Bad days on the erg..

[Gerhard]

For some reason I have very good days, normal days and very bad days. The all-out pace difference can be more than 5 seconds on a 5K or on a 4x2000 interval. Same HR, same fatigue, legs filling up, only the pace is different.

[iain]

I find the difference is more whether I have the motivation to complete/sustain pace rather than the speed actually achieved. it is difficult to know what time difference there would have been if I had tried as hard. I have also ignored differences for known factors (illness or tiredness for instance).

I also find that I have more categories of days as I frequently go through different phases in the same session. So today I was doing a SS row. 3k in my legs felt like lead and I was erring to an 8k. However, by 6k I was feeling good and I believe I could have completed a HM if I had had more time . was that a good day (as I completed my longest row yet) or a bad day (I rowed slightly slower than usual to make sure I at least did my 8k minimum for these sessions)?

An interesting but not straight forward question!

[johnlvs2run]

With that big of a difference and not being obvious, there is something major that is wrong.

> not being recovered from previous hard sessions;
> conversely, getting out of shape between sessions;
> lack of exercise between sessions, while recovering;
> poor diet - that exacerbates either or all of the previous;
> not warmed up, so you're exercising with poor body responses;
> differing levels of particulates in the air that affect your breathing;
> other differences in ambient, environmental conditions.

[Englishman116]

I think everyone has a bad day on the erg every once in a while. I had a succession of bad days when I started to overtrain in the winter. Also, during the first weeks of summer when the humidity was very high, I had trouble acclimating to the new conditions and my splits dropped about 3 seconds per 500 meters. On the first very hot/humid day of the summer, I did 2 x 30 minutes at 2:10 pace, and normally I'd do the same piece at 1:55. Weird stuff man.

[badocter]

5 seconds seems pretty high if you don't think there is any issue like those John listed. Since if you were sick or the weather was real hot and humid it would be obvious at the start, then maybe it is something less obvious like hydration level or improper pre-session eating (meal too close to the session or the wrong stuff). Loss of mental focus or improper warmup probably together set you back 1 or 2 seconds, add on another factor and you are to 3+.

[Gerhard]

With that big of a difference and not being obvious, there is something major that is wrong.

1> not being recovered from previous hard sessions;
2> conversely, getting out of shape between sessions;
3> lack of exercise between sessions, while recovering;
4> poor diet - that exacerbates either or all of the previous;
5> not warmed up, so you're exercising with poor body responses;
6> differing levels of particulates in the air that affect your breathing;
7> other differences in ambient, environmental conditions.

I guess in retrospect that points 1,4 and 5 apply to my last 'bad day'.

[Bob S.]

I find that the major factor that determines how good a day I have is the amount of sleep I have had the night before. A full nine hours is likely to produce a good day. Only eight hours is not too bad, but seven or less will usually result in a bad day.

Bob S.

[Nosmo]

I find that the major factor that determines how good a day I have is the amount of sleep I have had the night before. A full nine hours is likely to produce a good day. Only eight hours is not too bad, but seven or less will usually result in a bad day.

Bob S.

For me the previous night doesn't make much difference. Several nights in a row does make a big difference.