Ok, ok I know, but I have to do it. I have to give those last minute pointers that I am sure everyone already knows. The mother in me is making me do it. I just want to be sure you all have every tool possible for optimal performance.

Let’s start with the final days before the actual CRASH-B competition. I have gathered suggestions from a few people who have experienced the infamous “2000 meters of pure pleasure” and I think their tips will offer good reminders to competitors.

A lot of competitors will arrive in Boston on Friday the 12th, so a travel day will likely consume one full day for most, leaving no time for a workout. Not a terrible thing really. I have been told that a full rest day should happen 2 days prior to competition or at least the day before. Preference tends to be to take this rest day 2 days before the big day. So maybe some stretching in between flights or once you arrive and get out of the car, take a walk around Boston. The point is taking it easy on this day.

On the day before competition it would be good to get on the indoor rower, but again don’t push it too hard. Light rowing, fine tune technique, and maybe even do short spurts of how you would start your race. Practice your initial pulls and then settling into your target pace, but only do this for about a minute or so. Don’t go too crazy. Get rest, eat well, and in general just take good care of yourself. That’s a mom speaking if I ever did hear one.

Now for competition day. You walk into the Agganis and there is mass chaos. Lots of people, competitors and, of course, a lot of cheering. Having already registered, you know the exact time of day you will race and now it is just a waiting game.

One area that every competitor should migrate towards, at least, 15 minutes before their race is the warm-up area. Warm-up ergs will be available for use by all competitors adjacent to the competition portion of the race floor.

This warm up area will be an optimal space for competitors to go and remove themselves from the chaos of the Agganis. A place to go and focus on the task at hand. Adrenalin is running high at this time and although adrenalin is good for energy, you need to work some of it off so you don’t get on your erg and go all out, creating the classic “fly and die” scenario. Use your time in the warm-up area to fully warm up, take some easy strokes and dial in your technique. After a few easy strokes, throw in a couple of strokes at your target pace. This is your time to check your attitude. It’s ok to be nervous, but you should still have a positive attitude. Stay calm, and get your nerves under control. Most importantly, remind yourself that you are here to have fun.

So the days are counting down. In just 8 days the CRASH-B weekend will be upon us. Word on the street is that we have quite a CrossFit Crew headed to Boston this year. But, wait a minute: maybe a lot of avid CrossFitters have gone to compete in past years too. Maybe I just never knew they were there to cheer on? I know that once the fun of last year’s competition subsided, word trickled in that CrossFit Maine had some people there. CrossFit Boston had some phenomenal times from their participants, and I ran into and sat next to the owner of CrossFit Cape Cod to cheer on Eva Claire. Still, as the week after CRASH-Bs went on, I realized that I had missed many CrossFitters in that day’s race agenda.

This year I want to make more of an effort. My goal this year is to applaud every CrossFitter that is taking the time to train for and compete at the 2010 CRASH-Bs… or at least try. I want to join the CrossFitters that come to cheer on their fellow affiliates, and I want to do this LOUDLY!

But how can this work? There are hundreds of people at the Agganis on race day. Hundreds. It’s loud, and every time you make it a mission to wander around, you catch the start of a race and become entranced. How can I possibly know everyone that is racing and when? How will the CrossFit community know who we at Concept2 are?

Well for one thing I, personally, will have a couple of pretty good looking CrossFit Game Winners with me at all times, Tanya and Tommy, but I need more, there has to be more. In an effort to not over-think this too much I must point out that, logically, everyone will have access to the Concept2 booth at CRASH-Bs. Problem solved!

IF YOU ARE A CROSSFITTER THAT IS ATTENDING THE 2010 CRASH-B EVENT, I encourage you to sign the CrossFit Guest Book at the Concept2 booth, located at the top of stairs, 2nd floor of the mezzanine.

Please sign in just to say hi, or if you want a little cheer from fellow CrossFitters, put your time and race in the book. I will be checking in on this book throughout the day and will try to be there for all of you. And if I can’t make it to your race, maybe another CrossFit member signing the book will take note and come to cheer you on.

