SPM / distance per stroke / pace

Gerhard · Post by **Gerhard** » June 11th, 2007, 6:34 am

I usually row something between 6k and 60 minutes, pace between 2.10 and 2.15 at 20SPM, drag between 120 and 130 (about 11 / 11.5 meters per stroke). My next 'major' goal would be to break 20 minutes on 5K. That's pace 2.00.

I feel I have three options:

1) Keep the SMP at 20 and increase distance per stroke
2) Keep distance per stroke and try 22 SPM
3) Increase SPM to about 25, reducing distance per stroke to 10

Is there any common sense on this or is it just a matter of personal preference?

Heaviestuser · Post by **Heaviestuser** » June 11th, 2007, 7:24 am

I would increase the SPM dramatically to 30.

hjs · Post by **hjs** » June 11th, 2007, 9:46 am

getting the rate up wpuld without a doubt be the most easy way. No one rows his best 5k pace at rate 20.
Rate 23/24 would be the lowest rate and that for very tall man. On average 25/28 would be optimal.

Ps looking at your 2k Pb , you are not used to higher paces. To get used to higher paces you have to intervalwork. If don,t do them you easily improve in the first stages. If you want to row a 20min 5 , you should also be able to do a 2k @ 153/55 ish.

Snail Space · Post by **Snail Space** » June 11th, 2007, 10:13 am

A 20' 5K would be difficult if your 2K 7:57 was a maximal effort.

I would suggest 24-26spm and split the 5K into 1K segments so that you can subdivide the psychological barrier. Try 2:02/500m for the first 1K and increase the pace by :01/500m every 1K. Also build up the SPM at each increment, so that your third 1K would be 2:00/500m at 25spm, and your final 1K would be 1:58/500m at 26spm. If you have any energy left when you have 200m to go, you could muster a sprint!

The best way to improve your 5K time is to do plenty of 40+minute rows.

Cood luck
Dave

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » June 11th, 2007, 3:28 pm

I have found that ability to row at low rates is determined by one's fitness, and one's height.

There are basically only 3 ways to go faster, which are by:

(1) keeping the same rating and driving harder with each stroke, which shortens the drive time and makes the recovery time longer;

(2) keeping the same drive time and shortening the rating, which increases the rating;

(3) shortening the drive time and the recovery time, which increases the rating proportional to one's speed and intensity.

Improving my fitness at high ratings makes low ratings easy to do. However, the reverse is not true. Improving your fitness at low rates does not make you faster at higher ones, compared to the same amount of training at the higher rates.

jamesg · Post by **jamesg** » June 12th, 2007, 1:26 am

Gerhard,
There are other options and other ways of expressing them. Your 2:10-15 @ 20 implies 7-8W'/stroke. To reach 200 W (= a 20' 5k) you'd need to pull at 25 and 8W' or some other equivalent combination. So if you're a lightweight, just do it. If a HW, I'd suggest you first work on your stroke, bringing it up to 10W' so you can do the 5k @ 20. This process is called training and could take a year or so, but in any case can only be done by using your full length and a quick catch: it all depends on your intrinsic capabilities in terms of height, weight and age. Not knowing these, the ways to go are on the map, but hidden in fog.

Gerhard · Post by **Gerhard** » June 12th, 2007, 6:05 am

Thanks for the advice.

I did a 6K yesterday, alternating 1000 meters 2.30 @ 20SPM and 2.00 @ 26 SPM. The 26 SPM felt OK. Impossible to sustain for 5K, but that's what training is all about, right?