Targets 2018

[OtwSL]

I know that 2017 isn't over yet but I thought I'd start this thread a bit prematurely. I was wondering how you guys did on your targets for 2017 and what targets you are thinking of setting for 2018. It doesn't matter if you're looking for a new PB or just a new fitness goal just post it here:

I didn't really have targets for 2017 but I think next year I'll set some targets, whether I beat them or not is a different matter.
Targets June 2018: 2k<7:00, 5k<18:30, 10k<39:00, 30r20>7600m and 30rFree>7850m
Targets end 2018: 2k<6:50, 5k<18:10, 10k<38:00, 30r20>7850m and 30rFree>8000m.
Not sure if these are realistic but I'll aim high. If I beat them then I'll be very pleased! I would also like to complete a 60:00 by June, hopefully in excess of 15,500m.
Sorry in advance if this is a stupid thread.

[MassiF]

In my case it will depend on what I'll do from spring onwards: If I start running again than I'll be happy row 3 times a week to help my running training. But I'm not sure if I'll do that! I'm really enjoying my Concept2 this winter, I'm getting motivated and improving (as my level was very low LOL) so I wouldn't mind a complete season. I love endurance, so for me is about rowing about 90/100km per week as I'm currently doing, mostly aerobic training. I'd love to improve my 2K time, getting closer to 7 minutes and try a full marathon

[Livio Livius]

Target 2018: full focus on triathlon Roth july 1, 2018

[JerekKruger]

My (hopefully) conservative goals are:

• Sub 6:40 2000m,
• Sub 18 5000m,
• Sub 21:40 6000m,
• Row a good 8000m+ 30 minutes,
• Sub 38 10000m,
• Row a good half and full marathon,
• Set a decent 60 minutes PB (as yet no specific target as I haven't done enough fast ones to have an idea of pace).

I'll be working on my aerobic base for a while now, so it'll probably be the last few that get done first. Most of these are not particularly ambitious, so if/when I achieve them I'll set new, harder goals.

Sorry in advance if this is a stupid thread.

Not at all, I think setting targets is a good idea and I think your targets seem achievable to me.

[OtwSL]

My (hopefully) conservative goals are:

• Sub 6:40 2000m,
• Sub 18 5000m,
• Sub 21:40 6000m,
• Row a good 8000m+ 30 minutes,
• Sub 38 10000m,
• Row a good half and full marathon,
• Set a decent 60 minutes PB (as yet no specific target as I haven't done enough fast ones to have an idea of pace).

I'll be working on my aerobic base for a while now, so it'll probably be the last few that get done first. Most of these are not particularly ambitious, so if/when I achieve them I'll set new, harder goals.

Sorry in advance if this is a stupid thread.

Not at all, I think setting targets is a good idea and I think your targets seem achievable to me.

Thanks Tom. If I beat my targets then great, but the main focus is that sub 7 2k in June, I really want that! Seems impossible at the moment however! But I figured that I have improved my free rate 30:00 by circa 110m in 2.5 months which is around 1.7 splits per 2.5 months which suggests in the 5 months that I have till June I'll have improved by 3.4 splits further if I keep up this rate of improvement. My 30:00 -3.4 splits is at 1:53.4 so 7934m!
This translates into a 6:55 2k! Not sure I'll be quite that good but maybe just maybe I will?

[formerotwrower]

Targets for 2018? After today I have to think new.
Had a very bad day at "ergo cup Rhein-Main" in Frankfurt. First time "did not finish" in my whole life.
The week before this event I felt very good with reduced training and some little tests. Really thought to go sub 7:00.
Changing to heavyweight class because I did not manage to go under 76 Kilo was only the minor problem.
There was a delay and I had to wait 10 minutes without moving. Then started too fast and exploded 500m later.
My heart felt some kind of out the rhythm.
At 1000m to go the first 1:50ties were seen on the display and I made my decision to stop.
Perhaps my body has done too many competitions (starting at 11 years up to 60 years now) and now refuses to go on.
2018 I will use the Concept2 for staying healthy and as indoor training when it's to wet,cold and dark for my cycling sport.
Perhaps,but only perhaps I will try the 30 minutes at Starnberg in february, but with an extra slow start. Target: 8000 plus...

[RWAGR]

@formerotwrower: rough day for you, but you will get through it. I think it's a good idea to target your Feb race to change up your training and get a mental rebound in.

2018 for me: Sub 6-45 and over 8000.

[Rod]

Targets for 2018? After today I have to think new.
Had a very bad day at "ergo cup Rhein-Main" in Frankfurt. First time "did not finish" in my whole life.
The week before this event I felt very good with reduced training and some little tests. Really thought to go sub 7:00.
Changing to heavyweight class because I did not manage to go under 76 Kilo was only the minor problem.
There was a delay and I had to wait 10 minutes without moving. Then started too fast and exploded 500m later.
My heart felt some kind of out the rhythm.
At 1000m to go the first 1:50ties were seen on the display and I made my decision to stop.
Perhaps my body has done too many competitions (starting at 11 years up to 60 years now) and now refuses to go on.
2018 I will use the Concept2 for staying healthy and as indoor training when it's to wet,cold and dark for my cycling sport.
Perhaps,but only perhaps I will try the 30 minutes at Starnberg in february, but with an extra slow start. Target: 8000 plus...

No need to pack it in just because of one bad race!

