You want to get faster! Gradually increase your ability to paddle fast. Much of that new speed will come from having a higher VO2max rather than from the development of anaerobic capacity. More oxygen processed by the muscles creates more energy, more muscle force, and a higher paddling velocity. Some speed will come from improved economy, because economy means higher speeds without incurring greater oxygen cost.
Some will come from lifting the lactate threshold (LT), because a higher threshold allows speeds to be sustained for longer periods of time. And some will come from better neuromuscular coordination - improved reactivity of the nervous system. This heightened ability to utilize available muscular force to drive the boat forward reduces wasted energy on non-propulsive, stabilizing movements. And some speed will come from pure strength - the ability to stabilize the body and generate large amounts of force.
Optimal speed development involves carrying out a lot of work at target race pace (TRP). The "specificity principle" implies that specific exercise elicits specific adaptations creating specific training effects. In other words, you must practice the specific thing that you want to improve. This practice will also be at an intensity that will boost your lactate threshold paddling velocity (LTPV). LTPV is a great predictor of performance in both endurance and sprint events.
When you paddle faster than LTPV, lactate production outpaces consumption and large amounts of lactate begin to accumulate in the blood. Someone with a high LTPV can paddle faster with less lactate accumulation and less fatigue. As LTPV improves in response to appropriate training, it pushes up VO2max and pulls up paddling velocity. Maintain the existing workouts suggested in the previous articles, but add the following training component.
This speed development strategy is a simple systematic plan that deserves some effort. The essence of this concept is that you must be able to paddle the TRP (target race pace) for a short distance before you can sustain it in a long race. What to do?
1. Determine your TRP. For example, if you are preparing for a 10-mile race, review your times from previous races over the same course, and decide on your goal for this race. Check the pace chart (Table 2) to determine your speed pace for the course. If last year’s time was 1 hour and 44 minutes, your pace was 5.8 mph.
2. Your goal is to break 1:30 this year. Your TRP is 6.7 mph. This is a fairly big step, but see if it works. You need to learn to paddle this new pace reliably. According to the pace chart, you must be able to stroke 1/4 mile in 2 minutes 15 seconds. If necessary, establish a slower goal for a while, because you’ll need to paddle this speed for 8 X 1/4 mile repeats with a 3-minute recovery between each repeat. This should be a hard effort but not an all out sprint. All repeats should be the same speed/time. Otherwise, adjust your pace accordingly.
Table 2. Pace Chart
Continue this recovery time progression until you are down to 1-minute breaks between the repeats. At this point, try 2 x 1 mile repeats, striving for the TRP for each repeat. Now increase your pace for the 8 x 1/4 mile repeats and continue the process.
Note that the 1/4 mile and 1 mile speeds are calculated as steady-state velocities. Because you actually start at zero mph and accelerate for approximately 50 meters, your maximum speed is actually just a bit faster than indicated. This correction factor varies for individuals and is easier to just ignore.
Always establish a goal time for a race. This should not be a wild guess but a sure thing because you have practised TRP. Make your own pace chart to include intended race distances. The influence of waves, wind, and current may affect your overall time, but your performance will improve regardless.
by Bruce von Borstel
Copyright © 1999 [Bruce von Borstel]. All rights reserved.
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