Training Hut Time & Useage

At the recent rowing committee meeting it was decided to trial a revised evening schedule for usage of the training hut by the various squads. Please give any feedback to your squad represenative.

Monday

• Open to all

Tuesday

• Open to all up until 6pm.

• Chris Long’s circuits 6-7pm

• Seniors have exclusive use after 7pm

Wednesday

• Juniors have exclusive use from 4 – 7:30pm.

• Open to all after 7:30pm

Thursday

• Open to all up until 6pm.

• Chris Long’s circuits 6-7pm

• Vets have exclusive use after 7pm

Friday

• Open to all

Kate has also asked if the juniors could have it from 10-10:30 on Saturday for their briefing and warm up.

Veteran Training for the Head Season - an Early Report

We're tackling training early and in unusually robust fashion this year.

The squad isn't going to Cambridge (except Tony and Robin on a final pot-hunt), and the various sub-squads are getting down to business with varying levels of determination.

The new Vets Novice Squad (10 men plus our honorary woman - Cate) have a new diet of ergos and trial runs of the Small Boats Head.  They are going through a very real sense of shock as they move from the cotton wool of the Development Squad ("we paddled all the way to the railway bridge and back again, and are really pooped - can we stop now"), to getting into a racing frame of mind, and the fact that you have to do 2,500 metres WITHOUT stopping five times.  For the moment, they are avoiding the ergos (except for Thor - 18.33 for a 5k... not bad, not bad) but are happily doing the pieces.  For most, the SBH will be their first race, and we wish them well.

The Competition Squad (Old Duffers) are starting to do long pieces too.  Lock to locks.  Mostly to provide the BBQ crew moral support in their training for the Boston Marathon.  I can't emphasise enough just how hard rowing 31 miles is on your backside, but the BBQs are tackling this with a nonchalance bordering on the niaive:

Huggy: "Suggest you take a seat grip".
Pete: "I will, but will save it for the end of the race, and when I sit on it, it will feel like sitting on a feather cushion".

Trust me, Peter, no it won't.  Your arse will provide you with a new definition of pain by 20 miles whatever you sit on.

Liz Machem's new Vets Top Squad are already under the whip.  She's given them a training schedule which makes me wince for them.  The summer holidays have taken their toll, but already Sean is looking like a new man.  They've not given in yet, and actually seem happy.  Keep it up chaps.

The Experienced Vets continue with the Springfield sculls on Monday and Friday mornings.  Except, somehow it has evolved into lock to locks, racing the 4.5 miles from East Farleigh to the Malta.  The rivalry is intense.  The action, fast and furious.  Quarter is rarely given.  Some of the steering makes Schumacher seem like a pussycat.  Words are exchanged.  But always, tea and cakes await.

The 2 H's have yet to tame the beast that is the Empacher.  It's got a fin the size of an Eight's, and turns like the Titanic... very slowly.  Henry has renewed his search for a better steersman, while Huggy, more pragmatically, is searching for a smaller fin.

Finally the Recreationals continue to mess about in boats.  Very prettily too.  And as Jan and Tui paddle along, a small voice behind them keeps nagging them: "Small Boats Head - 3rd October, Small Boats Head - 3rd October".

Guide to the Rowing Year

I knocked this up for newcomers to the Development Squad, and thought it might be useful for others to read.  It's not official, just my view on things.  Obviously the performance Seniors and Juniors would want to do more :), and the young'uns and recreationals do less.

We have two seasons in rowing:

Head Season from October to April roughly.  In this season we build our fitness for the Regatta Season.  We normally start in October at our lowest level of fitness in the year, and so build up fitness, by doing long sessions on the ergo or on the water.  Typically 5k, and occasionally 10k.  We start very slowly at what we call UT2 and UT1 aerobic levels.  Makes you sweat, great for fat burning, but does not kill you.  Here’s a guide to the various rowing intensities:

http://www.fact-archive.com/encyclopedia/User:Johnteslade/Training_for_Rowing

Don’t worry about the ridiculous suggested times, that’s for the top athletes.  We very rarely do more than 40 mins in one session, and mostly 20 mins or so.

By December, we move to AT Training – Typically hard 5ks.

During the Head season, we test ourselves at Head races – usually one a month.  These are processional races, where they set us off every 15 seconds or so, and time us to the end of the course.  They are typically 2.5k – 5k long, and fit in with the training schedule.  You win prizes at these things, but they are just building blocks for the main Regatta season.

By April, the Head season is winding down, and you should be, aerobically, very fit.   April is a transitional month, when it gets light and we get into boats and practice sprints, racing starts and regatta length pieces (typically 500m to 1.5k).  

You do not get many 2k races on the local regatta circuit, but it is the de facto distance for Seniors at national and international levels.

Regatta Season

The season lasts from May through to August.  All the while concentrating on in-boat crew rowing, getting the all important starts right, and building the capability to row at anaerobic levels for 1k or so.  The races are head to head, and on a knock out basis.  So if there are 8 boats in a category and you keep winning, you will have 3 races over the day.

If you win, you win a "pot" (typically a pewter tankard).  If you are a Senior, you get a point added to your status, and slowly ascend from lowly Novice to supreme Elite (think black belt).  You only row against crews of your status, so it never gets easy... just harder and harder ;).

If you are a Junior, you race other kids of your own age: J12, J13, J14, J16 and J18, where you have to be under the age in that group, so if you are 13, you will be racing at J14.  

If you are a Master (above 27).  You row in categories based on the average age of the crew (denoted by a letter of the alphabet, where A is youngest and I is the oldest).  It's all very complicated, but can be figured out here:

http://www.vetchamps.org.uk/calculator.asp

Masters and Juniors probably go to an average of 1 regatta a month, Seniors may do more.

September is commonly regarded as the month off!  That’s when rowers without families go on holiday, or the insane do the Boston (Lincolnshire) marathon – 31 miles of agony.  Once was enough for me.

Because we haven’t been doing as much aerobic training in the summer, our fitness actually tails off over the season, while our anaerobic capabilities build up.  So by October, we have to get properly fit again.  

So the cycle continues.