Scottish Rowing Indoor Championships 2019

[MaxMacLaren1]

The Scottish Championships are this Saturday, 23rd November, in Motherwell. I'm in the 2k and Guy has entered the 500m, 1k and 2k which is an impressive challenge!

The draw has been issued and in my 50-60 hwt category there are at least 4 sub 6:50 rowers so I'm not expecting to medal. A great result would be to trouble my PB (6:50.3) and then who knows. If someone doesn't turn up and someone is carrying a minor injury. I can dream. Race report to follow...

[Caratacus]

Good luck Max and Guy, sorry I couldn’t make it this year but looking forward to the race reports

[Grobi]

I'd echo Felton, good luck to both of you and really looking forward to reading the race reports

[plummy]

Best of luck fellas. Hoping it all goes well for you. Don't fret about it going to hurt - you knew that when you signed up!

[MaxMacLaren1]

Well that was a day of highs and lows! It was great seeing Guy and watching some utterly fantastic racing but my own performance was rather disappointing.

I know I messed up my periodisation training but over the past 2 weeks I really thought I had got back on track. The aim was to try and trouble my PB of 6:50.3 and ideally sneak under 6:50. I had a clear pacing plan and it was all going to come down to the last 500m.

Everything was set. A good night's sleep and a decent warm up and I was ready. Suddenly we're off. 5 short strokes, 10 hard, 5+ to settle on race pace. Faster than I'd like but not unexpected as the adrenaline kicks in. But I soon settle into race pace. The erg is brand new and super smooth, a dream to row. 1,000m and everything is on plan, I count two sets of 10. 800m to go and still on track. But at 600m I realise there's nothing left in my legs. There's just no power for a sprint finish. Guy put it well when he said I just couldn't get to "that dark place". 6th in 6:53.8 and as I get off the erg my legs are like jelly.

Very disappointing as I'd recently done 2 training time trials 1-2 seconds faster. But whilst today was not my day I will not be too hard on myself. It was my 7th fastest time ever. And I could have posted a PB and still been 6th. The winning time was 6:43.9 and 4 people went sub 6:48 so a very strong field. Time to get back to enjoying my rowing for a while.

Guy was awesome as usual but I'll let him tell his own eventful story.

[Shmoo]

Even if you didn’t manage quite what you hoped for on the day, that is still extraordinarily fast in my book. And I’m quite sure that all that training will lead to some impressive nonathon scores in the coming weeks. Louise

[Wolfmiester]

Thanks for reporting Max, and yes well done on a very good time. Race days can be a bit fickle like that.

[Grobi]

Thanks for the race report Max and for flying the Free Spirits flag. You might be disappointed with your race result, but I wish I‘d be as close to my PB as three seconds Like you said yourself, you shouldn‘t be too hard on yourself, a 6:53.8 is still a great time.

You can do a time trial any time you want, but a race is on race day and only on race day. To be in top form on a set day at a set time requires a lot of preparation and also some kind of luck. You simply didn‘t have that bit of luck required. But I‘m sure your 2k PB is going to fall soon

[MaxMacLaren1]

Thank you all for your support .