Come on guys don’t be shy! I have my pom poms and big foam finger ready and raring to cheer you on. Let’s bring some smiles and encouragement to those who have made the journey.

One of the truly cool aspects of meeting and playing with the CrossFit community is the wide array of professionals the CrossFit community embodies. There are men and women in every rank of the military, Police, Fire, teachers, doctors, I could go on and on. In addtion to admiring these people for their athleticism I end up admiring them for the paths they have chosen in their careers.

Mikko Salo is no exception to this scenario: a Firefighter and a Rescue Diver. I would admire him even if he had not won the 2009 CrossFit Games. That’s why when Concept2 invited him to travel back to the US in February of this year to compete in the 2010 CRASH-B’s I was nervous. I knew he would be working hard, training hard, and would also be coming to the US for the 2010 CrossFit Games. Could he fit all of this in? I was skeptical but hopeful. When he said he would come I nearly fell over. WOW!

This great possibility, however, was soon to become an impossibility. Mikko trained for the CRASH-B’s, worked hard, was enthusiastic, what could go wrong? Reality — that’s what. There was no way that traveling to the CRASH-B’s would not interfere with his work life and personal goals of training for the 2010 CrossFit Games. I get that, Mikko realized this and in the end we agreed that Concept2 would have fun with Mikko on another day.

This all sounds so sad, doesn’t it? But wait. Mikko totally rocked it at the 2009 CrossFit Games, but he wasn’t the only person who rocked it. Our goal with inviting the winners of the CrossFit Games to the CRASH-B’s, was to simply give back to the CrossFit community something we partake in all the time, being a tiny part of their incredibly competitive, but fun athletic world. We could still do this. We were sad to lose Mikko, but logically why not ask another “Games” contender. Why not ask Tommy Hackenbruck? And so we did.

I was a little worried due to the time constraints. February 14^th is just around the corner after all. A deep breath was taken and then a phone call was made, email sent, and fingers were crossed. Lo and behold and true to all that I know about CrossFit attitude, my phone call was greeted by a few logistical questions, a pause and then ultimately a wholehearted YES! I love CrossFitters.

Tommy Hackenbruck has taken the bull by the horns, so to speak. He does not mess around. He has been training since he put the receiver down from our initial conversation. He is signed up to participate in the CrossFit Rowing Foundations class at CrossFit Wasatch, a lucky 30 minute drive from his facility UTE CrossFit, being held on January 30^th. Erin Cafaro is coaching the class and gladly offered to spend some “one on one” time with Tommy to fine tune his technique. Damn – it happened so fast. But as Tommy said, “full steam ahead because there is no other option at this point.”

So the countdown continues. Make sure to stay tuned, never a dull moment.

If you talk to any elite athlete, they rarely ever practice the complete all-out race, or all-out jump or all-out sprint in their selected discipline until they get closer to competition. Most disciplined athletes spend most of their time practicing the different sections of the race, their approach, their technique, and most importantly, practice visualizing their goal. In preparation for a 2000m piece on the C2, I have very rarely willingly put myself through not just the physical pain, but more so the mental stress of an all out 2000 meter practice piece. It makes me sick just thinking about it, actually. A much more palatable way to prepare for your 2000m goal time is to do intervals. As CrossFitters, we are very familiar with intervals, so this should be easy.[break]

As Judy said below think out a race plan. If you’ve ever been on a C2 before, you’ve noticed it’s sometimes very hard to hold the same 500m split pace every stroke, especially when you are going hard. The average of your 500 meter splits will help you keep track of how close to pace you are for your given goal time. (Refer to Judy’s blog for a good explanation of split, avg split, time, etc. on a C2 monitor.) For example if my goal 2000m time is 8:00, and if I have an average 500m split of 2:00.0 at 1000 meters in, you could say I’m pretty much on pace to finish at 8:00. But holding exactly a 2:00.0 the whole 2000 meters can get pretty hard and frankly, pretty boring.

