TimbukTOO Team Room

[Izzzmeister]

Bye, Bye, Bonnie! We hate to see you go, but wish you luck! 29 of 49 members (59%) logged a lovely 345,414 total meters Tuesday!

Posted Meters:
Mark A - 15,000
Rachel B - 5,000
James C - 2,000
Ken C - 6,000
Kristin C - 5,000

Jim C - 16,000
Dale C - 10,122
Ulla D - 4,500
Jim G - 10,011
Lisa H - 7,047

Gabi H - 5,500
Dana H - 8,000
Danny H - 3,007
Greg H - 30,000
Yisroel H - 17,325

Kyle J - 20,000
Kevin K - 5,000
Erik K - 10,000
J. K - 6,441
Jamus M - 6,926

Ron M - 15,262
Diane M - 36,125
Mike O - 7,500
John S - 7,136
Rahsaan T - 4,304

David W - 56,527
Joseph W - 10,397
Glenn Y - 5,284
Bobbie Z - 10,000

Challenge Goals - Day 3 of 31 (9.7%):
Ron M - 30,262 of 100,000 (30.3%)
Diane M - 104,579 of 450,000 (23.2%)
Lisa H - 19,892 of 100,000 (19.9%)
Ed M - 19,766 of 120,000 (16.5%)
Ulla D - 19,420 of 125,000 (15.5%)
Bobbie Z - 26,000 of 200,000 (13.0%)
John B - 23,446 of 200,000 (11.7%)
Dale C - 21,328 of 200,000 (10.7%)

Yisroel H - 17,325 of 225,000 (7.7%)
Kevin K - 10,000 of 150,000 (6.7%)

Milestones achieved: Diane hit 100K!!! Greg, David & Kyle hit 50K!!

[Quatroux]

Thanks for the reminder to register for the FTC. The fact that we have to opt-in slipped my mind. I have no idea how many meters I will row.

[Izzzmeister]

All hands on deck, putting up amazing numbers! 22 of 59 members (37%) logged a meaty 273,662 total meters Tuesday!

Milestones achieved: David topped 2.5M!!! Kevin copped 400K!! Dana dropped 200K! Rachel popped 75K, while Kristin bopped 25K!!
Approaching milestones: John is approaching 800K (-1,603m), Joseph W sighting 450K (-24,040m), Ulla a few pulls from 100K (-64m),
while Ken (-3,500m) leads Joseph M (-8,000m) to 25K!

Posted Meters:
David W - 56,527 Holding back on us?
Diane M - 36,125 Astonishing!
Kyle J - 20,000 He’s back!
Yisroel H - 17,325 Building…
Jim C - 16,000 Rocket!

Ron M - 15,262 Whoa!
Joseph W - 10,397 Hot stuff!
Dale C - 10,122 Back to back!
Jim G - 10,011 Six days running!
Bobbie Z - 10,000 Two days, 26K!

Joseph M - 10,000 Back… with a flourish!
Dana H - 8,000 Strong!
John S - 7,136 Over 50K last 4 days!
Lisa H - 7,047 Three!
Jamus M - 6,926 Ready to rock!

Ken C - 6,000 Three!
Glenn Y - 5,284 A graphic?
Kevin K - 5,000 Every other day…
Rachel B - 5,000 Back on the beam!
Kristin C - 5,000 Three in a row!
Ulla D - 4,500 Only one day off this week!
James C - 2,000 Ready to rumble?

[The Blacksmith]

Thanks for the reminder note Izz. I've been off the rower since I did the Blackburn Challenge. Got lazy-life got in the way. Now my back is killing me-I've had a disc removed a decade or so ago. When I'm strong it doesn't bother me. Haven't been rowing, and guess what happened?? But, I'm starting slow 5k easy rows to not blow out my back worse than it is now, and I'll see what happens.

[johnb]

A funny thing happened on my journey towards
rowing nirvana, not really; but this is a voyage of
discovery for me. So after taking a day off from rowing
I wanted to get back at it and make some solid progress
towards my goal. I headed to the gym and attacked the
task at hand, determined to continue to improve my form
and hone my stroke to perfection. I have neglected to
mention something in my everyday life was nagging at me.
Nothing big, just the kind of nuisance thing that causes
undo stress if you don't let go of it. So as I am rowing away
thinking about my stroke, my splits, etc., my mind kept
drifting to this nagging little irritant that I was mentally
gnashing upon. As my mind drifted my stroke rate climbed.
The problem was nothing, petty, stupid, blah! but when
I let my mind drift my stroke rate climbed as high as 32 s/m.
When I focused only on my rowing, I got my stroke rate down
to around 26 s/m. At the end of the day I had a good hour
long row (13k) and learned a valuable lesson about bringing
negative emotions to the rower. Looking forward to a nice
stress free row tomorrow. The lesson applies to my whole
life, a nice little side lesson from rowing; which I had driven
home with abundant clarity about how holding on to negative
emotions impacts all other aspects of my daily life.

