Brief Advice on Preparing for a Blistering Erg Piece

This message was written in 1994, when the distance was still 2500 meters. Starting with the 1996 race, the distance is 2000 meters. My advice: substitute 2000 for 2500 in the numbers below, and keep everything else the same. --Geoffrey


Newsgroups: rec.sport.rowing

From: Geoffrey S Knauth



Sandy Bodzin  writes:

> I have never rowed hard for 2500 meters

> and am looking for some training tips...

Let's work backward in time--

Race Day. Well rested, well paced, building in strength and speed towards the end of the piece as you sense the finish line. Your best 2500m piece.

Last Week. Less and less work. Becoming increasingly impatient and restless, almost ready to explode by race day. One week to go, do one time trial at 2500m. Really plan for it, realizing it is unlikely you will achieve any extra speed in the last week. Sleep well, eat healthy foods.

Last Month. More short, intense work, often faster than race pace, decreasing rest between pieces as the month progresses (very important). Total meters should add up to 5000-6000. Occasional long, steady work to break things up.

Before Last Month. Longer work of an hour's duration, or more if you can handle it, at 5-15 seconds slower than your race pace, depending on your fitness. See how often you can row 13-15K, occasionally 20K. Also, experiment now and then with shorter, more intense pieces to help discover your real potential.