TimbukTOO Team Room

[Izzzmeister]

All hands on deck, yanking & cranking! 16 of 82 members (20%) logged 147,411 total meters Wednesday!

Milestones achieved: Dana H demolished 800K!!
Approaching milestones: Jerry H eyeing 2.1M (-28,618m), Roger G near 1.5M (-7,268m), Andy I making strides towards 1.4M (-19,170m), Jim G working on 1.1M (-18,900m), Ron M pursuing 800K (-8,764m), Ken C seeking 800K (-27,635m) while Kristin C goes for 700K (-37,791m)!

Posted Meters:
Jim C – 16,000 Keeping the distance up!
Ken C – 14,029 Going long!
Thomas J – 12,000 Anti-climactic after those marathons...
Andy I – 10,308 Third biggie of the week!
Jerry H – 10,000 Solid!

Bobbie Z – 10,000 10K!
Dana H – 10,000 Long!
Kristin C – 10,000 Steady strong rows!
Kenny H – 9,998 Ran out of steam?!
Roger G – 8,500 No rest for the weary!

Jim G – 8,161 Great meterage!
Ron M – 8,000 Still not slowing much...
Cindy R – 7,764 At the top of her game!
Ray S – 7,033 Rested & strong!
Sheryl M – 3,618 Gaining consistency...
Rachel B – 2,000 We need breaks of only a few days!

[ronmardix]

Ron M – 8,000 Still not slowing much...

A much needed full day of rest on Thursday - no rowing and no weights. Wasn't sure what to do with all that time; eventually I figured it out

[Quatroux]

And now for something completely different, the latest rowing toy:
Tried it out for the first time last Sunday. Sure enough...managed to go swimming. 47 degree air, 41 degree water. Lots of fun!

What? !?! That's awesome! Congrats on the new 1x.

Thanks, looking forward to more time in the boat and less in the water

Unfortunately the shoes were a bit small. Took the foot stretcher home, attached the new shoes, put them in the bed of my truck...the next morning discovered that somebody had broken into my truck and stole my rowing shoes and foot stretcher (and stroke coach). Geez...what are they going to do, hop around the neighborhood and use the stroke coach to guide their workout? Stupid thieves....

That sucks. That's not a cheap loss for you, but I have no idea what they will get out of it. I'm glad I got my stroke coach engraved so at least they'll have difficulty selling it if it is stolen.

[Izzzmeister]

This isn’t looking too good, guys! I DID get 3 speed sessions in (Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday) which is the barest of bare minimums before a race. But, in order to avoid overtraining - which would’ve happened had I done 3 FULL speed sessions only 2 days apart – I did the minimum amount of speed intervals, three, on two of those days, and 5 yesterday.
So, my baseline 2K row of 6:57.1 a week ago is looking like it’s going to be too close to the actual. When I did a repeat 2K last night, I only improved to 6:55.3, a scant 1.8 seconds – and I was huffing like a steam engine, trying to decide half the time if I should shut it down. So, I climbed on the scale this morning to see how much extra I was carrying and, voila, I was 6 pounds heavier than a month ago. And that’s before the weekend when, shall we say, my weight doesn’t tend to go down at all…
I knew I’d be “rowing through” this race, peaking 3 or 4 week’s after it’s over, but I did expect also to be around the 6:50 mark, and now I’m guessing more like 6:53. Ouch!
I’ll try to get one fast 500m & one 1K today, but then the next row is my 9:14am race Sunday.

If I shame the Great Ship TimbukTOO, Damselfly shall require me to walk the plank…

[Izzzmeister]

... Took the foot stretcher home, attached the new shoes, put them in the bed of my truck...the next morning discovered that somebody had broken into my truck and stole my rowing shoes and foot stretcher (and stroke coach). Geez...what are they going to do, hop around the neighborhood and use the stroke coach to guide their workout? Stupid thieves....

I hate that stuff! In New Yawk, they'd smash the window, pull out your dashboard, take out the radio. They liked it because they could get away in about one minute. Their haul: $10. Your loss: $350.

