Forum Flyers

[Slothful1]

Thanks for the reply, how do I join your team for the spring series challenge? Didn't the world erg challenge start on 15 March?

I'm 38, did a bit of on-water 15 years ago, been erging off and on for years. Obviously will be doing a lot more for the foreseeable. I used to be around 6m40s for 2k and around 17m50s for 5k, but nowadays mainly do 5k pieces at 20spm, would be lucky to break 19m.

Welcome! To add to what Lindsay said, any metres you've accumulated since 15 March will be added to our team total if you join the team "Forum Flyers (since 2005) under the Teams section of your logbook. This has to be done before 23:59 GMT tonight.

Not the end of the world if you miss the cutoff, but you should still join the team. The Spring challenge only starts on 6 April. Once you've entered a 6000m row in the logbook, I should be able to see your details in my team captain page, and then I can have some fun allocating people to the virtual team boats. I don't think you need to do much else for the Spring challenge, other than join the team and enter that week's specific distance / time into the logbook.

Dave

[Johnny S]

Just a steady 30 mins for me today. Trying to get a few metres under my belt before I attempt any intervals. Now I’ve turned 50 resetting all my PBs has helped for motivation.

[biatwc]

I've signed up, thanks for the pointers.

[graycyn]

Sounds rough over there, Cynthia, sorry to hear that. These types of issues are frustrating when there doesn't seem to be specific causes and effects to link together and solve.

I think it is just perhaps doing a little too much in a day. And it takes forever for the nerves to calm. It is HUGELY frustrating! I used to could go and go...

About 10 years ago I did something to my lower back (probably trapped a sciatic nerve) from picking up a hefty baby from a low camping cot after scrubbing our pool walls for a couple of hours. I could sit OK, and lie down OK, but everything else caused intense pain, difficulty walking. I remember being able to do some light rowing at the time, because it was close to the sitting position that was OK. I have no medical background but I might have been easing the compression of the nerve with the different seating positions.

Probably unrelated to your issue, but just illustrates the difficulty of diagnosing these things without a specialist background.

Yesterday, I walked about, not a lot, but around 3K+ steps and for the first time in weeks, it didn't hurt so bad. Today I rowed 1200 meters and at a more passable pace than the 800m I rowed the other day. But then I mopped the bathroom floor and vacuumed the bedroom (quickly, not well) and I'm starting to hurt again. It just seems I can do so little in a day.

You are totally excused from another CTC this month, and we appreciate that you did fit one in!

I'm hopeful the CTC for April will be something I can do as well, unless there is NO challenge. I can understand that some folks might not want to have one if they don't have an erg at home. I just consider myself lucky on that score. The plan is to try and row a bit every other day, see if I can get back to 10-12 minutes worth, IF my nerves stay in a better place.

I've taken 2 days of leave off work to spend some time with the kids, which feels odd when you've been working at home for a week, and with more weeks ahead. It was still nice yesterday not to have to look at the phone, but I'm already getting pulled into 2 urgent meetings today, which I'm grumpy about. At least I'm prioritising a sleep-in, plus a BikeErg session before I do the meetings, so still feels like somewhat of a gain.

No kids here, just the cats. And less worry about hubby now that he's working from home. So far he hasn't gotten on my nerves too much, LOL! No sleep in tomorrow for me, gotta crack out for the elder shopping window at Safeway. I'm about to go to bed. After shopping, if I feel up to it, I'll try a bit with my resistance bands. I'm beginning to think rather than doing a whole routine in a day, it might work better to just do a little bit each day, on a different exercise.

Eating mostly healthy, except pizza today. But it was thin crust veggie with pineapple and sausage, so not too terrible. Been staying under 200 pounds mostly. I'll keep hoping I get just a little lower soon, because I'd like to not see that number on my scale again, but I might tomorrow.

Hoping for sun tomorrow! We had rain today. I don't like gloom. Although, taking the trash out, I really enjoyed having the drizzle fall on me. Kind of fun and refreshing! Made my 4K step goal today!

[Citroen]

April CTC is

3 x 1721m / 4 mins rest. First rep standing start. Subsequent as you like.

[jackarabit]

Graycyn writes:

After shopping, if I feel up to it, I'll try a bit with my resistance bands. I'm beginning to think rather than doing a whole routine in a day, it might work better to just do a little bit each day, on a different exercise.

Hi Cynthia. A weekly circuit of training. i like that! Many folks who are regretting their loss of access to a rowing machine do have yoga bands and various gym-in-a-can cable exercise systems. Calesthenics, jazzercise, cable channel workouts can serve the needs of the equipment-deprived.

We encourage you to use your erg but we also trust you to honestly assess your tolerance for intensity and volume. You have done so and we respect your findings. IMO, you are not under obligation to do any team activity that you consider a bridge too far in terms of your health.

[graycyn]

Hi Cynthia. A weekly circuit of training. i like that! Many folks who are regretting their loss of access to a rowing machine do have yoga bands and various gym-in-a-can cable exercise systems. Calesthenics, jazzercise, cable channel workouts can serve the needs of the equipment-deprived.

We encourage you to use your erg but we also trust you to honestly assess your tolerance for intensity and volume. You have done so and we respect your findings. IMO, you are not under obligation to do any team activity that you consider a bridge too far in terms of your health.

Yes, I have resistance bands and some other stuff, so I can do something for sure. For unloading the dishwasher I have to get my feet wide and kind of do sort of a plié type move, so today I was holding that just a bit longer.

