iain wrote: ↑July 11th, 2025, 3:15 am
PleaseLockIn wrote: ↑July 10th, 2025, 8:43 am
Bodes well but the issue is that I am significantly better at sprinting than continuous rows. My 30R20 is 172W yet my true UT2 is probably not higher than 110W
Should I insist on 30R20 + 20 (2:26-2:27) and just row even if HR goes up? I honestly don’t know
There are no prizes for going faster on recovery rows, so don't stress it. Only an issue if you are taking a day off or more after. I can honestly never remember NOT being able to do a UT2, (not motivated - plenty of times) to the extent that I once did a UT1 while in the latter (recovery) stages of a migraine, 10k at what was then 2k best + 14S (This was when being trained by Pete, so 6 sessions a week 3 hard and 3 UT1 in my late 30s). But we are all different and you need to respond to your body. My point was NOT that we can all row at higher HR, it is that there are different appropriate %HRs for different people and it may be that your thresholds are relatively lower than your TT capacity, but are you sure that it was the rowing that is the issue and you don't have the start of an infection?
A big part of improving times is establishing what you can endure and then delivering this for what seems an eternity. I personally favour a sequential approach to this:
1) get comfortable churning out long rows when fatigued at low pace so that 30 min becomes an encouraging time left ("only another half hour!)
2) get used to rowing at a faster pace (and rate)than required for 1k+ so I know that I can hold TT pace and rate "for a while", ie "only 2k pace" mind set. Then I can get into a "I can maintain TT pace for an extra ...min so don't need to slow now" mindset when it gets tough.
3) row >50% of intended TT at TT pace to establish that I can maintain that pace during the "psychological" phase of the TT where physically I am way off my limit but I may be influenced by doubts over the distance I have to go. Then in real thing I can dismiss doubts prior to that point.
Finally I fix in my head the times that I have "had to" slow down but then have gone significantly faster in the end. Most noticeably a 5k pace where I slowed to target +6S with a few strokes +9S at beginning of last 1k but finished last 500 under target hitting 3S under target. Also a 4 x 1k interval session where I H/D on the final interval but immediately picked up the handle and did remaining 850 at faster than both target and the other 3 intervals. SO I know that when I think I have reached my limits there is always more for me to use.
Bit of a diversion, but by doing much slower SS, you need to remain strong on the ability to perform for a significant time (1 above) and not let the lower pace of this compromise 3.
Re HR%ages interesting approach by Canada clearly way out for those with lower than normal HR (although it does say "say 180 - 200"). They need to put something and these may apply to the majority of the fit rowers they are aimed at. They will be well aware that most will have a coach to adjust these for those it doesn't work for! My point was that they probably don't use %ages for the national level athletes!
Today I didn’t cap the HR and insisted on 2:28 R18.
https://log.concept2.com/profile/2501432/log/104036741
My HR drifted 20 beats in an hour. Humidity almost 90%, temperature almost 30*C. Realising the cap was meaningless here I stuck to RPE and kept it at 2-3/10. I could still sing for a little bit and speak 5+ sentences pretty comfortably at low 160s HR. Could probably hold this for 3-4 more hours.
Dealt with real life stresses and slept 7-ish hours which was better for me, 2:28 felt fairly easy.
2K + 14 for 10K was UT1 for you? Do you lean very aerobic? At best I might be able to hold 2:20 at UT1 HR and I can clearly do a 2K way faster than 2:06
1) extending my UT2 hopefully to 90 minutes later but the problem is the significant HR drift. For 90 minute UT2 I might need to start at UT3 HR and by the end I’ve drifted a bit into UT1 but the RPE is still firmly UT2
2) will do 5*1000m 1R next week hopefully sub 2:00 r20
3) hmmm let’s see, I could retest 30R20 couple weeks later. I don’t know what should I hold though? 2:05?
Agreed, national level athletes use lactate not HR. If my university team has lactate I could train using the test results.
Nomark - I like how the plan push faster and further, but not for steady state - I’d prefer going further at same speed before going faster (UT1, tightening the base)
The HR% for the national team seems too low for my physiology but the RPE meshes well. Though the splits are too high. Perhaps I’m just quite an anaerobic athlete?
Rdraheim - I would suggest a time trial significantly longer the. 500m to see your starting progress and the end. You can also set targets and see what may be right. You could try a 2k at 1:57-1:58 pace. Remember that for 500m you can often rate significantly higher than a 2k. A sub 8 2k is quite respectable for a newbie. I only managed 8:39
If you can hold a 2K at 7:46 ish (1:56 pace), e.g. negative split and sprint last 250m, that’s better. However it seems your true steady state is around 2:30 (based on the 6k form row) which is 2K + 34. It seems to me you are more anaerobically inclined and that’s OK. I would focus on lengthening long rows rather than increasing the pace.
For intervals keep them.
(His nurse, holding the defibrillator, seemed a bit disappointed... )