N.a.t.e. (it's Not About The Erg) Team

[old] grams · Post by **[old] grams** » December 23rd, 2005, 2:32 pm

Too many responsibilities and not enough time to erg? Post your resolution(s) on our team thread. We'll give each other support & advice and get each other through the 'hump month' of January. Contact me (grams) if you want to join. Click on the PM button in the far left hand corner of this post to send me a private email with the following info: 1) Your email address 2) Your first and last names EXACTLY as they are entered in your online profile in your C2 Logbook Thanks to Lance for the team name, grams

[old] wellborn · Post by **[old] wellborn** » December 26th, 2005, 4:06 pm

Hi grams, Your invitation fits me to a T, especially in January. I just got back on my rower consistently for the HC and was worried that it would be lost next month. The Virtual Team Challenge will hopefully bridge the gap until February (when I am on vacation and can row without impediment of job responsibilties). And to top it off, I am a BIG fan of Lance Armstrong. So joining your team appeals to me on several levels. I will PM you the requisite info. BTW, do I have to enter N.A.T.E. on my C2 profile? Or is it all managed by the Team Captain?

[old] grams · Post by **[old] grams** » December 27th, 2005, 1:39 pm

I have added you to the team. Lance is a presence here at home. My husband bikes seriously and he was gratified to learn that the indoor cycle trainer he got for Christmas is the same one Lance uses. He is diabetic so whenever he goes biking he is challenged managing his energy levels to a much greater degree than us folks with energy 'backup'. I believe that Lance was his inspiration when he decided to ride 1/2 way across Australia with a group last spring. He made it and it changed his outlook on life. My goals are more modest-I want to break into the 900 level on all of the Nonathlon events this year. I think it will be tougher because Ole Granny's numbers are now included in the statistical averages fo my age. She is a super lady. grams

[old] erikajas · Post by **[old] erikajas** » December 27th, 2005, 11:19 pm

Hi Grams, I was a competitive masters rower after my college career with a 5 year hiatus in between. My last race was in June in Welland, Ontario after which I moved and started a new job working insane hours. I love my job, but I'm out of shape and miserable. I started erging again around Thanksgiving to relieve the stress of my job and from my dad's new diagnosis of thyroid cancer. But alas, I have only managed four (yes, just four) erg workouts since then. I need some serious motivation to make my sleep deprived butt get on the erg regardless. I think NATE may help and I'd love to join you if you'll tolerate me. New Year's resolutions: Swear less, be more patient, appreciate the little things, be thankful for the big things, and take care of myself so I can better care for others. I will email you my info. --Erika

[old] wellborn · Post by **[old] wellborn** » December 28th, 2005, 4:16 am

Hi Erika, Glad to have you join us in N.A.T.E. I think we all will appreciate and benefit from each other's support/encouragement next month. Sorry to hear about your father. I hope his cancer is treatable and that you will hear some encouraging news soon after the initial diagnosis. I have used my rower to blow off stress many times in the past 15 months (since buying it). I can relate to the hassles that work adds to one's life. Long hours certainly make getting to work-outs more challenging. I'm glad we'll have "informed" company rowing through the virtual waters of the January Challenge. Welcome aboard. Gene

[old] erikajas · Post by **[old] erikajas** » December 28th, 2005, 8:13 pm

Thanks Gene, I'm inspired already. Unfortunately, I now will not be able to erg during the 1st week of January because I just found out that my dad's having his surgery then and I'm going to go home (where an erg, let alone rowing, is considered a strange and silly concept). But being on the team gives me more reason to come back with a vengence and make up for lost time. Grams, thanks for creating the team. I think this is what I need to get me going and calm my head. I vow to get on the erg every day that I get home (in my line of work I pull a few all-nighters), tired or not. The team is encouraged to get on my case if I'm not pulling my weight! I'm already glad to be a part of this team. Go N.A.T.E! --Erika

