate resistance/3-minute rest).  The idea was to carry the power from the 150-meter pieces into the short sprints.

So far this week of training has me good and tired, with a pretty loaded weekend still to come.

Meanwhile, here's an update on the Hernando DeSoto Bridge situation that I talked about last week: the span remains closed to automobile traffic, but river traffic has been allowed to resume.  Local paddler and friend Adam Davis paddled out there and shot a few photos, including this one:

The steel beam is sheared about 75% through, according to Adam.  Transportation authorities have announced a repair plan, but it could be some months before the bridge is back open.

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