Before you ever do 4 x 2K, a sharpening workout, you do distance trials, to see where you are.KevJGK wrote:Even assuming 6:40 form you could only do this session around 01:46-01:47 but to start off I would suggest no faster than 01:51 and even that will be very tough.
The crucial issue in distance trials is what you can row, steady state, at your anaerobic threshold.
When I am fully trained up for distance rowing, I can row, steady state, at my anaerobic threshold for 60min, perhaps even for a HM.
Subtract 6, and you have your pace for 4 x 2K.
Your 60min/HM pace is top-end UT1.
4 x 2K is AT.
So, back in 2003, I did 1:48 for 60min and 4 x 2K at 1:42.
You have admitted that you can't row steady state at all, that even in a row that you start out at UT2 (e.g., 2:10), your HR goes to AT.
Given this, no wonder these issues are baffling to you.
If you can't row steady state at all, what is being asked of you by training plans for rowing is impossible.
You have no endurance, no technical and physical consistency, no ability to relax.
To cure these ills, if I were you, I would just row for 1-2 hours every session.
Start with a pace that you can do consistently at steady state, however slow that might be.
Then, over the days, weeks, and months, slowly increase that pace, maintaining steady state, by working on relaxation, technique, and other matters.
It is easy to see by the monitor when you are at steady state.
At steady state, your HR will often _go down_ a bpm or so, alternating between two levels--e.g., 150 bpm, then 149 bpm, then 150 bpm, then 149 bpm.
It doesn't continue to go up.
If you want to do 6:40 for 2K, you should be able to row 1:55 @ 22 spm, steady state, at UT2, for a couple of hours.
A FM trial would show you whether you can do this.
A FM is done at UT2, or if not, low UT1.
ranger