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The "Other" Erg Competition
Brandon Nelson <brandon@…>
01/26/10 #7755
About a week before Christmas, when it was just TOO dang cold to get motivated for an on-water workout, Heather and I added a Concept 2 rowing Ergometer to our quiver. Whether it has enough fitness cross-over to paddling to make it relevant for that sport (or if I’m destined to trade in my ski for a shell!) remains to be seen. But on its own, to give you an idea of the level of workout this thing delivers, let me just say that I haven’t been as humbled since….. since…. well I just haven’t been as humbled.
Nonetheless, I’m heading down to Seattle University this Saturday for the “NW Ergomania” indoor rowing competition. Like the paddling erg contests are no doubt destined to do, this event has grown explosively over the years: For 2007 there are 126 results posted on the www.nwergomania.com website. For 2009 there are 1220.
I have no idea what to expect, and I have to admit that’s a big reason why I’m going – the total unknown of it all. There is one thing I’m counting on: The All-U-Can-Eat-Humble-Pie Buffet!!!
I will report.
Re: The “Other” Erg Competition
Dale McKinnon
01/26/10 #7756
Brandon, humble pie NOT. You will knock em dead while you do the same to yourself. I'm sure you've seen this, but the high mucky muck global times are here: https://www.concept2.com/records
I might be curious enough to drive down to watch. What's the location/address?
Re: The “Other” Erg Competition
lori & beau whitehead
01/26/10 #7757
Good luck Brandon!
We use the Concept 2 at all our fire stations. My crew has incorporated it into a Tac-Fit circuit where we compete to see who can row the farthest in 4 minutes. Very few things I've done in this world wipe me out that much, in that short a time period. The puke level is about an 11.
Knock em' dead man.
Erg-o-mania
howratpaddler
01/26/10 #7758
Brandon, having come from the rowing world and the world of erg's, get your technique down and it will make a big difference. Also big guys rule in rowing 6-4 and up as does a great aerobic ability.In just flat water rowing or surfski paddleing, technique is much more important in rowing. However,then comes downwing in the big waves and then the surfski becomes a whole new world,at least to me . Don't break it.
Duncan
Re: The “Other” Erg Competition
Brandon Nelson <brandon@…>
01/27/10 #7768
Thanks for the support you guys. Beau, what’s the 4-minute record at your fire station? Dale, let me know if you want to ride down to the races. We’ll make a plan! Duncan and Glenn, I’ve had some invaluable “muscular feedback” form training: I injured my back the first time or two on the machine, so as that healed I watched some YouTube videos of champion rowers. That’s the extent of it so far, so I’m sure I could REALLY see improvement with formal coaching. Larry, I’ll definitely photograph the event, and Yes there are age groups. It’s divided into decades, up to 80+. The first time I raced the Yukon I got my ass handed to me by a pair of 60-somethings; since then I avoid racer-age-discrimination all together.
I’ll have some stories for sure!
Brandon
A day spent racing Ergs
Brandon Nelson <brandon@…>
01/30/10 #7792
Nice work, Beau, saving a life one day and racing to victory the next. Well done – and of course our deepest condolences to the family of the paddler who died. Cold water strikes again.
I wanted to report on today’s experience at the NW Ergomania event, where I raced in the 2000 and 1000 meter events. Dale McKinnon and I met at 5:45 this morning and drove down to Seattle University for the event. There were a total of 40 ergometer rowing machines, half for warming up, half for racing. The racing ergs all faced a giant movie screen showing lanes of virtual boats synched to the machines. At any given point during a race, you could look up and see your position, how far back you were off the lead boat, and your 500 meter split time – or “tach time.” That tach time is THE number you race by, as I understand it. It’s how you pace yourself, whatever distance the race.
The auditorium was swamped. From high school and college teams on up through every generation of masters age groups. The energy was ridiculously high. I mean it was hard to think it was so pumped with music, an MC, and hundreds of people cheering and screaming as races neared the finish line. For someone used to the open water, it was major noise and crowd overload. But at the heart of it all, it’s RACING, and for that I felt right at home.
Dale did me the favor of watching me warm up on a machine before my heat, and gave me some pointers on leg drive, handle return, and posture for maximum oxygen intake. We watched races and talked more about technique. We had fun sizing up (and were in awe of) the abundance of Morris-type physiques, and we were just outright laughing at the caricature-like, over-sized legs and backs on some of the men and women there.
We watched the senior masters women, and saw World Record #1 of the day fall when 71-year-old Luanne Mills pulled a 8:11 for the 2000 meter. AWESOME woman who Dale and I made it a point to befriend.
My first race came at about 10 a.m., 30-39 year olds, 2000 meters. My strategy was to pretend I was working out in my garage, race my own race, and ignore any rabbits that might take off on an energy-sucking, too-fast start. It worked. I won the race in 6 minutes 18 seconds. One for one, one to go.
Obviously, I was stoked to win, but if there was something I took from that first race, it’s that with more experience I would learn to spend it ALL over the 2000 meters. There were guys and gals of every class that would literally fall off their machines at the finish line, and be carried by friends out of the race area. I didn’t see any puking, despite the labeled buckets, but erg racing is a sport of agony, apparently, and that’s a sign of leaving it ALL on the race course. Occasionally, a racer would spend it all too soon and wouldn’t even reach the finish.
Dale and I spent the next few hours shooting photos and video, meeting athletes and watching races. We watched World Record #2 of the day fall when a gal in the 20-29 age group rowed a 6:44 or something like that. I didn’t get her name, but the crowd was going APE!
After that, Dale and I retreated to old downtown and, as the ringing in our ears slowly faded, holed up in some EZ chairs in an espresso shop, caffeinating and talking racing by the faux fireplace. We got back to the auditorium an hour and half later literally within 5 minutes of my final race start – the Men’s Open 1000 meter. No age groups, no classes, 2nd to last race of the day, lay it on the line and damn the consequences. There were probably 14 or 16 of us. The 1000 meters is over quick, and all I knew is that I had to pace well enough in the first half to prevent complete agony in the 2nd half.
When the MC shouts “Row!” everybody’s first 5 strokes or so are just stupid hard and fast, then we settle in. I hadn’t done that hard a start and got a little worried at my tach time. But by 500 meters I was at 1:26 and was in the lead. The guy just to my left was in 2nd, so I knew as long as my tach time for the 2nd half was as fast or faster than his, I was golden. I glanced over at his monitor, saw his tach, and felt an immediate wave of Schadenfreude. He was fading. It was mine. I had plenty in the tank, so I held on through 800 meters, then tried to negative split the final stretch. I crossed the line in 2:58 for the win.
At one point today, a guy asked me if I’d rowed on the water. When I said I hadn’t, he said, “Well, Ergs don’t float.” They may not, and they’re certainly a different world from any sort of on-water racing. But it’s a hell of a workout, and when your little digital boat up on that jumbo-tron starts creeping away from the competition and you know everybody’s muscles are burning and lungs are heaving… and that wave of Schadenfreude washes over you… by golly, it is RACING, and I believe I’ll be doing some more of it.
