Freshmen 2k PR and Summer Traning

[postamelia2]

I am 15 years old (freshmen in high school), 125 pounds, 5 foot 6, and have been rowing for about two summers on and off. My 2k PR is an 8:04.8, and with that number I made it to the second varsity boat as a substitute, and a mainstay on the third boat.

With how I am doing now, is it possible for me to drop another 20-30 seconds off my time before the fall season to make the first varsity boat, and if so how would I do this? If not, what is a more realistic goal?

[Elizabeth]

Welcome to the forum!

It's really hard to answer the question of what is possible. I've come much further than I would have thought was possible, and am still improving. My preferred approach is to train for something and just see. It's very likely that you can chip away at your 2k time with training, and it's just a matter of how much.

If your coach has suggested summer training, that would be a great start. I also love the Pete's Lunchhour Plan, which has a combination of hard pieces that address some different energy systems plus steady state for building a good base.

I have really limited experience with teens and rowing, but strictly from watching some of the races during the indoor season, it seems like a big opportunity for a lot of teens is just pacing. Mis-pacing a 2k is a painful experience and will result in underperformance. One good thing about structured pace work at different paces is that you can build the ability to pace well, and then try to control the adrenaline in a race/time trial situation.

[jackarabit]

Two, or maybe three, 3wk cycles of Pete “Lunch hour” will deliver an aerobic performance peak which should be exploited immediately for test or comp. Every third week a plateau or recovery week would tend to stretch out progress for an additional cycle and produce peak in late summer.