The typical elite rower approaches the 2000 meter piece in four different sections: first 500 meters, second 500 meters, third 500 meters, and fourth 500 meters. In each of the 500m he/she has an idea for what their average split (section on the screen that reads avg/500m) should be in order to get to finish in their goal time.

The first 500m—Go out hard for the first 10 to 20 strokes and settle into a rhythm. Most rowers usually average one or two seconds below their 500 meter split goal in this first 500 (for example, 1:58 avg. 500 m for a 8:00 2k goal) due to adrenaline and fresh legs. (Be forewarned, you may feel like God in the first 500 meters and try to hold 5–10 seconds below your average split goal, but you will most likely will feel like a turd on wheels come the third 500).

The second 500m—Settle into a good rhythm and try to hit your target 500m goal split. If your goal 2k time is 8:00 then you should be seeing 2:00, 1:59, or even some 2:01’s flash up on the 500 meter split screen. The goal in the middle 1000 meters of the race (second 500m and third 500m) is to be consistent and find a hard but sustainable pace to hold.

The third 500m—This is usually when you start to feel the pain train coming in. The third 500m in a 2000m race is usually the deciding piece of the race. I’ve found that if you hold your split pace consistently in this part of the race, you will most likely gain on your opponents; most people fall below their average goal pace in this 500m, because it hurts the most. You are too far in to stop and not close enough to the end to sprint. It is mentally the hardest part of the race but if you can recognize that ahead of time and prepare yourself to stay strong and focus on seeing your goal split numbers, I guarantee you will have a successful piece.

The fourth 500m—You are in the homestretch! Now is a good time to look at your average 500 meter split and see how close to pace you are and also do a little gut check to see how much left you have in the tank. If you are feeling pretty good and you are on or below your goal average split, then push yourself. You only have about two minutes left, so see how low you can get the numbers. If you are hanging on by a thread and your average 500m split is close or right at your goal then just focus on being steady and consistent and pulling your goal split. If you are hanging on by a thread and your average split is above your goal pace (you are going slower than your goal) well then now is the time to suck it up and push yourself past your limits. As I said before you only have about two minutes left and you can do anything in two minutes. Some people do a whole entire Fran workout in two minutes! That could actually be good motivation—at least you aren’t doing Fran right now. Sometimes in the last 500m, I count strokes. I’ll say to myself, I can hold this number for 10 strokes and just concentrate on holding my split for 10 strokes over and over until I am done. Which brings me to the last 250 meters in the fourth 500m. You now, most likely, have less than a minute left and now is the time to go as hard as you can. Remember, the faster and harder you row, the sooner the pain is over!

Practice holding your goal splits in a workout such as 8 x 500m w/ 3’rest. Row pieces one and two like your first 500, pieces three and four like your second 500, five and six like the third 500 and pieces seven and eight like your last 500m in a 2000 meter piece.

Good luck and happy training!

When preparing for a 2000 meter race, spending time on the indoor rower is essential and accepting the inevitable suffering should be a key component to the work done. This will prepare the mind and the body for the 2k distance and create a beneficial confidence leading into the event. Here are some of my favorite workouts in preparation for a 2000 meter race to get the mind and body ready:

