Intro & (vague) targets
Posted: June 2nd, 2022, 8:46 am
Hi all!
I signed up to run a half marathon in October, and have just completed my first month of training. Due to not wanting to aggravate a chronic achilles issue, I've been doing plenty of cross training in the gym. I've found that the spinning bike is simply too boring for me, since I have to spend much longer on it to get a similar stimulus to running - for this reason I have gravitated toward the erg.
I've completed three sessions on the c2 so far, and was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I rowed for about six weeks when I was at college and didn't get on with it too well - but I think the training program was a bit too much too soon back then. So far, all my efforts have been at a low rate of 18 s/m:
- a 40 minute effort where I hit 9.05km
- a 5km erg where I bonked hard pretty quickly, 21:21
- a 5km erg where my forearms bonked hard at 4.5km, 20:23, although my lungs and legs felt quite comfy.
Although it is important for my training that I get a good amount of volume in on the machine, I think I need a target to keep things interesting. I'm probably going to do a 2k test mid-august. I'm planning to increase the number of erg sessions I do per week. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on the following:
1) With my injury history, I'm quite strict about always doing a full warmup before I run. What kind of things do you do before you erg to look after your forearms/knees/backs/other? Do you just do some easy rowing, or do you have a non-erg routine that you follow as well? I have found my forearms really cramp hard when I increase the pressure, and my back has been slightly unhappy after these efforts (I may reduce the distance and build up to it in future).
2) What kind of sessions can you recommend to help me practice rowing at a higher stroke rate? Rate 18 clearly won't cut it if I'm going for time, but I'd like to build up from a stroke rate where I feel like I'm in control.
3) What kind of weights do you do? I've always struggled with this - in my opinion, doing the actual activity (i.e. erging or running) is the most important part of your training, simply because it is specific. In the past I've struggled with weights because DOMs interferes with my running/other sport.
4) How much of your training involves hard sessions (tempo/intervals), and how much (if any) is easy 'conversational' rowing?
If the erging continues to go well, I may even join a club!
Some details if they help:
I'm 24, male, 6'1". I was never much of an endurance guy (always preferred short distances on the track).
So far I've really enjoyed browsing the forum and look forward to getting involved!
I signed up to run a half marathon in October, and have just completed my first month of training. Due to not wanting to aggravate a chronic achilles issue, I've been doing plenty of cross training in the gym. I've found that the spinning bike is simply too boring for me, since I have to spend much longer on it to get a similar stimulus to running - for this reason I have gravitated toward the erg.
I've completed three sessions on the c2 so far, and was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I rowed for about six weeks when I was at college and didn't get on with it too well - but I think the training program was a bit too much too soon back then. So far, all my efforts have been at a low rate of 18 s/m:
- a 40 minute effort where I hit 9.05km
- a 5km erg where I bonked hard pretty quickly, 21:21
- a 5km erg where my forearms bonked hard at 4.5km, 20:23, although my lungs and legs felt quite comfy.
Although it is important for my training that I get a good amount of volume in on the machine, I think I need a target to keep things interesting. I'm probably going to do a 2k test mid-august. I'm planning to increase the number of erg sessions I do per week. I was wondering if anyone had any advice on the following:
1) With my injury history, I'm quite strict about always doing a full warmup before I run. What kind of things do you do before you erg to look after your forearms/knees/backs/other? Do you just do some easy rowing, or do you have a non-erg routine that you follow as well? I have found my forearms really cramp hard when I increase the pressure, and my back has been slightly unhappy after these efforts (I may reduce the distance and build up to it in future).
2) What kind of sessions can you recommend to help me practice rowing at a higher stroke rate? Rate 18 clearly won't cut it if I'm going for time, but I'd like to build up from a stroke rate where I feel like I'm in control.
3) What kind of weights do you do? I've always struggled with this - in my opinion, doing the actual activity (i.e. erging or running) is the most important part of your training, simply because it is specific. In the past I've struggled with weights because DOMs interferes with my running/other sport.
4) How much of your training involves hard sessions (tempo/intervals), and how much (if any) is easy 'conversational' rowing?
If the erging continues to go well, I may even join a club!
Some details if they help:
I'm 24, male, 6'1". I was never much of an endurance guy (always preferred short distances on the track).
So far I've really enjoyed browsing the forum and look forward to getting involved!