Training Question

[rufiedog]

My goal is a faster 2K

What's your typical Power/Rating now in 2k and in training?

Pulling a good 2k, say 7 minutes, is a question of simple arithmetic: it's 300W, and if we pull a 7 Watt stroke (Power/Rating), we'd need to rate 300/7 = 42, which is unlikely. A 10 Watt stroke would let us do it at 30, which leads to far lower inertial losses, so is much easier. So that's what we train: the stroke, at all ratings, and the ability to do 200 of them in quick succession, aka endurance.

Training plans for 2k racing such as the Interactives are progressive, using 3 week blocks. Each block gets longer within itself, but shorter and faster from one block to the next. They're consequently very varied too, we hardly ever get to repeat the same work, which is important for racing.

Examples from a Level 4, 5x26 program:
Week
1 TEST 36'UT2 2x15'UT1 45'UT2 3x12'UT1
2 3x11'UT1 48'UT2 2x20'UT1 54'UT2 3x15'UT1
3 3x14'UT1 57'UT2 4x12'UT1 60'UT2 5x10'UT1

13 TEST 3x12'UT1 2x5'TR 3x13'UT1 2x8'AT
14 4x1.5'AN 3x15'UT1 4x3'TR 3x14'UT1 2x9'AT
15 6x1'AN 4x12'UT1 5x3'TR 3x15'UT1 2x10'AT

24 8x45s AN 4x13'UT1 4x4'TR 2x18'UT1 3x12'AT
25 3x1'AN 2X10'UT1 2x3'TR 2x9'UT1 1x10'AT
26 1x3'TR 2x8'UT1 3x1.5'AN 3x45sAN RACE

UT2-1 should be at 18-23, AT 27, race 30-40 with power in roughly in proportion to rating.

Doing weights seems to need two days rest every time. However to use any additional strength, you'd need endurance and maybe better technique too, so these must also be trained.

Technique can usually be seen from height and the Watt/Rating ratio.

Endurance basically means waste removal, and this is a cell function, so they have to grow in number. This does not happen if we replace training with weights, which consequently will likely make us slower, short term at least.

Great advice. It may be that I try some of the examples you posted. Over the course of a year I have lowered my 4X750R3:30 from a 1:44 pace to a 1:40. Have lowered my 6X500 pace from a 1:41 to a 1:36 pace. These are all done at elevation. My guess is at sea level I may b able to row a 6:45 although easier to say that do. I did a 7:02 over a year ago and assuming the faster L1 intervals play a part am fairly certain I'm much faster.

Overall the fact that I continue to progress is what keeps me exited and motivated so far. I do need to change some things up in order to keep the trajectory headed in the right direction which is the reason for the post. Takes thought and planning. I often tell people that you cant put your body and mind through challenging L1 sessions unless you've planned for success. Failing doesn't work for long. Its a mind over matter thing

[mitchel674]

Great question! Not much volume mostly because of the fatigue. UT2 sessions are 1 hour long, never longer. Would say I get less than 50K meters total per week

The UT1 suggestion is a good one but realistically Id have to substitute with a weight session or a L1 session. Not sure doing so would be good
Substituting a UT1 session with UT2 would lead to fatigue at a point of having to take lots of time off to recover

So, you are doing 4-5 hour long UT2 sessions each week? What is you pace for these sessions?

I still think you could consider dropping to 3 hour long UT2 sessions and then add a fixed distance UT1 row (5-6k). This coupled with your interval day would give you great variety each week and add 1-2 days for recovery.

Great suggestion. I'm definitely towing the exhaustion line doing what I'm doing now though. Pretty sure substituting a UT2 session for UT1 would eventually push me over. Slowing UT2 pace from 2:16 to 2:20 helps which is now 70% of max HR. Perhaps slow UT2 sessions down to 60% max HR add substitute one of them for UT1 like you suggest. Might work. Going to give it some thought

What you continue to ignore is that you have no rest days in your plan. You shouldn't be nearing "exhaustion" during your routine training.

[rufiedog]

So, you are doing 4-5 hour long UT2 sessions each week? What is you pace for these sessions?

I still think you could consider dropping to 3 hour long UT2 sessions and then add a fixed distance UT1 row (5-6k). This coupled with your interval day would give you great variety each week and add 1-2 days for recovery.

Great suggestion. I'm definitely towing the exhaustion line doing what I'm doing now though. Pretty sure substituting a UT2 session for UT1 would eventually push me over. Slowing UT2 pace from 2:16 to 2:20 helps which is now 70% of max HR. Perhaps slow UT2 sessions down to 60% max HR add substitute one of them for UT1 like you suggest. Might work. Going to give it some thought

What you continue to ignore is that you have no rest days in your plan. You shouldn't be nearing "exhaustion" during your routine training.

The timing of nearing exhaustion needs to be improved, but not avoiding near exhaustion. Rather than in the middle of a training block "near exhaustion" needs to happen closer to the end. That way I can back off, rest, recover, regroup and start another phase fresh. Reducing my UT2 pace has helped postpone the near exhaustion, whereby now happening closer to the end of the phase as opposed to the middle. But continuing to improve while avoiding nearing exhaustion ( not complete exhaustion) all together may not be possible (at least at some point). I think many if not all advanced ( not that i am advanced) athletes walk around from time to time at near exhaustion, most of the time happening at the end of a phase as probably planned

A complete rest day may allow for a harder UT1 session but I doubt it.