Lets help Gregor get the bug back

Stan · Post by **Stan** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 1:04 pm

I noticed on the MSN thread that Gregor has admitted that he seems to have "lost the bug".
First of all - I hope you find it again Gregor - you were starting to do incredibly well. I suspect you have found it difficult after the holiday and now you are moving to Croatia.
Personally I find I need a goal to keep going sometimes - the desire to lose weight is not always enough for me. The October marathon is a great motivator for me as its for charity. My gradual improvements are a great motivator because I want to do even better. I always find I am much keener to train if my times are improving. Conversely if I am having a bad time its very demotivating.
I think therefore a goal is necessary for training, then once the times improve, the motivation comes back.
Hope you dont mind me posting this Gregor but I would hate to see you drifting away - after all you and all the other Free Spirits have helped motivate me.
It also raises the point - how does everyone else motivate themselves when thing are not going so well?

chang chi · Post by **chang chi** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 3:29 pm

Stan wrote:I noticed on the MSN thread that Gregor has admitted that he seems to have "lost the bug".
First of all - I hope you find it again Gregor - you were starting to do incredibly well. I suspect you have found it difficult after the holiday and now you are moving to Croatia.
Personally I find I need a goal to keep going sometimes - the desire to lose weight is not always enough for me. The October marathon is a great motivator for me as its for charity. My gradual improvements are a great motivator because I want to do even better. I always find I am much keener to train if my times are improving. Conversely if I am having a bad time its very demotivating.
I think therefore a goal is necessary for training, then once the times improve, the motivation comes back.
Hope you dont mind me posting this Gregor but I would hate to see you drifting away - after all you and all the other Free Spirits have helped motivate me.
It also raises the point - how does everyone else motivate themselves when thing are not going so well?

Hi Stan & Gregor
I am myself is in a valley right now, after spending the summer in the mountains. If there are something I have learned during my 23 years of doing Taido (karatÃ©) it is this:

The body has its ups and downs. One has to listen to oneself.

Important: Don't think that you not ever will be able to do any better than you are doing now. Its all in you mind. KNOW that this is just you body telling you to take it easy for a while.

Even if it is taking the motivation out of you, just train. Don't try to perform! Don't think at all. Find something that makes you happy or something to look forward to after training.

Then sooner or later, your body will have a comeback, and stronger than ever, I promise.

The strength and condition of you body comes in leaps from level to level.
Between the levels it feels almost as your not moving.

I often meditate by not thinking. The thoughts first fills the head, but soon they dissapear and I feel calm and relaxed (state of happiness.)

This exercise increases the ability to concentrate and to focus and it makes you able to take shortcuts in times of no motivation=You will come back sooner instead of later.

Cheer up,
Mikkel

JanetS · Post by **JanetS** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 8:24 pm

Good to see Gregor's time on the CTC!
He was the one who got me into Free Spirits & I've certainly done far more meters & much faster than I would have done messing about on my own

CTC is a good motivator - as is reading about everone's pbs - fires me up to try for my own.....

Gregor - the rowing in Croatia is fab! there's some great clubs & some lovely water, we went on a camp in 2000 to Zaton/Sibenik which is not far up the coast from Split. Croatian rowers v friendly & welcoming. I think I might be able to dig out some names if you wanted?

alistairkbs · Post by **alistairkbs** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 8:30 pm

Gregor contacted me and asked me to join Free Spirits. No regrets!

First time anybody asked me to be on their team for about 25 years so I owe you a lot.

Sounds like the bug has returned anyway

Best

Alistair

Post by **Thomas W-P** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 8:51 pm

Me too - asked to join and was member #20.

You could say that the web site would not be here if it weren't for Gregor.

I am not worried about Gregor. I think he does other training and will be back in the end.

I'm a bit surprised that I am 40 seconds ahead of him on CTC - maybe that is the MOTIVATION he needs. he he...

mash · Post by **mash** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 7:54 am

Gregor has been and still is a big force in Free Spirits and is, along with Paul, a great ambassador and recruiting power-house for the team.

I'm sure he'll be back soon and posting metres with the best of them.

I must admit I'm in one of those lulls with rowing too which is worrying with BIRC just round the corner. Just can't seem to motivate myself to get going. This may be what Gregor is feeling right now and so I know how he's feeling.

These period downs is where the team spirit really helps.

Mash

Gregor Andrews · Post by **Gregor Andrews** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:39 am

Thanks for the thread Stan - I definitely need help getting the bug back.