[Quatroux]

This isn’t looking too good, guys! I DID get 3 speed sessions in (Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday) which is the barest of bare minimums before a race. But, in order to avoid overtraining - which would’ve happened had I done 3 FULL speed sessions only 2 days apart – I did the minimum amount of speed intervals, three, on two of those days, and 5 yesterday.
So, my baseline 2K row of 6:57.1 a week ago is looking like it’s going to be too close to the actual. When I did a repeat 2K last night, I only improved to 6:55.3, a scant 1.8 seconds – and I was huffing like a steam engine, trying to decide half the time if I should shut it down. So, I climbed on the scale this morning to see how much extra I was carrying and, voila, I was 6 pounds heavier than a month ago. And that’s before the weekend when, shall we say, my weight doesn’t tend to go down at all…
I knew I’d be “rowing through” this race, peaking 3 or 4 week’s after it’s over, but I did expect also to be around the 6:50 mark, and now I’m guessing more like 6:53. Ouch!
I’ll try to get one fast 500m & one 1K today, but then the next row is my 9:14am race Sunday.

If I shame the Great Ship TimbukTOO, Damselfly shall require me to walk the plank…

You will be fine. Just leave it all on the erg!

[damselfly]

All hands on deck, waving a hearty Farewell and Good Luck to our mighty Cap'n as he heads off to his Cincy race! Hope your accommodations are better than those in Sochi! 15 of 82 members (18%) logged 140,393 total meters Thursday!

Milestones achieved:
Roger G galloped past 1.5M, Lisa H scored 700K!!

Approaching milestones:
Jim C is converging on 3 MILLION (-40,000m), Jerry H is working towards 2.1M (-17,618m), Greg H is close to 1.9M (-28,282m), Thomas J is making strides to reach 1.5M (-45,234m), Andy I is eyeing 1.4M (-8,570m), Bob L is drawing near 900K (-28,206m), and Glen B is going for 800K (-22,904m)

Posted Meters:
Glen B - 16,250 Missed ya!
Jim C - 16,000 Can't leave it alone!
Lisa H - 12,113 Reliving Sherlock, Season 1! Yummmm....
Jerry H - 11,000 Sweet!
Andy I - 10,600 Back in the boat regular-like!
Bob L - 10,022 I'm intrigued by the 10ks +21 or +22 meters...
Lee C - 10,018 Solid!
Bobbie Z - 10,000 Four in a row!
Thomas J - 10,000 Strong!
Roger G - 10,000 Will NOT miss a day!
Jack F - 7,291 Great!
Greg H - 6,000 Nice!
Sheryl M - 4,713 Getting back in the habit!
Scott W - 4,386 Welcome back!
Rachel B - 2,000 Two-fer 2s!

[ronmardix]

All hands on deck

Taking some more days off - going away for the weekend. Amazing how a day off turns into a week off

Back on Monday with renewed energy and vigor.

[damselfly]

Most hands on deck! 11 of 82 members (13%) logged 134,619 total meters Friday!

Milestones achieved:
Jerry H hit 2.1M, Andy I rowed by 1.4M!!

Approaching milestones:
Jim C is reaching for 3M (-24,000m), Yisroel H is cranking along towards 1.8M (-8,954m), Thomas J is dashing towards 1.5M (-24,137m), Jim G is battling for 1.1M (-13,079m), Bob L is zipping towards 900K (-18,193m), Ken C is attempting 800K (-25,704m), Glenn Y is advancing on 400K (-10,372m), Jakob F is gaining on 50K (-5,773m)

So, apparently yesterday was "Take your Half Marathon to Work" Day!

Posted Meters:
Jerry H - 21,097 HM!
Roger G - 21,097 HM!
Thomas J - 21,097 HM!
Yisroel H - 16,100 Cramming for his exam...
Jim C - 16,000 Keeping warm...
Andy I - 10,353 Dude's on fire!
Bob L - 10,013 Musta been in a hurry...
Jim G - 5,821 Speedy!
Jakob F - 5,616 Keep 'em coming! They add up fast...
Glenn Y - 5,494 Got the urge to erg!
Ken C - 1,931 Quickie!

[garygOP]

By now, Izzie has erged his 2K Crash B race- belated good luck- at your worst you are still a world-class rower for your age.

I am back in KC- snow and all it was great to have a seat in the boat waiting for me.
Now it is Onward, if not upward!!!!

[damselfly]

All hands on deck, either erging or desperately shoveling snow!! 17 of 82 members (21%) logged 216,932 total meters Saturday!

