It took 7 years, but I finally did it

Taking part in one of Concept2's individual challenges? This is the place to talk about it.
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goldem
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Posts: 4
Joined: January 8th, 2018, 2:56 pm

It took 7 years, but I finally did it

Post by goldem » September 14th, 2018, 7:04 pm

I'd just turned 30 and I figured my metabolism was going to be slowing down pretty soon. I despised running and didn't want to try a gym, so I purchased my model D with a PM3 in October of 2011 so I could lazily burn a few calories to justify some occasional ice cream. After trying "just rowing" for a bit I started looking for a plan to help at least give some better round numbers and found Pete's Beginner plan. After I completed the first go, I figured I'd start it up again from the beginning and see if there was any improvement to be had. Before I knew it I realized I'd hit the 1M meter mark. I requested the free shirt but then it dawned on me there were other markers along the way. I thought the distances required were huge lifetime goals but figured it was something to help track forward progress until I got tired of things.

I happened to see the marathon was coming up and (stupidly) figured I'd just see if I could do 4x 10k's in a row without any real ramp up/training. I didn't actually expect to finish, but surprised myself when I actually made it through (still one of my best times; ah the glory of youth). I saw the Winter Holiday challenge come and with that thermometer running pushed myself to keep trying to add a few more cents to the tally. My first holiday pin arrived in the mail and I threw it into a drawer.

I switched to Pete's 5k plan for a few longer stretches, and after counting out 10k many times I saw the 5M club was in reach. Hitting that just made me want to keep seeing how far I could go. I started repeating Pete's 5k and my next marathon came and went, and I decided to incorporate some half marathons into the plan to help make things feel better in the longer stretches. I remember hitting the 10M mark as I was going through a holiday challenge, realizing how far 20M was away (it was the full distance what I'd just gone through, but repeated!) and pushing onward. The time I'd been rowing had started to blur together, and as I was cleaning out the drawer I'd been tossing the pins I'd received in to I was surprised at how many I'd accumulated and looked back on them fondly.

The 15M club came and went, and now I've suddenly/finally hit what I originally thought was a ridiculous number for anyone other than a fitness nut. This arrived this afternoon. The bag is nice (as it everything else I've received on this journey), but it's because of the embroidery on the side and what it represents I actually tear up a bit when I look at it...and I can only guess where the next stretch will take me.

Thanks C2!

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Arower
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Posts: 19
Joined: August 14th, 2018, 5:28 pm

Re: It took 7 years, but I finally did it

Post by Arower » September 14th, 2018, 7:09 pm

Well done!

Can you post a link to 'Pete's Beginner plan'?

goldem
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Posts: 4
Joined: January 8th, 2018, 2:56 pm

Re: It took 7 years, but I finally did it

Post by goldem » September 14th, 2018, 8:05 pm

Sure! https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/ is what I was referring to.

https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/5k-training/ is the 5k I've been using for longer than I can recall (though I'm pretty sure it's not the intended audience/use case). I've seen many references to the Wolverine plan for folks who are intending to be competitive, but this one seems to fit fairly well into a fairly even mix. I generally just do a half marathon on the first day, follow the intervals as listed, and then for the other 10k+'s do 1h and a 10k.

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jackarabit
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Posts: 5838
Joined: June 14th, 2014, 9:51 am

Re: It took 7 years, but I finally did it

Post by jackarabit » September 14th, 2018, 8:44 pm

Stout fellow? I should hit 15MM meters this season (my fifth). Currently approaching 14. I hope to hold together long enuf to reach 20. I do like the enamel pins.
There are two types of people in this world: Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data

M_77_5'-7"_156lb
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goldem
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Posts: 4
Joined: January 8th, 2018, 2:56 pm

Re: It took 7 years, but I finally did it

Post by goldem » September 15th, 2018, 12:29 pm

More on the other end, roughly 6' @ sub-140.

Sounds like you're moving along at a pretty similar rate (according the log I was around 8-8.3k/day for most seasons), so I'm sure you can pull it off if you're this far in! Looking back it felt like hitting 20M came faster than 15M, maybe because the 5M distances felt more familiar after the jumps between 1-5-10-15.

The shorts are nice for biking, but I found with my (lack of proper) form I chafed compared to wearing normal basketball shorts while on the ERG.

