C2 Interactive Program

[old] derm · Post by **[old] derm** » December 9th, 2004, 10:08 pm

I've been erging 1 year, have about 2mil meters. This season I started the C2interactive program from the UK site and have been following the 22 week program with 4 workouts per week. This week calls for 1 day with 3x6' TR. My TR pace, the same as my last 2k test's pace, is 1:45/500m. Question: Is it possible to row at race pace for 6 minutes 3 times? I do the race in 7 minutes and doing 3 pieces at race pace for 1 minute less than a full race seems impossible for me, no matter how long I'd actively rest between TR pieces. When I do a race or 2k test I take it easy on rows for a couple days after before I feel able to pull hard or do intervals again. So again, is 3x6' TR really possible? And if so, advice on getting there? thanks, Hank

[old] puffadder · Post by **[old] puffadder** » December 10th, 2004, 4:05 am

Hank I am also using this program, I suggest you try these pieces using your heartrate rather than the actual split. If TR is in the region of 80-90% then start a piece and get into this range and then compare to what your actual splits are at the end of the session. You should see an improvement over time as you get used to the load. Do each session as it says on the program and until you get used to it you will feel tired after a hard session. Take it the hard way and look for improvement rather than take an easy way out. Enjoy it.

[old] giniajim · Post by **[old] giniajim** » December 10th, 2004, 9:30 am

What's a TR? thnx

[old] kfredx · Post by **[old] kfredx** » December 10th, 2004, 9:44 am

<a href='http://www.concept2.co.uk/guide/guide.p ... ning_bands' target='_blank'>http://www.concept2.co.uk/guide/guide.p ... g_bands</a>

[old] Bayko · Post by **[old] Bayko** » December 10th, 2004, 10:04 am

I wouldn't be able to do 3 X 6' TR at the maximum TR pace. But keep in mind that any pace above your AT pace is TR. Therefore, in your case, you don't necessarily have to be going at 1:45 pace. Anything faster than 1:51 is TR. Go as fast as you can tolerate while completing the workout. Rick

[old] derm · Post by **[old] derm** » December 10th, 2004, 12:40 pm

Training in the tr band should be equal to or less than tr pace ( ), but not less than the figure in the AN column. The pace figure indicated in the AN band is 110% of 2K pace. This is a quote from the c2 interactive site. I take this to mean that if the tr column number is 1:45, then I should actually be rowing less than 1:45 but more than the AN number in the column to the right. Bayko, you seem to say that the tr pace is between the number in the tr column and the number in the at column. Unless I'm mistaken, the above quote seems to disagree. Please let me know your thoughts. Hank

[old] Bayko · Post by **[old] Bayko** » December 10th, 2004, 1:03 pm

Hank, It must have been some kind of typo. Either that or confusion about the term "less than." Perhaps terms like "faster than" or "slower than" would be clearer. I'm pretty sure that TR is the zone between exceeding your AT and reaching your race pace. (faster than AT and slower than AN) Faster than race pace is AN. Rick

[old] Kudos · Post by **[old] Kudos** » December 10th, 2004, 2:05 pm

I have done that workout before. It seems to me that a lot of it would depend solely on the rest time. Which was not given, I don't think. I did it with 5 mins in between and was able to hold 3-4 above my 2kPR for all the peices. It was hard though.

[old] Dr. Z · Post by **[old] Dr. Z** » December 10th, 2004, 3:06 pm

Agreeing with Rick Bayko, the paragraph defining the training bands seems to have a couple typos in defining the TR band (otherwise the paragraph contradicts itself from one sentence to the next). I asked about the TR training band on the UK forum a couple weeks ago and received a few replies that the TR band should be between the TR and AT paces. Heartrate percentages given for the bands support this. 7x3'TR or 8x4'TR seemed impossible to me as well, until this was clarified. Hope the interactive program works for you - I've had a lot of success with it in the past few years. MP

[old] tomhz · Post by **[old] tomhz** » December 10th, 2004, 3:48 pm

I tried the interactive program for a few months too. This discussion reminds me of the disadvantages I find in this program. From week to week the AT and TR-sessions become longer and longer but, unless you are a beginner and make strong progress, you can only finish those longer sessions by using a little lower (slower) pace. So it's up to you again to choose a pace from the broad TR band and I dont like that. For example, in a 4x3 min TR session I can blow myself up @1:45 or feel lazy at 1:50. It is acceptable for me that I need to find out myself that 1:48 is the proper pace for me for such training. However, it is obvious that I need to slow down somewhat when doing 4x4min TR or 3x5min. I want the training plan to tell me what pace to follow when sessions become longer. For me, one of the reasons to follow a training plan is to get accurate training bands that one should follow. The same counts for AT. They double in length but you stay in the AT band. Too much freedom to choose from. Tom

[old] derm · Post by **[old] derm** » December 10th, 2004, 9:07 pm

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful replies. 4x3'TR or 4x4'TR, using the fastest TR pace (the pace listed in the TR column) are hard, but doable workouts. Have any of you done three six minute TR pieces using your race pace(ie the pace listed in the TR column, the fastest TR pace)? For example, If I can do a 7:00 2k, and the TR band's fastest pace for me is 1:45, it seems I'd become a much stronger rower if I could do 1:45 for six minutes, three times, with active rest between each piece. Is this goal possible? Has anyone done it? Today I got to the gym and chickened out of trying it. Instead I did 3'TR, 4'TR, 5'TR, 4'TR, 3'TR, all in the 1:45's and 1:46's. A tough workout for me. Thanks for your replies. Hank

[old] TomR/the elder · Post by **[old] TomR/the elder** » December 11th, 2004, 7:56 pm

Back when I could do a 7-min 2k, the only way I could have done 3x6' at 1.45/500 would be to rest for 12-24 hours between each repetition. I'm serious. To me, the question is not whether I should be doing the intervals at race pace, but what it the training purpose of the workout? And to do that, can I row at race pace plus a couple of seconds? I don't know how any program can precisely prescribe the pace for each workout. Part of what distinguishes competitors is their resolve and ability in training. I recall reading about an Olympic swimmer who routinely pushed himself to the point of vomiting. With intervals, I have read that you want your last interval to be your fastest. I don't believe you get the full benefit of a proposed workout when you blow up after two intervals, if the workout calls for three. So in this case, you might consider a slightly conservative first interval, a faster second, and a death-defying final one. Tom Rawls