Count the race before adding another hard session

If I’ve got a hard race at the weekend, I’ve already got a hard session in the week. I need to count that before filling the gaps. Otherwise I’m keeping the whole training programme and putting a race on top, then wondering why I haven’t got much left.

It gets awkward once the racing calendar fills up. There’s more time on the water, but there’s travel as well. Work doesn’t disappear because I’ve entered a race. Neither do exams. The winter routine might stop fitting quite neatly, and that doesn’t necessarily mean the training has stopped working.

The week’s changed. I’d change the programme.

I’d look at the extra interval session first, particularly if I’m still feeling the last race. It’s easy to leave that session where it is because it’s written down and I could probably get through it. But getting through it isn’t much of a reason to do it.

Actually, moving it might be enough. I don’t mean every race means cancelling the next hard session. I mean looking at whether there’s room to recover and do it properly, rather than assuming there must be because that’s where it usually goes.

Easy rowing seems to be the bit that loses its place first. The hard work stays, somehow. I can understand the temptation. An easy paddle doesn’t feel as urgent as an interval session, especially when there’s a race coming and you want to feel prepared.

There’s a whole thing there about wanting the week to look like enough training. A full calendar is quite reassuring. Until you have to row it.

But that’s getting away from the session itself. I’d keep useful steady work where it fits, enough to keep some rhythm without making recovery harder. Easy enough that it actually feels easy. If strength work is already part of the routine, I’d try to keep some of that too, rather than dropping it automatically. Neither needs protecting at all costs.

Put the race in the calendar first. Then look at the hard rowing around it, including what you’ve just done. If you’re still carrying that effort, move or remove the extra intervals before automatically cutting the easy session. Sometimes you just need the rest day.

I’d look beyond that week as well. One awkward week doesn’t ruin a season. There’ll be weeks with room to train properly and others where racing and recovery take up most of what’s available.

Before filling the next block, I’d check which sessions left me feeling ready to row well, and where a race took more out of me than expected. Then I’d look at the time left after work and travel. If that session only fitted on paper last time, I wouldn’t put it back in the same gap.