10 x 1k / 1min rest

I jumped straight into a 10k pb attempt without doing any preparation at that kind of pace last Friday, so it was no surprise that I needed to ease off the pace after the first 3k. A few interval sessions can soon acclimatise you to sustained pace for that distance though, and today was a good time for the first in this process:

10 x 1k / 1min rest:
3:25.7 / 1:42.8 / 29
3:25.7 / 1:42.8 / 29
3:25.7 / 1:42.8 / 29
3:25.7 / 1:42.8 / 29
3:25.7 / 1:42.8 / 29
3:25.8 / 1:42.9 / 29
3:25.6 / 1:42.7 / 29
3:25.5 / 1:42.7 / 29
3:25.5 / 1:42.7 / 29
3:17.0 / 1:38.5 / 30

10k = 34:08.0 / 1:42.4 / 29

It can be a strange session this one, and like a straight 10k a hard one to pace. I find it is a fine line between a pace that simply isn’t sustainable, and one which you actually end up being quite within yourself. This session felt tough after 3 to 4 reps, but then didn’t really get much harder through to 9, with the final rep paced pretty evenly at 1:40 until winding the pace towards the end, and finishing on 1:33, so some left in the tank.

10k’s – moderate and (too) hard

Thursday:

10k = 36:29.5 / 1:49.4 / 25
2k splits:
1:49.6 / 25
1:49.6 / 25
1:49.8 / 25
1:49.6 / 25
1:48.6 / 25

Friday:

10k again but this time aiming for a hard rather than moderate effort.
1k splits:
1k = 1:42.9 / 29
2k = 1:43.0 / 29
I thought it was a good idea to go off just under pb pace and see how it felt, but was thinking it wasn’t a good idea already this early on.
3k = 1:43.4 / 28
When the rate drops you know it’s only a matter of time…
4k = 1:46.1 / 27
I didn’t want to not complete the 10k, so it was a matter of what pace can I drop to and maintain to the end.
5k = 1:46.3 / 27
6k = 1:46.3 / 27
7k = 1:46.1 / 27
8k = 1:46.1 / 27
It was watching both the average split and predicted time now, knowing that I really wanted a sub 35min still. With 2k to go it always seems managable, don’t you think?
9k = 1:45.2 / 28
Can’t afford to let the average slip any more if I’m going to get sub 35.
10k = 1:43.1 / 29
Last 1k back at 10k pb pace in order to get the sub35.

10k = 34:57.8 / 1:44.8 / 27

I really do think that on the right day I could take my 10k pb at the moment. Afterall I did do a 30min pb a couple of months ago at 1:42.6 pace, and it’s “only” another 4mins from there to hold on. Doing the first 3k that fast it was never going to feel easy again though.

I really need to update more often…

Sunday 7th June:

CTC: 1344m = 4:12.8 / 1:34.0 / 34
Splits:
300m = 1:32.5 / 35
600m = 1:35.6 / 32
900m = 1:36.1 / 32
1200m = 1:34.6 / 33
1344m = 1:28.5 / 38

Following in the evening by a 1 hour swiss ball class.

Monday 8th June:

30mins = 8356m / 1:47.7 / 23
5min splits:
1:49.4 / 22 (was gonna be r20, but it didn’t want to go there)
1:49.0 / 22 (ok, won’t bother then)
1:47.9 / 24 (I’ll just gradually up the rate and pace instead)
1:47.8 / 24 (only just though)
1:47.2 / 25
1:44.6 / 26

This was in the evening following a fun day spent in a parachute free fall wind tunnel

Tuesday 9th June:

2112m = 6:51.4 / 1:37.3 / 31
500m splits:
1:38.0 / 31
1:37.6 / 31
1:38.0 / 31
1:37.2 / 30
1:31.9 / 35 (last 112m)

I was tired yesterday and nearly didn’t do anything, so I thought an improvement on the C2 challenge was better than that! Also did day 1 of the one hundred press up challenge (again, I will get through the full six weeks at some point!) and some more swiss ball abs work.

Update and the Farnborough race

Training in reverse order to begin with:

Saturday 6th June:

60mins = 16235m / 1:50.8 / 25
5min splits:
1:54.6 / 23
1:49.1 / 26
1:54.5 / 24
1:47.0 / 27
1:54.5 / 24
1:47.2 / 27
1:54.4 / 24
1:47.0 / 27
1:54.4 / 24
1:50.3 / 26
1:54.3 / 24
1:44.0 / 28

Good solid hour breaking it up mentally by alternating pace each 5mins.

Friday 5th June:

30mins treadmill covering a little over 6k including warm up and warm down, the majority done at 13 to 14kph.

Thursday 4th June:

7am – 30mins treadmill covering a little over 6.5k.

7pm:

60mins = 16518m / 1:48.9 / 26
10min splits:
1:49.4 / 26
1:49.4 / 26
1:49.5 / 26
1:49.5 / 26
1:49.3 / 26
1:46.5 / 28

Another solid 60mins.

Tuesday 2nd June:

2112m = 7:10.1 / 1:41.8 / 28
500m splits:
1:42.0 / 28
1:41.9 / 29
1:42.0 / 29
1:41.8 / 28
1:40.0 / 29 (last 112m)

CTC is 1344m, aim was 1:36 average:

1344m = 4:18.1 / 1:36.0 / 32
300m splits:
1:36.0 / 33
1:36.3 / 31
1:36.1 / 32
1:36.1 / 32
1:34.7 / 33 (last 144m)

Facebook challenge is 30sec sprint, for which I moved the drag up from 130 to 180:

30sec = 191m / 1:18.5 / 54

The aim of this workout was to put an initial score in for the three challenges this month – Concept2 challenge series, CTC, and Facebook challenge in that order. Done with around 4 to 5mins rest between each.

Sunday 31st May:

A last minute 500m attempt for last month’s facebook challenge as I hadn’t got around to doing it earlier in the month. 1:23.3 wasn’t too bad considering I’ve done no work at close to this pace, and it was the day after the race.

Saturday 30th May – Farnborough 5k:

5k = 16:58.5

500m splits: 1:41.4, 1:41.6, 1:41.6, 1:41.4, 1:42.1, 1:42.2, 1:42.6, 1:42.8, 1:42.4, 1:40.4

Slower than I should have done, but there was no real incentive to go too much faster. This won me the 30+ race by a big margin, and the only person to row faster was Rich Blagrove on the erg next to me in the 20+. Whatever I did I wouldn’t have beaten Rich, as although he only beat me by 14seconds, he had plenty in hand.

Friday was a tiring day picking the ergs up then setting up the race venue. 7 hours of driving to Nottingham and back – loading the van with 14 ergs there, unpacking them here, setting up in the evening. Race day all went to plan though, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Some people seemed to enjoy the bar there from quite an early hour too…

We’ll try to get a date in the racing calendar early for next year’s Farnborough indoor rowing championships.