Training To Break 1:14 - 500m

[AlexFergus]

Thanks everyone for the support and encouragement.

@BTLifter - ok thanks for sharing this. It does make me feel better haha.

Though I have moved on from the result. And yes I can say now that a virtual race is not the best way to achieve a PB.


Here are all the reasons why this is the case:
1) the reaction time issue as mentioned
2) The fact that you have to start at the catch ( I usually slide forward from the back of the slide and rebound hard for the first stroke). Plus you can see the 3.5 second hold I had to do in the catch position!

3) warmup stress - one having a set race time vs a 'i'll do my row around 4pm/when I'm all ready'. I was watching the clock all the time (more nerves/stress) as I didn't want to miss my race!

4) Warmup stress 2 - I actually shortened/rushed my warmup. No excuses here, but I was a bit behind schedule (if I was doing a time trial on my own the schedule is not so important). But also as my erg was connected up to the laptop for the race, about 20mins out my screen went into race mode - So the last few warmup efforts I did do I was doing blind (the screen was showing things like 'connection to the server is stable' 'you are erg #3' etc etc). So I had no idea what power I was doing, and in fact seeing all the race prep on the screen made me think I should probably stop and just get ready incase the race starts early (which of course it didn't!)

In all honesty - missing the last 2-3 efforts in the 15-20mins prior to the race may have cost me that pop I was missing at the start. In general, I felt really good that day - physically strong, no tightness, alert etc. I did a few jumps as part of my warmup and I was hitting heights that I don't always hit. So everything was there. I just think the legs needed more waking up.

So yeah, factoring in all of these things, and seeing that I still equaled my PB - I am feeling a lot more positive about the result now

I have done a lot of indoor rowing racing - when I was a junior lightweight - and we used to do them at rowing clubs or halls. All the machines lined up, a big screen showing the race, spectators, coaches etc. They were fun. And I often pulled PB's.
You would warmup in the warmup area, get called to the race machine when your event was up, you could have a coach behind you shouting cues and getting your screen setup (another issue I should mention - I row in watts, the screen defaults to splits, I would get the screen on watts, tie my feet in, then the screen would reset and it would be back in splits, so I'd have to take my feet out, switch the screen etc - this happened 3 times pre race!)

I think the virtual race thing - though it was still a race - had all the technical downsides of racing, without the upsides. I was in my own gym, no one else was there, I was checking the clock every 2 mins. I had 2 laptops going and a camera, wires everywhere, no music etc etc. And any adrenaline surge off the line was because of the stress going into the event not the excitement

@Tsnor - yes I will see if I can get that race data. it will be interesting to see!

@Tony - thanks for your encouragement. And yes I can do a record attempt outside of a race. Which is my goal. I may do 1, maybe 2, more 500ms this year, and then hopefully 2023 is the year I achieve my goal!

For anyone interested, you should be able to see my row here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pnkcg31xryyc9iy/row.mov?dl=0

Note the horrible 3.5seconds hanging out in the catch position.
And also the failure to row through the finish (those 3 arm strokes at the end probably cost me 0.5 seconds!!!)

[AlexFergus]

Pace data is now available to view here - https://regatta.time-team.nl/oirc/2022/ ... e13f83.php

[Dangerscouse]

I agree with Cam that there could/should be 0.3 or more difference in starting time. I know when I've done virtual races, they have been notably delayed due to fear of false starting. PBing in a race is something to be proud of, and it's all grist for the mill as you've proven what you can do on an off day.

I've never been a fan of tapering, but that's always been relevant to longer distances, so I'm not sure if there's any difference.

I wonder if the adrenaline / noradrenaline just overwhelmed the caffeine for your overt senses to notice, but covertly it slightly sabotaged your effort? A bit like the way lots of coffee on a hangover has a much reduced effect, at least it does for me.

An accumulation of individually fairly irrelevant things can also become bigger than the sum of its parts, giving your inner chimp more reason to start finding faults, so when you take all of those factors your concentration, desire and intent can be subtly derailed.

[Tony Cook]

For anyone interested, you should be able to see my row here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pnkcg31xryyc9iy/row.mov?dl=0

Note the horrible 3.5seconds hanging out in the catch position.
And also the failure to row through the finish (those 3 arm strokes at the end probably cost me 0.5 seconds!!!)

