How to minimize the 2k erg test pain

[Rower4001]

It is inevitable that when doing a 2k test , the lactic acid will cause an extreme amount of pain , but you do you manage/minimize it? I know people close their eyes , and Ive been told looking at your legs helps too , but does anyone have an tips to help push through the 'wall' of pain you hit?

**** before anyone says it , I know of course there is going to be immense pain , but I want to see how others push through it and manage to keep their split and keep going without giving up.

[gregsmith01748]

Tips and tricks are maybe 5% of the solution. The rest is training.

The key is to do training that helps you tolerate it. So that means intervals. Lots of intervals. Short ones that you do faster than race pace. 500s to 1000s with enough rest so that each one is a masterpiece of misery. Long ones (1500 to 3000) at maybe 4 to 6 splits off of race pace to work on sustaining effort for the whole race.

Then for the race, avoiding doing things that are stupid, like going out faster than you can sustain for the whole 2K. Flat splits or negative splits are the best way to your best time.

Once you've done the right prep, you can dance right on the edge of agony, dare I say mocking it. At that point, you can start employing tips and tricks. Here are mine.
- Count strokes. Know how many strokes it takes you to do the whole race. It gives your head something to do, and gives you a way to anchor your race plan.
- have a race plan. break the race down into sections. In my best 2ks, here's what I have done:
-- start and settle in ten strokes
-- try to focus on hitting my exact target stroke rate through 100 strokes. That is just about halfway.
-- Then I try to take stock, and see if I'm in trouble or not. If not, I try to up the rate by 1 for 20 strokes. If I am in trouble, I try to row long and clean for 20 strokes.
-- Then I'm down to 80 strokes. This is the valley of doom for me. I close my eyes and open them every 5 strokes or so to check pace. I just try to hold my split.
-- Then there are 40 strokes left. Time to empty the tank. Two sets of twenty. I count them as follows 1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,1,2,3,4,5...that's twenty. Then I do it again.

[Anth_F]

I have nothing of my own to add here!

I just wanted to chime in and say i really enjoy reading up on the good advice the experienced well knowledged rowers have to offer.

I'm sure i can also take some things onboard from this, and learn from it. Even though i am personally not in this to be seriously competitive.

[hjs]

Get very aerobicly fit, real fast rowers have less pain, look on youtube at Wr holder Stephanson, even after such races he is still pretty ok.

[ArmandoChavezUNC]

A 2k never stops hurting, no matter how fast or slow you are. A maximal effort is supposed to hurt.

Also, major pet peeve here: lactic acid does not cause pain of any sort. The pain is caused by the increasingly acidic environment in your cells due to the production of hydrogen ions (protons). Lactate actually removes protons from the bloodstream/cell, as pyruvate takes up 2 H+ ions to become lactate.

The pain is really just a mental thing. You can practice by doing intervals and getting used to that pain, but there's really no way to diminish it other than to mentally block it out.

[Edward4492]

Greg and Henry nailed it; it's really about fitness and reality. I've done (16) 2k erg comps the past three years and lots of tests (Henry would say too many!). I've always had my best times when I'm riding just under that "I can't do this!" point.When I've tried to push it past what I can do, it always ends poorly. It's not about will power and mental toughness, it's about fitness and knowing what you're capable of. I think a good test piece prior to a 2k is 1250m right on your 2k race plan pace. I even go as far as to set the monitor for 2000m at 250m splits. The trick is to accurately evaluate how you felt and where you were at (physically) at the 750m to go point (which is the end of the piece).

I've never done a 2k test/event where, at 500m to go, I'd wish I'd gone out harder.

[MarkEg]

Will throw in what small amount of input I have. I now tell myself , when the inevitable pain starts, that it won't get any worse -- that it'll just stay the same. And it does just stay the same and if you accept that, I reckon it helps. It helps me anyway...

[LarryRow]

Here is the proper British way to do your 2k test:

https://youtu.be/j5_4upqhYeQ

The guy gives a bunch of race strategies and then does a 6:29.9 while narrating the experience!

I don't think he messes up his hair.

[left coaster]

Great clip LarryRow -- I especially like how he compliments himself during the row for doing things correctly. Like a machine, it sounds like he's had a lifetime of good coaches to get him there.

The pacing strategy looks excellent -- will keep that in mind, but quite a bit slower

[Carl Watts]

People actually close their eyes while rowing the 2K ? I didn't know that. Clearly I didn't row mine fast enough ! Not sure my balance is that great would probably fall off the Erg !

Some sort of distraction is good, as mentioned this gives your brain something to do and puts the pain on the backburner, its another reason I love RowPro it gives you an accurate stroke by stroke pace and some graphics to distract you.

[lindsayh]

It is inevitable that when doing a 2k test , the lactic acid will cause an extreme amount of pain , but you do you manage/minimize it? I know people close their eyes , and Ive been told looking at your legs helps too , but does anyone have an tips to help push through the 'wall' of pain you hit?
**** before anyone says it , I know of course there is going to be immense pain , but I want to see how others push through it and manage to keep their split and keep going without giving up.

Not sure I have felt "immense (or extreme) pain" in any of my many 2k TTs. Yes it is a bit of a challenge and is very hard work but needs a bit of positive self talk before trying to talk yourself out of it! Maybe I have never given it 100%!?
Be confident that you have trained well and have a target that is ambitious but reachable.
Train specifically to that target - I like the race pace at <2k too - both intervals and the 1250 to 1500m
Don't head out too fast (or too slow either).
Be ready for the hard stuff in the second half - you are over half way remember.
I like to count strokes too - often in tens from say 6-800 out.
It is a really good feeling to finish it as well.

[LarryRow]

The college guy who rows with us at EngineRm said that 2k erg tests were vomit inducing horror shows. I guess that's the endpoint of our most strenuous efforts.

When I ran, the most difficult workout, in my opinion, was hill repeats. It was not unusual to find people in the bushes puking up their lunch. Hill repeats have been called speed work in disguise because you start out running as hard as you can on the flat and slow as you climb, but your heart rate stays maxed out the whole time.

[jamesg]

The usual items in pain control are technique, training, pacing, race planning, warmup. Get any of these wrong and then want to do a fast test is a clear recipe for suffering. Which is why tests are done: to see if preparation was good or not. How else would we know?

[maestroak]

Don't row in a really dry auditorium for one. My PB was hard and I had some muscle pain but nothing compared to how shredded my lungs were. They hurt for three weeks.

[Edward4492]

You hit that dead on! I've had my best times in warm, humid conditions. The winter erg races are brutal on the throat and lungs, CRASH B's is known for the dry environment. I took to using Biotene as a moisturizer (throat spray) before and after, seems to help.