[gholtman]

Johnb,
I would like to thank you for explaining the reason for a slower stroke rate. I have been using that information the last two days with a great deal of success. I have been doing distances that I have not even thought of trying a month ago. I have also noticed that consentration is the name of the game. When I let my thoughts roam the stroke rate rises. Only with concentration do I reach my goal of lower stroke rate. I have also found that the slower I go the less fluid my stroke becomes. I have a hitch at the release. It's a hitch or 28 - 29 stroke rates. Has anyone had a similar problem? What have you done to solve that problem?
Thanks all for your help and support.

[damselfly]

Thanks for the reminder note Izz. I've been off the rower since I did the Blackburn Challenge. Got lazy-life got in the way. Now my back is killing me-I've had a disc removed a decade or so ago. When I'm strong it doesn't bother me. Haven't been rowing, and guess what happened?? But, I'm starting slow 5k easy rows to not blow out my back worse than it is now, and I'll see what happens.

Good to see you, Mark!!! We've missed you!!

Easy does it... Baby steps back to the meters... You WILL get back!

[damselfly]

To our newer rowers, avail yourselves of YouTube -- for me anyway, watching good technique was absolutely the best help.

Concept 2 Rowing Technique - YouTube

NOTE: Absolutely do NOT do this:

[johnb]

Johnb,
I would like to thank you for explaining the reason for a slower stroke rate. I have been using that information the last two days with a great deal of success. I have been doing distances that I have not even thought of trying a month ago. I have also noticed that consentration is the name of the game. When I let my thoughts roam the stroke rate rises. Only with concentration do I reach my goal of lower stroke rate. I have also found that the slower I go the less fluid my stroke becomes. I have a hitch at the release. It's a hitch or 28 - 29 stroke rates. Has anyone had a similar problem? What have you done to solve that problem?
Thanks all for your help and support.

Well, you are more than welcome. What information I shared was given to me by others here on the team. I would also defer to some more experienced rowers to advise on a 'hitch' in your stroke. I have found my overall stroke to be smoother as I have lower my s/m rate, although I do change speed during phases of it. The drive portion feels faster, and as I transition to the recovery I get my hands/arms extended pretty rapidly...then lean slightly forward and compress my legs...
The motion and direction shifts, but I don't feel like I have a hitch. I do feel like I am extending the length of the recovery portion of my stroke, whereas at 35 s/m I may have looked smooth, but I was cutting my strokes shorter. Where exactly is the hitch? And how is it affecting you? I ask these questions hoping someone with experience and rowing knowledge can offer some better insights.

[johnb]

To our newer rowers, avail yourselves of YouTube -- for me anyway, watching good technique was absolutely the best help.

Concept 2 Rowing Technique - YouTube

NOTE: Absolutely do NOT do this:

Thanks for posting that Lisa, the concept 2 video drives home everything I am trying to do and my stroke does feel much more fluid. I bet if I were patient enough to practice the way they suggest, I'd make faster improvements.

[damselfly]

Ahoy, maties!! It be my sincere hope ye all be enjoyin' a fyne Int'rnational Talk Like a Pirate Day!! Hoist th' mains'l and swab the decks, you scurvy dogs! And ROW!! Arrr!!! Greenville Indoor Rowing, prepare t' be BOARDED!!! A proud and piratical 34 of 58 members (59%) logged 448,535 total meters Wednesday, w' some truly arrrrr-some rowing!! Cap'n would bust his peacoat buttons w' pryde if'n he wasn't ashore...

Welcome back to a whole boatload of previous TWOians to the 2013 FTC!


Posted Meters:
John B - 13,150
Guy B - 6,689
Rachel B - 5,000
Jamie B - 6,128
Ken C - 10,000

Kristin C - 2,500
Jim C - 16,000
Dale C - 10,043
Brent C - 8,355
Mark E - 10,000

Jack F - 8,261
Gary G - 12,664
Jim G - 15,375
Lisa H - 7,047
Gabi H - 9,000

Dana H - 10,000
Danny H - 3,018
Greg H - 30,000
Yisroel H - 18,268
Kevin K - 7,000

Erik K - 10,000
Ron M - 6,000
Adam M - 14,500
Michael M - 12,519
Ed M - 7,516

Diane M - 34,349
Steven M - 9,756
Paul N - 21,457
Mike O - 5,500
John S - 7,725

Lee W - 62,069
David W - 39,606
Joseph W - 3,040
Bobbie Z - 6,000


Challenge Goals - Day 4 of 31 (12.9%):
Ron M - 36,262 of 100,000 (36.3%)
Diane M - 138,928 of 450,000 (30.9%)
Lisa H - 26,939 of 100,000 (26.9%)
Ed M - 27,282 of 120,000 (22.7%)
John B - 36,596 of 200,000 (18.3%)
Bobbie Z - 32,000 of 200,000 (16.0%)
Yisroel H - 35,593 of 225,000 (15.8%)
Dale C - 31,371 of 200,000 (15.7%)
Ulla D - 19,420 of 125,000 (15.5%)

Kevin K - 17,000 of 150,000 (11.3%)


Milestones achieved:
Lee and John overtook 50K!!

