The long road back

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webberg
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The long road back

Post by webberg »

Having finally managed to log in, like many more lockdown refugees, I'm also on the long road back.

Having been an early joiner and active 2005 thru 2014, rediscovering the bike and a couple of surgeries on both shoulders pretty much stopped the rowing.

Had a couple of dabbles but like others here got quite depressed about being unable to get anywhere close to times from ten years ago. Objectively of course not having a few million recent metres and being a decade older means that slower times are inevitable. Subjectively, like Mr Jain has said earlier, I'm still 25 in my head and absolutely no reason why I cannot do 10k at sub 2:10 splits!

So I've set myself a different challenge. I've never rowed a marathon. Most I've ever done in one session is around 25k. So I'm going to attempt a marathon - 42,195m

I've tried before and see I have pieces of an hour to perhaps 17/18k at "marathon pace" which back then (2013/14) was around 2:16 to 2:18.

Now I'm going out at 2:24 to 2:25 and - touch wood - aside from trying to ignore a 30 degree + day - am managing an hour at that pace.

The "plan" is to build that hour into 90 minutes and then 25k - 30k per session.

Perhaps around March/April 2021 I'll be ready to attempt it.

Never had an issue with blisters on hands so not worried about that. The seat is potentially an issue. Experimenting with bubble wrap and the like (my wife thinks I bonkers). Time is not an issue. I've been working from home pre lock down anyway and am managing happily.

Training is presently limited to 2 perhaps 3 sessions a week. (We have a few bike challenges to fit in this summer which take precedence). Once the clocks change I suspect I'll be able to step up the time for each session and/or number of sessions.

Anyway - good to be back and good to see so many of the "old" names reappear. Looking forward to participating in the "banter".

Onward.
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Re: The long road back

Post by Draggon »

Good luck in your noble endeavor, webberg, and welcome back! I still feel like a "new guy" as I joined the FS in January 2016 and have yet to fully commit.
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Re: The long road back

Post by Wolfmiester »

Great to 'see' you again Graham, good luck with the quest.
Having trained for and completed a marathon in May, I'd say you have the correct approach.
Just do lots of long, slow, steady rows (in front of the tv maybe?) and gently increase the time in the seat.
Regarding padding, I tried a folded towel, but eventually settled on a thick piece of foam. No issues with it at all.
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Re: The long road back

Post by Iain »

Great to see you back.

Personally I don't see the need for lots of intermediate distances. Yes you have to train >an hour and have at least one successful HM at a 4-5S/500m quicker time, then when you feel fresh go for it! As for blisters, I rarely have issues on HMs, but marathons are different. The trouble comes as you need to drink (preferably with energy in at least some). Either you lose time by stopping, or try and row one handed (Camelbak's are possible, but I find the heat of having one on my back makes it not worth it and the logistics of having longer tube and hanging the bag defeats me!). It is this that destroys my hands and requires tape.

Best of luck.

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Re: The long road back

Post by webberg »

Intermediate distances are doing it for me.

Up to around 18k and on the way to 21k.

September is a busy work month though so just marking time.
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Re: The long road back

Post by webberg »

Had a couple of weeks away due to work (and cycling) commitments, but went again today (close to 10k) and will be building up over the winter towards my marathon attempt.

Did some intervals today (300 r 1:20) and now know why I prefer slow and steady.
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Re: The long road back

Post by Wolfmiester »

ha ha, knowing we are watching may help you to just keep jumping on Graham
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Re: The long road back

Post by webberg »

work just keeps getting in the way!

Hopefully after a week or so away and a more settled schedule, I can get back into the low/mid 20ks again soon.

After a few solid 25k- 28k, the plan is to jump to 35k and do a few of those.

Then a jump to 37.5k and then an attempt on the marathon.

I'm thinking late Jan/early Feb for that.
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Re: The long road back

Post by Wolfmiester »

I thought you were considering retirement a couple of years ago?
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Re: The long road back

Post by webberg »

The best laid plans of mice and men ....?

I was made redundant in 2014 but decided that I was too young and too poor to retire then.

Doing what I do, not many (if any) employers were interested in offering anything part time or more importantly working at home (or at least not in London).

So I started my own consultancy in a niche space that would have a limited life span.

Yeah - right.

What was meant to be a niche and small scale operation suited to my lifestyle has turned into a business with a couple of thousand clients, twelve staff and high profile. I suspect I'll be riding this for another couple of years.

We have though downsized in terms of house as one of our children emigrated and one is at Uni and unlikely to return to the "boring" countryside. Our daughter remains at home but is saving hard to get away.

