Request for Advice on Erg Racing Starts

[christopherregisryan]

Fellow Ergonauts. While I am relatively new to the sport of rowing, I have been erg racing for a few years as a "Veteran" and enjoy the competition. One aspect of my ergatta rowing is puzzling me. My starts in organized races are much slower than in my practice pieces. When I do a test at home, I seem to be able to get the average split down to my target much more easily and quickly than in my races. This was very evident in a 500m sprint I did yesterday. I tried to start just as I heard the word "Row", but I must have started late because my average split after five strokes was more than five seconds above my target. I spent the entire piece feeling behind and under pressure to catch up to my target split. By the time I worked my average split down to target, I was already starting to fade. I am going to row at Crash B's next week. I understand that there is much more time to overcome a slow start in a 2k than in a 500m race. However, slow starts always weigh on my spirits when I race. I would like to race from ahead or even with my target split if possible. Any advice would be much appreciated. Best regards. - Chris

[Cyclingman1]

Any one day of racing can deviate from a norm in many ways, starts included. If fast starts have been practised quite a bit, there is no reason that there should be differences on days of races.

5 hard pulls seems too few for a good, controlled fast start. Ten sounds more like it. Going too hard right out of the box is a good way of setting one's self up for failure.

[Ralph Earle]

You are overlooking the effect of reaction time.

Suppose your 2K target pace is @ 1:45. If it takes you one second after "Row" to get the flywheel moving, then even if your average pace is in fact @ 1:45 for the first 5 strokes and you continue at that pace, at the 100-meter mark the elapsed time will be 00:01.0 + 00:21.0 = 00:22.0 = @ 1:50.0.

At the 500m mark, it will be @1:46.0; after 1K, @1:45.5. Getting that initial second back is what the last 100 meters of balls-to-the-wall is for.

Don't succumb to adrenaline and try to get it back in the first 500m, or you will give it back and then some with about 600m still to go.

Just accept the mathematical reality, and mentally add one second to your hoped-for final time.

[christopherregisryan]

Thanks, Gentlemen. Very helpful. I think there must be some element of slow reaction time that affected my ergatta starts. I guess when I do tests on my own the clock starts moving when the chain starts moving so my reaction time is axiomatically perfect. Not so at a real race. This is especially vexing in a 500m race where there is no time to get that second back and a second has 4x the impact on my average split. I am going to relax at Crash B's and know that I have 200 pulls to compensate for a slow start. As for my next 500m race, I need to find a way to get out of the gate quicker. Maybe try to learn the starter's cadence?

[mikvan52]

One aspect of my ergatta rowing is puzzling me. My starts in organized races are much slower than in my practice pieces. When I do a test at home.............. I am going to row at Crash B's next week. I understand that there is much more time to overcome a slow start in a 2k than in a 500m race. However, slow starts always weigh on my spirits when I race. I would like to race from ahead or even with my target split if possible. Any advice would be much appreciated. Best regards. - Chris

Hey Chris: I'm a vet also... and, I'm a Vet who has participated at CRASH-Bs maybe 10 (?) times...

You need to take stock of a couple differences at that particular venue.

1•> There race software differs from the software we use on our PM3s and 4s at home. W/o being to technical...The software at Boston gives everyone a slow start... slower than the at home deal.... WHat to do? Don't worry about it. Learn the screes you will be watching and slowly climb back on your goal pace... After all, when you do the math, all things being equal among competitors... "It ain't no biggie"

2•> If you race from ahead, you will still be ahead, because everyone is equally disadvantaged coming off the start-line. The start may look slow to you but for others it will be even slower....
.

[christopherregisryan]

Hey Chris: I'm a vet also... and, I'm a Vet who has participated at CRASH-Bs maybe 10 (?) times...

You need to take stock of a couple differences at that particular venue.

1•> There race software differs from the software we use on our PM3s and 4s at home. W/o being to technical...The software at Boston gives everyone a slow start... slower than the at home deal.... WHat to do? Don't worry about it. Learn the screes you will be watching and slowly climb back on your goal pace... After all, when you do the math, all things being equal among competitors... "It ain't no biggie"

2•> If you race from ahead, you will still be ahead, because everyone is equally disadvantaged coming off the start-line. The start may look slow to you but for others it will be even slower....
.

Thanks for this. I appreciate the advice. As I am racing the clock rather than the field, I will comp this race to my last Crash B race, which presumably had the same start issues more or less. Besides over 2k, there is plenty of time to make up for a reaction time delay. Congratulations on your hammers! Very impressive. Good luck on Sunday if you are racing. - Chris

[hjs]

Thanks, Gentlemen. Very helpful. I think there must be some element of slow reaction time that affected my ergatta starts. I guess when I do tests on my own the clock starts moving when the chain starts moving so my reaction time is axiomatically perfect. Not so at a real race. This is especially vexing in a 500m race where there is no time to get that second back and a second has 4x the impact on my average split. I am going to relax at Crash B's and know that I have 200 pulls to compensate for a slow start. As for my next 500m race, I need to find a way to get out of the gate quicker. Maybe try to learn the starter's cadence?

Its simply a fact, home just like you said, the pm sences you start pulling, at a race the pm getscstarted and you have to start pulling, no matter what this will cost a serious amount of time. On a 500 this is certainly significant, on a 2k also but on the longer time less so.
Don,t worry about it, don,t chase the splits focus on the pace, not the split.

[christopherregisryan]

Its simply a fact, home just like you said, the pm sences you start pulling, at a race the pm getscstarted and you have to start pulling, no matter what this will cost a serious amount of time. On a 500 this is certainly significant, on a 2k also but on the longer time less so.
Don,t worry about it, don,t chase the splits focus on the pace, not the split.

Thank you, Sir. I will stay relaxed on Sunday and patiently work my average split down to my target.

[mikvan52]

Good luck on Sunday if you are racing. - Chris

Al the best to you too, Chris!
Hope to see there...

[christopherregisryan]

Thanks, Everyone, for the words of wisdom. I pretty much followed the plan as advised. My start was a bit better than last week's (watched the monitor rather than listening for a "ROW" signal). I also took comfort from the fact that I had 2,000m to get any lost time back rather than 500m. After 5 or 6 hard strokes, my average split was about two seconds above target. I settled in and patiently worked the average down to my target without panic or overexertion. This took most of the first 500m. I was able to hold that target through 1,600m and had plenty of gas in the tank for a sprint over the final 400m. The result, a 3.5 second PR and a 6.5 second improvement over last year. A nice payoff for my training throughout the year. And now, a couple of recovery weeks before getting back on the program for next year. - Chris