Do you under or "over" perform at competitions?

[Gammmmo]

Me...have only ever done 3 compeitions on the erg but I'd say 2 of those I fell short of what I thought were realistic expectations. In one of those I curiously didn't feel in the mood to really go to the hurt locker and in the other "it" just wasn't there (on a day to day basis I often see differences with RPE for the same preparation) and can't really explain why. Beginning to think this may be a pattern but admittedly sample size is very small. I've also never had a problem motivating myself to PB at times when I'm on my erg at home on my own (the code system on the PM is a godsend for me). My goal like most is to get as fast as possible on the erg but should I shun competition or give it more chances?? Thoughts? Do you *need* a competition to motivate yourself to PBs etc? Do you tend to fall short? And even...are comps simply not for you despite the fact you like to set PBs, and why?

[hjs]

Raced roughly 40 times over 15 years, 25 years apart.

Always do a tad better at races, say 1 1.5 seconds on the av. Races almost always very early which I hate.
Most 2k, 5/6 times a 6k, once a 30 min, once a hm, relay 1k s, think 8 or so, once a 500 and once a 1k. Number of starts between 50/60.
Relays after the 2k, which really slows me down a bit.

Races really help me focus, around those times I am best motivated.

[lindsayh]

Can't go really fast at home on my own so mostly training in the gym, often with buddies. I only stay home if the gym is closed or not enough time to get there. Raced a lot over ten years maybe 80/100 times mainly 2k and below - both my hour and HM though were races and PBs.
My 2k and 500 PBs were in a race and the rest done in the gym with others around so race like TT I guess. The 2km was a race that I treated as a TT and didn't think about anyone else. The main problem with racing is when you are ahead and in control - there is a temptation to go into cruise mode rather than push to 100% especially on multi race days (which is mostly for us here).

[sander]

I have raced 4 times in the past 3 years. Always performed a tad better than "at home" performance. What I lose in the first 500, due to the race start, I get back in the second 1k because of racing going on, rowing in public, adrenaline, etc.

[Cyclist2]

Races. I've never raced at anything other than 2K and my best times are there. (Well, actually my first race, in 1987 at the Mid Atlantic Erg Sprints was at 2500m on a model B. 1:45 pace, my lifetime PB). If it weren't for the competition, I certainly wouldn't push myself that hard at home, it would be more just staying fit at very low levels of pain, if any. I use the nonathlon and C2 rankings to gauge myself as to fitness for all those other distances, just so I don't really slack off.

Indoor rowing, for me, is a poor substitute for OTW rowing, which is not feasible at the moment. THAT was fun and the erg was a way to stay in shape for that. Now, I need the motivation of the 2-3 erg races per year I do to even think about doing a hard workout on it. Your mileage may vary...

[Edward4492]

I've done (21) 2k erg races over the past four years. I'll drop my lifetime best 6:59 PR from 2014 (done in the gym) as I only got there one time at the end of an excruciating block of training. I've had a bunch of times in the 7:05 to 7:15 range. That's fallen off dramatically as I've made the move to OTW. I'm totally off the erg for 7-8 months of the year. As a consequence last year I was between 7:17 and 7:20. Looking to get back there this year.Over the years my SB's have always been at races, but extremely close to my training times. My last three races last year were 7:17.6, 7:17.5, 7:17.3; my best in the gym was 7:20. My plan at a race is always the same; try and duplicate my training numbers for the first 1500m and then see what I've got for the final 500m. I'll always go to the well at a race, not so much in the gym.

As a side note, I've never sat down to race on the erg and felt like "I got this"! Always a sense of dread as I know what's about to happen. The boat is totally different, lots going on. Particularly in a head race (usually around 4k) where there's strategy, navigation...and even more fun in the 2x.

[ArmandoChavezUNC]

I definitely do better at home. I train on my own on a daily basis, either rowing the 1x by myself or erging in my living room by myself, so I have no problem motivating and pushing myself for any kind of workout. At home I can warm-up comfortably, go through my usual routine, and be in full control of the race conditions, whereas in a race environment it's usually not an ideal set up to warm-up and get comfortable. The air also tends to be really dry most places I've erg raced, which just adds to the misery. Lastly, the race start definitely costs you at the start and can be really disconcerting when your split is way off for the first 500 or so meters.

[Edward4492]

Armando, agree 100% with all of the above. Particularly the dry air, I sometimes cough and hack for days after a big effort at an event.

[Cyclingman1]

Not a "yes" or "no" question. Opportunities to compete, distance involved, conditions, etc are definitely factors. In my running and cycling days, distances of 5-6.2 miles and 25 miles precluded much in the way of racing one's training. PB's were always done at races. Of course, PB's are secondary in such races, where beating the next guy is much more the focus.

Erging 2K's is different. Most of us have very few opportunities to compete - there just are not that many venues. To be "on" for one day is hard to achieve. The time for 2K: 7 mins or less lends itself to make strong efforts in training. As pointed out, the logistics for rowing in a comfortable place beat the disruption of traveling to a different environment and dealing with a lot of stuff that is automatic at home. At home one can have many tries. You only have to be "on" one time out of many. Also, one gets used to focusing on time when rowing at home. There is no one to beat, so finishing ahead is an irrelevancy. When I go to a C2 venue, I don't even notice who's ahead or behind. I row just like at home focusing on current and avg pace and time. I'm trying hard but really no differently than at home. Sometimes I do well, sometimes not, just like during training.

[Edward4492]

I'm a bit unique to this group as I live in one of the"epi-centers" of competitive rowing. Erg events for me this year: War at the Shore, Haddon Hammers, Center City Slam all with-in 30min. CC Slam is a big one and is my target event for this season. Then two more events about 75-90min away. Plus a few others I'll skip. I live 30min from Boat House Row on the Schuylkill. I can race OTW 10-12 times a year with most events an hour or less away. And my daily rowing on Cooper River, 5min from work, 30min from home. Many Nationals are held here. So the reality is I have the perfect set-up for competing and training. When I was a bike racer it was the same thing. Every weekend you had your pick of road races, criteriums an time trials.

[le grand fromage]

Definite under perform for me. Never rowed a 2k race that I've been happy with the time, come to that I think I've only got 5-6 time trials I've been happy with, ever 2 off 5k races at Farnbourgh, 4' pb, 6344m for the concept challenge, 10k BR and a HM BR (2nd one). I think I've gone through most of the 'excuses' why I haven't performed over the years, one day I'll nail that elusive 2k time I think I'm capable off, it's what keeps me going