Milestones achieved:
Jim G racked up 1.1M, Bob L surmounted 900K, Keith J hit 200K, and Jakob F hammered past 50K!!

Approaching milestones:
Jim C is a half row from his 3 mill (-8,000m), Adam M is reaching for 1.8M (-31,903m), Bobbie Z is bearing down on 1.6M (-40,834m), Thomas J is advancing on 1.5M (-14,137m), Ken C is venturing to reach 800K (-14,670m), Mark Si is zooming towards 400K (-8,585m), Ulla D is intent on reaching 300K (-17,998m), and David R is going for 250K (-2,000m)

This week's frequent rowers (Sat 2/1 through Fri 2/7):
Roger G - 7
Andy I, Bob L & Jerry H - 6
Jim C, Jim G & Ron M - 5
Bobbie Z, Dana H, Kenny H, Sheryl M, Thomas J & Yisroel H - 4

Posted Meters:
Keith J - 51,820 Glad to see you back in the boat, Keith!!
Bob L - 21,097 HM!! Your first?
Bobbie Z - 18,000 Super-sized!
Jim C - 16,000 One more row!
Jim G - 15,199 And another super-sized effort!
Roger G - 15,000 Right back at it!
Jakob F - 12,049 Huge!!
Ken C - 11,034 A wee bit more time today!
Adam M - 10,500 Still visiting the erg!
Thomas J - 10,000 No rest!
Jerry H - 7,500 Hammering it hard!
David R - 7,000 Sweet!
Andy I - 6,432 How is the low-carb going? No lack of meters!
Dana H - 5,500 Nice!
John B - 5,475 Looking good!
Ulla D - 2,500 Adding up!
Mark Si - 1,826 Can't be biking... too much snow!

[Izzzmeister]

By now, Izzie has erged his 2K Crash B race- belated good luck- at your worst you are still a world-class rower for your age!

Thanks, wish I'd aced it. I did improve on Thursday's 6:55.3, but I came in 3rd. Erich Wuerfel, the fellow who beatr me by 5.5 seconds 2 years ago, beat me by 13.4 seconds this time. I do need to warn you: I'll be posting the whole saga soon, and you must read every word of it. Yes, there'll be a test!

[Izzzmeister]

