Getting Ahead at Head Races

Autumn is the exciting time of head races, which have their own unique rules and challenges. They come in a variety of formats and are contested on different courses over different distances.

Featuring individual boats starting at set intervals and racing against the clock, head races require rowers, and especially coxswains, to possess skills and qualities that are completely different from those exercised in side-by-side races.

Consequently, you have to prepare specifically for this type of race, beginning with physiological conditioning, since these races are significantly longer than sprint races and therefore require endurance above all else.

The energy supply for a long-distance race is approximately 95 percent aerobic and five percent anaerobic. Although the anaerobic component is important at the beginning and end of the race, as well as when a rival boat needs to be overtaken quickly, and although sometimes it can determine the outcome, the aerobic component is more essential for success.

The second most important factor in a head race is the ability to steer the fastest route to the finish line. This begins with knowing the course by studying it on a map and identifying crucial sections and features—turns, bridges, buoys, obstacles. Seek out someone who knows the course from experience and can give you advice and pointers. Also, try to row the course before the regatta to gain familiarity. Note landmarks that will help you plot when to begin steering, where to steer, and how far you’ve come.

Then there’s race strategy, which begins with the optimal approach to expending your energy throughout the race (explained in detail in my new book, Rowing Science). In short, you should start five to 10 strokes before the actual starting line. Race organizers usually give you the necessary leeway to line up at the start and accelerate toward the starting line. The key is to reach the starting line exactly at the middle of your race pace, not at the highest possible speed.

You then use up your high-energy phosphates for a short 10-stroke sprint before switching to your race pace—the fastest pace you can maintain for most of the distance. It’s important to transition slowly from the fastest speed achieved in the 10 starting strokes to race pace to make the most of the speed gained.

You also need to produce some lactate, which kick-starts your cardiovascular system for peak performance. The trick is to avoid accumulating too much lactate while finding the most efficient stroke rate for your race pace. I call this “red-lining,” where you push the limits of your aerobic system without accumulating too much lactate.

Intrinsic to this approach is finding your best stroke rate. Too low a rate requires a higher force output, which tends to produce more lactate. Too high a rate can lead to technical deficiencies because you either shorten your stroke length, making propulsion less efficient, or you rush your recovery, interrupting your flow and reducing the recovery time your body needs. In training, you need to find the right mix of stroke rate, stroke length, and force output; it should feel fast but sustainable.

The final step is to hit the right finishing sprint. This shouldn’t occur over a long distance or by significantly increasing your speed; actually, if you can do that, you went too slow up to that point. Depending on your experience and fitness level, the sprint could be as little as 200 to 400 meters or 20 to 40 strokes. Break it into smaller chunks of seven strokes, increasing your effort and stroke rate with each interval.

Setting the correct rigging is also important and is based on your training, wind and water conditions, and expected pace changes in the turns and when overtaking competitors starting directly in front of you. If you expect pace changes, you should lighten your rigging a bit.

Last but hardly least is mental preparation. Be prepared for commotion in the starting area. Some boats may not follow the traffic rules; others may cause distraction and anxiety. You may be subjected to unwelcome jolts from your opponents before the race even begins.

A head race also requires a different level of physical exertion and fatigue tolerance over a longer period of time. The ideal is to find your flow—a level of exertion that feels fast but easy, focuses your mind on the immediate moment, and allows you to perform confidently and well. This requires full concentration on the task at hand.

Head races can be exciting and fun, and by emphasizing long-distance training and perfect technical rowing, excellent preparation for next spring’s sprint races.   

Volker Nolte, an internationally recognized expert on the biomechanics of rowing, is the author of Rowing Science, Rowing Faster, and Masters Rowing. He’s a retired professor of biomechanics at the University of Western Ontario, where he coached the men’s rowing team to three Canadian national titles.

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