Sub 7 Indoor Rowing Club (UK)

[lindsayh]

Mike I am surprised they don't insist on verification for challenges such as this one.

[MPx]

The latest from me (in March not May as suggested at the end of my last update for some reason!) :
8/3 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 32:12.2
9/3 4x4min r4 for the CTC. I decided that 4444 would be my ideal distance so that meant 1111 each rep at a steady 1:48. Annoyingly I couldn't get them dead on after the first, reported as 1111; 1112; 1112; 1110 which for some reason adds up to 4446 overall and is what I entered. Could have done a few more meters with a sprint at the end of the last but was trying to hit my target! A very hard session but clearly doable @ 2k +2.5. Pleased with that.
10/3 5x2k r2 free rate in prep for the 10k comps this month trying to see what 1:54 pace felt like. Did 4 of them @ 1:54 but slowed for the last as a warm down so 1:54.8 overall.
12/3 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 32:02.1 (even faster than usual but HR went up quite a bit.)
13/3 3x2k r2 @sub 1:54. 1:53.7 result.
14/3 10kTT for IRL and FMMC. Somewhat dreading this. I hate the longer distances anyway and failed miserably to break 39mins when 10k was the Sub7 ITC. Decided on a novel approach for me. Instead of 20 spm I use for SS sessions or about 27/8 spm I might use for free rate I decided to try 24spm because I very very rarely do that rate. As a consequence I was so tied up with my counting to get the rate right I didn't have as much capacity left for the demons to creep in and managed a fairly consistent 1:55.x all the way through for a 38:34.0 total at exactly 24spm. While delighted with the result which is not only an SB but my best since 2012 I'm a bit cross with myself for sticking to the 24spm to the bitter end instead of doing a sprint over the last 200 or so which would probably have seen me under 38:30. Doh!
15/3 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 32:12.3 (spot on target, but felt much harder than usual - might need another rest day!).

[MPx]

I've just had an email forwarded from Sebastien re the IRL 10k. It reads:

"The competition will move on as planned to the April challenge on April, 1st Noon GMT.
If you were not able to row the March challenge and do it in April, please submit your results in a private message to me or send me an e-mail at news@indoorrowers.org.
I will take those results in account.
I wish you all the best!"

So any Sub7ers (or Diamonds!) out there needing a bit more time for the 10k you're not off the hook just yet!

[MPx]

Latest from me - usual mixed bag...

16/3 AWL Pyramid @ 20 spm for a change. Avg 1:55.5 which brought me in well under my 32 min target (31:12.6). Didn't mean to go that hard, Doh!
18/3 2k TT. A complete waste of a session. After a day off, didn't feel up for anything but this was the next session on the plan. Should have subbed in something more useful...but I didn't. Managed target pace for about a 1/3 distance then binned it and set my sights on 7:22.7 which I also missed by 0.2! Rubbish.
19/3 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 31:51.3 - fastest so far at not too high a HR - such a difference to the day before!
20/3 5x2k r2 @ 20 spm target 2:00 pace. Only 2 spot on but close for 39:59.8 overall.
21/3 30 min varipace in the grey zone for 7667m
23/3 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 32:32.3 - spot on!
24/3 6x500 r2. Last time did these at 1:42.9 avg, this time started at 1:43.5 and did a gentle neg split and faster last for a 1:42.3 avg - good!
25/5 30 min varipace in the grey zone for 7667m
26/5 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 32:32.2.
Tired today so decided not to bother, but hopefully back on the horse tomorrow.

[Amazing Amazon]

Mike, compared with me you are certainly working hard - and that's a great result in the 10k.

I've had some good rows thislast month but just not very many.

On 24 February pulled 6770m for the Sub 7 30R20. df was 135. Average spm was 19.
I always find it takes me a while to work out how to row fast-ish at this low spm.
5'Splits: 2:16.7 (19), 2:14.1 (20), 2:12.5 (20), 2:12.5 (20), 2:11.8 (20), 2:09.9 (20).

On the 26th I set off hoping to do the 60 minute, for the Nonthlon, however my heart wasn't in it and I bailed out 30 minutes. At least, at 6724m, it was faster than the rate 20 row.