Hey Alex. That looked brutal. Thanks for sharing it.
Really strong technique and I was surprised to see the stroke rate after - most people pushing 45-50SPM look like a Duracell bunny on fast forward. You had really controlled and long strokes.
That start… it’s all been said.
And the finish, yes 1-2 more proper strokes would have been nicer, but I’ve been there when you believe those last 10-15m will just spin away, and they don’t.

[KeithT]

Thanks everyone for the support and encouragement.

@BTLifter - ok thanks for sharing this. It does make me feel better haha.

Though I have moved on from the result. And yes I can say now that a virtual race is not the best way to achieve a PB.


Here are all the reasons why this is the case:
1) the reaction time issue as mentioned
2) The fact that you have to start at the catch ( I usually slide forward from the back of the slide and rebound hard for the first stroke). Plus you can see the 3.5 second hold I had to do in the catch position!

3) warmup stress - one having a set race time vs a 'i'll do my row around 4pm/when I'm all ready'. I was watching the clock all the time (more nerves/stress) as I didn't want to miss my race!

4) Warmup stress 2 - I actually shortened/rushed my warmup. No excuses here, but I was a bit behind schedule (if I was doing a time trial on my own the schedule is not so important). But also as my erg was connected up to the laptop for the race, about 20mins out my screen went into race mode - So the last few warmup efforts I did do I was doing blind (the screen was showing things like 'connection to the server is stable' 'you are erg #3' etc etc). So I had no idea what power I was doing, and in fact seeing all the race prep on the screen made me think I should probably stop and just get ready incase the race starts early (which of course it didn't!)

In all honesty - missing the last 2-3 efforts in the 15-20mins prior to the race may have cost me that pop I was missing at the start. In general, I felt really good that day - physically strong, no tightness, alert etc. I did a few jumps as part of my warmup and I was hitting heights that I don't always hit. So everything was there. I just think the legs needed more waking up.

So yeah, factoring in all of these things, and seeing that I still equaled my PB - I am feeling a lot more positive about the result now

I have done a lot of indoor rowing racing - when I was a junior lightweight - and we used to do them at rowing clubs or halls. All the machines lined up, a big screen showing the race, spectators, coaches etc. They were fun. And I often pulled PB's.
You would warmup in the warmup area, get called to the race machine when your event was up, you could have a coach behind you shouting cues and getting your screen setup (another issue I should mention - I row in watts, the screen defaults to splits, I would get the screen on watts, tie my feet in, then the screen would reset and it would be back in splits, so I'd have to take my feet out, switch the screen etc - this happened 3 times pre race!)

I think the virtual race thing - though it was still a race - had all the technical downsides of racing, without the upsides. I was in my own gym, no one else was there, I was checking the clock every 2 mins. I had 2 laptops going and a camera, wires everywhere, no music etc etc. And any adrenaline surge off the line was because of the stress going into the event not the excitement

@Tsnor - yes I will see if I can get that race data. it will be interesting to see!

@Tony - thanks for your encouragement. And yes I can do a record attempt outside of a race. Which is my goal. I may do 1, maybe 2, more 500ms this year, and then hopefully 2023 is the year I achieve my goal!

For anyone interested, you should be able to see my row here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pnkcg31xryyc9iy/row.mov?dl=0

Note the horrible 3.5seconds hanging out in the catch position.
And also the failure to row through the finish (those 3 arm strokes at the end probably cost me 0.5 seconds!!!)

I am still so impressed! I know I did a 1K compo where for sure I lost at least a second of time as I after the first stroke I had several below desired pace and yet the overall pace showed slower - I tied my PB (like) you but always considered that a better row. I eventually bettered that time but the point is the race delay is real. Hard to find fault in your prep, but when going at the pace you are any little thing can have an impact. Anyway, well done and keep pushing.

[AlexFergus]

Thanks for all the feedback team!

@Dangerscouse

Tapering - yeah it was a first for me. I think it's wise to cut back on heavy lifting prior to the event, as some weeks I need a full week to recover from the gym session alone. But maybe I can see do some short sprints in the lead up. IDK. I guess I'll have to experiment.

Adrenaline/caffeine - interesting thought. I think next time I'll do a time trial I'll try say 300mg of caffeine - and not have the severe case of nerves going into it! Maybe that will be a sweet spot.