But I just went to look at the CTC and I think THAT is out of my reach this month. Sad about that, but can't risk it. Unless some kind of miracle happens! Way more rowing at one time than is safe for me. I'm not sure I've ever rowed that far at once before even before the back stuff started!

Having a not so good day today after grocery shopping yesterday. 5K+ steps though! Left leg felt odd this morning. I used a crutch at first, now walking without, just gingerly. Going to hop on the inversion table for a good stretch shortly. Wish the sun would come out...

Anyway, good luck to everyone on the new challenge!

[Citroen]

But I just went to look at the CTC and I think THAT is out of my reach this month. Sad about that, but can't risk it. Unless some kind of miracle happens! Way more rowing at one time than is safe for me. I'm not sure I've ever rowed that far at once before even before the back stuff started!

Break it into three parts, take four minutes rest between each and 1721m isn't beyond most folks. The CTC isn't a race this month.

[graycyn]

But I just went to look at the CTC and I think THAT is out of my reach this month. Sad about that, but can't risk it. Unless some kind of miracle happens! Way more rowing at one time than is safe for me. I'm not sure I've ever rowed that far at once before even before the back stuff started!

Break it into three parts, take four minutes rest between each and 1721m isn't beyond most folks. The CTC isn't a race this month.

I can do 1721m, I think. If it starts to hurt, I'll have to stop.

But the challenge is 3 x 1721. That extra 2 rounds of 1721m is the problem for me. Would be around 30 minutes or more on the machine in a session. There's no way I can do that. I mean, my physical therapist didn't want me doing more than 5 minutes at a time. I worked my way up to around 12-15 at a time, but that was before the last big flare-up. Right now, 10 minutes is pushing it.

Unless it's OK to just do one round and record whatever for that? I was thinking you had to finish the whole challenge for it to count, but maybe I am wrong? I would sure like to help!

[lindsayh]

Cynthia my guess is that if the PT says don't do it then best not to - you could only rank a full 3x session in any case
take it easy

[Citroen]

But the challenge is 3 x 1721. That extra 2 rounds of 1721m is the problem for me. Would be around 30 minutes or more on the machine in a session. There's no way I can do that. I mean, my physical therapist didn't want me doing more than 5 minutes at a time. I worked my way up to around 12-15 at a time, but that was before the last big flare-up. Right now, 10 minutes is pushing it.

Don't do anything that goes against medical advice without asking your therapist how much more you can do.
Perhaps we could allow you to change the 4 minutes rest to 1440 minutes (as the system doesn't check when you record a result).

[jackarabit]

Citroën writes:

Perhaps we could allow you to change the 4 minutes rest to 1440 minutes (as the system doesn't check when you record a result).

Doug me lad, that’s a right generous offer ye be making to me team mate but I’m thinking ‘t would be most unfair to the likes of Andy Benko, Pavel Shurmei, JD, Casey, and a notorious self stander such as meself. Now I won’t say I would look askance if ‘t were vouchsafed solely to meself alone, excepting that I would much prefer 2880’ of blessed inactivity to top off me glycogen tanks afore facing sartain death by submaximal, short of the mark, no sprint gaspers three. Let me know soon

[graycyn]

But the challenge is 3 x 1721. That extra 2 rounds of 1721m is the problem for me. Would be around 30 minutes or more on the machine in a session. There's no way I can do that. I mean, my physical therapist didn't want me doing more than 5 minutes at a time. I worked my way up to around 12-15 at a time, but that was before the last big flare-up. Right now, 10 minutes is pushing it.

Don't do anything that goes against medical advice without asking your therapist how much more you can do.
Perhaps we could allow you to change the 4 minutes rest to 1440 minutes (as the system doesn't check when you record a result).

The therapist is out of the question now, that was her advice before my sessions ended early last fall and she went back to Seattle, and as I said, I had worked up to around 15 minutes before the last flareup. But the best I managed the other day was 8.5 minutes and 1200m, so I don't really even know for sure if I could do the 1721 right now. It's just that if I were feeling more OK, I would try.

Just woke up, not doing well at all this morning, walking is very painful, so I for sure am not trying to row until I can walk OK. I wanted to hit the elder hour shopping today, but I need to see if things settle down first. And take either one or both crutches just in case. Hope the store will not be too busy later. I had trouble yesterday morning too, it got better after a bit and I was able to get around the house OK without crutches.

I am going to order a leg wedge pillow and try sleeping on my back when it comes, see if that makes a difference.

[graycyn]

Citroën writes:

Perhaps we could allow you to change the 4 minutes rest to 1440 minutes (as the system doesn't check when you record a result).

Doug me lad, that’s a right generous offer ye be making to me team mate but I’m thinking ‘t would be most unfair to the likes of Andy Benko, Pavel Shurmei, JD, Casey, and a notorious self stander such as meself. Now I won’t say I would look askance if ‘t were vouchsafed solely to meself alone, excepting that I would much prefer 2880’ of blessed inactivity to top off me glycogen tanks afore facing sartain death by submaximal, short of the mark, no sprint gaspers three. Let me know soon

Thanks for making me laugh! I really needed to this morning.

[Slothful1]

We'll give you a pass this month from the CTC, Cynthia, provided you don't disappear from the forum, and eventually come back to the next manageable CTC. Walking pain-free is clearly a priority, so we'll wait for things to improve before we start questioning your commitment to the team.

I was going to put in a first attempt tonight, but had to cook supper, and now have to finish some work off before bed (taking the day off work tomorrow, so want a clean break). And of course in full procrastination mode sitting on the forum instead!

Dave