• 12 x 500 meters at 100% maximal intensity. Set up the performance monitor for 500 meter distance intervals so that you can see the times for all 12 once complete. Stay as consistent as possible so the times for all 12 pieces are within 8 seconds of each other.
• Train your body to hold your desired pace to achieve your goal 2000 meter time by determining your goal 2000 meter split (500 meter pace) and hold that goal pace until it slips for three consecutive strokes. Record the length of time you were able to hold that pace. Rest for 5 minutes and repeat. This process is continued until you cannot get the monitor to show your desired pace for one stroke. Once you can hold your goal split for your desired 2000 meter time, you have met your goal. Next time, set up the performance monitor for 2000 meters and attack it with the confidence that you can hold the 2k split (500 meter pace) that will give you the goal finish time you have set as your goal.
• 6 x 2:30 minutes. Every piece is faster than your goal 2000 meter pace. Rest 5 minutes after each. The goal is to get all six pieces within 10 meters of each other.
• 10 x 90 seconds at 100% max / 30 seconds rowing lightly with no intensity (known as paddle pressure among rowers). Rest 5 minutes and repeat 10 x [90 seconds max / 30 seconds rest].
• Row 4 minutes at your goal 2000 meter pace; rest 8 minutes; row 3 minutes at a pace that is 3 seconds faster than your previous pace; rest 8 minutes; row 2 minutes at a pace that is 2 seconds faster than your previous pace; rest 8 minutes; row 1 minute at a pace that is at least 1 second faster than your previous pace (for example: 4 minutes at 1:43; 3 minutes at 1:40; 2 minutes at 1:38; 1 minute at 1:37 with 8 minutes of rest after each)

Just like going into the CrossFit Games, competitors at the CRASH-B’s accept that everyone will be suffering. The goal is to train the body and mind to not only accept the inevitable discomfort, but to push the onset of it a little later so that it occurs a few meters or a few seconds after your competition has begun to be affected by it. A 2000 meter race is an awesome challenge and one that the CrossFit athlete will likely excel in.

Anyone can compete in the World Indoor Rowing Championships (a.k.a. The CRASH-B Sprints) provided they are 14 years of age or older; however, each year many compete prior to the CRASH-B at one of the 21 official satellite regattas held across the US and Canada. WHY?

To win a free trip to the 2010 CRASH-B!

Ok, ok I am making it sound easy, but in reality you will have to produce some pretty incredible times in order to earn this trip. Each year Concept2 posts Qualifying times prior to the Satellite Races. These times are separated into age/weight class and male/female categories. The times are based on averages of prior years’ CRASH-B results. Concept2 will provide airfare for up to four competitors from each of the 21 official satellite regattas of the CRASH-B if the competitor matches or beats the qualifying time within their category.

Never say never! Take a look at the times and who knows? Maybe Tanya and Mikko won’t be the only guests Concept2 will host at this year’s CRASH-B.

Concept2’s, Judy Geer offers a great bit of advise for Tanya and Mikko as they train towards their 2000 meter best. Judy joined Concept2 in 1983 after getting her Master’s Degree in Engineering. She is now a member of the Marketing Team and enjoys the challenge of keeping C2 customers motivated and enthusiastic about rowing. Judy competed as a member of the U.S. National Rowing Team for 9 years, including the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Olympics. She also coached women’s rowing at Dartmouth College, and continues to coach sculling at the Craftsbury Sculling Center. [break]

One of the most important aspects of race preparation is determining your optimum race pace. In the excitement of race day, it’s all too easy to go out too hard, which generally means dying early and ending up with a disappointing finish. The key to avoiding this is to know your pace ahead of time.

Pace is expressed as time per 500 meters. This is displayed in the central box on the PM (Performance Monitor) (see photo). A pace of 2:14 means that it takes you 2 minutes and 14 seconds to row 500 meters. The smaller the number, the less time it takes you to row 500 meters. So, the smaller your pace number, the faster you are rowing. At the end of a fixed distance piece, your average pace for the piece will be displayed as shown.

Here is a step-by-step protocol for determining your pace for a 2000 meter (a.k.a. 2K) race, developed by C2 co-founder Dick Dreissigacker.

Step 1: Your baseline 2k: Set your PM for a fixed distance work piece of 2000 meters. As you row, it will count down to 0 meters. Row the 2K, starting easy, at a pace that you KNOW you can maintain for the whole piece. If you feel comfortable and strong, increase your intensity in the second half of the piece. At the end of the 2K row, record your average pace (time/500M) for the entire 2K. (This will be recorded on the PM and stored in Memory or LogCard if you have one.)

