Hello and Happy Spring!

After a winter that dragged on forever, the spring rowing season got off to such a fast start that I’m still catching my breath. One of the most exciting developments for me personally was the success of the first-ever MastersCoaching intermediate sweep rowing camp for women. This spring I also had the opportunity to coach at the Halifax River Rowing Club in Daytona Beach, Florida, where I met another fine group of rowers. Every time I meet up with a new group of masters rowers, I re-discover what a privilege it is to work with such enthusiastic and dedicated individuals. You’re the best!

This issue of MastersCoaching is dedicated to your success both on and off the water. Here’s to a great season! And remember – have fun!

Mayrene

In this issue:

¶      Roadmap to Training Success: Plan Your Workouts

¶      Ask a Question and Win a Free Coaching Session

¶      Mayrene’s Toolbox: Are you ready? Go!

¶      Motivational Magic: Quotes to Inspire You

¶      From the Bookshelf: Recommended Reading

¶      Row Cocoa Beach Wrap-Up: An Exhilarating Experience

Roadmap to Training Success: Plan Your Workouts

In working with masters rowers, both individually and in Erg Inspiration group sessions, I hear over and over that rowers want help designing their workouts. There’s so much information out there on training, ranging from very basic to highly technical, that it can be confusing. Plus, many articles and books are so full of jargon that they are hard to understand. I prefer the KISS plan -- keep it simple, silly. This article offers a basic approach that you can adapt for yourself.

I separate workouts into three categories reflecting the three energy systems that need to be trained -- aerobic, anaerobic threshold and anaerobic. The percentage of time you spend training in each category should change as racing season approaches, though the formula varies based on your conditioning and competitive schedule.

AEROBIC: Aerobic means “with oxygen,” and aerobic work is done in the low range of your heart rate. During an aerobic workout you can easily carry on a conversation. Aerobic training sessions should be a minimum of 45 minutes at 18-24 SPM. If you think of your training as a pyramid, aerobic training forms the base of the pyramid. Plan to spend the majority of the year training in this category. Once you have developed a strong base of conditioning, you should continue to train aerobically to prevent de-training.

ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD: Anaerobic means “without oxygen.” This is mid-range heart rate work, with intervals of rest between pieces. During an AT workout you can carry on a conversation, but not comfortably. An example is a 15- to 20-minute piece on the erg at 20-26 SPM.

ANAEROBIC: This training consists of all-out-effort bouts of between 20 seconds and 2 minutes. The good news is you should rest a LOT between pieces. Rest periods should be 4-6 times the length of the work period. According to McNeeley and Royle, in a 2K race, 20% to 30% of energy comes from the aerobic system; a 1K race is 50% to 60% anaerobic.  

It’s important to vary the level of intensity at which you train throughout the year. This is what coaches mean when they talk about periodization and the body’s adaptability to levels of stress. (There’s that jargon!) My experience has been that people tend to over-train. A sure sign of over-training is when you feel a marked lack of desire to get back on the erg at your next practice.

Although there’s lots you can do yourself to improve your training on your own, I strongly recommend working with a coach as the best way to make your workouts effective and efficient. When I coach rowers, I assist them in setting goals, developing training programs and putting them into action. If you’re interested, contact me for a free 30-minute phone coaching session.

Win a Free Coaching Session!

Do you have a question about training or rowing that you’d like answered? Send your questions to mayrene@masterscoaching.com. Every month I’ll select the best question and award the submitter a free 30-minute coaching session focused on your question. So go ahead, ask. What have you got to lose?

While you’re at it, please share your comments, feedback and suggestions about the MastersCoaching newsletter. What features would help you? Or perhaps you have information you’d like to share with other readers. I love receiving input from you, so send it along.

Mayrene’s Toolbox: Are you ready? Go!

As you prepare for racing season, keep these tips in mind.

¶     Be consistent. It’s important to develop a regular daily warm-up that you also use on race day. Why? So when emotions are intense and adrenaline high, you can focus easily on a familiar routine. A routine warm-up also calms you and instills confidence, because you know exactly what to expect from your warm-up, how long it will take and how you’ll feel when you lock on to the starting line.

¶    They call it practice. We call non-race day workouts “practice” for a reason. If we didn’t want to learn and grow, we would call it “perfect.” Practice is the time when you work on taking your skills to a new level. If you practice cautiously, trying to avoid mistakes, you won’t improve as quickly. When you make mistakes in practice, you’ll know how to correct them in a race.

Motivational Magic: Quotes to Inspire You

¶      “The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must all pay for success.”  ~ Vince Lombardi

¶      “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”  ~ Muhammad Ali

¶      “You play the way you practice.”  ~ Pop Warner

From the Bookshelf: Recommended Reading

Heart Monitor Training for the Compleat Idiot, by John L Parker, Jr.

Author John L. Parker, Jr., a masters triathlete from Tallahassee, Florida, explains clearly and concisely how to use heart rate monitors for training in running. He includes 12-week training programs for runners of four different ability levels, from beginner to competitive.

“Fears Mount Over Dangers Of Pumping Iron,” Wall Street Journal, March 13, 2003, P. D1. 

This thought-provoking article concerning heavy weightlifting and the possibility of triggering strokes and aneurysms is a must-read for masters rowers.

Row Cocoa Beach Wrap-Up: An Exhilarating Experience

The first MastersCoaching intermediate sweep camp for women was a HUGE success. A great group of rowers turned out, and everyone seemed to thrive on the combination of intensive rowing, drills, video analysis and technical instruction -- not to mention the camaraderie and good fun. The experience was enriched by the coxing of former NEMAC MVP Julie Gesch and the enthusiasm of camp manager Marilyn Watson.

Pictures from Row Cocoa Beach are posted at www.masterscoaching.com.  Here’s what several campers had to say:

“I was trying to figure out how your camps are different from other camps, and I decided I like how you run camp, because you really care. You take the time and energy to get to know who is there and to learn about them. You make this camp, and it was wonderful. Thank You.”  –  Noreen Warren

“Thank you for being the coach and person you are. If someone had told me I would be going to rowing camp with a bunch of computer people, microbiologists, science people and a future astronaut as a coxswain, and rowing at a 32, I would have asked what they were smoking! But you put us all together and made us gel. A few more practices and we'd be contenders!”  – Laurie Walters

Future Camps and Clinics: The success of Row Cocoa Beach has created demand for future MastersCoaching camps, so we’ve already begun making plans. Stay tuned for more information. I’ve also begun conducting clinics at clubs around the country. For more information on clinics, go to www.masterscoaching.com.

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Mayrene T. Earle, M.Ed.

Rowing¶Life Coach

“Empowering individuals through the sport of rowing.”

Founder: masterscoaching.com

phone: (508) 896-0076

email: mayrene@masterscoaching.com

Please forward this newsletter to friends, teammates and colleagues. Be assured, I will never sell, trade or give your information to anyone, at anytime, period! If you do not wish to receive future editions of MastersCoaching, email mayrene@masterscoaching.com and write “UNSUBSCRIBE” in the subject line.

 

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