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[[old] mumbles]

Joy of joys!!!!<br />Finally have broadband in my bedroom, years of begging and grovelling have finally paid off with the rents, wohoooo! Can finally log my meters from the comfort of my bed, now all i need in here is an ergo, but afraid it would clash with the curtains. Cannot wait for this months 300m, sprints are far more my thing, though fitness is gradually improving with pete's plan (now 5 days in).

[[old] seat5]

Hey lookit! Mark Pukita just got back from his race! <br /><br /><br /><br /><!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Thanks for the help Mike ... my first race, a new PB (7:23.3 from 7:26.1) ... and first place in the LW "old guys" group -- they grouped Masters, Veterans, Seniors, etc. together. </td></tr></table> <br /><br /><br /> <br />Way to go!!!

[[old] seat5]

No 30@20 tonight. I did a short warmup and still have that strange injured feeling at the tail end of the recovery, right when the shins are just getting vertical. I don't know if it's muscle or tendon but it's whatever hauls you up the rail. I experimented with moving the foot plates up and it's better when they're up quite high, in fact all the way as high as they can go, which is fine (my heels still don't hardly come up) but when I started the piece it only took a few strokes for me to know it would be a mistake to push hard. This is after I think 4 or 5 days of not rowing, so not very good news. I may be out for a while. Or maybe I'll just poke around doing 1/2 slide or 3/4 slide.<br /><br />

[[old] mpukita]

<!--QuoteBegin-seat5+Jan 29 2006, 06:43 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(seat5 @ Jan 29 2006, 06:43 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Hey lookit!  Mark Pukita just got back from his race!  <br /><br /><br /><br /><!--QuoteBegin--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Thanks for the help Mike ... my first race, a new PB (7:23.3 from 7:26.1) ... and first place in the LW "old guys" group -- they grouped Masters, Veterans, Seniors, etc. together. </td></tr></table><br /><br /><br /> <br />Way to go!!! <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Thanks Carla ... now it's your turn!<br /><br />

[[old] Daren C]

Great stuff, Mark! <br /><br />I went to the English IRC yesterday, along with some of the other Taff guys (Niall, Chippy, Bore Da). <br /><br />I'd entered the 2000m and 500m events as a lightweight, even though I've never been lightweight (well, not since I was 25 or so). I first weighed in at 76.1kg, so I went and did 10km on the warmup machines in an effort to sweat it off. I finally weighed in at 75.4kg - still too heavy. There was only about 30 minutes to go before the 2k was due, so I decided not to try and make the weight for that, as I'd have been too tired anyway.<br /><br />However, I did manage to swap my LWT 500m entry to a HWT 500m entry. I drunk a bottle of water in an effort to rehydrate myself. In the end I finished in 1:35.7. That was 'OK', I think, considering the factors - I'd done 10k already, and hadn't eat <i>anything</i> since the day before, 'cause I was trying to make 75kg. My season's best is 1:35.6 and PB is 1:33, so I reckon that if I'd just entered as a HWT anyway, I'd almost certainly have got a SB on the day, and would probably have been knockig on the door of a PB. Still, never mind. I'll be a proper lightweight soon. =)

[[old] mpukita]

<!--QuoteBegin-Daren C+Jan 30 2006, 06:22 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Daren C @ Jan 30 2006, 06:22 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Great stuff, Mark!  <br /><br />I went to the English IRC yesterday, along with some of the other Taff guys (Niall, Chippy, Bore Da).  <br /><br />I'd entered the 2000m and 500m events as a lightweight, even though I've never been lightweight (well, not since I was 25 or so).  I first weighed in at 76.1kg, so I went and did 10km on the warmup machines in an effort to sweat it off.  I finally weighed in at 75.4kg - still too heavy.  There was only about 30 minutes to go before the 2k was due, so I decided not to try and make the weight for that, as I'd have been too tired anyway.<br /><br />However, I did manage to swap my LWT 500m entry to a HWT 500m entry.  I drunk a bottle of water in an effort to rehydrate myself.  In the end I finished in 1:35.7.  That was 'OK', I think, considering the factors - I'd done 10k already, and hadn't eat <i>anything</i> since the day before, 'cause I was trying to make 75kg.  My season's best is 1:35.6 and PB is 1:33, so I reckon that if I'd just entered as a HWT anyway, I'd almost certainly have got a SB on the day, and would probably have been knockig on the door of a PB.  Still, never mind.  I'll be a proper lightweight soon. =) <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Darren:<br /><br />You had similar problems to me. Getting down and staying LW can be a challenge for guys like me who like their food (any kind) and their beer (any kind). I was doing the weight loss shuffle as well ... not fun ... plus it messes with your mind as well.<br /><br />-- Mark

[[old] Daren C]

I fully intend to be a <i>proper</i> lightweight, Mark. One, like Dougie, that doesn't have to crash diet or worry about weigh-ins. <br /><br />To add further to my annoyance about yesterday's failure, I've now seen the full results and my 500m time would have got me a silver medal in the LWT race (albeit out of a field of 3 people). =)

[[old] seat5]

