LUNA-TICS TEAM ROOM: Year-round "Looney" fun.

[BAZzy]

Knocked out another couple since. Increasing the pace to get the fitness up ahead of climbing Mt Aspiring in New Zealand this January...takes time to build back to quicker times, but have my eye set on beating my 37:50 this season...! BBB

Wow - I think that would put you in the top 15 percent of all the crazy guys who go after that 10K ranking! And in the top 5 percent or so of your age group! Worthy goal ...ok all goals worthy, so this is an ESPECIALLY worthy goal.

Actually I just took a look and I did a 10,000m @ 37:58 in 2011 season, and a 5,000m 18:39 in 2012 season. Both ranked me at just inside top 10%, around 8-9%. I’m well outside both at present!

I must admit my focus has not been so much on a 10,000 metre time, but I’m looking for high level cardio/endurance, and the 10,000m is good for that.

It will take some time to work back towards low 38:00s, but certainly have a sub 39:00 in me at the moment, but resisting the temptation – slowly does it so I don’t bust anything!

Cheers BBB

I’ve been using my Power Breathe a lot to strengthen the breathing muscles as it does make a difference...
Had all heart stress tests done recently, and all good, so ramping it up now!

[bg]

Knocked out another couple since. Increasing the pace to get the fitness up ahead of climbing Mt Aspiring in New Zealand this January...takes time to build back to quicker times, but have my eye set on beating my 37:50 this season...! BBB

Wow - I think that would put you in the top 15 percent of all the crazy guys who go after that 10K ranking! And in the top 5 percent or so of your age group! Worthy goal ...ok all goals worthy, so this is an ESPECIALLY worthy goal.

Actually I just took a look and I did a 10,000m @ 37:58 in 2011 season, and a 5,000m 18:39 in 2012 season. Both ranked me at just inside top 10%, around 8-9%. I’m well outside both at present!

I must admit my focus has not been so much on a 10,000 metre time, but I’m looking for high level cardio/endurance, and the 10,000m is good for that.

It will take some time to work back towards low 38:00s, but certainly have a sub 39:00 in me at the moment, but resisting the temptation – slowly does it so I don’t bust anything!

Cheers BBB

I’ve been using my Power Breathe a lot to strengthen the breathing muscles as it does make a difference...
Had all heart stress tests done recently, and all good, so ramping it up now!

amazing.....i can't row that quickly in my dreams :}

[danwho]

Hey Baz, thanks for the tip on Power Breathe. I remember looking into it once before, but never followed up on it. My fastest 10K was just barely sub-40, 39:57. And my fastest 5K was 18:49. Both of those were in 2006. Since then, I really haven't tried to beat or match those kind of times. I was happy with the accomplishment, but it was damned uncomfortable. That feeling of breathlessness at that speed was the worst part. I've heard people talk about lactic acid build-up, and I felt some of that, but my barrier was really that feeling of not being able to get in enough air, something I've never felt in any other situation, and I used to do a lot of running races and a few triathlons. These days, I am happy to maintain about 2:03/500. It feels like a good workout, without overdoing it. But listening to you talk has me thinking... Maybe it's time to try pushing the pace a bit.
I'm always curious to hear what others do with their breathing when they push the pace. Do you switch to a 2-breath per stroke at some point? Did Power Breathe alter whether/when you switch to a 2-breath per stroke? I know Xeno recommends people to breathe the exact opposite of what's intuitive. It's intuitive to inhale at the beginning of the drive and exhale at the end. But he tells people to flip that, and inhale at the end of the drive when your body is open, instead of the beginning of the drive, when you're a bit scrunched up. I tried it for a while, but it never felt natural to me, and I didn't really experience a benefit. It felt more natural to just switch to a 2-breath per stroke when I needed to.

[Drivetofast]

Wow I'm still working On sub 47' 10k You guys are awesome

[Kona2]

Reindeer herd is at the ready...and the Holiday Challenge is a GO! for the southern hemisphere!!

For adaptive rowers, at 50K your reindeer is freed from the stable and named....and you've earned Concept2 $2 towards the charity of your choice....
For non-adaptive rowers, at 100K your reindeer is freed from the stable and named .... and you've earned the toughest (yet most rewarding) $2 ever towards the charity of your choice....

Great to see the team pages are buzzing - that's the ticket! Wasn't looking for kudos, just team input - so thank you very very much. And welcome back to Ronnie and Rosi - we missed you.

Season meters as of 203/365 = 73,3112,160 m

Total meters on the day = 4,041,344 m

Oars in space (participation) = 28 percent

MILESTONES...Bragging Rights...Celebrations:


4.55 MM Ron
3.85 MM Jay
3.8 MM bg
1.4 MM Baz
1.05 MM Ted

Thanks, everyone, for rowing with us - and hope all our teammates living in areas of world conflict are okay!

