So this is what the set up is like. An erg. A mask. A tube. Me. 2000 meters.
And...Go.
While there have been significant improvements to the mask and tube over the years, it is still ridiculously uncomfortable for the athlete. Breathing is such a big part of keeping your calm during a race piece and this test almost completely takes it away. The sensation of erging with the mask on is swimming underwater through a dark tunnel of which you cannot see the other side. You just have to keep swimming and believe that there is, in fact, an opening. Once you get to the opening, you have to swim like hell to get back to the surface for some oxygen. Well, at least that's what I think it feels like!
I went off pretty aggressively, but tried to find a base pace pretty early in the piece to avoid being in jeopardy too early. About a minute in, I was in jeopardy and had to re-assess what type of pacing would get me to the finish line. Oh yeah, the monitor was covered, so I had no idea what splits I was pulling..
I focused on technique for the middle thousand just trying to imagine being on the water and sustaining my boat speed. I was imagining racing in Lucerne. The most beautiful place I could think of. There's no doubt that the middle 4 minutes or so of a race are a spiritual place. I would say I was a little too passive in this section of the piece today but I felt like I needed to back off in order to have a good kick at the end. In other words, I don't think I was as brave as I could have been. Honestly, I think a lot of that has to do with the feeling of suffocation. It's a survival instinct. I got to 500 m to go, and knew that I always have a good 55 rep set left in me. So I counted down from 55 the same way I did during every lifting session in California under Coach Gleeson. I can always do 55 more.
When I was done, I was glad for it to be over, but I still had the damn mask on. They wait to take it off you until about a minute after, which is complete torture. Dan pricked my finger to get a lactate reading while I was panting through the tube. I still didn't know what my raw score was. My guess was that is was pretty slow given the perceived effort during the middle 1k. Regardless, I was happy have made it through. That piece is more about survival than anything.
Dan finally ripped off the tape and the screen read 6:10.4.
I was not unhappy with that considering that it seemed to be a fairly uninspired piece. The 500 m splits would later tell the story of why I was feeling in jeopardy early in the piece and dropped off in the middle K.
500m splits.
1.29.1
1.35.0
1.35.1
1.31.0
6:10.2
The moral of the story here Kids is to not go out at a 1.29 when you have a mask and tube attached to your face. Of course I had no idea what I was pulling because of the monitor being covered, I just went out at what felt normal. That is probably what I would be pulling if I didn't have the mask on. Breaking 6 min on the erg is something I have my eyes set on doing this year. This test showed that without the mask on, I will be knocking on the door of doing it. Past testing experience shows the mask adds 6 to 8 seconds to the score.
The good news is that all of my other numbers have increased significantly from February of last year. The truth of the matter is that it is very possible to keep improving from year to year, it just takes a ton of persistency and consistency to keep it up from year to year. It's definitely not an easy thing to do but thats what I'm hear for. Improving little by little, in seemingly insignificant amounts, that in time, maybe will add up to something significant.
Drew Ginn is probably my rowing idol. He is a very gifted athlete naturally, but what really separates him is that he trained consistently and smart from 1996 to 2012. That is a lot of time. He improved immensely over that period, aerobically, technically, etc. By the time 2012 rolled around, he had the equivalent of a aerobic superpower. He was so developed compared to a younger athlete. I remember reading on his blog that he went 18:57 for 6k on sliders at 4mmol( threshold). That is just an awesome number. I love it. That means he didn't go anaerobic for one stroke of that piece. He didn't feel any discomfort. I am fascinated by the idea that the aerobic system is limitless.
Took a tour of Concept 2 today with Dick and Judy. It was awesome to go to the "source". What an amazing company they are. It is an unbelievable living and breathing animal that operates with the type of thoughtfulness and precision that you would want from the company that makes such important equipment. If they haven't thought of it, chances are it doesn't matter.
Drew Ginn is probably my rowing idol. He is a very gifted athlete naturally, but what really separates him is that he trained consistently and smart from 1996 to 2012. That is a lot of time. He improved immensely over that period, aerobically, technically, etc. By the time 2012 rolled around, he had the equivalent of a aerobic superpower. He was so developed compared to a younger athlete. I remember reading on his blog that he went 18:57 for 6k on sliders at 4mmol( threshold). That is just an awesome number. I love it. That means he didn't go anaerobic for one stroke of that piece. He didn't feel any discomfort. I am fascinated by the idea that the aerobic system is limitless.
Took a tour of Concept 2 today with Dick and Judy. It was awesome to go to the "source". What an amazing company they are. It is an unbelievable living and breathing animal that operates with the type of thoughtfulness and precision that you would want from the company that makes such important equipment. If they haven't thought of it, chances are it doesn't matter.
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