HELP! - Off slides! - Race coming up!

tbartman · Post by **tbartman** » January 25th, 2009, 1:44 pm

I've been training on slides since I got them over a year ago. Last year, I took the erg off the slides about 2 weeks before my indoor race so I could get used to the feel, and I got 6:53 at the race.

I know there's some advantage to being on the slides, so this year I trained for a goal of 6:45 on slides, figuring I'd end up around 6:48-6:50 at the race off the slides. Based on my workouts, this seemed doable. For example, a few weeks back I did 5 minutes at 1:40 (on slides), and could have gone longer - probably could have finished off the last 1:40 to get 2k in 6:40. So I'm thinking "Great. If I can do 6:40 on slides, maybe I can even get 6:45 off slides."

Two days ago I did a 2k test - setting out at a predicted finish of 6:50. I died with 300m left

Now I'm freaking! I could do 6:40 on slides but can't even finish at a pace of 6:50 off the slides?! This is not the experience I had a year ago!

I notice the big difference is stroke rate. On slides I can easily get to 36-37. Off slides I max out at 32-33.

Is there a quick change I can make to get this back? Do I lower the drag factor a lot? Take shorter strokes? I can't believe that I'm in worse shape now than a year ago, but I'm afraid I won't even be able to be last year's time, much less push for 6:48 or 6:45.

HELP ME!!! Race is in 7 days.

tbartman · Post by **tbartman** » January 25th, 2009, 1:57 pm

An addendum:

I looked at my training log from last year when I was on slides a few weeks before the race and this year on slides a few weeks before the race. My times are better now than last year. For example, on slides:

Jan 08 - 5' @ 1:42.8; 3' @ 1:42.4; 2' @ 1:42.5; 2'@ 1:41.7
Jan 09 - 5' @ 1:40.4; 4' @ 1:40.8; 3' @ 1:40.8

This year I can do this "TR" workout about 2 seconds faster, and sustain it longer.

Jan 08 - AT work (8-12' intervals) at 1:52
Jan 09 - AT work (8-12' intervals) at 1:49

So, apples-to-apples (or slides-to-slides) I'm faster this year; why aren't I faster grounded-to-grounded. Did I just have one bad test?

PaulH · Post by **PaulH** » January 26th, 2009, 11:15 am

To clarify what you said - last year, not long after you'd got your slides, you stopped using them for a couple of weeks and switched back to what you were used to, namely 'fixed' rowing.

Now, having got used to rowing with slides pretty much exclusively for the last year, when you switch back to 'fixed' rowing you're not as good as you used to be.

Is that a fair summary? And does that help you understand what the problem might be?

tbartman · Post by **tbartman** » January 26th, 2009, 12:30 pm

Paul -

Your observation was not lost on me! Yes, last year I had only been on slides for a month or two before I came off them 2 weeks before the race.

Still, it seems that the strength/speed should be there, seeing as how I'm better on the slides now than I was last year on the slides, but as someone said on the other thread where I posted, maybe I have some very quick tuneup to do on my form off the slides - figuring out the best stroke rate, pressure, etc. to maximize efficiency while grounded. Any suggestions (other than not using slides next year).

I will point out that after going back to grounded, my knees especially, and also my back to a lesser extent, feel much worse these last few days. I have a little patellofemoral pain on the right anyway from an old injury, and I really feel it every time I come in for the catch while grounded now.

Anyway, as my wife says, it's not like anyone is going to die if I get 6:52 instead of 6:48 or 6:45 - but I'm a guy and I've got pride on the line!

Tom

PaulH · Post by **PaulH** » January 26th, 2009, 12:45 pm

I've only ever used slides once, and it wasn't pretty

but my understanding is it lets you rate higher, so perhaps you need to concentrate on keeping the rate down by a few spm, so you're not thrashing so much? Just a thought.