Arower
Paddler
Posts: 19
Joined: August 14th, 2018, 5:28 pm

Re: It took 7 years, but I finally did it

Post by Arower » September 15th, 2018, 4:18 pm

goldem wrote:
September 14th, 2018, 8:05 pm
Sure! https://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/beginner-training/ is what I was referring to.
Thanks! :)

Erik A
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Posts: 656
Joined: December 13th, 2017, 10:58 pm

Re: It took 7 years, but I finally did it

Post by Erik A » September 16th, 2018, 7:39 pm

jackarabit wrote:
September 14th, 2018, 8:44 pm
I do like the enamel pins.
At least you have something to aim for... us heathens in third world countries have to make do with a downloadable certificate for achievements :D :D
Erik
61 yo from New Zealand
6'4 and 120kg

DavidA
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Posts: 1470
Joined: March 16th, 2006, 4:35 pm
Location: Amberley Village, OH
Contact:

Re: It took 7 years, but I finally did it

Post by DavidA » September 20th, 2018, 3:05 pm

goldem wrote:
September 14th, 2018, 7:04 pm
I'd just turned 30 and I figured my metabolism was going to be slowing down pretty soon. I despised running and didn't want to try a gym, so I purchased my model D with a PM3 in October of 2011 so I could lazily burn a few calories to justify some occasional ice cream. After trying "just rowing" for a bit I started looking for a plan to help at least give some better round numbers and found Pete's Beginner plan. After I completed the first go, I figured I'd start it up again from the beginning and see if there was any improvement to be had. Before I knew it I realized I'd hit the 1M meter mark. I requested the free shirt but then it dawned on me there were other markers along the way. I thought the distances required were huge lifetime goals but figured it was something to help track forward progress until I got tired of things.

I happened to see the marathon was coming up and (stupidly) figured I'd just see if I could do 4x 10k's in a row without any real ramp up/training. I didn't actually expect to finish, but surprised myself when I actually made it through (still one of my best times; ah the glory of youth). I saw the Winter Holiday challenge come and with that thermometer running pushed myself to keep trying to add a few more cents to the tally. My first holiday pin arrived in the mail and I threw it into a drawer.

I switched to Pete's 5k plan for a few longer stretches, and after counting out 10k many times I saw the 5M club was in reach. Hitting that just made me want to keep seeing how far I could go. I started repeating Pete's 5k and my next marathon came and went, and I decided to incorporate some half marathons into the plan to help make things feel better in the longer stretches. I remember hitting the 10M mark as I was going through a holiday challenge, realizing how far 20M was away (it was the full distance what I'd just gone through, but repeated!) and pushing onward. The time I'd been rowing had started to blur together, and as I was cleaning out the drawer I'd been tossing the pins I'd received in to I was surprised at how many I'd accumulated and looked back on them fondly.

The 15M club came and went, and now I've suddenly/finally hit what I originally thought was a ridiculous number for anyone other than a fitness nut. This arrived this afternoon. The bag is nice (as it everything else I've received on this journey), but it's because of the embroidery on the side and what it represents I actually tear up a bit when I look at it...and I can only guess where the next stretch will take me.

Thanks C2!

Image
Woo Hoo!!
That's great!
Enjoy the bag.

David
63 y / 70 kg / 172 cm / 5 kids / 17 grandkids :)
Received my model C erg 18-Dec-1994
my log

ukaserex
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Posts: 194
Joined: November 3rd, 2018, 12:37 pm

Re: It took 7 years, but I finally did it

Post by ukaserex » November 21st, 2018, 10:07 pm

Wait - we get free stuff for reaching certain meter counts? I've looked through the site, haven't seen any mention of this.
100M - 16.1 1 Min - 370 500M - 1:25.1 1k - 3:10.2 4:00 - 1216 2k 6:37.0 5k 17:58.8 6k - 21:54.1 30 Min. - 8130 10k - 37:49.7 60:00 - 15604
1/2 Marathon 1:28:44.3 Marathon 2:59:36

5'10"
215 lbs
53 years old

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gregsmith01748
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Posts: 1359
Joined: January 8th, 2010, 2:17 pm
Location: Hopkinton, MA

Re: It took 7 years, but I finally did it

Post by gregsmith01748 » November 21st, 2018, 10:49 pm

Greg
Age: 55 H: 182cm W: 90Kg
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