Training Result 30.01.2012 15:04

Training Result 30.01.2012 15:04

Thought I would share this from yesterday. Shows how sluggish I was for the first 3-4km before kicking into gear. Reminder here is my heart rate max is 187 in recent times so the 183 came as I dug in to get my score back to a reasonable level.

Training Update: Some days you just feel tired

Last week we spent up in Queensland in the four and did some good work. It rained pretty much all week and so much training was done in outside and in. Outside on the water was pretty basic with 16 - 22km of paddling. Inside we spent most time on the watt bike or ergo. My best session came on the watt bike on the second last day with 2 x 20min efforts at 422w and 446w with lactates 4.1 and 7.6. It was solid week with plenty of threshold work in the mix on the ergo and watt bike. My favourite water session involved 3 x 8min of power strokes at 20 strokes per minute. Felt great to drive the boat along for an extend period as a crew. We had some good skill development session too and some very positive match up within the four providing some exciting insights into what we can use as a standard of our on water rowing. By Sunday I think we were all pretty tired and then came the whack. Thats right after a solid week in Queensland and our Jan camp I final felt very tired and there would be more to come.

The whack came in the form of the National ergo testing week this week. Sure we knew it was coming up but being focused on having a great week in Queensland was not about saving anything for this week but about continuing to lay the work for long term improvement. Yep after flying back to Melb Sun afternoon and settling back in it was off to the VIS today to have a crack at the 6km test. I felt pretty positive about it, but once I started the signs of accumulated fatigue over weeks was showing. My splits began to slip from my target and at one stage I was looking down the barrel of a 19min 10sec ergo score. Almost a minute slower than my last test. I hung in there and with Josh driving away beside me I was conceding that it was not going to be my day. I waited it out until I found a way to create some drive and with it came some better splits. With 2km to go I started to make inroads and started to get back on track for a sub 19min score. At the same time Josh's early pace was now showing signs of taking its toll. He had been chugging away on 1.31 splits while I had slipped to 1.36-37. The contrast was huge and yet by the 1500m mark I was back on 1.32's and I started to feel better. Wow it took 3500m to get going. Coming into the last 500m I was now feeling better than almost the whole ergo and step on it to see 1.25 for a bit before fading back to 1.29's. It did really hurt so much as frustrate that I felt heavy and tired almost all the way. Now I will turn my attention to a good days training tomorrow before a 2km test on Wed.

After this on Thur I will be flying to Sydney again to join the four for another camp before the NSW State Championships where we will be getting the chance to have our first race in this combination. I am looking forward to the month ahead and to be focusing on continuing to make gains individually and more importantly as a group. So today I was tired and it made the test hard. Still, doing 18min 43sec was ok it was not great and I am planning on better next time. It is however part of the process and a part of what will create great performances in the months to come.

Getting back in the game. Recovering from a bad back.

Having been asked many times about writing and sharing more about what has helped with my dicky back, the injuries and rehab involved. Heres my attempt at capturing some of what has been involved since Beijing. 

**Little or Big note is this became a longer post than planned. Much longer. 

Let me start by saying my simple view is aligned with the age old saying, 'Use it or loose it.'

Currently the example I need to share of what's possible by taking a systematic and long term approach to building back to being able to do amazing things after having a back injury involves ergo work. Most in rowing would agree the ergo or rowing machine (stationary) probably put as much strain on the lower back as you can. Obvious compression increase when on spinal discs when we are in a seated position. To add to this the forces require then to push the legs and draw a handle then compounds the compressive forces. Any disc degeneration can become problematic and instability and poor posture will be exposed. 

I am aware various models about how we should row attempt to improve posture and spinal shape, yet often I sense these can make things worse. So the load can be a problem and then the added stress of load with duration becomes a recipe for further issues. Now this is true to an extent but I feel there is a solution.

So now for a few examples.

First one: 1 hr ergo I was able to recently do with out back pain but loads of other pain from muscles and fatigue from the effort. No back and only because I have taken two years to build up to being able to do it. Two year with the approach above.

Second: 6km ergo with the fan setting to 10 which is the heaviest load on The machine which I did last summer 12 months after getting back on the ergo for the first time.