Step 2: At least a week later. For your next 2K piece, start out rowing at your average pace from the first piece.  If you feel comfortable and strong, increase your intensity in the second half of the piece. And again, at the end of the row, record your average pace for the entire 2000 meters. (time/500M)

Repeat this process until you close in on the best average pace that you are able maintain for 2000 meters. As you get closer to your real race pace, the 2Ks will get tougher, so be sure to be rested before you attempt each 2K trial. You probably shouldn’t do more than one of these test 2Ks per week, especially as the race date approaches.

After three or four of these pieces you should be homing in on your target 2K race pace. This is the pace at which you should start your 2K race. It will take discipline to keep to this race pace but stick with it, at least until the last 500 meters. At that time, if you feel strong, you can go ahead and increase the intensity. In fact, your goal is to completely “empty the tank” by the end of the race. This race pace will also be a good target for interval workouts as you prepare for the big event.

Good Luck!

It would be good for all involved to understand the expectations set for the C.R.A.S.H.-B. event before this whole process starts. You might be wondering: When I walk into the Agganis Arena, what is going to happen? Am I competing against other women of all ages, shapes and sizes? What time is considered the “winning” time for a man my age? Here are some resources to help answer these questions. [break]

For starters, check out the Concept2 website, www.concept2.com. Here, multiple tabs are provided to educate individuals on the CRASH-B event: everything from how the races are set up, to what’s the best training for an event like the 2000 meter row. Under the Racing tab, for example, you will find information on the CRASH-B event, advice for first time participants, and the current World Record times. The tab labeled “Online Tools” includes a link to the Concept2 Online Logbook. Here you may sign up to log all your pieces for personal use. If you choose, you can also rank predetermined pieces, like the 2000 meter row, against people from all over the world who have done the same piece. Most importantly, this location provides a glimpse into the current rankings to see where you stand now and give you goals to aim towards. My point is to really explore and utilize the Concept2 website to set a base for all that is to come in the next few months.

From the world of CrossFit, I will point out that the information available through the CF website www.crossfit.com, most specifically the video and articles available through membership of the Journal, is priceless. In fact, I almost think they have covered indoor rower training better via video than Concept2 has. There’s even an article from Eva Claire in Boston outlining her experiences competing at the CRASH-B’s, both in 2008 and 2009.

So when you walk into the Agganis Arena what should you expect? You should look forward to rubbing shoulders with the best of the best, from Olympic athletes, to fellow CrossFitters, to the average Joe working out in his basement gym. The competition can be won by anyone. That’s part of the fun! So, knowing what you want to achieve and where you stand before entering the Arena is just going to add to your advantage.

This is going to be cool.

We are so psyched to hear back from both Mikko Salo and Tanya Wagner that they will be participating in the 2010 C.R.A.S.H.-B. event (www.crash-b.org).

It will be such an experience for the rowing community to meet some of CrossFit’s finest and learn from them. Concept2 and members of the rowing community are standing by to offer their help on how to best train for the CRASH-B competition. Even better is that Mikko, Tanya and the participating CrossFit community will also be standing by to cheer on their best and offer their expertise on how to best use CrossFit to train for rowing. It’s a win, win. Everyone benefits by bringing these two communities together. [break]

So what happens now? At the moment, life has taken over for all parties. Tanya is busy opening her new affiliation with her husband Josh and being a teacher (I never had a teacher that cool as a kid). Mikko is busy being a firefighter and rescue diver, and Concept2 is gearing up for the busiest time of the year for indoor rowing: Winter. Concept2 has made arrangements for indoor rowers to be delivered to both Tanya and Mikko, and Tanya and Mikko have both been in contact to arrange their one-on-one trainings.

Tanya’s journey will start in Boston where she will participate in the CrossFit Rowing Foundations course. CrossFit Boston will host the first day of CrossFit Certification, concentrating on indoor rowing technique and training.  Community Rowing Boathouse will offer their facility on day two, in order to provide CrossFit participants an opportunity to row on the water in shells.