An accumulation of individually fairly irrelevant things can also become bigger than the sum of its parts

Yes I think you hit the nail on the head here. Immediately after the row I was disappointed as I couldn't see any obvious issues. As days went by - and I learnt from you all here + reviewed the leadup etc, I realised heck there were a lot of little things that weren't ideal.

@TonyC
Thanks mate. I have been working on my technique quite a bit recently, so it's good to hear this feedback. Still a few things to correct - dropping my hands at the catch is a big one (years of OTW rowing is to blame for that, though it's been over 10 years since I've been in a boat!)

Finish - haha yes, seeing I had 10m or whatever to go and that I would drift across was a silly move. I've done it twice now! Never again.

@KeithT

Thanks mate.
Feeling pretty upbeat about everything now. I'm sure my next attempt will have be in the 1:15's.

[Tsnor]

Pace data is now available to view here - https://regatta.time-team.nl/oirc/2022/ ... e13f83.php

You can see a 1.5 second delay before first stroke is complete. Typical home erg data does not include fractional seconds, so we can't see how much longer that is then typical. Assuming you use a short stroke to get flywheel up to speed, could be a full 0.8 delay before you got started. You should be able to tell by comparing time vs watts on the graph above to one of your log PBs. Note that 1.5 second delay is rounded to nearest 0.5 seconds, so the first stroke could have been 1.3 or 1.7.

You were at 496.5 meters at 1:15.5, so the last slow stroke really hurt. 3.5 meters cost 0.7 seconds. Think this is a reporting bug around getting a complete stroke, to avoid it do an extra stroke past the line so your race ends at race pace. Note also, that the time for a stroke in the graph is rounded to the nearest 1/2 second so that last bit may have cost more or less than 0.7. Too bad you can't download the per stroke data.

Your peak stroke was 1:09 (1065W) so weren't missing your desired 1100W by much.

If you look at your previous PB at home you should be able to match strokes from the middle minute and see if you were above or below pace once you got past the start problems.

Aside: I think it's neat that you bounce into the first stroke to load your legs. Should work to give you extra wattage on that first stroke vs a static start. I never thought of that.

[AlexFergus]

Pace data is now available to view here - https://regatta.time-team.nl/oirc/2022/ ... e13f83.php

You can see a 1.5 second delay before first stroke is complete. Typical home erg data does not include fractional seconds, so we can't see how much longer that is then typical. Assuming you use a short stroke to get flywheel up to speed, could be a full 0.8 delay before you got started. You should be able to tell by comparing time vs watts on the graph above to one of your log PBs. Note that 1.5 second delay is rounded to nearest 0.5 seconds, so the first stroke could have been 1.3 or 1.7.

You were at 496.5 meters at 1:15.5, so the last slow stroke really hurt. 3.5 meters cost 0.7 seconds. Think this is a reporting bug around getting a complete stroke, to avoid it do an extra stroke past the line so your race ends at race pace. Note also, that the time for a stroke in the graph is rounded to the nearest 1/2 second so that last bit may have cost more or less than 0.7. Too bad you can't download the per stroke data.

Your peak stroke was 1:09 (1065W) so weren't missing your desired 1100W by much.

If you look at your previous PB at home you should be able to match strokes from the middle minute and see if you were above or below pace once you got past the start problems.

Aside: I think it's neat that you bounce into the first stroke to load your legs. Should work to give you extra wattage on that first stroke vs a static start. I never thought of that.

Thanks Tsnor,
Very interesting analysis.

I'll have a look at some old data logs, though really at the end of the day I just need to get stronger, fitter, smarter and remember to row through the finish line... even when I'm hurting like hell

Oh and I've got a cold again. Seriously
I actually developed a cough the night before the OCeania champs. It was a dry cough. Only coughed 2 or 3 times warming up that day so I didn't think too much of it. But it's now a full blown cold. We had such a good run on the health front over winter... spring hits and I've had more days congested than not

[AlexFergus]

If anyone is interested, I recorded a 90% effort 500m from multiple camera angles for my physio (working with a new guy to help correct some imbalances etc).

