Lungs were killing me

[topdogsports]

I row 5000 meters 1 or 2 times a week. My friends always talk about their best times at 2K. so, I tried my best, rowing at 1.43/ 500m. I had to stop at 5 minutes because my lungs were on fire.

Can anyone explain what happened and how to get past it?

Thanks.

[tbartman]

Did you find that you were coughing a lot for the next hour or so?

I don't feel what I would describe as "fire" - just obvious cardiopulmonary stress when I do a 2k race, but afterwords will cough for an hour or two. This is pulmonary edema - the blood flow/pressure to the lungs increases so heavily that some of the fluid of the serum leaks across the capillary walls into the tissues and alveoli of the lungs. Your body coughs because this increases the pressure in the airways and acts to force the fluid back across into the capillaries.

[iain]

The many discussions on breathing emphasise that most people breathe once per stroke at lower pace, but twice per stroke at some faster pace. If you change between your 5k and 2k paces, the change in the effort required from your lungs will be huge (bear in mind that your rate will be higher, so the breathing speed more than doubles). Add the load on the core muscles used for breathing from both transmitting the power from legs to handle and in moving the back and the problem is acute.

I find that the first thing that goes wrong at pace is that my breathing becomes decoupled from my stroke. Not only does my stroke suffer, but this "panting" means the muscles are not coordinated with the rest of the stroke and more load is put on the lungs if the pace is maintained. I can't say I would describe my lungs as burning, but there again my endorphins in the second half of a 2k TT are so high I could probably be hit on the head with a sledge hammer and wouldn't feel any pain. So I cannot tell you what pain I should be feeling. The pain others talk about is alien to me, I just find that things stop working properly and I start to hallucinate. The pain happens afterwards though (record is 3 days before I could straighten my legs fully!).

Basically training at the race pace beforehand is essential. Others recommend a PowerBreathe as well, only just started on this so cannot confirm whether this solves the problem, but others have said so.

Best of luck when you next try it.

- Iain

[RowtheRockies]

I row 5000 meters 1 or 2 times a week. My friends always talk about their best times at 2K. so, I tried my best, rowing at 1.43/ 500m. I had to stop at 5 minutes because my lungs were on fire.

Can anyone explain what happened and how to get past it?

Thanks.

First off welcome to the board. What you have just experienced my friend is the classic "fly and die." There is nothing wrong with your breathing or lungs, you simply started at a pace faster than you are fit enough to maintain for 2K. 1:43 for 5 minutes is not too shabby for someone who only rows 1 - 2 times a week for 5K.

Next time, maybe start out at 1:46 or 1:47 for the first 500, drop it a second through 1K If you are still feeling ok at 1K, drop another second until 500K to go and give it hell from there. If you complete the 2K, which you should, use the average as a starting point for your next attempt.

It is almost impossible to hit the exact pace you are capable of in your first 2K. It takes a few attempts to get it dialed in.... Good Luck.

Rich

[topdogsports]

WOW! Thanks for the advice. I never thought about how i'm breathing and maybe i bit off a little more than i can chew.
cheers.

[ancho]

If you pace your 2k well, and manage a real "full out", not only your lungs will beon fire

2k is the distance designed to be most painfull!

Anyway, good start, and keep us informed about your progress!