Sub 7 Indoor Rowing Club (UK)

[Two Pudding Kid]

Mike - Brilliant 4 x 1k r3:30 at the end of July. Having fun with the numbers such as 33:03.3 for 8k. Excellent 8x500 3:30r improvement and 5x2k 2r @ 20 spm under 40 mins.Definitely plenty of happy results in the last 2 weeks.

Me - the pairs racing was on one ergo and the 20 secs is set as rests on the monitor, (the idea is to changeover and get tugging before the next 300m starts).Our gym normally do 15 secs changeovers but it was extended to allow for a certain old fart (aka me) to take part.

Sat 2nd August - 10k TT. A bit nervous of this one as I new that sub 45 mins would be tough but actually sailed it in 44:49.6 Will be ready to go again and hopefully achieve 44:44.4 in September/October.

Tues 6 August - 1 hour TT. Ran very smoothly and pulled a slight negative split for 13142m which is 58m better than previous one this season.

Sat 10 August - ergomarathon. Had high hopes of sub 2:30 pace average but wasnt to be. 3:37:37.0 which includes 5 breaks totalling about 7 minutes and average 2:34.7. I never really got going at this. First 15k was great but loosing my way before 2 hour mark. Worst ever result by 7 minutes, (15 times have I been mad enough to do this in 8 years). Will have to work harder at rate 24 so that it comes easy and do more work on this after Exeter. The only bright side about this is that I am currently the only 50+ LWT to have done it and worth 951 points on the nonathalon. Sore hands and some aches but stood up to this well.

Next items are the Rugby Test and the C2CTC.

[Two Pudding Kid]

13 million metres done too - must be an official member of the sore **** society. Thats 44 days and 7 hours of pulling the chain in just under 18 years.

[MPx]

Its great to clock up another million Susan - congrats on the 13. I started way back in 1998 but have had a couple of multi year breaks so although I've been at it slightly longer than you in elapsed time, probably not actual time in the saddle! I just got my T-shirt and pin for 15 million which was a welcome boost.

Interesting race format - does that 15/20s give time to use the footstraps properly? In the Large Team 100k row I did we went for very fast changeovers and just had a very loose "strap" arrangement which I found it very difficult to row normally and ended up causing issues with my hip flexers...wont be doing that again!

Nice going on the 10k - always great to beat a target!

Latest from me:
12/8 100m sprint. Projects overran today so no time. Just did a short wu/cd and a 100m sprint to see how it felt. OK @ 16.5 but .3 slower than my best in Jan. But its all so dependent on the first stroke and a fast start, its all to easy to see variations so happy enough with that.
13/8 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 33:00.1 Bit of a cock up in my head with changing targets for a finish which ended up in noman's land!
14/8 16x250 1:30r. Last time 1:37.3 avg much due to a fast last. This time 1:37.2 with a lot less fast last! Pleased with that.
15/8 4x2k 2r Target started as 5x @ steady 2:00 but another timing cock up eventual retirement changed that! By the end of the 4th I was suffering severe cramp like pain on the front of my left shin and had to slow right down - before binning the session. Most odd - didn't even know there was a muscle there, looks like pure bone?
16/8 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 33:03.7 (Stopped rowing half a stroke early!)
17/8 3x2k 2r. Supposed to be a long interval session at sub 1:54 pace. Caved in at less than 1k and did the rest at 20 spm in 2:00 pace. Oh dear!
18/8 Another abbreviated session so went for another quick wu/cd and a 500m sprint. Target as ever was sub 1:30. Result 1:29.1 so pleased with that but profile was poor with rock steady 1:27s through 300 and then just died!

[MPx]

Double whammy tonight doing a 60 mins for the FMMC and to finish off my 4th week Dog Days Challenge total - so that was good. I normally do 30k+ per week anyway so the first few weeks of the challenge are fine, but the fourth week takes a bit more planning! Recent sessions for me:

21/8 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 33:03.3 (spot on!)
22/8 5x2k 2r @ 20 spm. Target exact 8:00 (2:00 pace)... actual 4x spot on, 1 a smidge under for 39:59.9
23/8 AWL Pyramid. Target sub 1:50 pace ... actual 1:49.6 - good!
25/8 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 33:00.1
26/8 1min TT. Target 350+ ... actual 349m - shame!
27/8 60min TT. Target 15k+ ... actual 15137 - very pleased with that.

