Advice wanted for my 2K PB - Intervals ?

[Carl Watts]

Okay here's where I'm at.

I want to do a 6:40 2K PB by the 1st December 2010.

Just finishing the Fall Challenge tomorrow that has been a string of HM's everyday without a break at UT2 pace and some of it done at low rating but overall it looks like about a 2:04 average pace 18spm for 635Km over the last month.

I think I now need to move on to interval work, so I need some advice for what I should be doing.

Firstly a rating I need to aim for as when I went 1:40 pace today it was 23 spm which is probably too low to be sustainable. I'm thinking 27-28spm would be the target.Sticking with a 130 DF as this is working well for me.

What works best ? 500M intervals ? 500M flat out and then 500M rest ? if so how many intervals ?

At what point in the interval training are you able to be confident that you can turn this into a non stop 2K ?

[hjs]

Rowing a 2k takes endurance and speed. And to get used to a distance, any distance that is, your body needs to get used to the rating and speed for that specific distance. It is possible to get close to your current max in 6/12 weeks.
First you need to do a 2k test or be able to do a good gestimate about that current level.

You could do intervals in the 8 x 500 3 rest/ 4 x 1k 5 minutes rest/ 10x 1min on/off/ 250/500/750/1000 and back rest 90m seconds per 250 meter This once a week. Total distance around 4 k

And also once week longer stints. 4 x 2k 5rest/ 5x 1500 5 rest/ 3,2.5k,2k 5 rest Total distance around 7.5 k

Goalpaces 8 x 500 2k minus 3seconds / 4x 1k 2k pace/ 10 x 1/1 2k minus 3/4 seconds/ piramide 2k minus 1 2 seconds Average.
The longer ones 5 k pace plus 2/3
Rating: free rate, but not to low, the higher with good technique still the better.

The rest of the week longer not so hard work.

The most easy way is to do each session once and start out at a pace you can do and pace it steady until the last rep. next session take this effort and build on that accourding to feel. It is important to now what you can do.

[michaelb]

I don't have any particular insight about training for racing, since I don't do it all that well or often, but I find hard middle distances to be equally important as working on speed through intervals. So for a 2k, that means in the 5k range. The benefit of rowing the middle distances hard is that they help with the mental focus to finish the 2k. Your 5k PB, while fast, does not suggest a 6:40 2k to me. To row 6:40, I would be looking something far under 18:00 in the 5k, in the 17:40 or range. How old is that 5k?

So, my point may be that you may want to consider a hard 5 or 6k each week, as the hard row, in addition to intervals at race pace. Those hard 5ks though should really be at or below your PB pace, so 1800-1820, which is 2k+8 to +10.

[jamesg]

The C2 uk interactive 2k schedules have a nice mix of work as race day approaches, and you can put in your data as is, including days available per week. Just do the last few weeks of say a 26 week schedule. A 2k test will be needed to determine paces.

http://concept2.co.uk/training/interactive

Another approach would be to calculate your work per stroke, and then create your own program, or mix with the Interactive to set the paces:

Your ½Ms at 124 seconds, rate 18, mean 10 W'/stroke. In a 2k race no doubt you'd pull 11 if not more. 6:40 (100sec pace) means 350W. So you'd have to cruise at say 30-32 x 11W, then wind it up in the last 500. Training should be based on these work levels, rating higher for the AN and TR pieces. You've already done the ground work so should be a breeze..

[Bob S.]

Carl,

I think that the Pete Plan would be ideal for you at this point. There is just the right amount of time to get in two of the three week cycles. Also it has a good mix of short intervals, endurance intervals, and long rows. I have used it a couple of times after 2-3 months of the UK interactive plan and found that it did a good job of preparation for 2k competition.

I don't have the URL for the old simplified version that I have always used, but the current version is available here:

http://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/the-pete-plan/

As can be seen on the site, it is adapted to use during lunch hours, but it is easy enough to adapt to whatever time slots are available to you.

Bob S.