I think the problem started in July which was my best ever month for rowing - 250km plus beating ALL my PBs. After that what else is there?
Also I find it difficult to just churn out the metres day in day out - I always work better when trying to beat a PB.

The other disruption to rowing was the holiday to Croatia last month followed by our swift decision to move there (on the 23rd September).

But enough of the excuses. I'm feeling a bit guilty now so I think I'd better slug out some more km right now.

Thanks for all the kind words everyone.

johnglynn · Post by **johnglynn** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 2:30 pm

Gregor also invited me into the Free Spirits, thanks man

I've been rowing for about 2.5yrs, and have been very luckly that almost every time my progress has flattened, I've got information that kept me going from local people in the gym or from the Internet.

But .. in my first year rowing I was also starting rugby practice, unfortunatly my shins where simply too bad and I had to quit rugby. Rugby practice had really improved my fitness, and 2 days after what turned out my last training session I got a 5K PB of 18:56 . I was very very happy at breaking the 19min barrier . I then had a week off (holiday) and when I got back I had to work really hard to get 19:30's . Soon all I was getting was 19:40's. This depressed me.

But then I simply changed my targets. I started thinking of sub 19K as not really possible for me . So if I got a 19:30 I was very happy etc., similar sort of idea as seasons best.
I then found out rowing strapless was much better for me on long distances, then started my first few 10K's, and started rowing sprints, got injured from the sprints, which forced me into rowing just 10K's, which helped me a huge amount. I soon started rowing 10K's under 38min (i.e. 2* sub19 5K's) . I then started getting interested in the IIRC and .......

Also in general as you get faster, your PB or SPB improvements get smaller and smaller, and also get rarer and rarer (but there are a lot of distances so there not too rare) .

Mike Channin · Post by **Mike Channin** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 5:18 pm

Good point made by John there re: PB times (and hence the reason for my use of Season's PBs) about them getting harder to come by. But as he rightly points out, we all have a few weak times/distances, particularly at the less common times/distances, and it can be good for motivation to chase these down.

I wasn't recruited by Gregor, but still wish him all the best with his rowing. Am happy to produce some form of 'mike' plan for him, if it'll help him with motivation.

Post by **Thomas W-P** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 9:54 pm

Anyone heard from Gregor? He's gone quiet again. Moving house?

Post by **Thomas W-P** » Sat Sep 30, 2006 10:26 pm

I caught up with Gregor through IM - he arrived in Croatia last week, has no internet at home and his Concept2 is en-route.

He says the beer is ridiculously cheap...

Gregor Andrews · Post by **Gregor Andrews** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:20 pm

Thomas W-P wrote:I caught up with Gregor through IM - he arrived in Croatia last week, has no internet at home and his Concept2 is en-route.

He says the beer is ridiculously cheap...

Latest news - We've settled more or less in Split (Crotaia).
Still battling through the ridiculous amount of red tape before the Croatians will let us take our belongings across the border (including my concept2 erg!). Its all very frustrating although it will be great when everything arrives.

Does anyone know of a gym in Split with a C2?
I need to get back into rowing after not having done any for the past, er, several months.

Good to see everyone else still going strong.
Looking forward to catching some folk up on the metre board when I get started again!

Stan · Post by **Stan** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:25 pm

Gregor - absolutely brilliant to hear from you - good luck with sorting out the red tape.
Hope to see you posting metres again soon.
Regards to Emma too.
All the best
Stan

Gooner Neil · Post by **Gooner Neil** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:36 pm

Welcome back big fella

Help no one understands our style of music being attacked by all and sundry need you to defend me or properly prosecute me unlike the rest

Hope yr stuff gets thru soon.

Missed your posts but congratulations on your move, hope everything is good in that part of the world.

Derrylad · Post by **Derrylad** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 1:33 pm

Wondered where you was at. Good to have you back online. Hope you get your rower back soon ( maybe in time for christmas ). Have a good one.

Rob

JanetS · Post by **JanetS** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:38 pm

There's a rowing club in Split who may have ergs:
HVK "Gusar"-Split
Špinutska 69
21000 Split
tel/fax:+385 21 386 707

I think I visited there in 1999 or 2000 while helping to organise a rowing camp (we ended up going to Zaton, which isn't too far away) - but they look to have rebuilt their boathouse since then. Can't see any names I recognise though.

I do remember that everyone was very friendly

Good luck on your erg hunt!

Lets help Gregor get the bug back

Lets help Gregor get the bug back

Re: Lets help Gregor get the bug back

Gregor

Re: Lets help Gregor get the bug back

Good to see you back online