I'm just back from Portugal. I did the 1000m CTC yesterday, but couldn't get internet access until now. Any idea how I can post my time?

Paul V

I've no problem with you having a share in the short term glory of being in FS I. I just wish that I'd posted my time a bit earlier so that I could have been there for a while before you bumped me.

Paul V

Got on the erg this morning to try and claim a temporary seat in FSI.

Didn't get round to entering my time until now and found that Stan entered his time just ahead of me and was 1.4 seconds faster. So I'm already in FSII and the only way from here is down.

Paul V

I think Ireland will have the most unchanged squad so can they finally live up to their potential? I wish :!: Expectations here are very low. Nobody has any confidence in Eddie O'Sullivan and the general view is that the IRFU were totally out of their minds offering him a four year extension to his...

Had my final attempt at the January CTC this morning.

Managed to increase SPM to 45 and knocked 0.4 seconds off my time to 43.2. Moved up one boat to FSVIII alongside my lovely wife Jennifer.

Paul V

Congratulations to everyone - absolutely brilliant performances.

Particular mention to Plummy for joining the sub 7 club - we knew you could do it.

Paul V

Went to see No Country For Old Men. Not for the faint-hearted, but a compelling, typically quirky thriller that may well stand the test of time. Javier Bardem plays the scariest villain since Hannibal Lecter and should be an absolute certainty for Best Supporting Actor oscar. Absolutely rivetting. P...

I know it was only (mainly) their youth team, but what a refreshing change to actually beat the Gooners for once.

I just hope we can play like that in the final. It's probably the only way we'll qualify for the UEFA Cup next season.

Paul V

Long Slow Distance is part of my plan
And I do it whenever I can
I tried to go fast
But I just couldn't last
Though I'm not just a flash in the pan

While rowing I wear quite a smile

Decided to give this another blast this evening. Stunned myself with a 0.9 second improvement to 42.8. Looking at the splits for the first 100m I did 16.8, only 0.1 slower than my 100 pb, last time I did the first 100 in 17.4 so clearly a good start. Not sure if I will make another attempt. Puts me...

Well done J-R. To get under 2:00 split is brilliant.

Paul V

Many congratulations to Mike and Tanya. Enjoy being parents. It gives you a whole new perspective on life.

Paul V

Long Slow Distance is part of my plan
And I do it whenever I can

The best way to avoid Christmas weight
Is to send an new erg by air freight
Then just hop on and row

I don't think you could hold the pace needed to get a PB over 250m for 500m. that second or less you save with the rolling start would not be able to be held in the next 250 metres!! True. But you could do the first 220-230m quite slowly and then speed up so you get a flying start on the second 250...

I think this has come up before and the general consensus is that it's OK to log part of a longer piece as long as it's the start of that piece (i.e. from a standing start).

This applies to ALL distances, not just sprints.

Paul V

Richard/Stan Thanks for your replies. You've encouraged me to give it a try. I'll do what Stan suggested and try a "full on" 2k and 5K over the weekend in order to establish my current level (lack?) of fitness and use this as a starting point for the program. I'm think I might amend the pr...

The Golden Compass armoured polar bears were fun BUT just as they started sorting everything out it ended -Boomph-just like that Hi J-R My son Jonathan is a HUGE fan of the books and I've also read them. It's interesting that you have commented on the fact that the film ended quite suddenly. This i...

Fantastic performance by Zach (although not entirely unexpected). =D> =D>

The ripple effects down the line have pushed me out of FS VII, so I can no longer enjoy the company of J-R et famille.

Paul V

Welcome to Free Spirits Lizzie.

I hope you enjoy being a member as much as I have.

Paul V

I've been thinking about doing the Pete Plan for quite a while, but never quite got myself psyched up to the point where I actually started doing it. Then I fell ill in November and have struggled to get back to anything approaching full fitness since then. I tend to be an "all or nothing"...

Stan & J-R Thanks for the encouragement and kind words. I have to say I felt pretty tired afterwards and woke up in the middle of the night with lots of aching muscles and needed to take some pain killers before I could get back to sleep. So maybe I overdid it a little bit. :roll: I took yesterd...

I'm still not showing up on the challenge list. I PM'd Richard previously, so am wondering if there is some problem with the info I gave him? When I checked that link that was given, it showed me as a member of Free Spirits, but I figure that is just the team affiliation showing. I was in the chall...

Having done very little rowing for the last couple of months, I decided tonight's Carling Cup semi final would be a perfect opportunity to clock up some meters and turned on Sky Sports and set out to complete my first HM for several months. Relying on Stan's premise about there being no such thing a...

Managed to knock off another 0.6 seconds to 44.1 at 190 DF. It only moved me up one seat in FSVIII.

I'm really impressed by the times being recorded by Free Spirits on this challenge.

Paul V