Nov 15 2015
2000m erg test: Classic and Too Conservative
Testing week. Today was the time for the dreaded 2000m.
I rowed the test in the afternoon. Spent the rainy morning, after a heavy breakfast, with the boys in Brno’s science centrum VIDA which was good fun. Having physics qualifications, I tried to fulfill my duties to science and society by patiently explaining the principles behind the experiments to the boys, but I am afraid some of my explanation was lost and they ended up running enthusiastically between the attractions.
Then a light lunch and some work preparing dinner. We’ll have my special “Turkey a la Duck” with red cabbage. Food that needs a lot of time to be prepared.
Lunch digested well enough, a quick espresso and off to my erg cellar. Did a full fletcher warming up without looking up the prescribed paces, just did the stroke rates as prescribed and let the pace come by itself. Some stretching and prepare for the main event.
I wasn’t sure what pace to aim at. My PB being 6:58.something, but not having done a 2k in ages, I thought that a 7:02 – 7:04 (i.e. 1:46 pace) would be a good target.
Standing start, of course. Race start and ten hard strokes with eyes closed. Opened eyes, saw 1:37 on the monitor, and slowed down to 1:46 pace, doing about 30spm.
My check points would be 1200m to go, 600m to go, 300m to go.
Of course I checked average pace after 500m: 1:44.1. That was of course due to the first hard 10 strokes which, as every rower knows “are for free”. I continued to row my 1:46 pace.
With 1200m to go I decided to accelerate. I was doing fine and decided I could risk this. If I would die a few hundred meters later, I would probably still be able to hold a pace that would bring me in on target.
I didn’t feel the usual panic at 1000m, which was strange. Usually I have this panicky feeling:
“Is this half way? You can’t be serious! I will not be able to hold this pace for another 1000m.”
Today? Nothing. Half way. OK.
With 900m to do I started to see the occasional 1:46 and had to work a bit harder to get back to the 1:45 pace. My predicted end time was now between 7:00 and 7:02.
I sat up a bit more straight and focused on technique. That brought me to 600m to go. I kind of accelerated but it wasn’t entirely consciously.
Entering the last 500m I started to count sets of 10 strokes and saw the splits come down. With 300m to go I started my final sprint and saw 1:43 splits.
That’s the point when I started to be aware of my mistake.
This was painful but it should have been much more painful.
Predicted end time was showing 6:58. Shit. That’s my Personal Best (at least as a Masters). I tried to add some power and get the monitor to show a 6:57 predicted end time but unfortunately I was running out of water. Finished the 2km with the feeling that I could have done at least 10 more strokes.
Disappointed? Not really. This was much faster than I expected, and the fact that it was relatively easy is a big confidence booster.
I say relatively easy, because of course I was tired.
But no erg cough. No urge to lie down on the floor. And I definitely didn’t have that half way panic, and that feeling with 300m to go that you have to short slide and pray that you can somehow hold the pace, seeing it slip slowly in the final 100m.