[old] oakydaisy · Post by **[old] oakydaisy** » December 28th, 2005, 8:33 pm

grams, i just sent you a pm - i want to join this team... don't want to be intimidated by other people, just want to have some buddies to count on in a rough spot! i just started rowing regularly this december and really love what it's done for me so far. my biggest challenge is boredom, so i need a reason to stay on that thing, especially after my bum starts hurting! my new year's resolutions are to stick with the erging and to cut down on the swearing (i have a potty mouth!). oh, and i also want to spend more time with my family this year... good luck to all! oakydaisy

[old] grams · Post by **[old] grams** » December 29th, 2005, 2:32 pm

Welcome to our new members! We are 5 so far, which is super. Erika, Let us know what day and time your dad's surgery is. I will do my erg session then and send out some calming and healing vibes for both of you while I am doing it. Grams' advice: this kind of "dad's wellbeing is in the hands of others and I'm totally stressed" is really hard to deal with. When I feel my temples start to pound, I do a quick visualization of being on my erg with my favorite tunes playing. Try creating a visual of yourself on the water and run the tape in your head when you need to focus. Don't worry about getting 'behind' in your erging. Our collective goal is to create a space in our lives for an activity which may seem solitary but in reality helps each of us with all our other responsibilities. In my case my positive mental additude (love those endorphins) and general good health have made a huge difference in my ability to care for others. Oakydaisy, A sore bum is manageable. The 'boredom' part is trickier. Each of us does something different to get into that zen state while erging. I like loud 70's rock n roll. What do you like to do to relax? TV? Food? Music? Are you a 'keep track of the numbers' person? Something will fit with your style, let us know. grams

[old] oakydaisy · Post by **[old] oakydaisy** » December 29th, 2005, 7:00 pm

thanks for the encouragement, grams! and erika, i'm thinking of you and your dad, let us know when the surgery is and i'll light a candle... as far the boredom thing goes, i've been listening to a book on tape. it was a suggestion from my hypnotist, and it does help. the trick is to allow myself to listen only when engaged in physical activity. that way, to hear the end of the story, i need to keep moving. i might try some music for a change. i can imagine myself saying "one more song, onemoresong, onemoresong......" take care! oakydaisy

[old] erikajas · Post by **[old] erikajas** » December 30th, 2005, 12:02 am

Thanks for all the support already! My dad's surgery is on the Jan 5th, 7:30 AM. I really appreciate all your thoughts and love. It's very comforting to know you're all out there. Thank you. Grams, It's funny you mention the visualization thing. I do it all the time but hadn't thought to do it when I had gotten the news about my dad (instead I got upset and broke 6500m for 30 min--big for me, but not at all calming). I guess I'll let it be known that I'm a doc, an ortho trauma surgeon to be specific (hence, the dad's wellbeing is in the hands of others thing is a real issue for me). When I get a challenging case in the OR I often don't get a lot of time to think about how I'm going to treat it, only that it needs to be done rapidly. As the patient is getting prepped, I generally stand in the corner, close my eyes, and scull in my head, feeling each stroke, each catch and each drive in a smooth rhythm. For whatever reason this relaxes me and gets my mind focused on the task at hand. I'll be trying it Thursday morning for sure. Oakydaisy, music helps me going a lot. Most songs are around 3 minutes, so I often get myself through a piece by thinking "okay, only 3 more songs...2 more songs..."etc. The radio, however can be hazardous...5+ minutes of commercials at the tail end of the piece is a real mood breaker. When I need some real calm, I have tried keeping the room dim with no noise at all except the sound of the erg. Not great if you're going for time and distance PRs, but it can be very relaxing. As for bum pain, I actually have a gardening kneeling pad cut down to size on the seat of my erg. They only cost about 4 bucks and it works great for my flat, lightweight rear. Again, thanks to all of you for your support and well wishes. --Erika

