The Mountain

Here’s the mountain I need to climb to break the world record of 6:42.5.

My winning time at Worlds for the 2,000 meter event was 6:52.5. In ergometer terms, that’s equivalent to 319.4 average watts for the duration. Now, wattage goes up with the cube of speed, because of the air resistance on the erg fan, so every second faster is a lot harder.

A time of 6:42.5 is equivalent to 343.8 watts, so 7.6% more than the 319.4 I averaged at Worlds. My training goal is actually a couple seconds faster than that, namely 6:40, which is equivalent to 350 watts. So I have to get from my current best of 319.4 watts to 350 watts, or about 9.6% more power. So I figure I have to get about 10% faster than I am now.

Given that I was already in perhaps the best shape of my life for Worlds, this will be very, very difficult. But my 6:52.5 was only my second indoor race, and I did not manage it well at all. With my inexperience and the adrenaline rush of being in the World Championships, I went out way too strong in the beginning, wasted a lot of energy, and faded at the end. I still beat the field by over five seconds, but I know I could have gone faster. I think I could go out tomorrow and do about a 6:48 2K. That is still a far cry from 6:42.5, though….