BIRC 2009 reports

[Stan]

Just got back from another days racing.
As always it was great to meet the other Free Spirits, old and new, as well as people from the wider C2 community.
My plan today was go out at 1:48 and then see what was left with 500 to go. I settled into race pace quickly and felt the usual discomfort at the half way point but kept on. At 500 to go there wasnt really anything in the tank and it was all I could do to just maintain the splits. I held on to the 1:48 average pace and finished in 7:12.1. Slightly disappointing to be 5 seconds outside my pb but it was an all out effort and I could not see how I could have gone faster on the day. All my training was pointing to this being my time so happy to just say - "roll on Cardiff in 2 weeks".

Many many congratulations to William on his superb gold medal in the 60-64 hwts - well deserved for all his hard training. Roger Burrell achieved bronze in the 75-79 and Gillian won gold in her race. Lots of pbs (Lee and Jane immediately spring to mind) and great performances from Free Spirits.

Special mention to a chap called Rick James who trains at the same gym as myself who finished 4th in the 40-44 lwts in 6:47. I keep trying to sign him up to Free Spirits so I will have another nagging session at him this week.

[Doc RowSlo]

Travelled down for my 3rd BIRC not really knowing what to expect! The venue was familiar and the event all too familiar, but I really wasn't sure about my haphazard training for the last few weeks would affect me.
Also, I felt really lousy yesterday due to some sort of virus courtessy of my transatlantic flight earlier in the week and still jet-lagged. Fortunately I felt a lot better this morning and decided to give it a go. I have to say that having a cough before the race didn't fill me with confidence.

The race itself was a strange experience really. I'd decided that I'd go out on 38's and just see how I felt. Found it uncharacteristically difficult to settle and the pace was all over the shop for the first 500m ranging from 36's to a few 40's. Pretty unusual for me. Didn't feel any more crap than usual with 500 down and actually felt a lot better than I should have at the half way point. Didn't even start to die at around 1,250 either so i guess I must have been a little conservative (Certainly I reckon that my training had been pointing to a 6:30 before the interuptions). It was a completely different story a short while later and the last 150-200m were very unpleasant indeed. Managed to hold on (and it certainly was holding on) for a PB of 6:32.3

Bizarre race really, totally unlike any 2k TT I've done before

Apart from the PB, I was also really chuffed to find that I'd beaten Steve backley MBE, OBE by a second (For those who don't know or don't google, he's a retired javelin thrower who held the WR in around 1990 who's won a whole bunch of Olympic, European and World Championship medals ) I won't mention that he's had a hip replacement in the last few months

It was a great day and really nice to put faces and voices to a whole load of Free Spirits. Thanks all

[billwright]

Yeah Doc - hiding your light under a bushel there . Well done on your PB which given the circumstances was a bloody good effort. Let me know what the virus was - maybe able to use it for future perfomance boost

Bill

[plummy]

Quick log in before I go and eat (daughter cooking tea for the first time - it was nice knowing you all!)

Managed a 7:07.3 which I'm happy enough with - a seasons best by 2.6 seconds. I've spent days worrying of the horrific pain of this race and when I came up with a strategy (in the car on the way to the race), I excuted it almost perfectly. The only problem was, it was a bit soft so now I'm thinking I could have got at least a 7:04. It wouldn't have moved me up a place but would have looked better.

I ship in another fuller report if I survive my last supper

Plummy

[Stan]

Probably depends on whether your daughter sees your post Plummy!

[William]

Does any one know? Is Plummy still alive? If he is, well done - nothing wrong with rowing to plan. You can always go faster in your next race.
Stan - thanks for your kind words and the CD which I appreciate more than I can express. (Mrs K watched it under duress and after observing the final collapse, she turned to me and asked if my life insurance payments were all up to date, and why did the St John's Ambulance people not come right away when it was obvious I was dying.) Well rowed by the way, 5 seconds outside a PB is always pretty good - at our age the PBs start drifting away from us.
Alan - Brilliant effort just to miss bronze after your illness when I thought you were down and out, and a superb time. Just wait until you're 60 and you can start scaring the hell out of us old folk.
Colin - very solid effort.
Gary - excellent effort in a strong field.
Rachel - lovely to see you.
Apologies to anyone I've forgotten to mention - my mind wasn't functioning properly before or after the race.
PS My computer isn't working for this site so my entries will be fewer and further between pro tem.

[strider77]

Great to see all you guys from the dick who lost the bronze purely down to poor technique !

William as always magnanimous, fabulous effort from a great guy, I can't wait to row against you again in a couple of years

Well done to the Burrells we have come to expect medals from you guys

Great performances from all and nice to meet new faces Lee and Jon at last-brilliant rows from both

See some of you at Manchester no doubt

[William]

Alan, if I'm not on a zimmer frame by then I'll happily race against you in a couple of years. If I don't see you at Cardiff I'll probably see you at Manchester where I'm hoping to improve on my BIRC time. All the best, William