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[old] seat5 · Post by **[old] seat5** » September 19th, 2004, 5:45 pm

Great work, Niall! We miss your 2K but it sounds like you are making great progress. I have to admit that I frequently feel the same way while rowing--looking forward to posting about it really keeps me going. I still find it helpful to be able to see the meters rolling by in order to make sure I'm getting 10MPS, though Martin's chart will help at times when I don't have that displayed. But if you are doing a distance piece (not time) you can still have the avg pace displayed and see the meters go by, since it counts them down for you at the top of the monitor. What I do if I find I'm getting to the catch too soon--say at "1" instead of "0" (if the meters are counting down) is go ahead and pull, (don't sit there) but aim to get up there on the next stroke at 1. Initially this is easier to do by going up the slide slower, but of course you can do it by having a stronger drive, which is better than playing 'sneak up the rail'. Usually, during the course of a piece, I'll start pulling on 0's and end up going through all the numbers several times. If you're just a tiny tad short or long, eventually you'll end up changing numbers. When I really get warmed up--it takes me quite a few km to really feel right--I find I'm just a tad over 10, and frequently end up pulling 11 MPS. Once I'm pulling 11, it's easy to maintain, because if you are watching the meters count down, the numbers go down, ie. your first pull is at 0, the next at 9, the next at 8, etc....if you are watching the meters count up, of course, it's the oppposite. Somehow this ends up being mildly entertaining, I don't know why. It is harder to maintain the 10 MPS until it becomes natural by repetition. I know that all my PBs were set at any old stroke rate, and I'm looking forward to reaching them again at 10MPS. Because, once I can reach them at 10MPS, I know I will blow right by them if I then strap in and row at whatever stroke rate feels comfortable. That's the goal, anyway, but I need to develop a really good base this time around, before I start working on speed. I think we will catch UNM over the next few weeks, don't you? Carla

[old] Niall · Post by **[old] Niall** » September 20th, 2004, 12:58 am

I think with our current form if we can maintain the metres we're all putting in right now not only will be blow Royal College's challenge for 7th out of the water (so to speak) but we'll overtake UoNM in the coming weeks. We're about 300K off them at the moment and in recent weeks we've been over 400K away. Keep up the challenge guys, everyone's efforts however large or small will mean us getting closer to 6th; I can almost smell 6th place!!! The battle between Carla and Martin for 9th place continues to hot up with the two of them changing positions daily right now. Yesterday (GMT) Carla was in 9th but clearly Martin's pulled in a 10K overnight (GMT).

[old] AussieTaff · Post by **[old] AussieTaff** » September 20th, 2004, 3:05 am

Another great 10 K Niall, was it a season's PB ? You are making great progress at holding 10 MPS throughout your rows since Carla's advice on the subject. Keep it up as one of the big pluses of 10 MPS is that it encourages GOOD FORM for each stroke. Ragged/rushed/sloppy/'fighting-the-erg' type rowing and 10 MPS don't co-exist for very long ! I noticed on your last 10 K that you actually exceeded 10 MPS for almost half the piece before slowly fading. Perhaps a 'gentler' start may help in maintaining Good Form and 10 MPS in the all important third quarter of a piece, something along the lines of - Rate 24, Pace 2.05 for about a K (to 'warm up'), then 25/2.00 for next 3K (to get into an aerobic 'groove'), then 26-27/1.55 ish for 3K ( i.e. work hard !) then do the final 3K at the same Rate/Pace if feeling good or drop back to 25/200 or 24/2.05 if a bit fatigued. This approach may help 'strengthen' (psychologically if not physically) your performance in the 3rd quarter of the row. And when it is happening quite easily you can then go a bit harder in the earlier stages. If you find that it is getting too sloppy trying to hold 26-27/1.55 (ie the rating is tending to blow out at 1.55) then drop back to, say, 24/2.05 for a dozen strokes or so. At your current level of fitness (not to mention K's under the belt) this should allow you to 'recover' enough to go back to 26-27/1.55's. The over-riding objective being to hold Good Form at ALL stages of your row (may mean dropping back to 23/2.10 if 24/2.05 becomes ragged for example). Another useful variation I do when I'm feeling a bit, well stuffed to put it bluntly before the session even gets underway is to set the DF to about 105-110 and concentrate on 10 MPS. Feels nice and light (very much like rowing in an eight) and necessitates a fast catch and firm drive with the legs at the start of the stroke to achieve 10 MPS. Good for developing correct technique and doesn't leave one quite so fatigued at the end of a long piece. Given the K's you are doing a low DF may help on 'flat' days (kinder on the back too I suspect). I actually did 2 x 5K at the gym today on a DF of 108 as I was still flat from the 17.5K the other day, and felt surprisingly good during each (both sub 20 mins too) thanks to the low DF. So I've slipped ahead of Carla momentarily but given her level of fitness and enthusiasm I'm barely hanging in there !! You guys have been great motivators, I would never have contemplated a 60 min row 6 months ago and now I'm thinking of a HM (only thinking mind you) !! All the best for your next row, Martin

[old] Niall · Post by **[old] Niall** » September 20th, 2004, 1:25 pm

Yep, it was a season's best so I was very pleased indeed, especially beating my previous best by 40 seconds! Many thanks for the continued tips. It's making a real difference to my progress.

