How far should i be able to run for crew/rowing?

Question

i am really interested in starting crew. but i dont have great endurance. how far shoudl i run to get ready for it?

Answer 1

In the US, the sport is referred to as "crew."  I know that's technically not correct, but it's what people say.  I draw the line, however at "crewing"!!  That's a no-no!

I'm assuming that you want to start to rowing for your high-school team.  Your coach will know that many of his/her novices aren't at a super-high fitness level (and you do need good endurance for rowing) and will build into the program activities to increase your strength and endurance.  At the very beginning, when you are on the water, you will be working on technique rather than speed, so you won't be expected to row all-out.

If you want to get ready, just start--go to the track of a school close to you and see how far you can run.  Run as far as you can, then walk until you've recovered enough to run some more, and so on.  Just keep it up until the rowing season starts, and keep pushing to run farther each time--but don't forget to take a rest day every now and then!  Once the season starts, you probably won't have time to do extra workouts, but if you do, ask your coach for advice.

Good luck!

Answer 2

When I rowed in college, the most common run was the 20 minute "hard" run.  It was not for distance, but for time.  A 20 minute run is the minimum amount of time that you can run, and still get a good cardio workout.  Crew is a mostly a cardio (aerobic) sport.  Crew is typically not an endurance sport.  The average race, which is called a sprint, is only 1,500-2000 meters, and only lasts 6 to 8 minutes.  So endurance is not necessary, but having a high pain threshold for 6 to 8 minutes is important.

The longest run I ever did in crew, was a 10 mile run.  Our coach gave that one to us as a punishment (we were being blockheads) and  we only did it once.

It's a great sport, don't be too worried about the shape you are in when you get started, you'll get into good shape soon enough by practicing it.

Good luck, and have fun.

Edit**

LOL

I didn't wish to write a Doctoral Disertation (this is only Yahoo Answers by the way), but here goes:

According to Wikipedia (and two other coaches that I just called):

The sport of "Rowing" refers to several different sports, coastal rowing, surf rowing, ocean rowing, and crew.

The word "Crew" means several different things, one of it's "definitions" (according to Wikipedia) is this:

"In the United States and Canada, high school and collegiate rowing is sometimes referred to as crew.[1]"

If anyone cares to disagree with this definition, Wikipedia is always open to having their definitions revised.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowing_%28s...

(citation)

^ Crew - definition (html). TheFreeDictionary. Retrieved on 2007-01-02.

Definition : 3.

a. Sports A team of rowers, as of a racing shell.

b. The sport of rowing.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/crew

And when I said "crew" is "typically" not an endurance sport, I mentioned the caveat of "typically" because "crew" is mostly sprint races.  They are called "sprints" because they only last 6 to 8 minutes, all out, 100% power all the time (some may disagree, but that's the way the men's heavy 8 usually does it).  A sprint is not an endurance race, it is a sprint.

Head races are rarer, they are way fewer of them than the sprints, and the Division 1 championships are typically based on sprints.  And according to Wikipedia (you can disagree with them if you'd like) states that, "Head courses usually vary in length from 2,000 m to 7,000 m."

So yes, the "rarer" head race is an endurance race, typically lasting 20 to 30 minutes, at a reduced rowing power.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowing_%28s...

So, again, to answer your question, "How far should I be able to run for crew/rowing?"

My answer will remain, "A 20 minute hard run, minimun."

I hope that helps.

Rowing is a great sport.  It is very fun, and very demanding, all at the same time.

If you have an encourageing coach, it is even better.  But if you have a "nit-picking" coach, that looks to criticize every single little mistake that you do, it really takes alot of the fun out of it.

I had some good coaches in my day, I hope you find a good one also!

Happy "Crewing!"

Answer 3

I disagree with the poster who says that rowing (don't call it "crew", that's what you call the team itself, not the sport) is not an endurance sport. While it's true that you do 2,000 meter races in the spring, you should know that they are extremely physically demanding--approximately the equivalent of playing two basketball games back to back with no break. Also, in the fall you will do what are called "head-races". These races are anywhere between 10,000 and 20,000 meters and require a great deal of endurance. Rowing is one of the most physically demanding sports out there and it will probably take you a few years to reach the level of physical fitness neccessary to be a really good rower. But don't get discouraged! It's a wonderful sport and you will improve really quickly.

I think it would be fine if you went ahead and got on the water now. Novices or first year rowers generally go through the training process together and everyone is at pretty much the same level when you start. If you want to do some workouts on your own I would recommed doing long runs at a moderate pace plus a little weight training. Cycling is also a good way to improve your cardiovascular fitness and it's much easier on your knees. What you really need to do is get on an erg or rowing maching but PLEASE do not do this unless you have had some instruction from an actual rower. Here are a few workouts that would start to get you in the shape you'll need to be in.

Running:

30 minutes moderate to quick pace with a 10 minute cool down

5 mile run at a moderate pace

20 minutes running stadiums with a 5 minute break, then 10 more minutes of stadiums, then a five minute break then 20 minutes of stadiums again with a 10 minute cool down jog on an even surface

Cycling:

10 minutes hard, 5 minutes easy for an hour

Erging:

30 minute steady-state

Weights:

Do the following lifts starting out with a small amount of weight and working your way up

bench press

bench pull

lat-pull down

leg press

back extensions

You'll also want to work on your core muscles. This is incredibly important as back injuries are the most common of all rowing injuries. For more endurance workouts and core workouts you can checkout some of the following websites:

row2k.com

concept2.com

usrowing.org

Best of luck! Remember, you may be frustrated at first but if you stick with it I know you'll grow to love it!

Answer 4

the races you'll be in will probably be 1500 meters which is a little under a mile.  you want to be in good cardio shape in order to be a good rower and running can definitely do that.. i'd say, start out by running a mile to a mile and a half...