<!--QuoteBegin-mpukita+Jan 30 2006, 11:51 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(mpukita @ Jan 30 2006, 11:51 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin-Daren C+Jan 30 2006, 06:22 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Daren C @ Jan 30 2006, 06:22 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Great stuff, Mark!  <br /><br />I went to the English IRC yesterday, along with some of the other Taff guys (Niall, Chippy, Bore Da).  <br /><br />I'd entered the 2000m and 500m events as a lightweight, even though I've never been lightweight (well, not since I was 25 or so).  I first weighed in at 76.1kg, so I went and did 10km on the warmup machines in an effort to sweat it off.  I finally weighed in at 75.4kg - still too heavy.  There was only about 30 minutes to go before the 2k was due, so I decided not to try and make the weight for that, as I'd have been too tired anyway.<br /><br />However, I did manage to swap my LWT 500m entry to a HWT 500m entry.  I drunk a bottle of water in an effort to rehydrate myself.  In the end I finished in 1:35.7.  That was 'OK', I think, considering the factors - I'd done 10k already, and hadn't eat <i>anything</i> since the day before, 'cause I was trying to make 75kg.  My season's best is 1:35.6 and PB is 1:33, so I reckon that if I'd just entered as a HWT anyway, I'd almost certainly have got a SB on the day, and would probably have been knockig on the door of a PB.  Still, never mind.  I'll be a proper lightweight soon. =) <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Darren:<br /><br />You had similar problems to me. Getting down and staying LW can be a challenge for guys like me who like their food (any kind) and their beer (any kind). I was doing the weight loss shuffle as well ... not fun ... plus it messes with your mind as well.<br /><br />-- Mark <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br /><br />Try this book: "Inner Eating". Can't remember the author--I found it in the library. Between the ideas in that book and getting back on the erg I've lost and kept off that annoying last 10 lbs for over a year. So now I qualify as a lightweight, too! (well, your kind of lightweight. I haven't been under 135 since I was 13.)

[[old] Bore Da!]

<!--QuoteBegin-Krysta Coleman+Jan 28 2006, 11:14 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Krysta Coleman @ Jan 28 2006, 11:14 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->As I told Niall and Chris, my Welsh connection is a bit tenuous.  Neither my husband nor I could find any Welsh ancestors, <b>but</b> my husband's family <i>does</i> keep Welsh ponies on their farm.  So am I in??  - Krysta <br /> </td></tr></table><br />Krysta,<br /><br />I told you before:<br />Coleman: One who gathers Coal, where better to do this than Wales.<br /><br />Your in so stop bleating, Baa baa.<br />Kind Regards,<br />1st bulge from the right!

[[old] Niall]

Had a 'mare. Put the handle down twice (once to take a drink and once to catch my breath). I knew things were a bit wrong when my HR stats for my warmup were: <br /><br />AvgHR: 171bpm (normally 145bpm) <br />PeakHR: 187bpm (normally 172bpm) <br />MinHR: 133bpm (normally 80bpm) <br /><br />As for the race: <br /><br />AvgHR: 182bpm <br />PeakHR: 199bpm <br />MinHR: 129bpm <br /><br />Not sure why this was the case but suspect it's one or more of the following: <br /><br />- crash dieting to make weight (especially the day before) <br />- complicated personal life <br />- mentally weak <br /><br />Was actually surprised of my final time of 7:37 as I thought I'd done much worse (although 7:37 is a right 'mare when your race plan is <7:15!) <br /><br />Onwards and upwards (certainly can't go downwards!).<br />

[[old] Daren C]

<!--QuoteBegin-Niall+Jan 30 2006, 04:36 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Niall @ Jan 30 2006, 04:36 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I knew things were a bit wrong when my HR stats for my warmup were: <br /><br />AvgHR: 171bpm (normally 145bpm) <br />PeakHR: 187bpm (normally 172bpm) <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />You certainly looked like you were sweating buckets after your warm-up; more so than I was earlier, and I was trying to lose weight! =) At least you had the guts to pick the handle back up again and finish the piece, rather than completely jack it in. <br /><br />Your time will come, I have faith in that.

[[old] dadams]

<!--QuoteBegin-Niall+Jan 30 2006, 11:36 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Niall @ Jan 30 2006, 11:36 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Had a 'mare. Put the handle down twice (once to take a drink and once to catch my breath). I knew things were a bit wrong when my HR stats for my warmup were: <br /><br />AvgHR: 171bpm (normally 145bpm) <br />PeakHR: 187bpm (normally 172bpm) <br />MinHR: 133bpm (normally 80bpm) <br /><br />As for the race: <br /><br />AvgHR: 182bpm <br />PeakHR: 199bpm <br />MinHR: 129bpm <br /><br />Not sure why this was the case but suspect it's one or more of the following: <br /><br />- crash dieting to make weight (especially the day before) <br />- complicated personal life <br />- mentally weak <br /><br />Was actually surprised of my final time of 7:37 as I thought I'd done much worse (although 7:37 is a right 'mare when your race plan is <7:15!) <br /><br />Onwards and upwards (certainly can't go downwards!). <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Hang in there mate. Sounds to me as if you may have race anxiety. You may be putting more pressure on yourself than is really worth. Have <b>fun</b> with this stuff. This isn't for big money, a new car, or anything of that nature.<br /><br />As Daren said, your time will come.<br />

[[old] dadams]

Daren,<br />Great going on your race. A big congrats.<br /><br />How'd everyone else do?

[[old] Spectre]

<!--QuoteBegin-Niall+Jan 30 2006, 11:36 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Niall @ Jan 30 2006, 11:36 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Had a 'mare. Put the handle down twice (once to take a drink and once to catch my breath). <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Niall: Sorry to hear about the bad row. Sounds like you have a good attitude about it though. not to sound preachy but these can sometimes be the best learning experiences. I dont think you should beat yourself over stopping, its much harder to pick the handle back up than it is to put it down. How were your splits? I usually get too wound up before and then blow up after 600ms.

[[old] Spectre]

Taffs: what is the protocol on racing under the Taff Attack colours? I am going to enter a race in two weeks (my first one in 17 years). I would love to represent the team but dont want to overstep my bounds or anything.