My training this year has been really desperately bad. And now after a week with a cold and no rowing I found that today's training should be a 2k test.
Initially I thought that I would ignore that and do something lighter, but once at the erg I decided that I would aim for a "just sub-7".
I got the pacing all wrong! (Getting rusty). I SHOULD have done 800m@1:46, 600@1:45, 400@1:44 and 200@1:43, but I stupidly rowed one second behind these splits and only twigged this with the last 200m to go.
I was NOT full bore, and my brain was working pretty well, which suggests oxygen starvation had not kicked in (in fact I think my brain was working better in the race than before it!). Anyway I realised that I needed to go at least 6 seconds faster than 1:44 to get under the 7 minute barrier for 2,000m. I put the pedal to the metal and blasted home in a streaky 6:59.3. The last 200m was done in around 1:37 pace.
I am pleased because:
1) I didn't bonk.
2) I certainly had more in the tank.
3) I am not fully over the cold - I am hacking up stuff and was quite wheezy before I took my inhaler 10 minutes before the test.
4) My heart rate only passed 180 in the desperate race at the end.
So, I may be in better shape than I think. I am going to have to think carefully about doing some more tests to get my confidence up. Is sub 6:40 at BIRC possible?
Metres today: 4,978
3 comments:
Encouraging stuff Thomas. Quite a leap to be aiming for sub-6:40 in 8 weeks time, but I think you might make it.
Hello Thomas
Good job, sounds like you had a good bit in the bag, 6:50 next time :) .
Also you wouldn't bonk in a 2K, a HM is probably the shortest distance you would empty your glycogen stores (assuming it's your first row of the day, and your properly fed etc)
In a 2K your muscles would fill up waste products such as lactic acid, the cell ph would change and the muscle would become less effective and hurt like hell .
It's weird I find colds frequently do not slow me down much, I can feel like shit, they I start rowing and breathing heavily and my symptoms seem to pretty much go away . Got a stomach intestine problem today which has knocked me for six .
I would think 6:40 could till be possible for your BIRC .
Best of luck
John Glynn
Thanks guys.
Funnily enough John I did not know what "bonk" truly meant until I made that link - I then realised that it is the wrong word for "giving up". Giving up sounds worse somehow, "bonk" more heroic?
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