Best of luck for today Max - you have done great so far and you will have no problems today.
Paul G
Nijmegen 4 Days 50k per Day
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Mike Channin
- Super Dedicated and Truly Free Spirit
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- I row on...: Model C with PM4
Done at last - whew! Started as late as possible today to maximise recovery time from yesterday.
Finished in 3:59:34.0
Total Nijmegen time: 15:48:27.7
Thanks for all the support and encouragement guys!
More later - need to eat first.
Finished in 3:59:34.0
Total Nijmegen time: 15:48:27.7
Thanks for all the support and encouragement guys!
More later - need to eat first.
Maxim Devereaux
32, 6'1", less than 100kgs if I'm lucky
PBs:
Designed for living; built for erging
32, 6'1", less than 100kgs if I'm lucky
PBs:
Designed for living; built for erging
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Wolfmiester
- Friend of the Free Spirits web site 2020
- Posts: 4060
- Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 2:16 pm
- I row on...: Model D with PM5
- Location: Henley in Arden, UK
Didn't feel too bad when I woke up, but had already decided to leave the start of day 4 until nearly 4pm. Added yet ANOTHER layer of bubblewrap to the seat... I'm now perched up at least an inch higher than I would be without padding, and I'm hoping it keeps the SAS at bay.
Race strategy is 8km at 2:17, then 6km pieces at 2:17.5, 2:18, 2:18.5, 2:19, 2:19,5, 2:20 and 2:20.5 with 4x1:30 rests and 3x2:00 rests (target time just over 4:03).
Left hamstring feels a bit tight for the first few km, but loosens up soon. 8km first piece goes by without any problem, then onto the 6k pieces, which are short enough that it's not too disheartening to focus on the distance almost the whole way (thinking of it as 3x2K).
After the first 20km, I come to the realisation that actually I feel pretty strong today... almost unbelievably strong considering I've rowed 150km over the last 3 days.
This could be the additional recovery time, the fact that I've been able to have lunch as well as breakfast before erging, or just psychological as a result of knowing it's the last day, but whatever it is I'm not complaining. There's a small amount of pain in my calves, but it's nothing compared to yesterday.
And the SAS is almost non-existent - whether it's the extra layer of bubblewrap or the shorter pieces, or a combination of the two, I'm not sure, but there's almost no pain (though it's also possible that this is because my bum has lost all feeling by now).
I up the pace a little, and the next 10km ticks by. With 20km to go, and 2km to the end of the current piece, I even start to contemplate the possibility of extending to 77km and making this week into an MDS as well , but eventually decide against it for two reasons:
Over the course of the final 5 6k pieces, I rowed the pace boat out of sight in each one - splitting 3-4 seconds quicker than it was, and in fact, my average split for the last 30km was marginally lower than for the first 20km.
Only with 3km to go do I begin to get the same tightness in the quads that I got yesterday, so there's no sprint finish for me (which is a good thing, because otherwise I might have been tempted, and would then probably have given the warm-down a miss and suffered for it later).
Final time 3:59:34.0 (26.2 secs quicker than yesterday despite 3 mins additional rest).
If anyone else is thinking of attempting the Nijmegen, all I can say from my experience is - compared to day 3, day 4 is a walk in the park! If you can get through day 3, you'll finish.
Thanks again everyone for all the encouragement - I'd have been seriously tempted to give up without it!
Max
Race strategy is 8km at 2:17, then 6km pieces at 2:17.5, 2:18, 2:18.5, 2:19, 2:19,5, 2:20 and 2:20.5 with 4x1:30 rests and 3x2:00 rests (target time just over 4:03).
Left hamstring feels a bit tight for the first few km, but loosens up soon. 8km first piece goes by without any problem, then onto the 6k pieces, which are short enough that it's not too disheartening to focus on the distance almost the whole way (thinking of it as 3x2K).
After the first 20km, I come to the realisation that actually I feel pretty strong today... almost unbelievably strong considering I've rowed 150km over the last 3 days.
This could be the additional recovery time, the fact that I've been able to have lunch as well as breakfast before erging, or just psychological as a result of knowing it's the last day, but whatever it is I'm not complaining. There's a small amount of pain in my calves, but it's nothing compared to yesterday. And the SAS is almost non-existent - whether it's the extra layer of bubblewrap or the shorter pieces, or a combination of the two, I'm not sure, but there's almost no pain (though it's also possible that this is because my bum has lost all feeling by now).
I up the pace a little, and the next 10km ticks by. With 20km to go, and 2km to the end of the current piece, I even start to contemplate the possibility of extending to 77km and making this week into an MDS as well
, but eventually decide against it for two reasons:
- I won't have exact times for the MDS days 1-3 distances - I'd need to approximate them based on the 50k times.
- I've started late and it'll be 10pm before I finish if I carry on to 77km today.
Over the course of the final 5 6k pieces, I rowed the pace boat out of sight in each one - splitting 3-4 seconds quicker than it was, and in fact, my average split for the last 30km was marginally lower than for the first 20km.
Only with 3km to go do I begin to get the same tightness in the quads that I got yesterday, so there's no sprint finish for me (which is a good thing, because otherwise I might have been tempted, and would then probably have given the warm-down a miss and suffered for it later).
Final time 3:59:34.0 (26.2 secs quicker than yesterday despite 3 mins additional rest).
If anyone else is thinking of attempting the Nijmegen, all I can say from my experience is - compared to day 3, day 4 is a walk in the park! If you can get through day 3, you'll finish.
Thanks again everyone for all the encouragement - I'd have been seriously tempted to give up without it!
Max
Maxim Devereaux
32, 6'1", less than 100kgs if I'm lucky
PBs:
Designed for living; built for erging
32, 6'1", less than 100kgs if I'm lucky
PBs:
Designed for living; built for erging
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alistairkbs
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- Location: Devoran, nr Truro, Cornwall
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BigWaveDave
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Well done Max. Congratulations onf joining the ranks of the truly insane (heroic?).
Every time I read about one of these I am tempted.
What a shame I have three young children who won't let me have the four hours a day to do this...
...maybe the evenings in the summer holidays?
Every time I read about one of these I am tempted.
What a shame I have three young children who won't let me have the four hours a day to do this...
...maybe the evenings in the summer holidays?
51 yrs - A cyclist these days
