TimbukTOO Team Room

[Izzzmeister]

Dennis B Horvath, one of our 200K Holiday Hunks, has signed up his Partner In Pain, his wife Brenda. She has already contributed with a 8,155m day, and a total of 24,064m! So, please make space for her in the boat, and extend her a hearty TimbukTOO welcome!
We're still #12, but we'll have to work with 3 teams nipping at our heels!

Milestones: Patti reached 100K!
So close: Bryan inches from 1.5M, Jeff about 3 rows away from 1M, Daiva still real close to 400K, Joel close to 200K, Ted one row from 100K!

An OK 11 of our 52 TimbukTOOians worked off some holiday food Monday, 21%, adding 110,003 meters! Others are saving their mojo for the VTC...

Brenda H 24,064 Great start! Nice few rows!
John S 21,751
Dennis H 10,495
Jeff S 10,000

David Welch 10,000
Matthew R 7,219 Consistent!
Joseph W 6,500
Barbara B 6,000

Mark S 5,849
Patti S 5,125 Hit 100K!
Jamie B 3,000

[Izzzmeister]

Gary,
Last year, it seemed unattainable to me, too.
Izzz
P.S. Next stop, 1:41 (6:44)

That is great. Well done! I guess that shows what hard work and perseverance can do.

Five years ago, I found out I had Type 2 diabetes. That explained why I had no energy, my toes were getting numb, and I was waking up twice a night to pee! While I quickly got my sugar under strict control, I didn't have the energy to contemplate exercise for the first 5 months. Then, I started a little walking. A year later, I got a stationery bike. Two years ago, I finally got my C2, with my wife looking at me incredulously, her expression saying, "You paid over $500 for a glorified clothes rack?" I explained that I used to use one of these (but a Model B ) in the gym when I was 22, and they're incredible. And they had great resale value if I didn't use it...
I'm 51, I know Father Time is going to sandbag me, and that he always wins eventually - I just want my slide to start from a higher point, have a grand old time sliding, and have the slide end ten years later than it would have.

So, for right now, yearly improvement. Some examples:
2K: 2009 Season Best, 7:41.7. 2010 Season Best: 7:08.1. This season: 6:48.6
10K: 2009: 40:50.4, 2010: 38:03.0, This season: 36:44.4
60:00: 2009: 14,516. 2010: 15,726. This season: 16,009
Half Marathon: 2009: 1:29:10.0. 2010: 1:22:31.8. This season: 1:19:49.4.

My resting heart rate is down from 62 to 44, my blood pressure is down from 124/83 to 106/65, my cholesterol is way down (Admission: Doc has me on a half-dose statin), my Hemoglobin A1C tests are 5.5 - 5.7 (Below 7.0, you cut down side effects of diabetes by 90%. Below 6.5, by 99%), my balance and coordination are better, my energy level is higher, etc.
(And my buddies who bike regularly can't believe I can keep up with them on my 1994 Schwinn CrissCross Hybrid for 30 miles without breathing heavy, with them on Raleigh & Cannondale racing bikes. And Mark, it bugs them that I use a cadence of 90, not 110 or more.)

[damselfly]

An amazing success story, Izz! You set a great example to us all....

[theOtherOne]

Another tip: In the middle of your rows, every 5 minutes or more, throw in a "Power 20" - 20 all-out sprinting strokes. You'll be gasping, but don't stop - just slow it down enough that you can catch your breath and continue. That will give you "the guns" - and the lung capacity - you need to push out faster times.

Thanks for the tip! I'll have to try this consistently over the next 60-90 days and see if that breaks me thru my current 'floor'.

~j

ps: I hope everyone on the team has a very safe and a very Happy New Year!

[markman]

Gary,
Last year, it seemed unattainable to me, too.
Izzz
P.S. Next stop, 1:41 (6:44)

That is great. Well done! I guess that shows what hard work and perseverance can do.

Five years ago, I found out I had Type 2 diabetes. That explained why I had no energy, my toes were getting numb, and I was waking up twice a night to pee! While I quickly got my sugar under strict control, I didn't have the energy to contemplate exercise for the first 5 months. Then, I started a little walking. A year later, I got a stationery bike. Two years ago, I finally got my C2, with my wife looking at me incredulously, her expression saying, "You paid over $500 for a glorified clothes rack?" I explained that I used to use one of these (but a Model B ) in the gym when I was 22, and they're incredible. And they had great resale value if I didn't use it...
I'm 51, I know Father Time is going to sandbag me, and that he always wins eventually - I just want my slide to start from a higher point, have a grand old time sliding, and have the slide end ten years later than it would have.

So, for right now, yearly improvement. Some examples:
2K: 2009 Season Best, 7:41.7. 2010 Season Best: 7:08.1. This season: 6:48.6
10K: 2009: 40:50.4, 2010: 38:03.0, This season: 36:44.4
60:00: 2009: 14,516. 2010: 15,726. This season: 16,009
Half Marathon: 2009: 1:29:10.0. 2010: 1:22:31.8. This season: 1:19:49.4.

My resting heart rate is down from 62 to 44, my blood pressure is down from 124/83 to 106/65, my cholesterol is way down (Admission: Doc has me on a half-dose statin), my Hemoglobin A1C tests are 5.5 - 5.7 (Below 7.0, you cut down side effects of diabetes by 90%. Below 6.5, by 99%), my balance and coordination are better, my energy level is higher, etc.
(And my buddies who bike regularly can't believe I can keep up with them on my 1994 Schwinn CrissCross Hybrid for 30 miles without breathing heavy, with them on Raleigh & Cannondale racing bikes. And Mark, it bugs them that I use a cadence of 90, not 110 or more.)