Third: Max effort ergo session for 10 strokes on fan setting 10. This has taken the two years also with the last three months involving less strokes and very short sessions.

The above is about me feeling confident I can handle any load and durations. They have been my tests. The building process to be able to do these after two back surgeries has been long, slow and very deliberate. It has also been combined with many other activities including, land based body weight session, stretching, yoga postures, riding sessions indoors and out, rowing sessions with sculling and sweep, running, walking (lots of walking), surfing, visualizing, lying down (simply doing this in between and after session I believe helps), and quality sleep. 

The many activities have involved feeling what works and working out the difference between health pain and pain the is a bit nasty and not so good. Adding to the above activities I have tried at times to be better with my diet which comes and goes. I am no expert but I do notice the difference with the foods and drinks I consume. Plenty of articles out there about what we put in our bodies and the effects on injuries and rehab.

Each activity and any thing being used to aid the process needs consideration and more importantly it needs to be part of a systematic approach. 

Something's I have that personally work for me and yet I would not say they are for everyone. I often prefer to stretch before I go to sleep. These mainly involve quads, ITB, hip flexor, glute's, hamstrings with shoulders and lat's work. Big thing is range of movement being maintained. Now I don't think in terms of isolation but rather the connectivity and linkages of these areas. 

As for being systematic what I found post surgery each time was by doing very short durations or intervals of activity and using the rest times to stretch, walk or lay down it allowed unloading. The intervals that I used we as short as 30sec but with solid pressure and in the early days I would do 5 x 30sec with 5min in between. Once I was able to do intervals of 30sec at rate 20 with splits close to 1.40 then I started playing with increasing duration plus then started to change fan setting. Once I was able to do 3-5min effort in the low 1.40's I was confident my back was holding up well. This took some 3 months once I started doing the ergo work. Most days I would get on the machine while also doing my bike riding and a couple of rows a week. It was like inching forward day by day until I was again able to do 15-20min efforts with various rates and was feeling less vulnerable with my previous injuries. The process was not linear though it was fairly up and down. With some days the obvious regression in my capacity to deal with the load meant either not doing the session or pulling back in the duration or number of intervals. It required a intuition and common sense mostly and yet some times working out the difference between the types of pain required sticking it out to get a feel for the limitations and often barriers. The days when I pushed through when it felt like healthy pain I was amazed at the break throughs in what was achieved. Only other thing to add here is I would build up to the point where I felt tender in a way that was not helpful. My sleep would suffer and generally I would start to feel demotivated. Once I reached that threshold I would take a couple of days off and then start the rebuild process again. This was a significant shift in mind set. At first I felt guilty but with time and the clear benefits I started to enjoy seeing how far I could go in terms of days before needing and relishing the down time.

'STOPPED DOING WEIGHTS'

What I have stopped is doing weights training. Sure I do body weight activities but for me it's about functional movement and coordination. I guess that why I have found a place in my preparation for the rowing machine. With my back I find it a great test of strength, connection between hands and feet and endurance. 

Walking daily has been essential with night time walk with the dog going from 10 to 30min. Then I make sure I am active during the day with commuting on my bike or walking to where I have to go. I mentioned earlier laying down I feel some much better if between session I can get horizontal. Even 30min unloading my back has become something I crave and notice when I don't do for a few days. 

My view of the human spine and the various elements that enable us to move and do the activities we do is that it needs conditioning, obvious I know but its how to reach high levels of conditioning which can sustain health with stress's, loads and intensities. Building up to high levels takes time, is individual and requires adjustments and adaptations. Things like disc health and degeneration I feel can be turned around but require attention and effort daily. 

Example of how I approached the Ergo build up:

Day 1 started with a simple 3 x 30sec @ 1.50 splits on rate 20. This progressed to 5 x 1min @ 1.46's then 3 x 3min @ 1.45's and so on until 3 x 5min and 5 x 5min @ 1.45's. This was about 4 weeks until I started changing rate and also changing load with various fan settings. After 12 weeks I was able to do 4 x 5min fan setting 10 on 1.42's. After 4 months I had done a few 6 km ergo's and by 8 months had complete a 6 km ergo on fan 10 just over 19min. That day I felt confident my back would be able to deal with the loads and training as long as I maintain my focus, effort and approach.