[old] Godfried · Post by **[old] Godfried** » September 20th, 2004, 1:42 pm

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (seat5 @ May 28 2004, 08:17 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>How about fans of Sharon Penman's Welsh history trilogy "Falls the Shadow", "There Be Dragons" and "The Reckoning"? Welsh by association? Carla </td></tr></table> Trying to find these, so I can read them, reason enough to join?

[old] Niall · Post by **[old] Niall** » September 20th, 2004, 1:52 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE </td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Trying to find these, so I can read them, reason enough to join?  </td></tr></table> Good enough for me! Come join the fun Godfried and help us challenge the University of New Mexico for 6th place in the University Standings. Go Taffs!

[old] Niall · Post by **[old] Niall** » September 20th, 2004, 2:03 pm

Speedy, I can see you're quietly pulling in those metres mate. While the rest of us are nipping the odd 10-16K a day you seem to be increasing in leaps and bounds (or is it my imagination?). What's your average daily metres on the C2?

[old] chippy · Post by **[old] chippy** » September 20th, 2004, 2:41 pm

Carla,Martin,Nial. You taffians luv the banter,and i like to read it. Hit 700 thou today to put me a good few meters in front of Chris before he gets back from NZ. Chippy.

[old] dadams · Post by **[old] dadams** » September 20th, 2004, 3:00 pm

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (Niall @ Sep 20 2004, 01:03 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> Speedy, I can see you're quietly pulling in those metres mate. While the rest of us are nipping the odd 10-16K a day you seem to be increasing in leaps and bounds (or is it my imagination?). What's your average daily metres on the C2?  </td></tr></table> Haven't looked at it lately, but I believe it's somewhere in the 33.6k region. Mornings - warm up (10 min), then 60 min (training varies) Afternoons - warm up (10 min), then 60 min (again, training varies) I've got a Canadian that's riding my a** as far as total meters go (Anual Meters Honor Board). Only a about 200k behind me. I'd like to keep a Taff at the top of the list, but this guy just keeps cranking them out. Speedy

[old] Godfried · Post by **[old] Godfried** » September 20th, 2004, 5:29 pm

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td class='genmed'>QUOTE (Niall @ Sep 20 2004, 05:52 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Good enough for me! Come join the fun Godfried and help us challenge the University of New Mexico for 6th place in the University Standings. Go Taffs!  </td></tr></table> OK, did a 60min PB 14674 ( 2:02.7 / 500 ) to celebrate my acceptance. UoNM: eat my meters. It's done.

[old] AussieTaff · Post by **[old] AussieTaff** » September 20th, 2004, 6:37 pm

Welcome Godfried, great to have an European Taff on board. I logged on this morning to see if Carla has jumped over me, saw the 10.8 Million metres vs 10.4 for 6th and 7th and thought UoNM had gone back out to 400K gap. Then realised we were in 6th (thought it was through Speedy's and Carla's K's at first) !! . Great total K's Godfried, you have given Chippy (congrats on 700+) someone to chase before his sparring partner returns from NZ. Martin

[old] seat5 · Post by **[old] seat5** » September 21st, 2004, 12:31 am

I'm so excited! I finished my 10K (+2K warmup and 1K cooldown)--I knew it was a season's best and maybe a PB--and when I went to rank it in the log book, I got a message saying I needed an access code since it was a top ranking piece! That's never happened to me before!!! I wrote down the splits--something I've never done before, and it's a good thing, since the cool down row I did after it took it off the monitor. My goal for the row was to hold 2:08 but I surprised myself, and finished in 42:07.9, over a minute faster than my last effort, and 8 seconds faster than my 2 year old PB (rowed at a much higher rate). 2:08.4 24 2:07.3 24 2:06.4 24 2:07.0 24 2:06.9 23 2:06.6 24 2:06.3 23 2:07.2 24 2:07.3 24 2:07.1 23 2:07.1 24 2:06.9 23 2:06.5 23 2:06.7 23 2:06.1 24 2:05.5 23 2:06.5 24 2:06.3 23 2:05.0 24 2:01.0 25 I really love that avg pace display, I feel like I can do anything with that to focus on. Too bad that is not true! When I was done I hooted for about 10 breaths and was fine. I will probably feel like I got hit by a truck tomorrow morning, but right now I feel really great and not even tired. Carla

[old] seat5 · Post by **[old] seat5** » September 21st, 2004, 12:36 am

Welcome Godfried! Your meters have pushed UNM right out of the water! This is a kind of funny boat we are rowing in with 15 oarsman, but we are having a lot of fun in it. Speedy is our Stroke but we all take turns being cox. Carla

[old] seat5 · Post by **[old] seat5** » September 21st, 2004, 12:39 am

WE'RE ROOTING FOR YOU SPEEDY! Those Canadians can't hold a candle to the Welsh boys! Carla

[old] AussieTaff · Post by **[old] AussieTaff** » September 21st, 2004, 1:29 am

An excited Carla hooting away - now that would be a sight to behold Looks like you rowed a perfect piece, nice and steady to start, consistently around 10 MPS throughout with a strong 3rd quarter. Fabtastic. Have you put it in the rankings yet ? (I looked for it under 40-49 W but could only see your 'old' SB of 43 mins). Guess it's over to me for something special tomorrow at the gym, Cheers, Martin PS That 72 year old Canadian chasing Speedy must live on his erg ! (wonder if he's Welsh ?)

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