Steven D 1,000 m
Jeff M 1,010 m
Tony m
Jay R 3,017 m
Jerri 3,510 m
Brian C 5,000 m
Rebecca 5,000 m
Marty 5,001 m
K2 5,500 m
Tom M 6,080 m
Jeff P 6,505 m
Adam 7,500 m
Brian M 10,000 m
Mike M 10,000 m
Paul S 10,000 m
Peter H 10,000 m
Greg C 10,327 m
Ross 10,561 m
Dan W 10,747 m
Pat S 12,000 m
Jane 12,760 m
Richard T 13,013 m - hope it's a lucky 13 !
Dennis 13,500 m
David A 14,664 m
Tim G 15,000 m
Chuck E 20,000 m
Matt F 20,000 m
bg 26,158 m
Baz 30,000 m
Ted 33,000 m
Ron 33,097 m ... definitely a half marathon in there for Da Do Ron Ron
Jay 35,001 m
Rosi 1,424,623 m
Ronnie 2,216,659 m

Run, turkey, run !

[Kona2]

[psu80]

Ronnie and Rosi, great to have you back with us Luna-Tics.
Tim G :

[BAZzy]

Wow I'm still working On sub 47' 10k You guys are awesome

Hi Danwho & Drivetofast

Great times you’ve put out there.

And yes it can be very uncomfortable taking any exercise into the anaerobic zone, and that is the area where you will get lactic build-up. The key is to train your body to deal with it, by constantly taking it there.

When operating in that zone be sure to do wind-down rowing to work it out as there is nothing worse than suffering a few hours of burning muscles (been there!).

On Power-Breath, I monitored it very closely when I first used it, and because I am fairly consistent on my times, I was able to “detect” about a 5-7% improvement in my times. I say detect as there could have been other factors, but there is no doubt in my mind of its usefulness.

Its key benefit is to strengthen the abdominal breathing muscles to enable you to get as much oxygen into your lungs at each breath. And if you think about rowing, you are breathing as you are compressing your abdominal area.

This enables more oxygen to the extremities, such as the legs, and the legs are usually the thing that give in with rowers, as that is where the work is really done.

On the cycle of my breathing; I breathe as required and try to fit it to the rowing pace, which on average is around 32/33 strokes per minute.

I use my Power-Breathe as recommended, 30 breathes in the morning and at night. I’m happy to endorse its benefits...

It will especially be useful for me on the higher mountain climbs coming up!

And Drivetofast – the key is not so much the “actual” time or pace, as we will all be at different levels, but importantly, it is what your time represents in terms of your output. My point simply is that a 38 minute for me might represent 95-100% of my ability, a 47 minute for you might represent the same, so we are similar in that respect! And fitness is about working in the different heat-rate zones, so you are potentially benefiting no less than I am...

Anyway, good luck out there, and to our North American friends, enjoy your special day!

Cheers, BBB

[danwho]

I also am happy to see some more familiar faces.

[Kona2]

Day 1 or 2 of 33 (it's that hemisphere thing)

And so it begins, all over the Rowing Universe....the 33 day quest for earning the Concept2 donation AND the 2012 Concept2 Holiday Challenge pin, awarded by Concept2 for the successful completion of 50K for adaptive athletes and young people 16 and under, and/or successful completion of 200K for all others. Great opportunity to have a good reason to stick to your exercise schedule, especially during the holidays!





Am a firm believer that positive thoughts really do help - even from far far away - so sending get well wishes to teammate Richard T who is in hospital for some surgery during this Thanksgiving time.

Season meters as of 204/365 = 76,191,860 m

Total meters on the day = 2,879,700 m

Oars in space (participation) = 24 percent

MILESTONES...Bragging Rights...Celebrations:

4.6 MM Ron
2.35 MM Danno
1.4 MM Matt F
1.15 MM Ross

Thanks, everyone, for rowing with us! Delighted to see some returning familiar faces!

Steven D 1,000 m
Tony m
Marty 4,000 m
Rachel 5,000 m
Pat S 5,394 m
Gail 5,500 m
Roger 5,500 m
K2 5,611 m
Peter G 8,000 m
Bernie 8,023 m
Stephen W 9,000 m
Baz 10,000 m
Peter H 10,000 m
Ross 10,216 m
Greg C 10,577 m
Tammy 11,000 m
Jane 11,323 m
Rosi 12,000 m
Debbie V 12,053 m
Lee M 14,604 m
Ronnie 15,000 m
David T 17,000 m
Tim G 17,500 m
Jay 18,000 m
Danno 19,682 m
Matt F 20,000 m
bg 22,246 m
Ron 26,097 m
Zander 1,065,054 m
Marie 1,496,987 m

Holiday Challenge always always always sends me down some bunny trails of the mind. Today's topics ranged from how to wrap LED lights around the tree trunks for a different take on seasonal outdoor decorating to holiday good deeds to random acts of kindness whatever the season - and many of these involve just a little bit of time, and often no money. Not surprisingly, encouraging others is one of the random acts....and wowzer... we all do that every day!! (Who knew there was a formula for figuring out how many light strands one would need?! tree height divided by desired vertical spacing of lights times the average circumference of the tree trunk equals the total number of lighted feet...and then you figure out how many strands from that number.)

