Benchmark Times

[OregonERG]

Thanks mate. Well i pumped out a 6.29 2km last week and im up to 6x100kg on the bench now. I'm now in the habit of running at least a couple of times a week and ive just entered a half marathon which takes place on 31st October. The goal for that will be sub 1.30. Not sure how realistic that will be just yet but the running improvements seem to be coming quite quickly. At 90kg will still be a battle but i think im good for it. So all heading in the right direction

You will crush the 1:30 in your upcoming half marathon. If you are on the erg, running, and lifting, there is no reason you won't break 1:30 unless the 90kg is really a new weight for you. But 1:30 is doable. That is 6:51 pace (per mile) and I bet that will feel like "cruise control" for you. What kind of training runs have you done to test out the pace?

[aussie nick]

random thoughts....

the problem with benchmarks is that there's always another one.
...
etc etc. his body has now totally broken down and his obsession broke up his marriage.
...
all fun to contemplate though

I really appreciated your post. It is funny how the first two comments are (sadly) spot on but so is the last one.

That is the challenge of this kind of thing. We are chasing three goals at once:
1) Can we take pleasure in who we are in the moment (not always just planning for the future)?
2) Can we remember to keep these goals in perspective relative to the more essential and valuable things in our lives (like our health and relationships)?
3) Can we still strive to explore our potential while we are healthy and young enough to really push ourselves?

Those three things don't always line up, but we have to keep them all in mind all the time.

very true!

I used to love that WIlliam Blake quote when I was younger 'the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom' and embraced it in various aspects of my life. I still do believe that fully committing to your goals and being 'unbalanced' is the way to achieving not just primary goals but also other stuff around the goals. but it does actually come at a cost and with age and declining testosterone I do manage to turn off my inner alpha more often than I used to

[mjk]

An odd benchmark from college rowing was sub 8:00 for 2500m. Usually guys who were under 8 were the ones who made boats and raced. Top times were in the 7:40s, sometimes mid-spring right before racing season kicks off when guys would be in peak shape one or two guys would go 7:39.

Its a weird distance, you get the sensation of the third 500 of a 2k for twice as long.

[gouldilocks]

random thoughts....

the problem with benchmarks is that there's always another one. My brother is a Masters endurance athlete and his goals the past 15 years have gone
run a marathon
run a 3hr marathon
run each of the great 7 marathons sub 3
run an ultra
run Comrades (incredible South African ultra)
run Comrades both ways (up and downhill routes)
run Leadville (100 mile at altitude)
get a belt buckle at Leadville (sub 25 hr finish)
win Leadville age group
etc etc. his body has now totally broken down and his obsession broke up his marriage.

when I was playing rugby, the benchmark for Strong = OHP your bodyweight, Bench 1.5x bodyweight, Squat 2x BW, Deadlift 2.5x Bodyweight. I only managed this with Squat, but got close with Bench and DL I suffered a disc injury desperately attempting close to 2.5x DL.
I also wanted BW Snatch and 1,5x BW C&J. Managed Snatch, not C&J.

I'm new to rowing and can't ever hope to achieve a sub 6.

sub 7 mins and sub 1.30 were my initial rowing benchmarks. Once they were done I moved on. Now am close to 6.40 and sub 3.10, at which point I will move on to sub 6.30 and probably a sub 18 5k (not sure sub 3.05 will come, and know for sure sub 3 won't)

all fun to contemplate though

Nice to see mention of the Comrades - I used to do the race when I was young and stupid - did my first when I was 19 and did a total of 3 up and 1 down run, as well as 10+ other ultras.
However, that was 30 years,2 heart attacks and 30kg ago - did the Walk The Wight on Sunday - a mere 42km walking, and can still feel it in my legs today - How the mighty have fallen!!

Paul G

[OregonERG]

I used to love that WIlliam Blake quote when I was younger 'the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom' and embraced it in various aspects of my life. I still do believe that fully committing to your goals and being 'unbalanced' is the way to achieving not just primary goals but also other stuff around the goals. but it does actually come at a cost and with age and declining testosterone I do manage to turn off my inner alpha more often than I used to

William Blake is amazing. There are things in his work that seem to be so many years, decades, centuries ahead of his time. This line, "Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence" essentially summarizes Hegel's notion of a dialectic. It captures the dichotomy at the heart of nearly everything that we value (and the cost of those things) and is expressed in his poem "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell."

Rowing on the erg is a perfect example of Heaven (PBs) and Hell (R20 sets) being rolled into one thing.

