Rowing Pace Chart
One split, every distance, plotted against the training zones. Screenshot it, print it, paste it onto the boathouse whiteboard. Updated live as you type.
What is a rowing pace chart?
A rowing pace chart maps your 500m split to predicted times across every common rowing distance, banded by training zone. Pick an anchor split and the chart shows your projected 1k sprint, 2k race standard, 5k, 6k erg test, 10k, and head race distances. The bands shade UT2 through AN so a coach can read off zone splits at a glance. Useful for varsity 2k benchmarks, HOCR head race pacing, and 30-minute ergometer test targets.
Anchor split (your 2k pace)
Predicted split across distances
Take it with you
Screenshot or print the chart and stick it on the boathouse whiteboard. The chart is inline SVG so it scales perfectly at any size. Need this for every athlete on the roster? That's exactly what the Row HQ coach dashboard does.
How to read the pace chart
The line shows your predicted split at each distance
Pace fades as distance grows. The line is steepest between 500m and 2k - that's where the anaerobic system runs out and the aerobic baseline takes over. From 2k onwards the curve flattens because the limiting factor shifts from peak power to sustained aerobic capacity. A 6:30 2k typically means around 17:00 over 5k and 20:30 over 6k - the chart shows exactly that scaling, which is why the 6k erg test is a useful winter benchmark for predicting spring 2k pace.
The colored bands are the training zones
Anchored to your own 2k pace. UT2 is the lightest band (steady aerobic). UT1 sits below that. AT is just above 2k pace. TR is the 2k line itself. AN is below 2k. When the predicted line for a distance crosses into a particular band, that's the zone the prediction is sitting in. A 5k prediction at AT pace is realistic; a 5k prediction at UT2 pace would mean either the prediction is wrong or the athlete is sandbagging.
Why the Riegel curve matters
Most athletes can hit one accurate test - usually a 2k or a 6k. The Riegel formula T2 = T1 * (D2 / D1)^1.06 converts that single anchor into estimates for every other distance. The 1.06 exponent comes from regression across thousands of endurance results. Lightweights typically fade faster than heavyweights so add a couple of seconds at long distances. Masters athletes fade slower at long distances because the aerobic base holds up better than peak power - subtract a few seconds at 10k and HOCR distances.
How coaches use this chart in practice
Three main uses. First, setting target splits for head race pieces - if a 5k prediction is 1:42, that's the AT-pace ceiling for the HOCR build. Second, race-strategy validation - the predicted 2k from a recent 6k tells you whether the athlete is ready to break a varsity benchmark or not. Third, equipment troubleshooting - if real splits are 5+ seconds off the chart at every distance, drag factor, monitor calibration or technique issues are usually the cause, not fitness.
One chart per athlete? Sure. Forty charts every Monday? That's Row HQ.
Generating one pace chart is fine. Generating one for every athlete every Monday morning, anchored to their latest test, is a database job. Row HQ produces zone-banded splits per athlete automatically and keeps the history so you can see whether the chart is moving the right way across a season. See it in coach tools, inside practice attendance tracking, or in how a partner club uses it.