New Personal Best! Brag About That New Pb!

Tinpusher · Post by **Tinpusher** » February 22nd, 2008, 2:17 pm

Mile 5:11.3 r33 1:36.7 down from 5:25.3 done in October 2006 CTC.
Went out a little too fast at 1:34.6 for the first 400 and suffered in the 3rd 400 at 1:38.6.
Nice 1:36.8 and 1:36.7 in the second and last 400. More even pacing and maybe I could've been below 5:10.

Dave

RR1 Kirk · Post by **RR1 Kirk** » February 23rd, 2008, 2:00 am

Well done Dave!

You've become a regular poster on the PB pages.

The 500m, 60 min and HM are going down next month?

Cheers,

Tinpusher · Post by **Tinpusher** » February 23rd, 2008, 1:12 pm

Hi Kirk
I'd ignored PBs for a long time to concentrate on the 2K training. I figured with a month between races I should go and examine what progress had been made. Happily it was substantial. I've tried a couple of 500s but I can't quite get them right. I should be able to get a couple of seconds off, but not quite yet. I'm sure I'll take a look at the other two soon as well and see how high I can get my Nonathlon score.
I used the Free Spirits Pace Predictor to find what my targets should be and give me a realistic target. Every time you get a PB and it goes over your target you reset all your other targets.
I need to take 45 seconds off my 10K; add over 200 metres to the 60' and knock 3 and a half minutes off the HM to reach those targets.

Cheers
Dave

ehagberg · Post by **ehagberg** » February 24th, 2008, 9:51 pm

Did a 2k PB (not just a SB) this morning - 6:41.8 for 2k... (previously was 6:44.0)

then after completing my taxes, getting my hair cut, and a short nap, went to do some more erging and decided to try and beat my previous 60 minute PB (previously was 15988m from 3 years ago)... and I got 16081m today.

Not too bad for a 39 year old weighing 72kg, I think.

NavigationHazard · Post by **NavigationHazard** » February 25th, 2008, 5:55 am

Nice row Eric -- would have come 5th at Crash Bs in the 30-39 (and 4th in the 40s, if you age up next year).

See you on the water before too very long?!

seat5 · Post by **seat5** » February 26th, 2008, 12:52 am

7:25.5 for 2K at the Crash B's
2 second improvement over last year
Thank goodness that's over for the year!

tdekoekkoek · Post by **tdekoekkoek** » February 26th, 2008, 10:06 am

Great job Carla! I was looking for you when you were racing but didn't know where your erg was. Plus I was still trying to catch my breath and keep myself from keeling over!

PB for me as well at Crash B's: 6:29.1

Went out on target for 3/4 of the race. Wanted to sprint, but just couldn't get the splits down. Instead they went up a little at the end. But still very pleased!

Cheers,

Trevor

kipkeino68 · Post by **kipkeino68** » February 26th, 2008, 11:17 am

Congratulations Carla and Trevor! Sorry I didn't run into you Sunday.

I had a PB also. 7:17.6 , about 6 seconds faster than at Ricks!

1:49.9(33), 1:50.0(33), 1:49.5(35), 1:48.2(40)

Here is the link to get your race stats. http://www.c2forum.com/replays/racedata2008/

LBErhart@aol.com · Post by **LBErhart@aol.com** » February 26th, 2008, 1:42 pm

I guess I'll finally post my story on the thread that I've been watching for a long time. I think maybe I was afraid I'd jinx myself if I posted comments earlier in the year. You see, 14 months ago, I had an 8:18 2k and was fat (30 pounds heavier than now) and out of shape. My daughters row and told me I should try to do the Arizona Indoor Rowing Championship (a very small local event) - since there were hardly any "old" people like me that did it, I could probably win, they said! So in January of last year I set out to win the AZ Indoor, hoping to break 8:00. My daughters' coach, Dan Duxbury, coach of Tempe Junior Crew, gave me my erg work-outs and set forth my plan. In 6 weeks time, I not only broke 8 minutes, but managed a 7:49 to win the event. When I looked at the online rankings, I thought, cool - if I could get my time down a little more, I could be in the top 10 at CRASH-bs! So that became my new goal. I said to myself if I could be in the top 5, I'd go for sure. With Dan's work-outs and some lactate tests along the way to best determine my heart-rate training ranges, I steadily improved, not only on the 2K, but on all distances. Over the summer, I trained with my daughters in Connecticut (my daughter, Chris, who took 6th at CRASH-bs last weekend in the Jr. Lightweights, stroked the winning quad at the Junior World Trials, but their boat failed to meet the international time standard, so the US did not send a quad to Beijing for Junior Worlds - bummer.)

