Winning in the Middle
How to pull a 6k erg test. For context, a 2" split 6k takes 24 minutes, which is similar to the length of time we put into many races. Thje takeaway here is relevant to “shorter” races as well such as Oakland Cup, where we are max effort for longer than a sprint.
The critical moment of a 6k happens in the middle of the piece. As I’ve said many times before, rowing races are usually won in the middle, when a crew’s fitness and technique pay dividends over the explosiveness of the start or the burning agony of the sprint. A 6k emphasizes the middle of the piece, because the start and sprint are such smaller portions of the total work.
From 4000 meters to 2000 meters to go, the rower will struggle against increasing exhaustion. This is very different from the increasing lactic acid pain that builds during a 2k. Because of the emphasis on aerobic work, the exhaustion an oarsman battles during a 6k feels more like a power drain. The key to having a successful piece is consistency during this section. The oarsman should have found a sustainable rhythm fitting his goal during the first 2000m. Simply pulling the same average split through this section of the test will usually bring a positive result.
Sounds simple, right? Sure. I usually had the “I can’t do this” moment during this stretch. Exhaustion sets in before the halfway point, and most people just want to back off just a little to conserve energy for the sprint. That’s the problem and challenge of the 6k. If the rower backs off just one or two splits during the middle, those splits are usually gone forever. You can’t just hop back “up” to that faster pace; that takes mental energy that should be reserved for the sprint. Now the rower is struggling just as hard to hold a slower pace. Think about it: the difference in real energy required to pull a 1:55 rather than a 1:57 is tiny, just a few percentage points. The mental energy required to get back to 1:55 after two minutes pulling 1:57 is massive.
Finally, why really “save” anything for the sprint at all? In order to make any significant of difference in the “average split” in the final 750m, the rower has to carve off 10 seconds per 500 and hold that through the final 750. If the rower has waited until the final 500, it is too late to “salvage” a good result. Once second “average split” is far too much to make up in the final 500m of a 6k.
Renounce Consequences
So far as I can tell there are really only two ways to go about this. The first is to regularly visualize yourself winning and achieving your goals. The idea here is to motivate yourself by the thought of getting to go out and fuck up someone else’s day. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys this then it’s theoretically possible to make it work almost indefinitely.
However, the better longterm strategy I think is to adopt what Hinduism calls the sanyasa-tyaga mindset. That is, take the right actions, but then renounce the consequences. If you can learn to enjoy the process for its own sake then this is the true path to sustainable fastness.
Bulletproof X Factor
From Wanted: Rowing Coach
“Listen up,” I said. “This is more important. Lifting weights is an ongoing process. In a similar way, building a bullet-proof X Factor is also ongoing. A few days ago, we established a language to discuss it: in every close race you will reach a critical crossroads. The way you respond at this crossroads is determined by your X Factor, your courage, your soul. The challenge is essentially the same at every level of competition, whether it’s the San Diego Crew Classic, the Christmas Regatta, the Olympic Trials or one of our inter-squad workouts. At some point you will need a powerful, invincible X Factor. You’ll need courage beyond anything you’ve ever dreamed possible.”
I looked around, trying to see if they were listening. Or was I boring the hell out of them? Tough crowd to read.
“When you don’t respond the way you want at the crossroads, that’s called failure. But to ignore when you have failed is a cop out. On rare occasions, we can fail at the crossroads and still win the race. You may rejoice at your victory but deep down you don’t feel so good. Suffice to say, only through failure do we learn the importance of answering the challenge in a positive way. Don’t think for a moment that failure is somehow unique to you. Everyone has their share of failures. Failure at the critical crossroads teaches us that our X Factor needs work.”
I took a deep breath and prepared to wind up this little speech, which turned out to be one of my longest of the season. “For me, the changes took place over years. Gradually I began making commitments and promises to myself that simply could not be broken. My promises didn’t necessarily have anything to do with the coach or my teammates or even the race I was gearing up for. What mattered is the way I felt inside. I wanted to know that when I reached a critical crossroads, I would answer the challenge in the affirmative, with unbending resolve, with the strongest strokes I was capable of making. I want you guys, throughout the year, to continually examine your X Factor. If you don’t like what you’re seeing, then experiment, change it, make it work for you. Okay, see you tomorrow.”
Ratio
From Wanted: Rowing Coach — note that :“Positive Ratio” means that the recovery is longer than or rqual to the drive. A negative ratio means the recovery is shorter than the drive. We cannot win races unless we have positive ratio.
In terms of technique, great crews have only a few common points: positive ratio; the oars enter the water with lightning speed; and not a sliver of blade breaks the surface until the finish. This final point—the buried-blade finish—is especially key for single sculling, since all balance and stability hinge on the finish.