60 000 m a week is killing me

[Bradycardia]

I'm doing 60 000m a week, usually 4-5 sessions.
At least 2 sessions are intervals, such as 6x4 min w/3 min rest @5kp or 5x8 min w/2 min rest @LT (AnT) pace.
Some weeks I go for a half marathon time trial, 1:25-1:27h.

This week I did
Mon: 5x8 min w/2 min rest @LT (AnT) pace

Tue: Easy 60 min

Wed: Rest day

Thu: Short intervals @2kp, 3x150 sec + 5x75 sec, rest equal to interval time

Fri: Rest day

Sat: Planned HM sub1:25h but quit after 17 minutes and changed the plan to long row for 95 minutes

Last 3 weeks I've been averaging 60 000m. Even with 2-3 rest days a week my legs feel trashed. My easy sessions are done 66-70 % of MHR.
My interval sessions are really hard. I usually hit 90-97 % of MHR no matter how long they are. My interval sessions are always progessive. I start at a pace and increase a couple of tenths each repetition.

I've no talent for 2000m because of my height and weight. So my only chance being fairly competitive is at longer distances, HM to marathon. This is why I row that many meters a week.

Is 60 000 m too much? Of course I know about periodization, so next week I'll do maybe only 45 000m. My legs will however still be a mess since I go hard while doing intervals.

How many meters a week do you guys row?
One of my biggest problems is high spm. For 5x8 min took 31 spm on average. For half marathons 29-30 spm is not uncommon for me. I've tried doing longer and harder pulls to decrease spm but that doesn't feel natural. I get more tired doing this.

[winniewinser]

If it feels like too much don't do it ...no point feeling crap and picking up an injury. None of us are going to be Olympians. You gotta ask yourself what you want from it. Also it takes time do just piling on meters may not give you what you want.

[Anth_F]

That weekly volume is not too much generally tbh. I was doing about 70-80k a week at one time but never felt totally trashed from it. I only cut down because i prioritized muscle building with weights as a more important goal.

How are your rest days spent? do you get good amounts of deep sleep etc.

[Bradycardia]

That weekly volume is not too much generally tbh. I was doing about 70-80k a week at one time but never felt totally trashed from it. I only cut down because i prioritized muscle building with weights as a more important goal.

How are your rest days spent? do you get good amounts of deep sleep etc.

I agree, 60 km is not much. That's only 4-5 h rowing a week. On rest days I just rest in the sofa. The sleep is not bad but not optimal, usually 6 h a night. I do however wake up every night after 3 h of sleep to go to the toilet.
When you rowed 70 km a week, did you do a lot of high intensity work?

[Ombrax]

"How many meters a week do you guys row?"

A lot less than 60k / week.

For me rowing is just part of my workout routine, that's focused on cardio plus some moderate strength and core exercises using weights and kettlebells. The whole point of the workouts is to promote overall fitness, and if I thought that one of the components of my routine wasn't contributing to my fitness I'd either modify or drop it.

[Bradycardia]

"How many meters a week do you guys row?"

A lot less than 60k / week.

For me rowing is just part of my workout routine, that's focused on cardio plus some moderate strength and core exercises using weights and kettlebells. The whole point of the workouts is to promote overall fitness, and if I thought that one of the components of my routine wasn't contributing to my fitness I'd either modify or drop it.

I'm an endurance athlete, actually a long term injured runner. I need to stay in shape. That's why I row and train polarized. I don't do any weight training.

[ampire]

You should consider deloading for a week and see if you feel better, it sounds like you are experiencing overtraining. You may be an injured runner but you don't want to also become an injured rower.

[nick rockliff]

"How many meters a week do you guys row?"

A lot less than 60k / week.

For me rowing is just part of my workout routine, that's focused on cardio plus some moderate strength and core exercises using weights and kettlebells. The whole point of the workouts is to promote overall fitness, and if I thought that one of the components of my routine wasn't contributing to my fitness I'd either modify or drop it.

I'm an endurance athlete, actually a long term injured runner. I need to stay in shape. That's why I row and train polarized. I don't do any weight training.

If you have no interest in doing a 2k, scrap the intervals and concentrate on distance training. You also need to learn how to control a lower stroke rate when doing your training.

[ampire]

Might be a matter of rushing the recovery down the slide into the catch too quickly. I am not much taller or heavier but typically have been doing steady state lately at 20 on static and 25 on slides. Also I use a really low drag factor of 95 for steady state right now with these slides and it seems to encourage a slower pacing for me.

I also found that using my C2 on Slides really helped with my training volume relative to fatigue, I can do a lot more mileage per week without feeling the strain of it.

