Walk-on 2k time

Question
Hello,

I just completed my first year of rowing as a walk-on at an Ivy League school. Unfortunately, I was sidelined for about 3 to 4 months with a back injury, during which time I biked and did some sporadic erg training and rowing. However, coming off my injury I was forced into quick recovery as the spring season was quickly slipping away from me and I either had to prove I could contribute to the first freshmen eight or be left to paddle along in the second boat. So by the beginning of May, just a little over a month after I had gone back into regular training, I pulled a 7:28 2k and had become a fixture in the first boat. My coaches keep telling me that I'm still on quite a steep learning/improvement curve when it comes to taking time off my 2k, so I was just kind of wondering what would be a realistic 2k time for me by the end of my sophomore year? I am 5'10" female, about 160 lbs., and like I said, have only been rowing for a year (I trained through the summer, but not as intensively as at college). I've tried to use prior walk-ons as examples, but none of them had broken the 7:30 time in their first year, so I'm kind of going into this without knowing what to expect. Thanks!

Answer
Hi Katie: Per the Concept II Database, here is where you stack up against other women heavies, ages 18-20:

Average Time: 8:05.4

PERCENTILES
90th   75th   50th   25th
7:25.2 7:36.5 7:55.6 8:24.8

Your erg time is so good, I don't think you have to worry about getting it much lower unless you want to compete in a National Team or a high-elite program.  The thing with the erg is, you can a lot of freshman rowers with years of experience and they are not going to come close to your times.  You can even beat about 30% of the men out there at your weight.  Even though you are a walk-on, you must have been a good athlete in high school.

My recommendation is to just continue to train, with emphasis in improving your technique through added on-water experience, and supplementing your rowing with cardiovascular training and a muscle-building weight lifting routine.  If you do that, you should get your time down to at least 7:24, maybe even 7:20 for the sophomore spring season.  

Good Luck/AP