Good base, whats next?

[sharp21]

Hey Gang
Ive been rowing for a while & am starting to feel pretty good on it. I can do 2000m in 8:00 flat & ive worked up to 40min straight with no problems. Pretty sure I could do 10000m in less than 55min...
I row 6 days a week & am wondering how I should be splitting up those workouts now. I was thinking Endurance one day, intervals the next, with a 2000m sprint on the 6th day?
Im not training for any kind of competitions, just for health & maybe get that last 5lbs off!
Cheers
S.

[Bob S.]

Hey Gang
Ive been rowing for a while & am starting to feel pretty good on it. I can do 2000m in 8:00 flat & ive worked up to 40min straight with no problems. Pretty sure I could do 10000m in less than 55min...

In recent years, I have been able to get down to 8' for the 2k only a few times and then, only at sea level. I have no trouble whatsoever doing 10ks at well below 50' and they are all done at 4000 ft, where my very best 2k was only 8:17.1. In other words, I think that you are being far, far too pessimistic about your 10k potential. A 50' 10k is only a 2:30 pace. My marathon pace was under 2:22 last season. A 2:22 pace for the 10k would give 47:20. You should have no trouble getting under 45' for a 10k.

Bob S.

[sharp21]

Its funny that you mention it was at sea level. Im actually onboard a ship right now in the Gulf of Mexico!
Should I be trying to do a 10k every week? Im not really sure how to mix up the intervals with endurance training. Ive just been swapping them every other day, but am sure there is a better thought out system then that!
S.

[Nosmo]

There are a lot of plans. There is a good training manual on the UK C2 web site: http://www.concept2.co.uk/guide/downloads.php


There is the Interactive Plan http://www.concept2.co.uk/training/interactive.php


Do a search on the Pete Plan both on this forum and on the UK:
http://www.concept2.co.uk/forum/

Also search on the Wolverine Plan on this forum. The Wolverine Plan is not really for beginners but it definitely worth reading all you can about it.
Start here: http://www.c2forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=4190

I agree with Bob, Typically a 10K will be about 2K pace + 12 seconds. If your a strong sprinter it the 10K will be relatively slower, and if you have good endurance it will be relatively faster (my 10K is about 8 seconds slower then my 2K)

[bscastro]

Just my two cents...

For general health, I think mainly increasing your time and strength will do the trick with some intervals thrown in for variety. However, I find it helpful to try to work towards a goal - either a specific distance or time, and train around that.

For example, I'm training to improve my 5k time for a little challenge with one of my buddies. I set up a simple plan which includes steady rowing increasing my endurance and one day a week of intervals. I do a 5k test every 3 weeks and it has been fun competing with my buddy. After this challenge is over, I plan to training for the 2k using the Interactive Programme on the UK C2 site.

In summary, I think consistency and constantly trying to improve your times at specific distances or time periods will pay off. Pick a time or distance, develop a plan, and have fun with it.

Best of luck,
Bryan

[Snail Space]

develop a plan, and have fun with it

The fun bit is most important.

Alternate days of hard intervals is probably too much. A week of training might include:

at least one rest day (probably 1-3);

one session of speed intervals (e.g. 8 x 500m @2K-2 pace, or 1K x 4 @2K pace) after a 15 min warm-up, and following by 5-10 min of gentle warm-down paddling;

2-3 sessions of long duration, low intensity (I use 40-60 min @18spm & 2K+22 pace - 22spm & 2K+12 pace). This can be split into (e.g.) 20min x 2-3. If the rest periods are kept to less than 3 minutes it is physiologically equivalent to a continuous row;

Maybe a session of endurance intervals (e.g. 5K x 2-3) at any stroke rate you need to keep a reasonable pace.

This is the underlying basis of most of the training plans that were mentioned earlier in the thread. It is important that you should be disciplined about the pace you use for any chosen distance, so that you can complete a planned session without giving up. This gives you a great sense of satisfaction and achievement.

PaulS suggests that your pace should change by approx 5 secs for each 50% change in distance rowed. So, if your 2K time is 8:00 (i.e. 2:00/500m), you paces for other distances might be:

250m ... 1:45/500m
500m ... 1:50/500m
1000m ... 1:55/500m
5000m ... 2:06.6/500m
10000m ... 2:11.6/500m

You could add a second or two to each pace for longer distances if you wanted to establish confidence in completing the distance before trying for your predicted paces.

Good luck
Dave

[bscastro]

One other thing to add to the others' suggestions - track your progress. I use this site's online logbook. It's easy to use, it calculates splits, and adds up my totals. It's a great tool for motivation and tracking. In particular, I can't wait until I do my next 2k or 5k test to see where I stack up against the other users (unfortunately, not so great yet).

Bryan

[sharp21]

Sounds good, im going to take a look at all those plans today.
Maybe ill start working towards the 10k. If my 500m pace should be 2:12... I dont think I can sustain that for the whole time!
Im going to go for the 10k near the end of the week & see where I stand.
S.

[jamesg]

Make sure your boat goes a long way each stroke. All the rest is optional.

[Gerhard]

I think you should be OK with a 2.12 - 2.17 pace on a 10K. I've started rowing 3 weeks ago, completely out of shape, and I manage the following 500m averages:

500 - 1.44
2000 - 2.09
5000 - 2.12
1HR - 2.20

Just ignore the pain

[sharp21]

Well my first 10k last early in the week was 52min. I just wanted to finish it so I took it fairly easy.
Today I just finished it in 46:30!
Had enough left that im sure I can get under 45min next week!
S.