Force Curve

Recently, I have been working with my coach on breaking-down my stroke into directly measurable units of force/power. With the help of an Ipod touch App; AccelPlot, we are able to measure in the boat where along the stroke am I decreasing force (which is effectively boat speed)
With the essential help of Sam Sanford-Blades @ PISE, the cool and keen tech guy, we have now finally put together a plot of a force curve avg (40 hard strokes).


www.drvinge.com/files.html


If you notice the drop in the the curve at 30% stroke, that is my main problem. For some reason I decrease force at the the just after the catch at the beginning, then I build up again. It needs to be a continuous steady arc.

See below for a photo of my force plot.

July thu Aug

Training for the next 4 weeks are the build-up for the most important test so far; Aug. RADAR testing. This will include the Erg machine collection (hour of power, 6km, 1min, peak-power) excluding the 2000m test to be completed during my first week of training with "The Centre" (The national training centre, at Elk Lake, Victoria)

Periodized training has been ongoing with the past 2 weeks included into a 2x 3 wk microcycle, for proper peaking at RADAR and first week of full-time training.


July 18-24th: Build wk 2/Recovery
July 25-31st: Build Wk 1
August 1-7th: Build wk 2
August 8-14th: Taper wk

Interesting article on ICE Bath: Good news!
http://sweatscience.com/ice-baths-for-recovery-15-minutes-at-10-c/

Coach Doug (White) - PART II

After Doug's experience as a athlete-coach through the 60's, a government worker through the 70's, we see a shifting perspective of what Doug wants to do with the rest of his life. This brings us to the 80's just as the economy was coming around again he headed off to Australia and New Zeland to coach top Univeristy teams to many international competitions. He reports of getting a top 8+ to a stroke rate of 50. Which is an impressive feat within itself.

For the past 15~ years he has been back in Victoria, coaching the Senior group of motivated rowers both at The Gorge rowing club and Vic City rowing club. I have often seen middle-aged rowers come up to him at regattas and thanking him for teaching them to row when they were at University 20 years prior!

He is quiet but not reserved. People listen when he speaks; first, because he speaks so quietly, and secondly, because he has years of wisdom behind his words. I call it tough love and sometimes he lets a true frustration show through, I think it is to have a desired effect. Doug stands back to let his athletes do what they want; he generally guides or directs the direction you should go, but the athlete has the main direction. He suggests a workout plan and even though most people follow through with it, it is easy to change direction.

At the beginning of each week, he sends out an itemized seven day training schedule, often in somewhat of a pattern from week to week so we know what to expect. I appreciate his inclusion of periodized training for proper peaking in racing season.

I feel that he has been a very important person in this rowing adventure in helping me realize my potential. And for that, I can't thank him enough. Join VCRC!

Natural History of Coach Doug (White) - PART I

My rowing coach, Doug White, also known as Doug-ee, Big D, Coffee machine, and my personal favorite; Doug the running machine. He is a well-versed rowing coach with international Experience. If I had to describe him as a fruit, I would have to suggest a mango; has a lot to offer with a tough outer skin with a sweet succulent meat inside next to a hard-inedible pit.

From the limited conversations with him over the past year, I have pieced together a natural history. Born in 1947, he traveled quite often as a child of Military parents. Spending a few years through high-school in Victoria, BC and Grimsby, ON, the former where he tells people he is from. He rowed at UVic back in the days of UBC winning the Olympics medals in 1960's, Uvic only had a minimal program at best. As a coach-athlete he kept the team motivated and sticking out the year to build up excitement for future teams. One story he recounted was the years when he rowed, Elk Lake was so pristine and clear that if the athletes needed a drink they would just take a sip from the lake. With current lake levels of giardia and coliform bacteria, I regret to say we do not partake in that activity anymore. I do not know of his personal endevours and success with being an athlete; but he brings the pursuit of excellence to coaching. When he graduated from UVic he took on a few Union type jobs. A one time BC Ferries worker he found a niche in the Provincial Government with a 10 years+ job until he could no longer handle the beurocracy and union-worker mentality. He reports of a story of him challenging a top Manager on skirting the issues and caving under pressure but, in the end, nothing came through, and the whistleblower was swept under the exit-doormat for an unexpected "change of career."


See Coach Doug Part II