Happy Thanksgiving to the Luna-Tics team !

PS - Better to row BEFORE the turkey dinner....

[kgallagher]

I'm back!

Hello All! Welcome to any new Loonies that I have not yet "met". I am an on the water rower from CT, so I don't tend to erg or check out the forum as much between April and November of each year. It has gotten too chilly for me to be on the water, so I'm back on the erg.

Rowing wise, I had a good year. I ended the season with a race in a womens masters 8+ at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, MA. It was an amazing 70 degree day which is very unusual for late Oct. in New England. We had a fantastic race and finished 6 out of 17 crews, passing 5 during the race. We earned ourselves a guaranteed entry in that event for next year.

I also completed my first cycling century in early September. I made my way through 100 miles of CT to help raise money for Cancer Smilow Hospital at Yale New Haven. It was a great ride and I didn't feel too badly afterwards. My only issue was I caused some Ulnar nerve entrapment in my right hand. It is still not 100% back to normal. Initially it did impact my ability to erg as it affected my grip. My hand seemed to do okay today, so hopefully it won't keep me from erging throughout the off season.


I am thankful for the motivation my Looney friends give me. Wishing all of you a very happy Thanksgiving!


Karyn

[danwho]

Well wishes, Richard.

Karyn, congrats on your race and cycling century. Quite the trooper. Late November, and it's only "getting" a little chilly? But I guess that's better than late January, and saying the water is getting a little too hard for rowing. Ah, but then you could go ice-erging.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody, including those summering down-under.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D10R0MZsD0M

[BAZzy]

Well wishes, Richard.

Karyn, congrats on your race and cycling century. Quite the trooper. Late November, and it's only "getting" a little chilly? But I guess that's better than late January, and saying the water is getting a little too hard for rowing. Ah, but then you could go ice-erging.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody, including those summering down-under.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D10R0MZsD0M

How cool is that!

And best wishes Richard...

And you bet we are enjoying our warm weather...

I sent a bit of a call out to the Luna-tics on my blog today - great bunch! And good weekend to all, some climbing for me on Sunday...

http://thelandy.com/2012/11/23/hey-what ... ure-happy/

Cheers, BBB

[Kristine Strasburger]

I'm back, too. Missed you all!

[Kona2]

I'm back!

Hello All! Welcome to any new Loonies that I have not yet "met". I am an on the water rower from CT, so I don't tend to erg or check out the forum as much between April and November of each year. It has gotten too chilly for me to be on the water, so I'm back on the erg.

Rowing wise, I had a good year. I ended the season with a race in a womens masters 8+ at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, MA. It was an amazing 70 degree day which is very unusual for late Oct. in New England. We had a fantastic race and finished 6 out of 17 crews, passing 5 during the race. We earned ourselves a guaranteed entry in that event for next year.

I also completed my first cycling century in early September. I made my way through 100 miles of CT to help raise money for Cancer Smilow Hospital at Yale New Haven. It was a great ride and I didn't feel too badly afterwards. My only issue was I caused some Ulnar nerve entrapment in my right hand. It is still not 100% back to normal. Initially it did impact my ability to erg as it affected my grip. My hand seemed to do okay today, so hopefully it won't keep me from erging throughout the off season.


I am thankful for the motivation my Looney friends give me. Wishing all of you a very happy Thanksgiving!


Karyn

Karyn - Congrats on the fine Head of the Charles finish AND finishing the cycling century! Woot ! The ulnar nerve issue (especially if you get some twitching of the muscle) is one that several friends have had just recently (El Tour de Tucson). They were used to riding with the aero bars that allow for relaxed elbows, and having to switch to gripping the handlebars really was a big adjustment. I had asked the El Tour folks about why we couldn't use the aero bars, and I guess with that many cyclists competing, it was deemed that some might not have as good control of their bikes with use of the aero bars....so they said no one could use them.

Some suggestions from this cyclist for consideration on future long distance rides: (and if other cyclists want to add to or edit this list, please do - it's all good!)

- relax your shoulders when you ride. This is probably the biggest help that I have found, and the most difficult to do - especially as you get towards the end of the ride and are more tired. I thank an anonymous cyclist for telling me to relax my shoulders as he rode by during one of my early rides. Was amazed to find what a difference this one made.

- wrap the handlebars with a couple of layers of tape

- move hand position frequently on the handlebars (again, I found that as I got towards end of the ride that I was putting more pressure on my hands and this may not have been true for you)

- try different kinds of cycling gloves

The bike forums have a lot of info on bike fit, and seat tilt angle and how far you are from the handlebars, and whether round or flat top handlebars. For me, I am a recreational cyclist who likes to do a century here and there (just to make sure I still can!), and especially when it is for a great cause like the one you were supporting. I used to think all that bike fit stuff was for the hammerheads, and real competitive cyclists...until I went in and got the bike fit and found that I had fewer knee issues, etc.

Just my nickel's worth..