[old] jschuman · Post by **[old] jschuman** » December 30th, 2005, 10:13 am

hi grams, My name is Jeff and I'd like to join team N.A.T.E. (PM will be sent following this posting) I am 33 years old and a father of 2 (son is 3.5 years old and daughter is 1.5 years old). Obviously I have lots to keep me busy!! I am a total newbie on the erg. This past summer I had a serious leg injury playing softball and during physical therapy learned of the benefits of rowing and of the greatness that is the Concept2 (company and product). I bought a model D back at the end of November and am proud to say that I met the Holiday Challenge (a little over 100,000 meters - maybe next year I can make it to 200,000). For more info on me, check out the 'Introductions' section in the General forum. <a href='http://concept2.ipbhost.com/index.php?s ... 1557&st=32#' target='_blank'>My Intro</a> I look forward to contributing (just keep the expectations to a minimum ) -Jeff

[old] grams · Post by **[old] grams** » December 30th, 2005, 2:01 pm

Welcome Jeff, My youngest grandson is 3 1/2, He is very mellow, however I still seem to be tired after a day playing Thomas trains with him... On my erg seat I have a huge exercise bicycle gel pad. I'd rather have my workout time be 1/10 second slower using it than nurse a raw spot in a bad place for a week. If I am trying for a new 2000m time I will take it off the seat and pay the consequenses. Music: I burn custom cds for my sessions. A cd is about an hour so that is what I ofetn do. I am recording my old lps in cd-friendly format too. So, 1 side of an lp is 15-20 mins long. I erg while it is playing, get up and turn it over (thats my break) and record the other side. Obviously I can't stop erging while its recording, and I have the double benefit of listening to songs I haven't heard for a while and also getting them into a current media form for future workouts. I always try to reward myself in some form for a workout. Music, setting a new time, tracking my heart rate, planning a good healthy dinner, whatever. That way I focus on the reward and not on 'get through this workout so I can get on to something more important'. What do you reward yourself with? grams

[old] wellborn · Post by **[old] wellborn** » December 30th, 2005, 4:08 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(grams @ Dec 29 2005, 10:32 AM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'> The 'boredom' part is trickier. Each of us does something different to get into that zen state while erging. I like loud 70's rock n roll. What do you like to do to relax? TV? Food? Music? Are you a 'keep track of the numbers' person? Something will fit with your style, let us know. grams </td></tr></table> grams, I am also a fan of 70's rock. I see that you are burning your old LP's onto CDR's. Actually, I have already replaced most of mine the expensive way (new CD's). I don't have the electronic set-up to burn old vinyls onto CDR's. I'd like to recommend a band I have become a fan of this year: Porcupine Tree. They are a more recent band (started in the early 90's), but their music strongly reminded me of 70's era album rock. Their earlier releases are in the vein of progressive rock (lots of long instrumentals, great guitar and electronic passages). I really enjoy listening to them when I am on the rower. Erika, Now that I know what your work is, I feel like I should retract my earlier statement about knowing what work stress is like! I really cannot imagine what stress you must go through. Like you, I do not find a good hard work-out all that calming while I'm doing it, but the endorphin rush afterwards is pretty satisfying! Jeff, Sounds like you're off to a great start with your new C2! Glad you're on our team. See you all on the virtual water in a couple of days! Gene

[old] rspenger · Post by **[old] rspenger** » December 30th, 2005, 5:33 pm

<table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'>QUOTE(wellborn @ Dec 30 2005, 01:08 PM)</div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Gene </td></tr></table> Fullerton! Now that's a surprise. We lived there for almost forty years, until moving to the Owens Valley 2 1/2 years ago. Bob S. Apologies to the N.a.t.e. group for getting off thread here.

[old] erikajas · Post by **[old] erikajas** » December 31st, 2005, 3:32 pm

I'm home with the folks now in the Big Apple. I've already eaten more calories in a day than I normally do in a week...mom's a great cook and always thinks I'm too skinny! Can't wait to get back on the erg already. I just want to wish everyone a wonderful, healthy new year! And, please, everyone be safe. --Erika

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N.a.t.e. (it's Not About The Erg) Team

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