[MPx]

Latest from me:

28/8 Dumbbells and 8k @20 spm in 32:42.3 (spot on but forgot the HR target and only crept up to 143)
30/8 2k TT. Awful! Set off @1:44 and barely made it through 500. Fell back to 1:50s for the next k then tried to get back on pace (1:43 for the last 500) so rescued a 7:07.8 but clearly a long long way from sub 7 at the mo. Disappointing.
1/9 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm and HR cap <140 in 33:00.2 (.2 over target)
2/9 1.8/1.2/1.8 3r for the CTC. Difficult pacing decision as ever with the CTC. Wanted sub 1:50 but seemed suicidal through first k so slowed down to a 1:51.8 avg. Thought I'd be OK on the 1200 and managed @ 1:49.8. Expected to be slower again on the second 1800 but managed to keep going to record another 1:49.8 avg - good. So overall 17:41.8 @ 1:50.6 slightly over target but near enough...
3/9 5x2k 2r @20 spm. Target spot on 2:00 all through. Result was 2x spot on; 1 a smidge under; 2 a smidge over for 40:00.1 overall.
4/9 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 32:42.3 (spot on but HR up to 150 today unlike last Wednesday.)

[Two Pudding Kid]

Mike - sorry I havent been on here for a while but will hopefully be back soon. I have had an an enjoyable time in Austria for 10 days but now have to sort out after my fathers death (not entirely unexpected but throws a lot to do in my direction).

Hoping to make Exeter 5k with somewhere around 21 mins 45 secs or so. Made a bit of a meal of 2500m r2:30 2500m on Saturday at average 2:11 pace but hope for better things tonight with a 5k TT. Have managed to do weighted squats again and can crank out speed on the Watt Bike over short distances.

[MPx]

Sorry to hear about your Dad Susan, always a horrid time - feel for you. There's obviously loads of stuff to be done, which in some ways distracts from the melancholy but is really just a PITA! Took me a year to sort out my uncle's simple estate after he passed in 2017. Very best wishes anyhow. May pop in to the Exeter race to cheer if I have time on Sat - good luck with that!

More of the same from me this last week ... until tonight when it all went right for a change! Been trying to set some SBs for the shorter TTs and needed to do it before today (12th) when I had a blood doning appointment.
5/9 100m TT. 16.4. Only .1 improvement over an earlier attempt despite better splits all through, but an even slower start - 4 strokes before I got below a 1:20 pull. Technique is all with this one it seems and I aint got it yet!
7/9 4min for the IRL and FMMC. Worst for years - I'll have to go again. Started OK but blew about 700m in to finish with 1181m
8/9 Dumbbells and 8k @20 spm in 33:00.0 (spot on!)
10/9 30 mins @ 20 spm with each split on 2:05 targetting 7200m. Hit the meter target spot on but only 5 of 15 splits were bang on 2:05 the others all a smidge over or under.
11/9 Dumbbells and 8k @20 spm in 32:59.9 (so close!)
12/9 1k TT. 3:15.8 which equals last year's best and therefore the best since my 2016 comeback started. Where did that come from?? No idea! In fact I wasn't expecting to be erging tonight, but having sat in the waiting area at the blood place for half an hour or so I noticed an unusual number of donors lying on the floor with nurse/carers fussing over them. Shortly afterwards they cancelled the session "for safety reasons" and we were all sent away. Never known that happen before - but having kept my blood for a while longer, I've no excuses not to continue blitzing for a bit. (Rebooked for Nov).

[le grand fromage]

Thought I'd pop in just to show I'm still alive. Motivation pretty low through the summer but managed to do something most days, finally managed in the last two weeks to keep with some sort of structured training so we'll see how it goes.

[Two Pudding Kid]

Mike - hopefully I will get a chance to be the forum a bit more soon. I can see that you have been busy on any distance between 100m and 1 hour and training most days. Great news on your 1k TT on the 12 Sept, and hitting exactly 33 mins for 8k at 20spm amongst other workouts.

LGF - hello there and wishing you well in getting on with the training now autumn is here.

Me - September was always going to be less metres than previous months.

