Absolutely Rick, I always enjoy and get good value out of reading posts by the 'seasoned campaigners' in other parts of the forum so why not in this thread

Thanks for taking the trouble to pass on your experiences re the FM. If I may pick your brains a little more - in your 6 FM's did any particular strategy stand out ? (e.g. constant pacing vs variety, negative splitting certain sections). Or was it more a matter of each one being quite unique and based more on how one felt on the day ?

One technique for drinking 'on the run' I might experiment with is to put in a super powerful stroke, then sit on 'back chocks' and have a guzzle for a few seconds. Have you tried (and discarded) this ?

Thanks

Martin

Thanks Andy

Martin

Time for an update on the Non(T)athlon list. I've taken the liberty of showing how many events each of us has done (in brackets) and also some scores where people's posts had shown them. Hope no-one minds :-

BigD (9) .................... Speedy/Dwayne
Dirtychris71 (10) ........ Bore Da/Chris
Godfried (9) ............... Godfried - 7672
Robcantrow (9) ........... Robert Parry - 7474
Aussietaff (8) .............. Martin - 7417
LLAMATRON (9) ........... Daren -7377
Seat5 (6) .................... Carla - 5565
Niall (4) ....................... Niall - 3147
Prufrock (1) ................. Bernie

Just back from the gym, just HAD to do a 500m for Nonathlon, 1:36.2, a massive 0.3 seconds better than last season after 320K's more training !!! Oh well, back to the long stuff for me.

I was almost going to ask if Debra was the Canadian you mentioned in a previous post but couldn't find the post quickly enough to do a Quote this morning. Small world or a Carla recruit ?

Cheers

Martin

I tend to try to do even splits, or slightly negative splits, for the sake of effeciency. It varies a bit early on as during drinks the average split can slip by 0.2 to 0.3 sec/500m, and I spend the next 1000m or so going 1 sec/500m faster than goal pace in order to get the average back where it belongs. As it gets later into the marathon, if I feel it's possible to do so without croaking, I might try to pick up the pace. My most negative split one had the second half-marathon being 60 seconds faster than the first.

I haven't tried to sit on 'back chocks' for a drink. I fear losing any momentum I think that it would make the initial pull afterwards that much harder than it is by just slowing down. But that is my own mental problem. People more patient than me might not be so tempted to immediately get back the lost time.

Rick

I did some planning 42195 , more planning and a test 21097.

I knew what was going to happen, and now it was acceptable. I did the first 10k a little faster than planned, the second 10k ( after the break ) was faster than the first , and the last interval I wanted to stay under 94 mins.

When you put it like that, Carla, they don't seem quite so far ahead.


Bernard

Oh No!!
The pressure of the metres has finally got to Prufrock, he's talking gibberish!!

Carla, I hate to draw attention to your lack of mathematical skills, but 166000 m is only about 16 10k's. =) You're planning on doing 1.6 million.

Hey Niall




I can't catch my breath through laughing!!! It's a little bit of Dutch I picked up when I lived out there.

You should be a comedian!


Bernard

So roughly translated it'll probably be something like, "Good morning, a pint of beer please" or some other useful survival phrase!

As for the rowing, that's really why we're here, right? I'm hoping my fitness level hasn't dropped too drastically over the last 10 days and hope to do around 30K Thursday/Friday!

Option B my friend! I'll probably do 10K-12K on the Thursday and 18K-20K on the Friday. That's the plan anyway! We'll see...

"
Goede morgen Godfried.

Ben je Nederlands?

Tot ziens,
Bernard.
"

His Dutch is a little phonetic, his English is better. For all: yes, I am Dutch.

Seen elsewhere:

As a finishing touch,
God created the Dutch.

[QUOTE]

Taffians
I managed to corner Chris (bore ada) today to find out what makes the man tick and why he started the team .Some Questions i fired into him??????
Chris
Q)Where was you born and where do you live?
A)Born in Aberdare South Wales,now live in Risca South Wales.