At the beginning of March I was concentrating on the World Rowing Indoor Sprints, which ran 4-8 March. 1000m is also the Sub7 challenge for March. Had decided to keep to the higher dfs I had been using for the shorter stuff in Paris.

On the first day (Weds, 4th) just did a row to set as a backstop, not really expecting a SB, started off a around 1:58 pace and as you can see had a lot left for the final 200m sodid it in 3:53.7, which was 0,3 seconds faster than my previous SB on the 18 February.
132 df. 29 spm. 200m Split pace (spm): 1:57.7 (28), 1:58.2 (28), 1:58.0 (27), 1:57.5 ((28), 1:52.7 (35).

Should have had another go on the Friday, but didn't.

Did go again on the Sunday. This time targeted 1:57, had a mental glitch with about 300m to go, but picked up for a fast finish. Think I should bwe able to do the same again, without the glitch.
135 df. 28 spm. 200m Split pace (spm): 1:56.7 (27), 1:57.0 (27), 1:7.0 (27), 2:17.7 (24), 1:49.7 (36).

However, for reasons unknown, the big guns in the 60-69 Hwt rankings and at Paris didn't enter this year and I won, with no one else under 4 minutes. There were 3 60-69 lightweights who were faster but then they were all 60-61, so a bit younger than me.

I was supposed to be going skiing 14-21 in Austria, but on the 12th I came back in the evening from my Scottish Country Dancing to discover that my holiday had been cancelled, due to the pandemic. And then the lockdown started and has since, of course, got much worse. So have had to stop my OTW rowing, my weekly swim and my 3 nights a week of Dance classes. Luckily I'm still able to my Pilates class from home using Zoom and I do have my rower and my bike.

Did the CTC on the 22nd. Read your suggestion of 2k+2.5 pace and almost managed to hot that with a 2k + 2.8. Retrospectively I think I could have gone faster (especially in the first rep).
4 x 4 min | 4 min rest. 135 df, reps at 2:05.3 (27), 2:04.4 (27), 2:03.9 (27), 2:01.8 (28). Overall: 3874m, 2:03.9 pace, 27 spm.

Big gap then. Been in a bit of a funk, despite the good weather. Have done a lot of work i the garden though and sorting out a OS upgrade for my computer.

Today (29th) finally did my 10k for the IRL. Despite the lack of training I was able to hold my target ~2:10.5 pace (i.e. previous SB) for the first 8000m and then still had enough to push at the end for an improvement of 6.8 on my previous SB from 22 December.
2k split pace (spm): 2:10.4 (24), 2:10.3 (25), 2:10.2 (25), 2:10.5 (26), 2:08.5 (28).
Overall: time 43:20.3, pace 2:10.0, spm 25, 125 df (yes, put df back down for the longer stuff).

May have another go a the 1k before the end of the month. And I still have to do the 60 minute and the FM by the end of April, for the Nonathlon.

[Amazing Amazon]

As promised had another go at the 1000m today. Aimed to hold 1:57 pace for the first 200m (which I failed to do on my last attempt on the 8th) and then see if I had anything left in the last 200m. This time all went to plan for the first 800m, but I found it much harder to speed up in the last 200m: Even with much higher spm the power in the legs simply wasn't there.

135 DF. 30 spm. 200m split pace (spm). 1:56.2 (30), 1:57.0 (28), 1:57.0 (29), 1:57.0 (31), 1:56.0 (36).

Overall time 3:53.5, 1:56.7 pace and a SB, but only by 0.2 seconds.

[MPx]

As you say Marjorie, some great sessions there even if not quite on a daily basis! Many congrats on winning your category of the Sprint Challenge even if like my 3rd it benefited from some key personnel absences. Going even faster after the event is egging it a bit though

As a side note on that - you'll know as a regular competitor/winner - do we in the UK actually get a "medal" as advertised in the competition pages or is that US people only? I've never won a medal before so I've been waiting by the postbox everyday like its my birthday and I'm 10 again but nothing so far.

Nice to see you finish the month with an impressive 10k as well - as usual finishing on a high and very near the top of the Nonathlon. Great stuff.