Part I - The Race Beckons...
I'm not sure why a simple race that wasn't even supposed to be a big deal, since I was “rowing through” it to peak in a few weeks - turned out to be a whole adventure, but I guess life is like that....
Maybe it's just how entertained I always am reading the post-race reports of Andy Ivey, Mark Emig & Glen Baker, and this is my way of “giving back”. The good news is I didn't “catch a crab” (or any other communicable disease), end up with multiple lacerations on my hands or other body parts, or get to swim in icy water. Well, good news for ME anyway – not as good news if you love laughing at other people's misfortunes...
While the original plan was for me to spend the night in a hotel near the Cincinnati Indoor Rowing Championships' venue (Park Hills, KY), I opted at the last minute to stay at home for the night, wake up at 6 and drive the 2 hours. My race was scheduled for 9:14, so if I drove from 6:30 to 8:30, I'd have time to register, dress, do a warm-up 2K and be fresh as a daisy – albeit a 54-year-old daisy – for the race. Simple, yet elegant plan!
But “my life” & “simple” don't belong in the same sentence. Firstly, we had accepted taking a surprise house guest the night before. No problem, as long as he was sleeping. BUT he had car problems, he'd called AAA for emergency assistance, and they called him at 5:45a.m. to announce that they had arrived two hours before ETA. So at 6:10 when I'm starting to get dressed, he's coming into our apartment with his tale of woe (and interrupted sleep). He also told my wife and myself that he'd been driving a few hours earlier in Indy, and his car skidded. So, my wife is trying to convince me not to even go, since the roads are slippery. I assured her that if it became unsafe to drive, I'd return home, alive to row another day.
I finally got out of the house for the 122 mile trip at 6:47am, my time window rapidly closing. Instead of 15 minutes to reach the highway, it took almost 30. At that point, I decided my time window was down to 3 minutes. If I lost 3 more minutes, I would need to turn back.
But I only lost a minute or two on the I-465 loop around Indianapolis, and I-74 to Cincinnati was relatively clear – and improving. Once I got to the point where the snow had fully stopped, I was able to move, shall we say, briskly - perhaps at a speed with which a State Trooper might have been displeased had he been there to observe it.
Another way I had made up some time was by not stopping halfway for a break. No walking around and keeping my legs fresh. No coffee to give me that extra racer's edge. BUT a few valuable minutes for peace of mind and a vital warm-up.
Of course, those of you who are fans of the Keystone Kops know the next step (or misstep): I missed the highway exit! I was looking for Ex. 188 “Park Hills, 1072”, so I passed Exit 189... Park Hills and Route 1072. On to the next exit. Off ramp. Left. On ramp. Back an exit. Get off to the right, then make a left...
I arrived a minute or two after 9:00 for my 9:14 race. Someone was occupying each bathroom stall, so I got dressed leaning on a sink, my body a cautionary visual to those impressionable young teenagers who might previously have considered leading a sedentary lifestyle for 30 years.
I then ran into the gymnasium, looking for a practice erg to grab but alas, they were all filled with fit young men casually staying warmed up, as my cold muscles warned me that if I were to ignore them just one more time, THEY WOULD SNAP! So, I stretched, shifted from foot to foot, fretted, and stretched some more. Finally, a pimply-faced teenager decided he had something more important to do, so I quickly grabbed the open erg and started warming up.
Two minutes later, I hear, “Races 5, 7, 9 & 11, last call!” That included me, so after 2 minutes of warm-up, I went running over to Erg 20, my pre-assigned erg. However, some young girl was in the middle of a race on that erg, as were other young ladies on the ergs around hers. I looked around for guidance, nobody guided me, so I ASSUMED...
Okay, I should never assume, right? But I did. I assumed that the Last Call was for registration, not for the actual race. So I found an open practice erg, got in another 2 minutes of warm-up, when the last call came in for the NEXT set of races. Whoops! I ran over, inquiring as to what had happened to my race, Erg 20 and all? The fellow pointed to the left, “Your race is the one finishing right THERE!” B-b-but I w-w-was supposed to be on Erg 20?! “They moved that cluster of people from Ergs 13-24 to Ergs 1-12, and that race is finishing!” W-w-what do I do NOW?! “Okay, let me see if I can find you an open erg, and you'll race with this group starting now.”
I started inching over to the display to see what times had been put up by the Old Fogey Division, so I would know what time I had to beat. Just as I was about to get into position to see the finishing times, the race organizer said, “Not THAT way – THIS way!” A last, fast furtive glance at the board was able to glean absolutely nothing.
He placed me on Erg 22, with two fellows to my right and 21 fair maidens to my left. I looked down at my monitor: “Okay to warm up!” I look at the screen in front: “STOP!” Back to my monitor: “Okay to warm up!” The fellow up front explains to an anonymous though pretty rower to my left that “STOP!” actually means “STOP!”, a lesson that in my time used to be reserved for the boys...

[Izzzmeister]