Been doing 30 minute pieces for the most part with a rest period between consecutive ones. 50-60K/week.

[Dangerscouse]

It's very subjective in terms of how much distance is too much. At my peak I did 520k in four weeks on three days a week plus a tough 45 min spin class and a 60 minute hot dynamic Pilates class.

I was tired but not destroyed, and throughout the six months of my ultra distances I regularly did TTs for 5k up to FM distances in addition to a minimum of a FM at weekends after six weeks of building up to it. Having said that, I need at least one or two days rest from exercise but I know someone who has rowed for circa two years without a day off and he got a 2k result of 6:22 at BRIC in December, and he is thriving off all of the work (I believe he's averaging 2.5m a year)

Adapting to the loadings happens differently for different people and your theoretical limit is different from other people too so you should only look at what works / doesn't work for you personally. So you may need to rest more or reduce your distances. As I always say you can only train as hard as you can rest.

[Anth_F]

That weekly volume is not too much generally tbh. I was doing about 70-80k a week at one time but never felt totally trashed from it. I only cut down because i prioritized muscle building with weights as a more important goal.

How are your rest days spent? do you get good amounts of deep sleep etc.

I agree, 60 km is not much. That's only 4-5 h rowing a week. On rest days I just rest in the sofa. The sleep is not bad but not optimal, usually 6 h a night. I do however wake up every night after 3 h of sleep to go to the toilet.
When you rowed 70 km a week, did you do a lot of high intensity work?

I was doing 8x500m and 4x1k HIT stuff. steady 45-60min sessions, and 30 mins or 8k's with more intensity which would have been around RPE 6-7 for those.

What Nick mentioned is important, about needing to learn how to control a lower stroke rate when doing your training. On the steady sessions that is!!!!

[Carl Watts]

Distance is just relative to your pace. Try 3:00 pace you can row all day.

Interval training is really hard so as above if you're not training for a 2000m then dump it.

Basically 60k a week is not huge but its relative to your pace if your trashed just reduce your pace until your not trashed then gradually increase your pace at a sustainable rate.

[Dangerscouse]

Distance is just relative to your pace. Try 3:00 pace you can row all day.

Interval training is really hard so as above if you're not training for a 2000m then dump it.

Basically 60k a week is not huge but its relative to your pace if your trashed just reduce your pace until your not trashed then gradually increase your pace at a sustainable rate.

+ 1.

Good points. Find your Goldilocks zone pace, which unfortunately may be too slow to render you uncompetitive, and then you won't be slowly killing your performance. Patience is paramount.

[MartinSH4321]

One important point:
If I remember right you started rowing only a few months ago. As a competitive runner you have a strong base for sure, but your upper body needs to adapt to rowing. With your strong engine I estimate you can row longer and harder (intervals) than your upper body can stand.
I would do a little less distance for now, look if this feels better and then slowly increase distance.
Agree with the other comments, if you focus on long distance I would stop the short intervals and only do longer intervals (like 4x2k, 4x6').
Atm I do 50-70k rowing and 50-80k ergobike per week, I had the same problems you now have after about 6 months rowing, I overstressed my forearm and shoulder and could hardly row for about 6 weeks, very aggravating. I slowly increased weekly training time (and still do) which workes very good for me.

[max_ratcliffe]

One important point:
If I remember right you started rowing only a few months ago. As a competitive runner you have a strong base for sure, but your upper body needs to adapt to rowing. With your strong engine I estimate you can row longer and harder (intervals) than your upper body can stand.
I would do a little less distance for now, look if this feels better and then slowly increase distance.
Agree with the other comments, if you focus on long distance I would stop the short intervals and only do longer intervals (like 4x2k, 4x6').
Atm I do 50-70k rowing and 50-80k ergobike per week, I had the same problems you now have after about 6 months rowing, I overstressed my forearm and shoulder and could hardly row for about 6 weeks, very aggravating. I slowly increased weekly training time (and still do) which workes very good for me.

Yes, this is a very good point. If you were coming to rowing from a few years guzzling pizza on the sofa, you probably wouldn't be fit enough to train hard enough to do yourself much damage. But you're not: you're already putting together very good times based on your aerobic fitness from running - i.e. you're fit enough to hurt yourself.

A lifetime ago, when I was still fit enough to run and play soccer, my aerobic fitness was tidy enough. I could run around for the whole 90 minutes without too much bother (no talent - I had to put myself about!), but for the first game of any season, this would leave me with hamstrings so sore that I literally couldn't walk properly for about five days.