7 Sept - 2 x 2.5k r2:30. On target with ave 2:10.2 pace for the first interval and then couldnt do better than 2:11.7 pace for the 2nd one. Rather disappointing.
10 Sept - 5k TT in 21:47.6 which was a SB at the time by 6 seconds. Very steady pace between 2:09 and 2:12.
14 Sept - 5k Race in 21:44.4 which improved the SB and was first sub 21:45 this season. Not easy to get motivated to hit the target for the first half-minute or so as was the only one in Open LWT but then settled in properly and delivered. Followed about 45 minutes later by a 1k Race - 3 competitors in this and with first place being an impossible to catch 3:48 I settled for a sneaky 2nd in 4:13.4, (narrowly edging out 3rd 0.2 secs behind).
17 Sept - 2k TT. Was expecting more than 0.5 secs improvement but another SB at 8:29. Very well executed but need to find more sub 2:07s before the race season starts.

[lindsayh]

12/9 1k TT. 3:15.8 which equals last year's best and therefore the best since my 2016 comeback started. Where did that come from?? No idea!

That is a very nice 1k Mike - should mean a 1200m for the 4' is possible too.

[MPx]

It should indeed Lindsay, thanks for the thought. I've had a couple of goes already and blown up very early. Clearly struggling mentally if not with form. I'll give it another go of course but confidence is not high... Best last year was a 1201.

[MPx]

Glad to hear you're still with us Richard. Broken any records recently? I'm guessing prep for BRIC will be your motivation...

Well done on your 5k in Exeter Susan. It looked to me like an incredibly consistent session with nearly every stroke being a 2:10 and coming in under your 21:45 target. I'm glad I went - not every day you witness a new world record and that 84 year old took it completely in his stride. Nice that you set a marker for the 2k as well. You know where you're building from now.

[MPx]

The latest mixed bag from me. Only two dodgy sessions and actually made two SBs over the period which are likely to make it into the highlights program! Very happy with that!

13/9 5x2k 2r. Target spot on 2:00 pace. Managed 3x spot on a 2x a smidge under for 39:59.7. HR also under control which was good.
14/9 4min for IRL and FMMC. 2nd attempt, needed to beat 1181 target 1200. Only got halfway and completely blew, paddled in for 1111m
15/9 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 33:00.0 (spot on!)
16/9 100m TT. £rd attempt. Target to beat 16.4. Managed 16.2 which equals my best from last year. Good!
18/9 5k TT. Wanted to get into the 18:40s at worst. Only made it on pace to 2k, then 2k in no mans land then 1k @20spm @ 2:06 to act as a cool down. Shockingly bad...
19/9 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 32:59.9
20/9 Straight 8k free rate targetting a steady 2:00 pace. 7k slightly quick, 1k cool down slow for 31:59.8 overall. So near.
22/9 4min for IRL and FMMC. 3rd attempt. YYYEEEEEEESSSSS! 1203m. It certainly stung a bit but so pleased to have cracked the 1200 again - indeed I only made 1201 last year so its another comeback best. Wooooppppeeee!

[lindsayh]

Mike! 666m @1:32!! - strong indeed

[MPx]

Thanks Lindsay - yeah pleased with that, though obviously stung a bit - dying badly at the end.

The rest of my sessions pretty mixed as ever.
23/9 Dumbbells and 8k @20 spm in 32:52.1 - pointlessly very slightly quicker than usual.
24/9 6x500 2r. Last time out avg was 1:42.1. Wanted to go all sub 1:42. Managed 5, but slower last meant avg was 1:42.1 - again!
25/9 5x2k 2r @20 spm. Target steady 2:00. Did 1,2,4,5 like that, but upped the rate to 24 and pace to 1:55 in the 3rd for a bit of a change.
26/9 Dumbbells and 8k @20 spm in 33:03.0.
29/9 5kTT for Sub7 ITC. Third go. 18:54 to beat. Set off feeling like an improvement was on but that resolve had melted away by 2k in, so another hopeless session. ended 19:09.2.
30/9 Dumbbells and 8k @20 spm in 33:00.1
2/10 666m for CTC. What pace? Deffo sub 1:35. Target sub 1:33 on. Felt good for first half but started to die very badly over the last 200 and wasn't sure I'd finish as limbs started to seize up, but last couple of strokes more or less arms only got me over the line. 2:03.8 @ 1:32.9 pace. Chuffed with that - and won't be going again!