Anyway, in July, I pulled a 7:33 and started to really believe Dan when he said I still had more in me. My daughters were not real happy that I could now beat them on the erg, but they could still kill me on the water, as I have only been in a boat maybe 15 times.

I steadily built up my endurance over those months, and in September, decided to do an erg marathon with a bunch of Arizonans loosely tied together in the virtual team, Arizona Outlaws. After doing the marathon in 3:06:48.8, I looked up the record. Seeing that it was 3:02-something at the time, I began thinking about trying for that down the road. I continued training in the fall, and signed up to go to the Long Beach Sprints, a 6-hour drive away, to see if I could pull a qualifying time. My pre-Long Beach time was a 7:19.6, so I knew it was a long shot, but I wanted to try. Race day came, and I was shocked to not only beat the standard, but to get a 7:13.7! I was ecstatic, but then found out that there were 11 qualifiers, and many of the others who qualified had beaten their qualifying times by more. I went home happy with my time, but disappointed that I didn't get the ticket. The next day, the most amazing rower/erger I now have the honor to know, Joan Van Blom, called me to tell me that I was going to get a ticket after all. Some of the qualifiers couldn't go for various reasons, so I was next in line! WHEE!! It was then decided that my daughter would go as well. Although she has already committed to row for Loyola Marymount University (in LA) next year on a full rowing/academic scholarship, it would still be interesting to see how she would do.

So training continued, research into all my opponents continued (!), and my determination to make the medal stand grew. One week after Long Beach, at this year's AZ Indoor, I bettered my time again - 7:11.7. The following weekend, and only two weeks before WIRC, against the better judgment of my coach, I made an attempt at the world record marathon at my daughters' team ergathon fundraiser. I broke the record with a 2:58:59.2 (2:07.3 avg.)! That gave me a little more courage and confidence to face the BIG 2K in Boston. A local TV newsman asked me if my marathon training helped me to prepare for the 2K - I told him NO – I hadn’t trained for a marathon - it was the other way around....my 2K training prepared me for the marathon!

Two weeks to go to Boston, and I read all the threads on here, afraid to post anything - still paranoid about jinxing myself I guess - crazy as that sounds. I trained and tapered according to my coaches' plan and felt as ready as I could.

Then came the flight from hell. What was supposed to be a direct 5-hour flight from Phoenix lasted 9 1/2 hours. The runways in Boston kept closing to get snow-plowed and we circled and circled until finally we had to fly back to New York to refuel. And of course, we couldn't get off the plane. So back we flew to circle some more around Boston while they plowed again, and finally we were allowed to land on the snow-white runways. Boy was that a scary feeling - not seeing where the runways are because they are covered with snow! Maybe that's because I'm a desert rat from Arizona, but it was a little unnerving to say the least. After finding alternate transportation since our shuttle company wasn’t running, we finally made it to the hotel at about 10:30 pm., followed by dinner at 11:00 pm - how European of us! (At least it was only 9 pm our time).

This story has really gotten long, but I guess I'm making up for not posting for the last year - don't worry, it's almost done...