Rowing as an activity I feel is great for my back and yet at times I have been severely injured. I don't feel the action of rowing has been the cause so much as the lack of awareness for posture, load and managing self. Everyone is different and I guess since being an athlete most of my life has had me involved in very specific program at times where there have been benefits but also disadvantages. Exploration has become a great focus, along with increasing awareness. So I have often been working to find activities that allow me to do what I need to do. Then with this comes awareness. It is never ending and so I am still very much open to seeing what promotes capacity. One thing is for sure if I wish to row then avoiding the movement or avoiding load from what I have sense is not the answer. 

It becomes a game of facing the demands of a sport in a way that I feel will help my back while ensure best performance. Choosing to row long, to hang off the handle and train in a way to fully challenge my body and back is and will continue to be key. Embrace the stress's and loads, but doing it in a way to improve health rather than reduce it.

Having now returned from two back surgeries I love the idea that what I am doing flys in the face of certain people thoughts about it even being possible, or that the risk is to high of even further major damage. I have lived in fear of hurting myself and I don't like it. So this whole process has really been about confronting my fear. Today as I sit here on a journey towards the London games I have not fear. I respect what I can do and appreciate the vulnerabilities. To train with freedom is something I am enjoying and will continue aim for.

Coming together to bring it together

Have loaded up my family into a maxi cab and we are off to the airport. This trip has been a last minute plan. Reason for this is that once things become clearer with Duncan being more established as a core of this possible four. Once this happened he asked if we could get some time together as a group before our next camp in Sydney. Personally it's was going to be easier to take family away than be separated while I trained in Melbourne and my family would be on holiday down the farm. So here we are on the road to enjoy time together and do some quality training with the group.

More about the group then...

I must acknowledge we are not selected yet and as such need to keep proving ourselves to be capable of achieving in this boat. What we are getting is a chance to make it work. Since last year I have always felt we could find a very fast four in Australia to take on the best in the World in the event. My view has always been that given the best chances we can find a great four and the work to shape it further to create some great performances. Thus far we have not performed really. Signs are there of positive things but until we truly stand out there will be questions.

Are we to old? To young? To new? To slow? Not tough enough? Not committed enough? And the list probably goes on. Our continuing selection is obviously about find clearer answer to questions like these. My preference is to think and process in terms of possibilities.

How fast can we be? How well can we row? How smart can we be? How exciting is this opportunity? What are we willing to do to be the best? And my list goes on.

All this involves testing by those responsible for making the selection decisions and test by ourselves to ensure we make our best decisions about the step going forward.

This week we will be in Queensland and I am looking forward to what will be some solid work in and out of the boat. The last two days have provided a chance to recover from some solid work late last week and now I feel ready for more fatigue, discomfort and pain. It's about pushing the boundaries and finding the edge and seeing if we can move it, shift it and become comfortable with it.

With all the has happened thus far in the selection I have enjoyed the feeling of us really starting to understand the rhythm of the boat again. It has take a certain level of physical preparation to allow us the capacity to create the movement. Add to this the confidence and developing understanding for the feel for the boat and sense of excitement for finding easy speed. The combination and mix on the recent camp reminded me of many years gone by and yet new.

This week we are coming together to keep the progress going and to enhance the sensations we are realizing on the water.

The feelings are...

Lightness, flow, drive, speed, harmony, deliberateness, purpose, ease and togetherness. It is edge like and with time the edge becomes less precarious and more well know, accepted and enjoyed. From within we have been working length, sliding the hips, posture at the release, separate hands away and easy, floating recovery before a sharp and deliberate front turn. Let the boat work has been a great reminder as well as don't look for load. This has been where fast, light, dynamic and looseness comes in.

There is a fair bit in all that and yet it is more complex and simple at the same time. For now it's plenty and as such I am very much looking forward to the week and months ahead.

Taking a deep breath then back down to it

The new year has kicked off pretty well. Short time back in Melb before we headed off to National camp in Canberra. It was only 6 days but quiet productive. Nothing really different to what we have been doing down home for much of this year, with planning, doing, reviewing and then adjusting where needed.