Q)Who is your sporting hero.?
A)SPEEDYand Barry Sheene,Speedys just a taff ledgend nuff said.Barry has always been my child hood hero.Anyone who can inspire as much publicity as he did from such a diverse sport had to be special.

Q)When did you start rowing and why?
A)New years resolution for Jan 200n.My leg had been smashed in a bike accident,and i was really struggling to walk let alone run..Something had to change.

Q)How often do you train.?
A) I really suprise myself-my original plan was 3 times a week,maybe 25000 meters,My latest plan is 6 times a week up to 70,000meters.

Q)What motivates you to row each day.?
A)You do Chippy.

Q)Greatest sporting achievement?
A)Streetstock Open Class win,Thruxton Oct 2001.Absolutely tamping down with rain,puddles all over the track,beat a former British production champion into second place.

Q)How much did it cost us to sign up Speedy????
A)Approaching the world no1,with a view to him joining your small outfit is never easy(or cheap)..In future i am confident surgeons will be able to make my right arm grow back!!!!!!!

Q)Million Dollar Question.What made you think of starting the team??
A)I really dig the motivational thing-when i found the team rankings onthe c2 site i knew it had to be done- you had allready mentioned calling ourselves Taff Attack and it was a natural progression to feed my competitive spirit..

Q)Why did you not answer me for three days when i said we should be called Taff Attack?
A)I thought the name was s--t and wanted to think of something better!Inever did-so put up or shut up!To many people put up.

Q)What do you want to be when you grow up?
A)Engine Driver...

There you have it Taffians the boy likes his rowing

Chippy

Godfried,

If I read this and your other post correctly, have you just done a sub 3.10.00 marathon ? If so then heartiest congratulations on a (very) well planned and executed Marathon row (if not then I've lost something in the Dutch - Welsh - Aussie 'translation'). Your efforts will inspire me when it comes to my turn.

Good on you mate (Aussie for 'Jolly well done old chap')

Martin

Chippy,

Thanks for that GREAT post giving us all an insight into what make the "Man of Steel" tick. Perhaps we should also add that Chris is the only Taffer to have done all 10 Nonathlon events (though Godfried may now have joined him ?) and is in the top 50. And along with his hero Speedy, to go sub 6:50 for the 2K. What a guy

How about another post, this time Chris on Chippy ?

How's the sub 7:00 2K assault going (or are you holding off until BIRC) ?

Cheers

Martin

Hi Niall,

So much for 'easing' back into it ! Are you planning to break up the 10K/20K into smaller rows with rests/stretching in between ? An 'exploratory' row on Wednesday of, say, 3-4K may be worthwhile to see how you pull up the next day (I've found it's usually the next day that any problems surface after a layoff, not the comeback activity itself)

Be great to have you back in the 'eight', you must be itching to get into it again

All the best for the comeback,

Martin

PS I'm putting in 'extra' Kms now to compensate for being out of action this weekend with the HM (running).

To be honest, I don't really have a plan. I'm away on business for two days now and didn't plan on doing any rowing (just some gentle swimming and maybe 30 mins on the bike - I always make sure the hotel has leisure facilities!). Then Thursday afternoon, do a very gentle 10K and if I'm up to another 2K after that then all the better. Friday will involve two sessions, one morning, one afternoon.

So that's my plan if you want to call it that.


Chippy/Chris,

Loved the interview posting. Just goes to show that the Welsh have a great sense of humour (God knows we need it sometimes with our rugby team!).

Absolutely Debra, there are Berries (growing) all over Wales. You are more than eligible.

And a good way to kick off the Fun and Frivolity is in the choice of an eyecatching avatar. Niall has an excellent recommendation ......

Hope you are back to full strength soon,

Martin

Hi Rick, thanks again for the response.