You can see it here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tueO8WDCoCE

In other news, the cold turned out to be more than annoying - ended up with a fever one night etc.
And then tweaked my back on a big squat day. Fortunately that was just before a 4 day family getaway so it didn't impact training (though on that getaway my son got sick with a Fever again - so that catchup sleep I was looking forward too didn't eventuate!)

I've never had such a bad run of colds/illnesses. I think in the last 4 weeks there have only been 3 days I haven't had a cough or snotty nose.

I'm wondering if it's a bit of overtraining. Well maybe that is the wrong term - maybe it's more of an under-recovery issue. My sleep is typically only around 6.5 hours a night these days with the kids etc. I used to be an 8hour + guy all the time.
If things continue like this I may need to drop out a training day and add in more rest. I'll see how things go.

[aussie nick]

If anyone is interested, I recorded a 90% effort 500m from multiple camera angles for my physio (working with a new guy to help correct some imbalances etc).

You can see it here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tueO8WDCoCE

In other news, the cold turned out to be more than annoying - ended up with a fever one night etc.
And then tweaked my back on a big squat day. Fortunately that was just before a 4 day family getaway so it didn't impact training (though on that getaway my son got sick with a Fever again - so that catchup sleep I was looking forward too didn't eventuate!)

I've never had such a bad run of colds/illnesses. I think in the last 4 weeks there have only been 3 days I haven't had a cough or snotty nose.

I'm wondering if it's a bit of overtraining. Well maybe that is the wrong term - maybe it's more of an under-recovery issue. My sleep is typically only around 6.5 hours a night these days with the kids etc. I used to be an 8hour + guy all the time.
If things continue like this I may need to drop out a training day and add in more rest. I'll see how things go.

I forget how old your kids are, but I remember about an 18 month stretch when my kids were in 3-7 type range where I just seemed to get sick the entire time. Plenty of 'what's wrong with me' moments and wondering about t cell count etc. But I think it was just their age and the constant close contact I had with them and they had with all the other kids and then all of a sudden, we weren't getting sick as often

hope it passes similarly for you

[AlexFergus]

Kids are 1 and 3 (soon to be 4). So it looks like I have a lot of illness ahead of me!!


Hey I thought I'd just update this thread before the break.

In all honesty I haven't been the best lately - physically and mentally.

Pretty much since the Oceania's I think I've only had 1 good session on the erg. More child sickness - followed by me getting sick. I think I had a snotty nose/cold for 3 weeks straight. Fortunately Thomas has been seizure free.

Anyway, when I did come right, I somehow did something to my back. I don't know how or even when. All I know is I woke up and I couldn't get out of bed. It was quite bad. Sitting in a chair or car seat hurt as well. It was horrible.

It was like this for about 5 days. But fast forward 2 months and I'm still in a heap of pain.
I know longer have issues getting into/out of bed. But I still get pain when seated and worst of all, I get pain when I'm on the erg.

It's when I slump forward or round my lower back that causes the pain.
I've been able to keep lifting - as I hold a neutral spine etc - but any work on the erg is nearly impossible. It's just too uncomfortable. And even after a big warmup, stretch etc, I can do some light rowing, but mentally I'm holding back as I'm afraid of the pain.

This + all the illnesses - has had a big effect on my state of mind. It hasn't really left me in a good head space tbh.

I am wondering if I have been over training a bit this year - though maybe under recovering is a better term. The ongoing illnesses, the back injury, and the lack of motivation all point to over training.

Anyway - I've done the odd session on the wattbike, so I'll keep doing that for a bit. And my gym training has been all over the place (even doing some bodybuilding workouts lately!)

I have also backed off on Volume and intensity.

I'm going to take a few weeks (month?) off over the break. Hopefully to let my back come right, but also for the body to have a break.

Where I go after this I'm not sure. Obviously the world champs are out. I'm hoping my back comes right and some time off means the fire in my belly returns and then I can get back into it hard in say Feb 2023.

But rowing with pain, and rowing with no motivation is not conducive to breaking a record!!

I thank everyone for the support and wise words over the year. I hope you all have a great break over xmas and some quality time with your family! I'm looking forward to both

I'll be in touch in a month or so - hopefully with some positive news. Otherwise I may have to look into records I can beat on the wattbike instead

[GlennUk]

Hey Alex

I hope things come right for you soon, i can imagine how demoralizing it is, especially when you were making big improvements.