Part II - The Race & Its Aftermath
...So I start fiddling with my cap, foot stretchers and sneakers when I hear what sounds like the word “ROW!”, except that it sounded more like “row.” How curious, thought I, that someone would say the word “row.” At that point, my peripheral vision caught movement on the overhead screen, so I swiveled my head about to identify its source. There, on the screen, were 10 moving boats, and two stationary ones! My full name was prominently displayed next to one of the perfectly serene boat outlines.
So, instead of being coiled like a cobra to come roaring out of the starting gate concurrently with the “ROW!” command, I was desperately pulling my handle to get some basic momentum to try to start catching up to all those yellow boats spraying their misty wake on my stunned face.
Usually, the first 12-15 strokes are used to take advantage of the burst of power provided by the body's ATP-PC energy system (sorry, you'll have to look this one up!), then I would ease into a rhythm that would carry me to my finishing sprint. So, at the beginning of the bulk of my row the monitor would be at about 1:41 average, then I'd watch it slip to 1:42, 1:43, hold it at 1:44, and try to improve on it in the final minute. Instead, I'm seeing 2:25 on my rower when my stroke finally settled in. What the...?
So, I just concentrated on getting my stroke down, getting my rhythm up, so that I could re-assess my situation. In the meantime, my boat started passing the girls one by one. To my left I overheard a conversation. Disembodied Voice #1: “Who is THAT?” Disembodied Voice #2” “It's just one of those GUYS!” I look down at my monitor, which now announces that I'm rowing 1:44 and averaging 1:51. Hmmm, maybe I can actually end up with a time below 7 minutes after all!
I suddenly realize that the stud to my right has synchronized his strokes to mine at an even 30. I decide this isn’t good for him, so I up my stroke rate to 31, then 32. Finally, we un-sync.
I look down at my monitor to see who's still ahead of me, and I see... THAT NAME. Erich Wuerfel! The fellow who beat me two years ago by 5.5 seconds, but whose name I hadn't seen on the original seat assignment chart. I had thought I was safe from his flywheel-spinning clutches, but there he was, two ergs to my right! And, to add injury to insult, 71 meters ahead!
By this time, I'm rowing between 1:41 to 1:42, and my average is down to 1:45.5. Sub-7 is very doable, but I'm not feeling very strong. So, instead of sprinting with 400 meters left, I wait until there are 300m remaining, and I then make my move. I do a Power 15, then realize I haven't sped up quite that much, perhaps to 1:34 or 1:35. So, instead of easing up, I strive to hold that 1:35 to the finish line. I do so, though panting.
Of course, Erich Wuerfel had slowed down over 2 years – by .7 of a second, from 6:40.5 to 6:41.2. But my 6:46 from 2 years ago had been replaced by a... 6:54.6, an additional 8.6 seconds to cover the same ground.
Drats, foiled again, and by The Wuerfel (to be said in the same tone of voice as Seinfeld might say, NEWMAN!”) to boot! I'm ready to go ahead with my plans for a Wuerfel dartboard, a Wuerfel punching bag, a Wuerfel pop-up clown... the possibilities are endless!
Then I hear, “Hey, great race, Yisroel!” The Wuerfel was addressing me. I responded with my typical wit and wisdom: “Huh?!” And what a clever “Huh?” it was! “Your race. You got off to a late start, you set a good pace, and you finished strong. Great race!” “Um. Yeah. Well. I guess so. I broke 7, I guess,” I dazzled him with my brilliance.
Later he said I was looking good, which just comes to show that not only is he a good rower and a nice guy, but he's observant too! So now we're buds.
He explained that he had been a state champion swimmer in Florida in his youth, that he worked in the GE plant in Cincinnati, that he used their in-plant pool to swim and challenge others, that he cross-trained with running, rowing and CrossFit.
He challenged me to do more hard sprints; I challenged him to do more long rows. He challenged me to try to do 300 calories in 10 minutes; I challenged him to buy an erg and RowPro so he can do some steady-state cardio. He challenged me to use my hips more when rowing; I challenged him to turn his hands over, and shift his center of gravity faster to begin the recovery part of the stroke. He challenged me to do more deadlifts; I challenged him to strengthen his legs. The re-match is in only 364 days.
Actually, it was a very positive conversation. We talked of many things: Of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax; Of cabbages and kings... (Sorry, if that sounds familiar, then Google it!) We intend to compete next year, both of us improved, and may the best man win – but not by as many seconds as he won by this year!
So, I didn't hit my goal of 6:52-6:53 officially, though that's likely the amount of time I was actually rowing. Yet, I was oddly satisfied. A strong effort... a nice recovery from being off-balance... not having given up... making a new friend.
But what if I had seen that someone had already rowed a 6:51.6 in the previous heat? Would I have, could I have, pushed just a bit more and.. Oh, never mind!

[Cyclingman1]

What a tale. I don't know how many TimbukTOOers do the racing bit, but there are a good many lessons in this tale.

I have done over 100 races (only 2 rowing) in my first 67 yrs. Two indispensable rules are "be prepared" and "be early."
For my 9:36AM GA TECH race on Feb 1, I was up at 4:30 AM, very early light breakfast, out of the house at 7AM for my 40 mile trip, and sitting in the venue at 8AM, keeping everything calm. It gave me plenty of time to acquaint myself with the venue and rower assignments and warm up some.

Also, I see a 16K row on Friday.

Yisroel H - 16,100 Cramming for his exam...

I don't think that is tapering.

This saga is more of an adventure than of a race.