[aussie nick]

random thoughts....

the problem with benchmarks is that there's always another one. My brother is a Masters endurance athlete and his goals the past 15 years have gone
run a marathon
run a 3hr marathon
run each of the great 7 marathons sub 3
run an ultra
run Comrades (incredible South African ultra)
run Comrades both ways (up and downhill routes)
run Leadville (100 mile at altitude)
get a belt buckle at Leadville (sub 25 hr finish)
win Leadville age group
etc etc. his body has now totally broken down and his obsession broke up his marriage.

when I was playing rugby, the benchmark for Strong = OHP your bodyweight, Bench 1.5x bodyweight, Squat 2x BW, Deadlift 2.5x Bodyweight. I only managed this with Squat, but got close with Bench and DL I suffered a disc injury desperately attempting close to 2.5x DL.
I also wanted BW Snatch and 1,5x BW C&J. Managed Snatch, not C&J.

I'm new to rowing and can't ever hope to achieve a sub 6.

sub 7 mins and sub 1.30 were my initial rowing benchmarks. Once they were done I moved on. Now am close to 6.40 and sub 3.10, at which point I will move on to sub 6.30 and probably a sub 18 5k (not sure sub 3.05 will come, and know for sure sub 3 won't)

all fun to contemplate though

Nice to see mention of the Comrades - I used to do the race when I was young and stupid - did my first when I was 19 and did a total of 3 up and 1 down run, as well as 10+ other ultras.
However, that was 30 years,2 heart attacks and 30kg ago - did the Walk The Wight on Sunday - a mere 42km walking, and can still feel it in my legs today - How the mighty have fallen!!

Paul G

4 times is incredible! my brother is firmly of the opinion that 'if you're gonna run one Ultra, it should be comrades'. it sounds like a remarkable event

[aussie nick]

I used to love that WIlliam Blake quote when I was younger 'the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom' and embraced it in various aspects of my life. I still do believe that fully committing to your goals and being 'unbalanced' is the way to achieving not just primary goals but also other stuff around the goals. but it does actually come at a cost and with age and declining testosterone I do manage to turn off my inner alpha more often than I used to

William Blake is amazing. There are things in his work that seem to be so many years, decades, centuries ahead of his time. This line, "Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence" essentially summarizes Hegel's notion of a dialectic. It captures the dichotomy at the heart of nearly everything that we value (and the cost of those things) and is expressed in his poem "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell."

Rowing on the erg is a perfect example of Heaven (PBs) and Hell (R20 sets) being rolled into one thing.

thumb. Blake was truly remarkable...one of the true Renaissance men with an incredible blend of talents

[iangallagher]

Thanks mate. Well i pumped out a 6.29 2km last week and im up to 6x100kg on the bench now. I'm now in the habit of running at least a couple of times a week and ive just entered a half marathon which takes place on 31st October. The goal for that will be sub 1.30. Not sure how realistic that will be just yet but the running improvements seem to be coming quite quickly. At 90kg will still be a battle but i think im good for it. So all heading in the right direction

You will crush the 1:30 in your upcoming half marathon. If you are on the erg, running, and lifting, there is no reason you won't break 1:30 unless the 90kg is really a new weight for you. But 1:30 is doable. That is 6:51 pace (per mile) and I bet that will feel like "cruise control" for you. What kind of training runs have you done to test out the pace?

Well running at 90kg is pretty new to me My best times were low 80's - 79Kg i think when i ran a 2.34 marathon.
My average times have fallen from around 6 min/per km down to around 4.30 min/ per km. But im getting better conditioned with every run. Did a hilly 12km the other day at 4.10/km average pace and i've started up intervals now which always have a big impact.
My longest run so far was 14km on 28th August at 4.37 /km average pace. im in a reasonably hilly area so will be quicker on flat
Aiming for 16 or 17km this weekend and will look to target 4.15/km average. Will see what happens!

[max_ratcliffe]

I used to love that WIlliam Blake quote when I was younger 'the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom' and embraced it in various aspects of my life. I still do believe that fully committing to your goals and being 'unbalanced' is the way to achieving not just primary goals but also other stuff around the goals. but it does actually come at a cost and with age and declining testosterone I do manage to turn off my inner alpha more often than I used to

William Blake is amazing. There are things in his work that seem to be so many years, decades, centuries ahead of his time. This line, "Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence" essentially summarizes Hegel's notion of a dialectic. It captures the dichotomy at the heart of nearly everything that we value (and the cost of those things) and is expressed in his poem "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell."

Rowing on the erg is a perfect example of Heaven (PBs) and Hell (R20 sets) being rolled into one thing.

