Wanting to go Sub7 2K for the first time - anybody onboard?

[Dave_G1986]

I'll have a go of this. Admittedly i did go sub 7 back in April but it nearly killed me and i haven't rowed too much since...until a few weeks ago. My model D arrived a after a long wait so i can get a bit more training done now. Before this i only had use in the works gym and very rarely used it anyway. In the last few weeks I've just been doing either steady 20-30 minute rows or 500m/1:00r intervals, hopefully they will help improve my 2k but i'll look to increase distance in those interval sessions over the next week or 2

[mromero680]

Got it... barely at 6:59.2 at 29spm. I forgot how hard that is mentally...to keep pushing when the meters start crawling by. I did a 6.45.2 in 2008 but was going for a 6:40 but couldn't hold it at the end. I just remember how painful it was so I didn't do a 2k test for a long time. This is my first sub 7 since. This thread was great motivation so thanks for the push! As I was nearing the end with 250 left I was looking at a 7:02 and posting a miss here by that little gave me the motivation I needed.

[SaBhava]

Congrats, Mromero! That was quick, but you said that you were at weeks before!

I imagine that is must have been hard on the last meters... Thanks for sharing that inspiring news!

I think I better wait until I feel comfortable in the anaerobic zone again.

[Dangerscouse]

Got it... barely at 6:59.2 at 29spm. I forgot how hard that is mentally...to keep pushing when the meters start crawling by. I did a 6.45.2 in 2008 but was going for a 6:40 but couldn't hold it at the end. I just remember how painful it was so I didn't do a 2k test for a long time. This is my first sub 7 since. This thread was great motivation so thanks for the push! As I was nearing the end with 250 left I was looking at a 7:02 and posting a miss here by that little gave me the motivation I needed.

Well done. It's surprising what more effort you can find when you have to, but it's also surprising when you feel like you're rowing in mud no matter what you try and do.

[gisborne]

Congrats on the sub-7! It really is a struggle and I've done 2k's before and given up. Some sort of mental pain training would be beneficial for me I'm sure.

I can tell I'm going to do horribly lol. I'm just rowing otw 3x a week and some 10k's at super slow pace (2:30). I didn't even do an interval session last week but I'm doing 3k, 2.5k, 2k with 5 min rest tomorrow, at 2:05 pace. I'll just be happy to complete the 2k time trial...

[SaBhava]

Hasn't been the greatest week for me concerning the target at hand. I managed to the 30k for the dog day's challenge but it was too hot for me to go deep into the the anaerobic zone.

We had around a 34 degrees Celsius here (93 Fahrenheit) which I am not that used to. Northern Germany is mostly wet and cold...

[SaBhava]

Puh, was rowing 2k for warming up today and was surprised to see that I was able to go from completely cold to 7:16.3! That gives me hope that the Sub7 2k isn't that far away. I am still lacking in endurance but I am improving...

[SaBhava]

After having mastered the Dog Days Challenge (including my kakaying meters I did 200k in August), I feel really fit now. It is quite amazing what a difference 1 month of dedicated training makes!

I did a 1k row today and manage to do it 3:24.6 min with a 1:42.3 pace. I started too fast but managed to hold a 1:45 pace for the last 500 m. I felt comfortable with my heart rate just 5 beats/min below the age dictated maximum for quite some time. Only the legs started to get heavy at the end. So, more strength-endurance might be needed before I give it try.

Is anybody else progressing towards the Sub7?

[gisborne]

I did my 2k today. I was aiming for 7:30 but got 7:30.1. I had negative splits, so that's good. I also finished, which is also good because I've given up before (hence why this is the first completed 2k for me in 27 years). I'm pretty disappointed in the results of my training since I've done nearly 200k meters in August on the erg + another 25k/week on the water + hiking once a week and some other activities. I was doing all my erg workouts UT2 except once a week doing an interval. I'm wondering if this 80/20 research is based on elite athletes who already are near their peak, not people like me who are far from it. On the other hand, I wonder if I did anything harder if I would have quit by now. Some days it's hard enough getting on the erg for an easy 10-15k watching a show...

I'm going to do an 8 week cycle of 4 days a week 20k meters UT2 (otw and erg combined), 2 days a week intervals (one 8x500, one 4x2k) then try another 2k during a week of light rowing. I'll repeat that so that I get one more 2k in right at the end of the year. I'd like to break 7 minutes on the 2nd try. I also want to finish the Great Lakes challenge which requires 15k/day average for me since I started late.

Good luck on your 2k! It looks like you will do well.

[SaBhava]

I am by far not a training expert. For me, I have found that doing pieces on the erg with higher HR beyond UT1 at as well as over the threshold helps me to gain fitness. I do a lot of the UT1 stuff when biking and kayaking - not by choice but because of the thick traffic and a low hull speed of my sea kayak.

Doing a lot of interval training has helped me a lot feeling comfortable in the anaerobic zone. I cannot, however, listen to audio books while rowing. That only work for UT1 with me. In the higher zones, it becomes disturbing.

[gisborne]

I've uploaded my training plan for the next 4 months (2 8-week cycles) to a google doc if anyone is interested. It's like the Pete Plan with more UT2 volume so that I can complete the Great Lakes challenge. I'll do a 2k after each 8-week cycle.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Qeb ... sp=sharing

[SaBhava]

Wow, that is an intense plan! Is it all erg or do you do the longer pieces on the water? For me, more than 10k on the erg is the maximum. Then I get bored. Also, I feel that I have tortured the neighbors enough However, doing a half marathon is also on the list of things I want to get done this year.

I've uploaded my training plan for the next 4 months (2 8-week cycles) to a google doc if anyone is interested. It's like the Pete Plan with more UT2 volume so that I can complete the Great Lakes challenge. I'll do a 2k after each 8-week cycle.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Qeb ... sp=sharing

[ampire]

I've uploaded my training plan for the next 4 months (2 8-week cycles) to a google doc if anyone is interested. It's like the Pete Plan with more UT2 volume so that I can complete the Great Lakes challenge. I'll do a 2k after each 8-week cycle.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Qeb ... sp=sharing

Looks impressive I might give this a try in the future. Thank you for sharing it.

[SaBhava]

I am still on the challenge but had to go slower for the past days (well, starting beginning of September), as I seem to have caught something. Was nothing big but in these days you don't to risk it... I just noticed that had a lot less endurance than before which was also reflected by the heart rate. Well, beginning this week it seems all back to normal again!

I might give a go on Saturday.

[Wakefield_Guy]

Good progress to report, 2k TT in 7:09.2 today, 8 weeks after 7:24.9 and 16 weeks after getting stuck into a decent regime. Happy and, whilst gains are getting tougher, sub7 by 2021 still the goal! WG