Workout Summary - Nov 15, 2015
--|Total|-Total-|--Avg--|-Avg-|Avg-|-Avg-|-Avg
--|Dist-|-Time--|-Pace--|Watts|SPM-|-HR--|-DPS
--|02000|06:58.3|01:44.6|306.0|31.6|177.8|09.1
Workout Details
#-|EDist|-Etime-|-SPace-|Watts|SPM-|AvgHR|DPS-|Comments
01|00100|00:19.6|01:38.1|370.3|36.7|135.9|08.3|
02|00200|00:40.6|01:44.8|303.9|28.6|166.5|10.0|
03|00300|01:01.7|01:45.7|296.0|31.2|171.8|09.1|
04|00400|01:23.0|01:46.1|293.2|31.1|175.8|09.1|
05|00500|01:44.1|01:45.5|297.9|31.3|178.1|09.1|average 1:44.1
06|00600|02:05.3|01:46.1|292.8|28.3|179.5|10.0|
07|00700|02:26.4|01:45.4|298.6|31.3|179.5|09.1|
08|00800|02:47.5|01:45.8|295.5|31.2|181.0|09.1|
09|00900|03:08.6|01:45.1|301.4|31.4|181.2|09.1|
10|01000|03:29.5|01:44.9|303.1|28.6|182.0|10.0|average 1:45.5
11|01100|03:50.5|01:44.9|303.2|31.5|182.0|09.1|
12|01200|04:11.5|01:44.7|305.0|31.5|182.5|09.1|
13|01300|04:32.6|01:45.9|295.1|28.3|183.0|10.0|
14|01400|04:53.8|01:45.6|296.8|31.2|182.7|09.1|
15|01500|05:14.7|01:44.6|306.2|34.4|182.0|08.3|average 1:45.1
16|01600|05:35.6|01:44.5|306.4|31.6|182.9|09.1|
17|01700|05:56.4|01:44.2|309.3|31.7|182.8|09.1|
18|01800|06:17.1|01:43.4|316.4|31.9|183.0|09.1|
19|01900|06:37.8|01:43.6|315.2|34.8|183.0|08.3|
20|02000|06:58.3|01:42.6|324.4|35.1|183.0|08.3|average 1:43.7
The 500m splits are a OTW rower’s classic. Fast first 100m. Cruise the middle part. Then accelerate.
Did a 4km cooling down. Then looked up my PB time: 6:58.2.
0.1 second faster than today’s effort. Damn.
I wanted to do this again.
Took a shower instead.
Next 2km attempt I need a bit more “contempt of death” and perhaps I will be able to seriously improve my PB. That’s not a bad outlook, isn’t it?
Nov 17 2015
Jehnice running event
A national holiday today. Last event in my test week(s). The 10km run in Jehnice, three bus stops from my home. For some reason, I skipped this event in 2014, but this year I participated.
First, the kids run. Dominik came last on the 1000m which is a quite intensive run. The first 500m is a steep climb. Then a loop around the cemetery and then a steep descent. Robin was somewhere in the slower half of the 600m run.
Then the 6km. Lenka ran and finished 279th place but happy with the effort. 35 minutes and a few seconds.
The 1ok consists of a 1k segment, then two loops on Rakovec hill, and then the 1k segment again. Here is the Strava record of my run:
https://www.strava.com/activities/434324951
It’s nice to run an event with a few more Strava users. I set a personal record on the Rakovec – Koně segment. Also, I clocked 47.07 for the run, which is 41 seconds faster than two years ago. I ran negative split. Started to push the pace a bit on the first climb and passed quite a lot of people. Then relaxed on the descent and started to push the pace harder on the second climb. The climb is that Rakovec – Koně segment mentioned above. In the first loop I did it in 12:26, in the second loop I managed 12:03. My previous PR was 12:31. This is 2.6km with an average climb grade of 3%, 91m of climb in total.
Good effort.
In the afternoon I visited a local food market.
It was very nicely situated in an old rail cargo building. Good atmosphere. Nice food to taste.
Test evaluations
VO2 Max vs Peak Power. The ideal is 40-45%. My value is 50%.
Anaerobic threshold vs VO2 max. The ideal is 80-85%. My value is 81%.
I didn’t do a test to determine aerobic threshold. The “Rowing Faster” book recommends a 60min to 75min full-out steady state row. Greg uses his power at 2.0 mmol. I am sure he can row a fater full-out 75 min steady state than the 195 W he uses.
The Jehnice run tells me I am in better general fitness shape than 2 years ago (or perhaps running a little more often). My anaerobic threshold vs VO2 max is in the right ballpark. I may be able to improve on my 6k a bit. Peak Power is too low and could be improved.
Conclusion: I am on the good path with my current training schedule. I expect that adding the strength training into the mix makes me row my 2k at a lower percentage of my peak power, which will make it a more sustainable effort. I hope to improve my 2000m score in the coming winter.
On the 6k I may or may not PB this winter but I should really try. 🙂
By sanderroosendaal • Uncategorized • 3 • Tags: erg, OTE, rowing, running, test, testing, training