[Amazing Amazon]

As a side note on that - you'll know as a regular competitor/winner - do we in the UK actually get a "medal" as advertised in the competition pages or is that US people only? I've never won a medal before so I've been waiting by the postbox everyday like its my birthday and I'm 10 again but nothing so far.

Just looked in my box - having been rowing at all sorts of competitions since 2002 I do have quite a lot. Surrpised this is your first podium .
Yes, we should both get a medal (I was only third last year, so I have one of those) .

[MPx]

Oh good...I'll keep an excited watch on Postie then.

Surprised this is your first podium .

I've always been "good" at whatever sports I do, but never great. Usually good enough to make a team but probably one of the weakest on the team. As I've said before, the nicest thing anyone's said about my sporting prowess was "he's useful". The only cup I collected at school was because I was house captain, but it was the others that actually put in the performances that won the cup. I was a regular club player at Squash for may years, but there were always better people around. Translating that into erging, I'm in the mid 90s percentile for most distances within age group which I'm very happy with, but that still means there's an awful lot of people better - so never thought I'd get a podium...and indeed I wouldn't have if any of the big guns had turned up!

Latest sessions from me:
28/3 5x2k 2r @ 20/22/24/22/20 spm targets 2:02; 2:00; 1:56; 2:00; and 2:02 for 40 mins. Nearly spot on but totaled 39:59.9.
29/3 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 32:01.9 (caught between going for 32 dead and 32:02.3!)
30/3 4x1k 3:30r. Last time avg was 1:46.4 this time 1:47.4; 1:47.0; 1:46.8; 1:44.6 for a(nother) 1:46.4 avg!
31/3 30mins steady in the grey zone for 7667.
1/4 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 32:12.1
2/4 500TT. Another wasted session, didn't feel up for anything hence chose the shortest I could think of and folded after 300. 1:33.5.
3/4 AWL Pyramid @ 20 spm. Target was sub 32mins, but felt better than that and pushed on for 31:06.1 (1:55.1 pace). May be able to just nip under 31 min on a good day.
4/4 3x1721 4r for the CTC. Tough to know what to go for. Recent 3x2k 2r have been just sub 1:54 so started conservative and managed 1:53.2; 1:51.8; and 1:48.2 for 19:07.4. I think if I'd realised how close I could get to sub 19 I could have gone for it a bit more in the first two but that's just saying and not what I did! Probably wont go again, that's near enough.

[Two Pudding Kid]

Mike - congratulations on getting a bronze in the 1k sprint challenge and also your fantastic 10k time on 14 March for an 8 year best. Nice work on the AWL Pyramid at 20spm and hope you get that desired 31 minute time soon. Only 2 tenths of a second out for the 5 x 2k r2 at 2:00 pace and 1 tenth for the 28/3 5x2k 2r @ 20/22/24/22/20 spm targets 2:02; 2:00; 1:56; 2:00; and 2:02 for 40 mins - superb. You were very consistent through the 4 x 4 mins r4 CTC and really set the bar high on the 6 x 500m r2.

Marjorie – cracking 1k on 4 March for 3:53.7, 1st place on the Sprint Challenge, and a second one on 31 March for a SB. The higher DFs - 135 I understand, works for you. Glad you are still able to do your pilates class and ergo at home, with the option of a cycle. Brilliant 10k in 43:20.3 at the end of March. I would be ecstatic if I could get mid-90% in the ranking at any distance, so well deserved congratulations for achieving this standard.

March C2CTC – seems such as long time ago to the 15 March and my last ergo session.We all seem to have been consistent, (Mike – 2k+2.5, Marjorie and myself 2k+ 2.8).

Nonathalon - I am about 680 points behind Marjorie. Could only get close on the 60 minutes to your achievements.