What was your time at 500 metres? If you started too fast then that would explain it so the simple answer is to go off more slowly....nothing more than that....and if you really want to be a Lightweight (under 75 kilos/165lbs...not 76/167lbs) then look at what you can change in the way that you eat?

I may do the 30 minutes race at Starnberg.....hopefully see you there!

Here's some good pacing advice by American coach Mike Caviston....hope it helps!

"Fly-and-die is just not a smart way to approach a race. It is usually employed by athletes who are inexperienced, who don’t have a realistic sense of their current abilities, or who allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the excitement of competition. The physiological consequence is to accelerate the accumulation of fatiguing metabolic byproducts of intense muscular contraction (LACT, NH3, K+, etc.), resulting in severe discomfort and the inability to hold the desired pace

The idea that there are “free” strokes anywhere in a 2K is a common misconception among the rowing community. Anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of physics and thermodynamics should recognize this is impossible. Starting a race with several intense, sub-race-pace strokes will probably utilize the muscles’ ready supply of phosphagens (ATP & phosphocreatine).

Some people figure, what does it matter when I use my phosphagen stores? It’s anaerobic anyway, so I may as well use them at the start of the race to get a good position in the first 500m, rather than use them to sprint at the end. This thinking is incorrect. After a few seconds (when phosphagen stores are depleted) the muscles support intense contractions by rapidly breaking down glycogen into pyruvate. This rapid or “anaerobic” glycolysis results in the release of hydrogen ions (H+) that must be buffered, resulting in the formation of lactate, and the resulting decrease in muscle pH is a contributing factor to fatigue.

So far I’m sure everyone is nodding their head saying, “Uh-huh, I know that, so what?” The “so what” is that the rapidity of glycolysis is accelerated by the feed-forward signals resulting from the overly-intense, sub-race-pace strokes that start the race. In other words, if you plan to race at a 1:40 pace and take off at a 1:27 pace, your muscles don’t know that you intend to slow up in a few strokes. They immediately jump into action and rapidly break down glycogen to liberate as much immediate energy as possible, and the signal doesn’t immediately stop when you settle into your planned race pace.

The result is a much greater initial rise in lactate. Furthermore, phosphagen compounds help buffer decreasing muscle pH, so it is ill-advised to deplete them early. I don’t know about you, but racing for me is tough enough already without dragging the albatross of increased lactate accumulation into the second 500m, so I prefer to start more conservatively.
Now, some coaches will encourage a young/inexperienced athlete to start hard with the hope that they will discover some hidden gear and perform at a level they didn’t think was possible. Unfortunately, a likely result is the athlete will have such an unpleasant experience that they develop a mental block against racing hard, and it may be a long, long time before they reach their true potential.

The even-split approach to racing makes the most sense from a purely mechanical standpoint. Consider the hypothetical example of covering 2000m with an average pace of 1:36 either by holding a steady 1:36 pace for the entire distance, or covering half with a 1:35 pace and half with a 1:37 pace. Either method would result in a 6:24 2K, but because of the cubic relationship between velocity and power, and the proportionately greater energy cost of the 1:35 pace, more total energy is expended with the uneven pace. If an athlete is truly performing at maximum capacity, the less efficient pacing results in a slower time.

If you actually calculate the energy difference with this hypothetical example, you might be tempted to say the difference is pretty trivial, but I say even a fraction of a second is significant. And the greater the variation in pace during the race, the greater the amount of energy lost. So logically it must be concluded that the most effective race strategy would be to hold an even pace from start to finish.

But I don’t race that way. I prefer to start at a pace slower than my overall goal pace. But it’s also important to recognize that any strokes slower than your true potential represent lost time that can never be made up, no matter how fast you row later in the race. So you can’t take it too easy either, and that presents a real quandary. On the one hand, you risk going too hard and burning out too soon, and on the other you risk getting too far behind your optimal pace. It’s a fine line to tread, but with enough training and racing experience as well as a little common sense, I think anyone can create an effective race strategy.

[formerotwrower]

Weight was no surprise. Tuesday I mailed to the organizer to put me in the heavyweight class. Too many christmas celebrations these days...
Thank you, Rod, for the advice. The days before Christmas I meet two friends in my hometown rowing club.
One of them was my coach 1976-1978, who lead us to some fine victories in the eight.
We will have a 30 min. "race" and with coach it will be like in the old days.

[mitchel674]

I humbly hope to row a 2k in under 8 minutes.

[DMPRow67]

I've purposely not done a proper 2k since getting back on the erg after 4 years in October. I'll be doing 2k and 5 k tests this week that will drive my goals.

[Rod]

Given that I'm now 60 and a Lightweight think the best I can hope for is to be able to stay injury free and not slow down too much!

[Erik A]

so my goals are.
sub 7 2k.
sub 20 5k I think this will happen before a sub 7 2k
put a time/distance against every catagory.
do at least a million metres

[hjs]

so my goals are.
sub 7 2k.
sub 20 5k I think this will happen before a sub 7 2k
put a time/distance against every catagory.
do at least a million metres

7 min 2k 1.45 is roughly comparable with a 150/52 5k. That would be 18.20/40

Just to give some idea what to expect

[JMac]

100m - sub 13.4
500m - sub 1:15
1 min - 400+ metres
1K - sub 3:00
2K - sub 6:40
30 mins - 8000+ metres