Long and Slow

As I read through everybody's posts its cool to see that yall are working so hard. Some words of wisdom/caution: According to Richard Laurence, Cameron Fraser, and every other coach we have had(which has been a lot), if you want to maximize your potential for next year, build your base now. The summer is the best time to do this because hey, what else is there to do. You can do high intensity workouts all you want, but when you move up to the varsity next year, I guarantee that you will be behind. Anaerobic work is work that should be done in the weeks leading up to racing, and ideally you should hit your peak performance right at the end of the season. In the fall and for a majority of winter training next year, I promise you one thing... the shortest workout you will do will be 60 min long. On the other hand, the longest we do will be around 90 min. Whether you run, bike, erg, or swim, coach Laurence likes us to use specific heart rates for any given workout. If you are working out for 60 min, your target heart rate should be about 150 bpm(if you don't have a heart rate monitor, get out a watch, and time yourself for 10 seconds... you should get about 25 beats). If you are working out for 90 min, you should hit about 130 bpm. Ideally, as you get in better shape, you are able to go more miles, faster, etc and hold the same heart rate. Long slow workouts do not make for slow rowers. These workouts build up your aerobic base, which is what rowers need for the middle 1500 meters of the race. The bigger your base, the faster you can go during these middle 1500 without reaching that anaerobic threshold! Anaerobic threshold can only be maintained for about 40 seconds or so, which is your start and your sprint. Next year, in order to make the V8, you will probably have to pull something below a 6:30 2k. Build your base now, reap the benefits next year. Its boring, but try to stay motivated. Get some good music. Mix up the workouts. Plus, for those of you trying to lose weight, these are the best workouts for that!

Stay classy,
Dane