Best wishes to you and your family for the festive period, and hopefully you can get back to erging, and whatever you decide to do in the future.

KR Glenn

[Dangerscouse]

Sorry to read this Alex. It does sound like you need to have a decent amount of time off, as you can't keep ignoring pain and a continuous run of colds and other illnesses. Best wishes for you and yours.

[aussie nick]

Kids are 1 and 3 (soon to be 4). So it looks like I have a lot of illness ahead of me!!


Hey I thought I'd just update this thread before the break.

In all honesty I haven't been the best lately - physically and mentally.

Pretty much since the Oceania's I think I've only had 1 good session on the erg. More child sickness - followed by me getting sick. I think I had a snotty nose/cold for 3 weeks straight. Fortunately Thomas has been seizure free.

Anyway, when I did come right, I somehow did something to my back. I don't know how or even when. All I know is I woke up and I couldn't get out of bed. It was quite bad. Sitting in a chair or car seat hurt as well. It was horrible.

It was like this for about 5 days. But fast forward 2 months and I'm still in a heap of pain.
I know longer have issues getting into/out of bed. But I still get pain when seated and worst of all, I get pain when I'm on the erg.

It's when I slump forward or round my lower back that causes the pain.
I've been able to keep lifting - as I hold a neutral spine etc - but any work on the erg is nearly impossible. It's just too uncomfortable. And even after a big warmup, stretch etc, I can do some light rowing, but mentally I'm holding back as I'm afraid of the pain.

This + all the illnesses - has had a big effect on my state of mind. It hasn't really left me in a good head space tbh.

I am wondering if I have been over training a bit this year - though maybe under recovering is a better term. The ongoing illnesses, the back injury, and the lack of motivation all point to over training.

Anyway - I've done the odd session on the wattbike, so I'll keep doing that for a bit. And my gym training has been all over the place (even doing some bodybuilding workouts lately!)

I have also backed off on Volume and intensity.

I'm going to take a few weeks (month?) off over the break. Hopefully to let my back come right, but also for the body to have a break.

Where I go after this I'm not sure. Obviously the world champs are out. I'm hoping my back comes right and some time off means the fire in my belly returns and then I can get back into it hard in say Feb 2023.

But rowing with pain, and rowing with no motivation is not conducive to breaking a record!!

I thank everyone for the support and wise words over the year. I hope you all have a great break over xmas and some quality time with your family! I'm looking forward to both

I'll be in touch in a month or so - hopefully with some positive news. Otherwise I may have to look into records I can beat on the wattbike instead

hey mate, sorry to be about your struggles, particularly the kids getting sick and then you struggling with an illness and injury. And it's not surprising that you're feeling flat and unmotivated. Training right at the edge is really difficult and the slightest thing can tip the balance and make it all come tumbling down. Even for young, single professional athletes with few other life complications, it's hard to keep the body right and the tunnel vision on all the time

You're a great athlete and you're really fit and really knowledgable and you're strategic about your training...but you're not a robot and when you also have work and family and health issues, as well as God knows what other pressures, it's impossible to keep it all in sync. So it's smart to give your body and mind a rest and regain your equilibrium.

Having read the fitness history on your blog a while ago, I am very confident your body will recover and your mind will start wandering to the next challenge pretty soon. SO enjoy your Xmas and take all the pressure off...until you're ready to put it back on again

[AlexFergus]

Thanks for all the comments and support team! Much appreciated.

The goal remains. I still firmly believe that I am capable of a 1:14.2 - it's a 8% improvement from my current best. With a solid training spell, and a row where everything just goes to plan, I will get it.
Time is against me though - I'll be 36 in 2023!

Once the mental state is back where it needs to be - and hopefully the back is all better - then yeah it's just a couple months of solid training and I'm certain I'll be close.

But I do know I need a break. I know Cam said in one of his first posts in this thread that he can only do those max effort sprints once in a while - as they are very taxing (and painful!) I was trying to get one of these in a week, and you do start resenting the erg when you're pushing the redline so frequently!

Anyway, I'll embrace the break, keep working on the back and when I feel that itch returning jump on the machine and see how we go.
I'm thinking I may focus on the 300m for the first 2 months or so when I return - as it's less reliant on the fitness - soI can aim to increase that pure power as my fitness (hopefully) starts building in the background.

I'll report back in a month or two