[damselfly]

All hands on deck! A tried and true 26 of 59 members (44%) logged 342,310 total meters Wednesday!

Milestones achieved:
John sailed past 800K, Diane dunked 700K, Mark mastered 300K, John B slammed 200K, Gary broke through 100K, and Joseph, Ken, and Brent tag-teamed 25K!!

Approaching milestones:
Yisroel is sighting 800K (-43,000m), Jim G is nearing 500K (-18,356m), Jack is closing on 500K (-19,242m), Joseph W is hunting 450K (-21,000m), Ed is about to pass 150K (-5,281m), and there is a four-way contest for 35K, with Joseph M (-1,000m), Ken (-3,500m), Kristin (-6,503m), and Brent (-9,636m). May the best pirate win!

Posted Meters:
Mark E - 54,486 Welcome back to the boat, Smitty!!
David W - 39,606 I think Diane has our Marine semper fi-red up!!
Diane M - 34,349 Outstanding!
Yisroel H - 18,268 Atta bouy, Cap'n!
Joseph M - 17,000 Stellar!!
Jim C - 16,000 Fast and furious!
Jim G - 15,375 BIG!!
Adam M - 14,500 Making up for a lost day!
John B - 13,150 Improved form paying dividends!
Michael M - 12,519 Welcome back to the boat!!!
Dale C - 10,043 Three long rows back-to-back-to-back!
Dana H - 10,000 Long!
Ken C - 10,000 Bogarting the family rower!!
Brent C - 8,355 O RLY?
Jack F - 8,261 Sweet!
John S - 7,725 His daily dose of row!
Ed M - 7,516 Nice!!
Lisa H - 7,047 Shoulders are feeling good!
Kevin K - 7,000 Solid!
Jamie B - 6,128 Back for some challenge action!
Ron M - 6,000 Back to rational meters after yesterday's monster row!
Bobbie Z - 6,000 Adding up FAST!
Rachel B - 5,000 5k a day keeps the doctor away!
Joseph W - 3,040 Quickie!
Kristin C - 2,500 Keep 'em coming!
Gary G - 2,442 Way to row!

[CONLEJM]

Well another routine physical today. I just want to post a testimony of how good rowing and a healthy diet can be.

Three years ago, my total cholesterol was 258, my HDL was 38, my LDL was 196, my Triglycerides were 120, and I weighed 230-235 lbs. I started rowing on my clothes rack (a.k.a. Concept 2 Model D collecting dust) and slowly over time began changing my diet to a "plant-based whole food" diet espoused by Dr. Joel Furhman in the book "Eat To Live". Adding rowing to my lifestyle was pretty easy, as I had enjoyed rowing many years ago in college, and off-and-on since then. Changing my diet from predominantly processed foods and animal-based food products was more difficult. But every month I made progress increasing my rowing and eating healthier. My overarching goal was to NOT take any medicine, but rather address this through diet and exercise.

Last year my total cholesterol was 192, my HDL was 53, my LDL was 123, my Triglycerides were 104, and I weighed 209 lbs. I made good progress in two years, but I knew I could improve my diet further. I was rowing plenty, so there was not much room for improvement there; I believe there is a law of diminished returns with exercise, and I was rowing an hour a day already. So I focused on the diet, and landed somewhere between the "Eat to Live" diet and the "Mediterranean Diet" with very little deviation. I called it the "beans, greens and sardines" diet.

Today my total cholesterol is 185, my HDL is 62, my LDL is 113, my Triglycerides are 62, and I weigh 203 lbs. At 6'4", my BMI is finally no longer indicating that I am "Overweight" for the first time since I was in high school. I really don't want to lose any more weight, but I would like to get my LDL below 100, for at levels below 100 there is a reversal of artheriosclerosis. There is no heart disease history in my family; I just thought this would be a good goal to aim for. I read in "The China Study" that the average total cholesterol in China during the study period was 127, so ... still lots of room for improvement in me.

I am proud to say I have accomplished this entirely though diet and exercise.

[Cikan Vuz]

^ Awesome!!!!

[gte215r]

Hi All,

I saw that your team seems the most actively engaged in looking for new members so I've joined. I tend to row in spurts but should be good for about 200K in the challenge.

Sean