Me - seem to have lurched from one obstacle to another. No sooner was I fit to row again on 15 March, when I has to risk leaving mum on her own for a few hours for the first time in nearly a fortnight but then lockdown started and gym finished. Initially I had little time to do any exercise so didnt miss it that much. Late March I boldly started something call the 100 pressup challenge, (at least didint involve any equipment ) and seeing what I could do in the garden to get up the heart rate - mountain climbers work well and so do stepups. Unfortnately I dont know why washing my hair yesterday strained my back but currently experiencing spasms and not a happy bunny. Would have been aiming to do some exercise in the sunshine today but lost that chance. Luckily I had done all the ergo ranking pieces, (mainly because I was expecting to be asking about a 2nd hip replacement this summer), and I wouldnt be an honest LWT now having gained about 3lb since last weighin on 22 Feb. One 90% ranking for me currently is the 30 minutes which I rattled out on New Years Eve, which is usually the one that I do best.

PS - not close to 100 pressups in one go obviously, (have started on this mission a few times with 20 the best I have done). Currently 7 tops.

[MPx]

Thanks for the comments and update Susan. I see on the Nonathlon that you've just pipped me, well done! Mind you as I'll never do a marathon you'll always have a 100 point advantage on me...so I could argue that I just pipped you over the 9 events that I did! I know...that's not the game! Congrats to you! Shame that you don't have your own erg at home - I'd be very fed up without mine. But if you continue with challenges like the 100 press ups, you're obviously not going to loose too much strength/fitness. Stay safe...

Had a couple of strong results in recent sessions so time for an update:
5/4 30 min varipace in the grey zone for 7667m
6/4 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm and <140 HR in 32:52.2
8/4 6k TT for the Sub7 ITC (and I thought maybe the Spring Series VIII but it seems I didn't get picked - Sub7 only has two boats I see). Anyway, dead chuffed - set off trying to stay just under 1:54 and held rock steady throughout for a 22:42.1 @ 1:53.5 which is a SB and actually my best for several years.
9/4 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm and <140 HR in 32:32.1
10/4 30 min varipace in the grey zone for 7667m
11/4 10x1min 1r. Target was 303m per rep. Did that or more for 3038m total - good!
12/4 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 31:55.1. Fastest so far but HR went too high!
14/4 500 TT for the FMMC and IRL. Target sub 1:30. Set off at 1:27 with the hope of holding to at least half way. Actually held on to about 350 but then struggled. Nevertheless finished with a 1:28.2 which is not only a SB but again my best for quite a few years so very happy with that.

[MPx]

Just seen that I am actually in Sub7 Boat C. Yippee! (thanks Georgie). So the 6k and 500m get a triple not just double outing! Of course I'll have to do the other three sessions now... That'll teach me!

[MPx]

another good week this week:

15/4 5x2k 2r done as a rate pyramid 20;22;24;22;20 with target pace of 2:02;2:00;1:56;2:00;2:02 and 40min overall. Hit just 2 spot on but very close on the others for a 39:59.8 total time.
16/4 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 32:02.0
17/4 AWL Pyramid @ 20 spm but with a quick (sub 31 min) target to see if I could. Blitzed it with 30:29.2 @ 1:52.9, but wont be doing that again as it was way too hard for an SS session but not really a fast session given the rate limit. So in the future these will be either 32 min sessions at 20spm or hopefully sub 1:50 pace sessions at free rate.
19/4 4x1500 5r. Last time out was a 1:52.6 avg. Seemed too slow! Started in the 1:51s and neg split for a 1:49.5 avg. Pleased with that.
20/4 Dumbbells and 8k @ 20 spm in 32:02.1
21/4 8x500m 3:30r. Last time avg was 1:42.6. Started out on that and neg split to finish with a 1:41.0 avg. Very pleased with that.
22/4 30min TT for the Spring Series. Set off at 1:54 to see if I could hold it. Managed most of the way in the 1:53s, but was suffering in the last 10 mins and decided to target (and hit) 7887m which is a 1:54.1 avg. That upped my SB by 37m so happy to have done it. Probably could have got over 7900 if I'd embraced a bit of pain in the last minute or two, but had relaxed down to CD pace to hit the meter palindrome, Doh!

[DavidA]

but had relaxed down to CD pace to hit the meter palindrome, Doh!

:0 oh the silly things we do for the love of numbers sometimes
Congratulations on the SB.

David

[MPx]

Thanks David, nice of you to drop by. I really ought to be better at this by now but always seem to get tunnel vision towards the end of a hard TT and miss the most obvious choices. At least we can laugh at it!