Our part of the National camp was focused on the four with 8 athletes working together in a very health way considering it was competitive and in someone part of our selection process.

It was 6 days with pretty much the same daily routine of sessions and workloads with video, gps and biomech analysis. Long story short we were informed post Dec trials the four would be built around Josh and I since we had already performed pretty well so far this season since the Worlds.

The focus for the camp then was to move the four forward interms of performance including refining the look and configuration of the crew. For now we have come out of it all that it's looking like josh, myself and now Duncan have now become quiet cohesive as a combination with a few athletes doing a great job in the bow seat with us. Going forward Fergus Pragnell will be with us until the next racing opportunity. I have to say though many have performed really well in the fours and the funny thing is with the sweep squad being split and targeted many top quality athletes are in both groups. What was told to us at the start of our camp was the guys they have targeted for the four were about finding a match up in the four with Josh and I. It's nice in one sense but I have been a believer in the best four needs to be found regardless of who. To this point though we have managed to position ourselves well but still have heaps of work to do. Finding a great combination is a start then from there we will need to develop our own unique brand of rowing. Actually let me rephrase. We will need to find what will work best for us as a crew.

So while I am up for air and sharing a few things about what's happened in the last 2 weeks I should mention I have recently been asked about training programs, diet and activities for bad backs. In the coming weeks I will address these. For now though it's interesting to mention that our current training has evolved greatly from the Oarsome Foursome days to the pairs period and now with our new focus of the four. I say evolved as each stage has been the best we knew and the best we could do. We have had a process of testing, adding then streamlining the approach. Benchmarks have progressed and training focuses have adapted given the challenges faced by each group. Recent I was asked about our supposed revolutionary new training program. I laughed and then tried to explain. What we are doing is not new but we have become better at doing what we do. Sure until we go further then our Beijing result and the standard we row we are yet to reach the level we think is possible. What we have though are years of insights and adaptations in our training approach. What we have been doing since returning from the Worlds is very positive and in part progressive. Nothing really new just what we are doing has greater integration and yet more simplicity.

We are now about to start a new process of training a few combinations with the aim to see how they race. This is getting exciting. The road ahead is still very long but I feel personally I am handling to training and delivering on what's needed. I was also reminded of the long term focus of the Games when I went to a team processing session and was fitted out for the team uniform. It's a different feeling when many of the elements of the games prep start to happen. It's starts to turn all the training and work into a reality. I felt like I was getting closer to what we have all been focusing on.

First row for the new year, and well it was interesting.

So here we go...

Yesterday we had our first row for 2012. And while it eventually turned out ok it did not start so well. As it is often said a picture tells a greater story than words. Here are a few photos of our first row. Actually we didn't even get one stroke in. The focus before the row was to challenge ourselves to row longer. Something about being competitive people comes to mind and that oars probably should not be put parallel to a boat. 

New testing has showed boats may go faster upside down and without athletes in them. So we tried it and to our surprise the boat just sat their. Obviously the joke was on us

Add to this that all athletes should not lean to one side and look to that same side at the same time. Plus if you have any nervous ones on board who bail early when things look some what precarious you should probably take life jackets out.

For my part I certainly didn't help things as at my age the reaction time has slowed so things did seem like it was just a sow roll into the water.

Once back on land we exited to the showers to clean off the grim. Plus hang our heads in shame for what would have been one of the funny moments for the season. 

Since though I look back and realise we all felt so damn good about the Yarra river that to go swimming was just so natural and right give the hot weather of late.

The on lookers at the sheds all seemed to enjoy our diving and swimming style. Hardest part was getting my feet out of my shoes. Thought I was going to drown at one point and was only motivated to try extra hard to pull my feet free when the two big guys beside me started moving in to help. I had images of them trying to revive me on the bank if I did go under and well it was amazing how quickly I thrashed to release my self from the boat to avoid that.

Now just to remind people yes we are a so called elite-ish crew or athletes. And yes we are planning on big things this season. This probably won't be the lowest point of the year but it will come very close. Thing is we had a good laugh about it and that probably says something. 

What did we learn? The bigger the risk/stupidity the bigger the fall, but so to is it a bigger pay off.