That's a great story, especially the part about you kicking **s and taking names with your cycling buddies A cadence of 90 is pretty solid. That's about what I average and it's a comfortable cadence for me. I'm really looking forward to the fitness improvements I'll get by adding the C2 to my cycling.

[Izzzmeister]

Welcome back, Chris Hughes! Chris had left amid the turmoil in the beginning of the month. In his words, he “rejoined Timbuktoo after seeing their great spirit prevail NO MATTER WHAT.” In all modesty... we agree!
He brought his meters back to our boat - plus 42,591 more that he accumulated in his absence!
Goodbye to Patti Short, who had just hit 100K yesterday. We're glad you reached your goal, and if you choose to return, we look forward to reaching many more goals together! All the best, Patti!
We're now solidly in the Number 12 position, thanks to some mega-meters posted today!

Milestones: TimbukTOO reached our goal of $150+ in the Holiday Challenge, with the meters added by Bryan! Bryan zoomed past 1.5M, Joel hit 200K, and Brenda hit 25K!
Sneaking up: Yisroel one row from 1.6M, Jeff about 2 rows away from 1M, Adam inches from 900K, and both Daiva & Chris real close to 400K!

An impressive 18 of our 52 TimbukTOOians got ready for the new year Tuesday, 34%, adding about 360,000 meters! Sorry I couldn't highlight all those who put up impressive meters today...

Bryan S 90,270 Accumulated meters, hit 1.5MM!
Chris H 42,591 Accumulated, plus 355K!
Adam M 37,270
Joel W 24,934 200K!
John S 22,578

Yisroel H 17,126
David Welch 17,106 The 10K man stretches!
Dennis H 16,672
Raymond W 15,785 Going long!
Gary G 15,060

Matthew R 14,066
Lisa H 10,124 Nice!
Jeff S 10,000
Fred B 9,222

Barbara B 6,595
Jamie B 3,000
Bernie J 2,000
Brenda H 1,222 25K!

[Izzzmeister]

TimbukTWO, Now With 27, Sets Team Goals For VTC2011!
TimbukTOOians participating in January's Virtual Team Challenge are invited to set personal goals for this month! The new incarnation of the team, "TimbukTWO, Pat's", has the Captain's wheel held trepidatiously by Yisroel, watching the horizon for signs of a mouse in a rowboat.
He announced today that he will enter into the ship's log a Team Goal of 3.5 million meters for the 27 team members, a little over 125,000m average each. Additionally, he asks that any shipmates that wish to, should announce personal goals for this challenge. Yisroel hinted that the goal would most likely rise with team membership to maintain the roughly 125K average.
So, those of you that have waited to the last moment: Please go to your Teams Page, pick us as your Virtual Team, & separately (sorry, that's how it's done) sign up to do the VTC with us!
Welcome, Kevin Kepley & Jeff Rice! Hey, can I interest you guys in a year-round team?
(Chris & Don, thanks for signing up for the Team, BUT... you still need to join us specifically for the VTC!)

[garygOP]

Against my better judgement, I will publicly commit to 45K per week.
I did my first 15K session last night= 3- 5K rows with maybe 2 or 3 minute rests.
It will be challenging to do this 3 days per week.
I was thrown off a bit because I almost always row early in the AM.
My start was very sluggish- it took 10 mintes to even begin to feel good, sitting in the boat and rowing.
I can still delerte this message... but won't
I can do this.
Gary

[damselfly]

OK, I can commit to 125k for the VTC. Go team!!!

The last two days I rowed while watching a documentary called "Running the Sahara" -- the story of three ultra runners who ran the equivalent of 2 marathons a day for 110 days to cross 4500 miles (widthwise) of the Sahara desert. What an inspirational story! Got me rowing stronger. I'd recommend it for any athlete!

[Izzzmeister]

All hands aboard, moving purposefully up the Niger River towards TimbukTOO!
Steady meters have given us a solid hold on #12, with a cushion of over a million meters!
Milestones: TimbukTOO reached our goal of $150+ in the Holiday Challenge yesterday! Chris (or the alien that took over his body) hit 400K, Dennis hit 350K!
Sneaking up: Yisroel one row from 1.6M, Jeff ONE 10K row from a MILLION, Adam inches from 900K, and Daiva real close to 400K!

An acceptable 13 of our 52 TimbukTOOians got warmed up for the VTC Tuesday, 25%, adding 122,090 meters!

John S 21,581
Dennis H 16,814
Joel W 16,546 Two back-to-back big days!
Raymond W 10,825
Lisa B 10,056 Big day!

Jeff S 10,000
Matthew R 7,183 Consistency!
Chris H 7,000 Hit 400K!
Jamie B 6,500

Bernie J 5,581 Nice!
Barbara B 5,000
Alison H 3,000
Brenda H 2,004

[damselfly]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that in the documentary they ran through Timbuktu!

[Dennis B.]

I'm knocking on wood here.....the spasticity (conractions of all muscles.. stroke induced) in my left side has now been tolerable this last three weeks.....I would like to surpass meters from last month ...put me down for 250,000.

[kringel]

Whoa, I'm glad I just looked again at the dates for the VTC... for some reason I thought it started January 15th! Too much going on I guess!

I think 125K is a good goal for me, and I know I can do it. I'll be "out of the boat" in the middle of it as we move, but I'll try to front load and end load and make it work. Now, if I can just trick Britt back onto the erg...

-- Karen

[barbbesal]

125k -- committed!!

[Chili]

Sadly I've fallen away from regular use of my erg but I'm hoping to change that once again. Also sad to see Pat come back and leave with hurt feelings since my last regular visit. Pat was a great leader and motivator for the team and I hope she can get past the issue that lead to hurt feelings.

Thanks to Izzi for stepping in to steer the ship. I will attempt to get back to my regular rowing ways again for the VTC to help the team.