The solstice is still a month off, but summer is definitely on its way here in the Mid South. This weekend the mercury is rising above 90 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time this year. I think I last had the heat on in my house in mid to late March, and for the last six or eight weeks I've been savoring the time of year when I can be comfortable with the windows open and the ceiling fans running. But I'm afraid the time has come to turn on the central air conditioning.
Fortunately the Mississippi River, where there's almost always a breeze blowing, is a nice place to be on a hot day. That's where I went after a gym session Friday morning. I did four sets of (5 minutes at 60 strokes per minute/3 minutes at 64 spm/2 minutes at 68 spm). Maks didn't specify how much power I should exert, so I kept it moderate because I was tired from the past several days and I knew some tough sessions were coming up this weekend. There was quite a stiff wind blowing from the southeast and it was very choppy out on the Mississippi, and maintaining these low stroke rates in those conditions took some extra discipline and focus. So it was a good balance workout and an exercise for my brain even though I wasn't killing my body.
One thing I've learned is that a typical Maks Frančeškin workout encourages contrasts of one kind or another, and that was the case again yesterday morning. I did two sets of a pair of (4 times 1 minute on/1 minute off). Within each set, I did the first four pieces at 50 spm and the second four at 70 spm. Maks's instructions were to put as much power as I could into the lower-stroke-rate pieces and then paddle smooth and calm at the higher stroke rate. And so, oddly, the 50-spm pieces hurt a little more than the 70-spm ones. I wouldn't say they really
hurt, actually, but they were rather strenuous just the same.
I did part of the workout out on the Mississippi, and as I was finishing the first set a barge rig was coming downriver generating some decent-looking waves. So I took a break between sets to surf a little. The waves weren't the juiciest I've ever seen but they were playful and even a bit downwind-like in their behavior, so I got a tiny bit of practice in the skills I'll need out in the Columbia Gorge in July. I take whatever I can get around here.
Yesterday afternoon it was time for a workout that would hurt: two sets of four (60 seconds on/60 seconds off) followed by two sets of six (15 seconds on/15 seconds off), all at high intensity. In the first set of 60-second pieces I paddled around 100 spm; in the second set I lowered that slightly, to around 96-98 spm. I took a 7-minute break after each of those first two sets. When I got to the 15-second pieces I paddled at as high a rate as I could--close to 120 spm. I could feel my form breaking down a bit, and during the 4 minutes I took between sets I paddled very easy with the best strokes I could to get it back. The first two sprints in the last set felt smooth, but then I started falling apart again.
Then it was over. I've mentioned in the past that these "lactic capacity" sessions are painful, but they go by quickly. The endorphin rush had me feeling good once I was back on the dock. Maks promises that I "will reap huge benefits" from this workout later on, so that's something to be happy about.
Today it was time to calm everything back down with the usual Sunday endurance paddle. This week it was broken up into five 13-minute pieces with 2 minutes recovery after each one. The stroke rates were 60 spm, then 64 spm, then 68 spm, then 64 spm, then 60 spm. At these low rates it was a good time to concentrate on stroke mechanics and good posture in the boat.
That's it for a rather tough week! I think there's at least one more substantial week in the current cycle, so I'll try to get some rest during my day off tomorrow and dive back in on Tuesday.
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