Race day came, and I'll keep this short since most of you probably already know the outcome. My daughter’s teammate had an awesome row in the junior boys lightweight - he cut off 6 seconds off his PB with a 6:49.2 - tied for 42nd place. Then my daughter had a fantastic race, cutting off 7 seconds off her PB with a 7:38.2 in the junior lightweight girls - 6th place!! And finally came the race I felt like I had been training for forever. Sitting down next to Tracy Axten was the most awesome feeling! Wow, she's so tall and strong! My 5'8" body (or at least it used to be) seemed quite puny next to her 6'2" or so! And to be surrounded by all the names I've watched for the last year - Siobhan, Edit, Martha, & Deborah, was very overwhelming. And why the hell was Carla not up there with us? You should have been, Carla. You sure showed that B row a thing or two (and Concept2!) Anyway, I felt like lead - couldn't get the rate up, couldn't get the splits down, but managed to just row an even pace and hang on for the ride. So much for negative splitting. I'm glad it wasn't a longer race or Edit and/or Siobhan might have caught me. I knew the hammer was out of reach with Tracy there, so my goal was keep out of striking distance for those right on my heels. When it was over, I could hardly move, but was intensely happy with my new PB (7:10.4) and shiny silver medal.

Thanks to all of you who post on here. It was very inspirational. It was also very nice to meet so many of the other ergly-obsessed people out there. It's nice to know I'm not the only one with this odd obsession. (My son likes to tease me – “so are you going to take up indoor treadmill racing now, Mom?!”) Tracy and Edit - it was a true honor to stand up on the medal stand with you - I still am having trouble believing that I actually did! But the proof is below.

my daughter and me after my race :

on the stand with Tracy Axten (gold and hammer) and Edit Petrus (bronze):

LBErhart@aol.com · Post by **LBErhart@aol.com** » February 26th, 2008, 1:44 pm

OK, those pictures didn't post. What did I do wrong???

michaelb · Post by **michaelb** » February 26th, 2008, 2:13 pm

Laura, what a great story and great pictures. Congratulations on the row. Next year I really need a guide to all the forum names and seedings and races, because with 5 rows going at the same time, and 3 screens, it was impossible to know who was rowing when and where.

And that marathon time: wow. I could probably row a sub 3 marathon but the thought of it just hurts too much. You are saying that is a world record? Great job on that too.

LBErhart@aol.com · Post by **LBErhart@aol.com** » February 26th, 2008, 2:40 pm

It's the marathon world record for the 40-49 women, not THE world record....

Bob S. · Post by **Bob S.** » February 26th, 2008, 4:38 pm

LBErhart@aol.com wrote:OK, those pictures didn't post. What did I do wrong??? :wink: :?

Cut and paste worked fine. Great pictures, especially the one of you and your daughter.

I think that there has to be open spaces between the URL and the bracketed word "image." I didn't check that out so I am not sure. By the way, you can check on whether or not your message enclosed URLs are working by looking at the preview.

Bob S.

P.S. Great job! Fantastic improvement for such a short time in the erg game.

Edit: P.P.S. I just tried out the technique of putting in those spaces and it did the job.

philrow · Post by **philrow** » February 26th, 2008, 5:19 pm

Great work, Laura! 7:10 is an awesome time. Congratulations.

Phil

seat5 · Post by **seat5** » February 26th, 2008, 6:09 pm

Fantastic story, Laura! and of course congrats on a stellar performance at the race. You should be very proud and excited with your success!

I think it is so funny that people actually go nuts finding out about the other rowers that are competing. I'm just the opposite. Until the very day before I didn't really look at the list except to find out what erg I had.Maybe I don't like to look because it makes me thing about the race and then I get sick to my stomach, so I guess it's a form of denial to not look everyone up. Saturday I have to admit I was going absolutely stir crazy--Dave went skiing and I was home alone, just pacing around waiting for 3:00 on Sunday-- so I tried to find some people's times but couldn't figure out who you were and gave up. I only knew the times for a few of the other women there.

They put me in the B section because I put 7:27.4 for my time when I registered, and it didn't meet their standard for the A row. Maybe I should have put the time I was hoping to row instead of what I'd already done. But when an erg went empty in the A row I totally don't get why they then moved me back from erg 18 to 41 in the B section instead of moving me over to the A. In any case I hauled my a** into the A row, so THERE!

I haven't done a marathon for a few years and am sure I can beat my old PB. Not likely I can go under 3 hours, though. You must be made of titanium or something.

Congrats--enjoy--I'm sure we'll see you on the podium again & again!

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