Ergomania, Seattle
Posted: January 29th, 2018, 12:14 am
It was a dark and rainy morning… as we headed to Ergomania in Seattle. Poor writing aside, I was hoping for a bright day. I had done the work, and the mental preparation, now it was time to put it on the line.
There were only two entries in my 60-69 lightweight division. I was acquainted with the other guy from bicycle racing years ago. He was always a front of the pack guy, but like me, had decided that flipping a boat or enduring hours on an erg were a lot more tolerable than crashing a bike. He was going to be strong, no doubt. I had been watching the entries for Greg Cook and Arlene Wade, but they must have made other plans, they weren’t signed up this year. There were four of us that C2 flew out to CRASH-B last year, and we all were back. The three women beat their qualifying times handily last year, so if I wanted a free return trip to WRIC as well, I had to pull a pretty good time – never know when a “ringer” will show up.
So, the stage was set. I had developed a runny nose Friday, but didn’t feel sick, just nervous. Checked in, dropped my bag and weighed in; 151 lbs fully clothed. The hour-of-power race was in progress, the music was loud, and people were milling about or cheering the marathon rowers. I checked out the swag, and found one of the women that I was “competing” against. We chatted briefly, then she got into her warmup. I was surprised to see my wife’s boss there. He is the owner of the gym where she trains and teaches yoga. He works out religiously, but not much on the erg. We compared notes and it looked like we had the same pacing strategy, even though he is 11 years younger.
My heat consisted of all the men from 80+ down to 50; 22 guys. My direct competitor, Hank, was just to my left. We exchanged pleasantries, agreeing that bike racing is way more fun, but this sure is a lot safer.
My plan was to hold a 1:48 pace for about 700m, back off slightly for 20 or so strokes to let my body adjust to the shock, take a few deep breaths, then slowly negative split, ending with a strong last 300m. Started off well, but those first several average pace readings in the high 1:50s are sure disconcerting. Remembering Ed’s story, I just held my 1:48. At the 1300m to go point I was slightly ahead of Hank, so I eased up a little more. The rest of the race went as planned, except it was 2 sec/500 slower than I wanted. Finished at 7:16.9, a 1:49.2 pace. Hank came in at 7:22.5. Wife’s boss pulled a 7:07.2, pretty strong dude. The fast ladies beat their times again this year, plus one 67-year-old open weight guy, so I guess I didn’t make the cut.
After a cool down, perusing results, and final chats with people, we were outta there. The obligatory dry cough accompanied me for a few hours, and it sure felt good to take a nap. Next race is SWEAT in Dallas, where my brother lives. Another painful chance at glory! (but more to visit and help him clear fence lines on his ranch).
There were only two entries in my 60-69 lightweight division. I was acquainted with the other guy from bicycle racing years ago. He was always a front of the pack guy, but like me, had decided that flipping a boat or enduring hours on an erg were a lot more tolerable than crashing a bike. He was going to be strong, no doubt. I had been watching the entries for Greg Cook and Arlene Wade, but they must have made other plans, they weren’t signed up this year. There were four of us that C2 flew out to CRASH-B last year, and we all were back. The three women beat their qualifying times handily last year, so if I wanted a free return trip to WRIC as well, I had to pull a pretty good time – never know when a “ringer” will show up.
So, the stage was set. I had developed a runny nose Friday, but didn’t feel sick, just nervous. Checked in, dropped my bag and weighed in; 151 lbs fully clothed. The hour-of-power race was in progress, the music was loud, and people were milling about or cheering the marathon rowers. I checked out the swag, and found one of the women that I was “competing” against. We chatted briefly, then she got into her warmup. I was surprised to see my wife’s boss there. He is the owner of the gym where she trains and teaches yoga. He works out religiously, but not much on the erg. We compared notes and it looked like we had the same pacing strategy, even though he is 11 years younger.
My heat consisted of all the men from 80+ down to 50; 22 guys. My direct competitor, Hank, was just to my left. We exchanged pleasantries, agreeing that bike racing is way more fun, but this sure is a lot safer.
My plan was to hold a 1:48 pace for about 700m, back off slightly for 20 or so strokes to let my body adjust to the shock, take a few deep breaths, then slowly negative split, ending with a strong last 300m. Started off well, but those first several average pace readings in the high 1:50s are sure disconcerting. Remembering Ed’s story, I just held my 1:48. At the 1300m to go point I was slightly ahead of Hank, so I eased up a little more. The rest of the race went as planned, except it was 2 sec/500 slower than I wanted. Finished at 7:16.9, a 1:49.2 pace. Hank came in at 7:22.5. Wife’s boss pulled a 7:07.2, pretty strong dude. The fast ladies beat their times again this year, plus one 67-year-old open weight guy, so I guess I didn’t make the cut.
After a cool down, perusing results, and final chats with people, we were outta there. The obligatory dry cough accompanied me for a few hours, and it sure felt good to take a nap. Next race is SWEAT in Dallas, where my brother lives. Another painful chance at glory! (but more to visit and help him clear fence lines on his ranch).
. That 72 y.o. lightweight you mentioned beat ALL the 70-79 guys, a real ringer. I don't know the 67 y.o. that "beat" me, either. 