I think you and I have quite similar temprements as I can fully relate to all you've said. I tend to row 'at the edge' for my inaugural long distance attempts, figuring that as I'm not going to do this that often I might as well make it a good one. Impatient to set a lowest possible time, there have been no 'easy' exploratory rows at the distance attempted thus far!! Guess I'll learn.

Reassuring to hear one can quite often negatively split a marathon whilst still going out on target pace. I've done that with all my inaugural long distance rows and would like to do the same in the FM. At this stage I'm dreaming of a 2.50 time, having done one HM in 1.24, after doing a few more HM's as a lead up - is this realistic in your experience ?

Cheers from Aussieland

Martin

PS I tried the 'back chocks' theory - you are correct in thinking an almost stationary flywheel is PRETTY heavy (esp. will be at the 35K mark !)

There it is Daren, floating off to the west (it's Ireland that's sunk ). Come back, you won't drown after all. And we need you (r Kms) !

Martin

Thats because it is a PROJECTED time !!! It remains to be seen if I can 'Erg the Talk'.

I'm jogging a HM with my daughter on Sunday and will probably pull up pretty stiff and sore so erg training will take a back seat for a little while I suspect. I also want to do 2 HM's first, so marathon attempt Nov at the earliest. At the moment I'm picking the brains of those who have erged this path before.

Keep up the impressive Kms Bernie,

Martin

Aye, well, if it happens it happens. =) I've only been sub-7:15 once (although I haven't actually tried it again since I did that). BIRC is a good 6 or 7 weeks away though, so who knows. My efforts are somewhat curtailed in the exertion stakes at the moment because the garage is cold and damp, and I fear I will do horrid things to my chest if I work too hard in that atmosphere. =/

Hi Daren

Your point is valid. I guess time and resources constrain what and when I can do things. Normally, I would want to take your approach.

Unfortunately, I don't own a concept2, so I have to use whatever time I have available as profitably as possible.

The programme has helped take my 2000m time from over 9 minutes to about 7.30 - my BIRC goal for this year - in four months.

The programme also has the right balance of aerobic, anaerobic and power training I need for what I'm trying to achieve, which is just a reasonable 2000m time to begin with. There will be time for the other timed pieces.

There is also a good scientific basis for the rows in the programme, which aims to get the best out of you at a given point at a given time.

Why not expect the best for yourself?

I find it difficult to 'drift' along and anyway, next year's training will seem a lot easier because of this year's training. Like yourself I'm just getting used to how things feel.

In the end we all have to do whatever makes our toes curl; this works for me, but only for the time being.

You have done a hell of a lot of kms for the time you've been rowing and you're rowing very good times as well. Are your timed rows taken from training rows or do you set aside time to do the timed row?

I'm very impressed.

Bernard

Nothing was lost in the translation - I did it.

I needed 20 k for the first million, so fail or succeed : the day would have a good result ; and had two.

Just click on the link.

P.S.
Watched a lot of 'Flying Doctors' back in the 80's - and they are on rerun now ; so some Aussie is understood.

I had much the same attitude approaching my first. At the time I had never gone more than 60:00 at a time (sore bum), and when I determined to do a marathon "no matter what" I started by making Sunday my "long row" day with the goal of adding 10% to my longest every Sunday until reaching a full marathon. In reality, once I hit 2:00:00 I decided to make the leap a week later, and did so successfully. From what I remember about marathon training for running, the 2 hour workout gives about the optimum capillary and mitochondria development. I think that it's worth stretching out those half-marathons to 2 hours if at all possibe.


As to doing sub 2:50:00, when I broke through that I was also doing just under 1:23:00 for the half-marathon, 15,425m for 60:00 and 38:15 for 10km. My pace differential between the full and half was 2.4sec/500m. I'm more of an endurance guy, so that's probably a smaller differential than the average. Ranger's Double the D add 3sec/500m, and Paul Smith's Double the D add 5 sec/500m are probably more realistic.

Good luck with it. It gives a nice sense of accomplishment.

Rick