Surely any TT, done properly, is its own Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Something like a 5k, when you get to the killing fields of about 1500 to go... and then you get to the end!

thumb. Blake was truly remarkable...one of the true Renaissance men with an incredible blend of talents

I don't know much about Blake (beyond "Jerusalem" and "The Tyger"), and I'm certainly no poet, but I love it when these digressions appear on the forum (I'm now concerned that that's probably a mixed metaphor, which I should probably avoid). I wonder if there are poetry fora where they discuss rowing.

[Dangerscouse]

I wonder if there are poetry fora where they discuss rowing.

now there's a thought

[jamesg]

the problem with benchmarks is that there's always another one.

Right, my benchmark when 60y was 9-10 (Watt-minutes per stroke). Now it's 7, but I rarely get there, so now trying to stay over 6. Not having any strength at all, it gets a bit sweaty, but then that's a benchmark too.

[DavidA]

random thoughts....

the problem with benchmarks is that there's always another one.
...
etc etc. his body has now totally broken down and his obsession broke up his marriage.
...
all fun to contemplate though

I really appreciated your post. It is funny how the first two comments are (sadly) spot on but so is the last one.

That is the challenge of this kind of thing. We are chasing three goals at once:
1) Can we take pleasure in who we are in the moment (not always just planning for the future)?
2) Can we remember to keep these goals in perspective relative to the more essential and valuable things in our lives (like our health and relationships)?
3) Can we still strive to explore our potential while we are healthy and young enough to really push ourselves?

Those three things don't always line up, but we have to keep them all in mind all the time.

Just wanted to say I really like this response. (I can definitely relate to some of the original post, and think that your thoughts about are very important to think about.)

David

[OregonERG]

I really appreciated your post. It is funny how the first two comments are (sadly) spot on but so is the last one.

That is the challenge of this kind of thing. We are chasing three goals at once:
1) Can we take pleasure in who we are in the moment (not always just planning for the future)?
2) Can we remember to keep these goals in perspective relative to the more essential and valuable things in our lives (like our health and relationships)?
3) Can we still strive to explore our potential while we are healthy and young enough to really push ourselves?

Those three things don't always line up, but we have to keep them all in mind all the time.

Just wanted to say I really like this response. (I can definitely relate to some of the original post, and think that your thoughts about are very important to think about.)

David

Thanks. I do feel like we are on a tight-rope between driving ourselves and just enjoying what we've got. Not just in rowing, but as a culture I think we do this in many, many areas...

[btlifter]

I really appreciated your post. It is funny how the first two comments are (sadly) spot on but so is the last one.

That is the challenge of this kind of thing. We are chasing three goals at once:
1) Can we take pleasure in who we are in the moment (not always just planning for the future)?
2) Can we remember to keep these goals in perspective relative to the more essential and valuable things in our lives (like our health and relationships)?
3) Can we still strive to explore our potential while we are healthy and young enough to really push ourselves?

Those three things don't always line up, but we have to keep them all in mind all the time.

Just wanted to say I really like this response. (I can definitely relate to some of the original post, and think that your thoughts about are very important to think about.)

David

Thanks. I do feel like we are on a tight-rope between driving ourselves and just enjoying what we've got. Not just in rowing, but as a culture I think we do this in many, many areas...

Maybe those two aims: enjoying the moment and driving forward, aren't actually mutually exclusive at all. Maybe they can even benefit each other.

"Each of you is perfect the way you are ... and you can use a little improvement."

-Shunryu Suzuki

[iangallagher]

Thanks mate. Well i pumped out a 6.29 2km last week and im up to 6x100kg on the bench now. I'm now in the habit of running at least a couple of times a week and ive just entered a half marathon which takes place on 31st October. The goal for that will be sub 1.30. Not sure how realistic that will be just yet but the running improvements seem to be coming quite quickly. At 90kg will still be a battle but i think im good for it. So all heading in the right direction

You will crush the 1:30 in your upcoming half marathon. If you are on the erg, running, and lifting, there is no reason you won't break 1:30 unless the 90kg is really a new weight for you. But 1:30 is doable. That is 6:51 pace (per mile) and I bet that will feel like "cruise control" for you. What kind of training runs have you done to test out the pace?

hey mate - checking back in here with an update. The half mara was cancelled due to Covid which was fine as i felt like i wasnt really ready. Then on Saturday i thought id just do one anyway given what i'd said on here. So no taper in preparation and the goal was 1.30.
I hit 1.28.16 which i was happy with. Did have to dig in a bit during the final quarter.
Confirmed that im not in shape to hit 3 hours for a marathon just yet but on the right track for sure. Averaging less than 50km a week so I cant be too upset and im still weighing in over 90 kilos.