Previously: Rush(ing) || Body angle || Pick drill || Suspension || Skying the blade || Quarter feather || Pin
What part of the stroke/stroke cycle does it refer to
The recovery.
What does it mean/refer to
Run refers to the distance the boat travels between strokes.
Relevant calls
The majority of the calls you’ll make are interchangeable with most ratio calls since minimizing check and disturbances to the boat’s run have a lot to do with how controlled the recovery is.
“Row long through the water, let the boat run at the finish…”
“Steady speed into the catch…”
“Roll the wheels at a constant speed…”
Calls for the finish can also be used to set up the run, such as “send” (the most ubiquitous finish call in existence), “long”, “chaaa”, etc.
The thing with run is that there’s not that many specific calls for it but there are a lot of calls for other parts of the stroke (specifically the finish, swing, body angle, and the slides) that pull double-duty and apply to it in addition to whatever their primary meaning is.
What to look for
One of the best/easiest ways for a coxswain to tell how much run you’re getting is to watch your 2-seat’s puddles. If the boat is running well then their puddle should pass your stroke seat before they (stroke) take their next stroke. Also, during steady state rows the bow pair’s puddles should be clearing the stern by at least a seat or two – this applies to most experienced crews but for younger crews, they puddles should at least be able to make it to the coxswain.
Another thing you can look for (that isn’t always easy to see unless you’re in the launch) is where the boat is sitting in the water. If the boat feels heavy and the shell is sitting low (rather than rising up slightly) then the run isn’t being maximized.
Effect(s) on the boat
If you’re able to achieve good run (which is in effect a product of how well executed the transfer of weight from the bow to stern during the recovery was) then the ultimate effect on the boat will be that you’re able to travel farther with less wasted effort.
Related posts/questions
To see all the posts in this series, check out the “top 20 terms” tag.
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