Mikko will be working with Concept2’s dealer in Finland, Veikko Sinisalo. Veikko rowed in the 1987 and 1988 World Championships for Finland, in the lightweight coxless four. He has been coaching for many years, and at the Beijing Olympics, he coached the Finland Lightweight women’s double to Silver medal. He is currently coaching the Czech national rowing team.

“It is not a question of how well each process works, the question is how well they all work together.”

After both Tanya and Mikko have completed their one-on-one trainings, Concept2 will use this blog to keep people updated through pictures, video, and the addition of workouts. These blog entries will be provided by Concept2 instructors, coaches and elite members of the Rowing community.  Ideas may also filter in from CRASH-B participants, past and Present. This blog will be set up so that those interested, can communicate with one another and with Tanya and Mikko. It is my vision, that as the Rowing world posts its ideas of how to best prepare for an event like the 2000 Meter piece, the CrossFit community will react, by incorporating their thoughts on how to train for an event like this.

So I blast out one more thank you to the CrossFit Community for sharing such treasures with the world of rowing, and I invite anyone who wants to, to follow Mikko and Tanya’s Countdown to CRASH-B’s.

Tracy Desrocher from Concept2 extends an open invitation to the winners of the 2009 CrossFit Games, Tanya Wagner, and Mikko Salo in the following message:

I am just getting done with a couple of weeks of working and playing with the well-known CrossFit community. It started with a few days spent at this year’s CrossFit Games and again this past weekend; Concept2 hosted their second CrossFit Rowing Specialty Certification, at their factory in Vermont. I am tired and fried, but I am also addicted. I can’t get enough of the great energy and inspiring respect that has emerged between the CrossFit community and the Rowing Community.

I have witnessed athletes from both of these communities learn from each other, have fun together, and most importantly play hard together. Each time we have an experience with CrossFit, the exchange of knowledge and love for sport is, well, incredible. I love it.

As we watched this year’s Games and everything that led up to the big weekend, we knew going to Aromas, California, that we could not just show up with two indoor rowers to give the winners of this year’s event. We knew that after we witnessed this intense competition that just exudes passion, competition, and true athleticism, that we had to arrive with an offering of something that we knew would be appreciated by the athletes and would allow Concept2 to give back more than just an object. We wanted to give something that allowed us to share with the CrossFit athletes something from our competitive world like they have done for Concept2 over the years.

This year Concept2 would like to provide both Mikko Salo and Tanya Wagner a chance to come have some fun with Concept2.[break]

Concept2 extends an invitation, to each of these incredible athletes, to attend the 2010 C.R.A.S.H-B Sprints, World Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston, Massachusetts. What is the C.R.A.S.H.-B Sprints? It’s the rowing world’s version of the CrossFit Games. The race began in 1980 by several former U.S. Olympic rowers. The CRASH-B sprints are officially sponsored by Concept2. CRASH-B stand for Charles River All Star Has-Beens. This is the name the group of originators gave to themselves, and they are the official governing body of indoor rowing. The racing format has evolved over the history of the event. Now, all athletes race 2000 meters only once.

It’s 2000 meters of Pure Fun as we affectionately describe it.

Concept2 is proud to offer each athlete this trip with all expenses paid. There is no pressure here. Mikko and Tanya are welcome to attend the event as just observers or if they would like, they may compete. Just as long as they are willing to share in the fun. If their decision is to compete, Concept2 will provide the athletes with everything they need to train for the event. Coaches, trainers and even the owners of Concept2 are standing by to offer their expertise on this event. I will be standing by to arrange equipment for them if they do not have it, connect them with their trainers and schedule everything in-between.

It would be a thrill for Concept2 to support and sponsor such true athletes at this event. I remember reading on the CrossFit website something by Greg Glassman on world class fitness. It ended by stating, “Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.” Come on Mikko and Tanya, Come learn and play with Concept2.