Cycling has become a major activity as my wife started the pursuit around six years ago (and I'm now literally playing catch up most weekends).

So the idea is now to cycle when we can and row when we can't. We're fair weather cyclists so rowing on weekdays is possible - weekends less so.

But September was really busy work wise and then I had a week off so now just trying to get back to my steel horse.

Technically I was going along at 2:23 splits and that felt comfortable up to about 15/16k. I then began to fluctuate between 2:20 and 2:25 which I know is a signal of the tanks running dry. I started experimenting with snacks (mainly those I use when cycling) and that allows a steady pace of 2:23 up to 18k.

The enforced break and a need to rebuild distance got me thinking that I should be aiming at perhaps 2:25 splits. Tried it yesterday for 5k or so which seemed to go OK so I'll persevere with that for a while.

I know that some have suggested that I pick a rate at 3/4 secs more than my usual 500 split and go for it. 15 years ago I was splitting 500s on any decent distance around 2:12. I guarantee that going out at 2:16/17 would see me in a puddle of exhaustion within 10k at the moment.

Slow and steady is my plan and seems to be making progress.
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Re: The long road back

Post by Iain »

Not sure whether it is just me as a feeble lightweight, but I find that while my rate drops as I tire, this is reversible, while my legs tire for real. This means that I put an increasing load on my muscles as the row proceeds. Eventually legs get tired and pace drops. I find that lowering DR by 10 or so helps maintain the legs and making a concious effort to maintain the rating when it drops of its own accord means the load stays constant and I can keep going at the same pace for longer.

Re nutrition, tougher on rower than a bike. As a result I need more dilute drinks. On my 111km row stomach got really bad after around 50km and had to make a few unplanned stops. This was because I hadn't rowed with energy drinks for over a year and so was unable to take my former concentrations.

HTH

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Re: The long road back

Post by webberg »

Interesting. Thinking about it I suppose rowing is harder than cycling.

In cycling a two hour piece is not one I would eat on. Only more than that brings nutrition into play.

I do though take salt tablets on the bike and not the rower, so perhaps will have to start doing that.

I row at around 130 DR. This is down from 150 or so when I was younger. I think 130 is about right for me now.

Just finished an hour piece which had the intention of 2:25 split but ended up at 2:24. I get what you mean by the rate slipping away as you get tired but I struggle mentally with that. I know I should not, but I do and eventually a combination of mental frustration and tired muscles losing their snap and form, forces an end to the piece.

Something I need to work on.

What is always a plus for me is the metre board. Today gained me (temporarily) 2 places to 140th. My plans for the weekend and next week could see me rise to 130th. It's shallow but it means a lot to me. When the metre board first appeared there was much debate about whether it would inspire or deflate. For me it's definitely the former.
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Re: The long road back

Post by webberg »

For a number of boring reasons I went for the full marathon today.

The last 1500 or so was hell but I finished in 3:21:57.

Happy with that.
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Re: The long road back

Post by Kevinhorne44 »

webberg wrote: Thu Dec 17, 2020 5:14 pm For a number of boring reasons I went for the full marathon today.

The last 1500 or so was hell but I finished in 3:21:57.

Happy with that.
Well done =D> =D> make sure you get that pin 💪🏆 you have earned it !!
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Re: The long road back

Post by JonT »

Congratulations Graham. Still hoping to do a FM this season if the stars align.
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Re: The long road back

Post by paulgould »

Nice one Graham - well done.

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Re: The long road back

Post by webberg »

Thank you.

Time to think about all those other targets I've missed over the years, including:

More than 14k in an hour.
Sub 40 minute 10k
Sub 20 minute 5k

Realistically any thresholds at the shorter distances are now beyond me. I will try to post a "rank" at each relevant distance/time this year because I've never managed to do all of them in one season before.

The bad news is that my wife's new bike arrives on 23rd and that may start eating into the available time.
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Re: The long road back

Post by Iain »

Graham, while longer term aspirational goals are useful, you might like to think of some more attainable targets shorter term. After a year back rowing (this after several months a couple of year's ago), I am now finally closing on 20 min 5k and never quite made sub-40 10k. I find that Nonathlon keeps me honest with immediate targets to improve each distance. By doing a selection and using those paces for the lower unattempted distances you have a wealth of targets even if they aren't round amounts.

Best of luck

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Re: The long road back

Post by webberg »

Good advice Iain.

My more immediate goals are more modest, just metres on the board.

I need around 100k a month to do 1m this season.

I need just less than 200k to get to seven million lifetime.

For now though I'll settle for my knees to stop aching!
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Re: The long road back

Post by Wolfmiester »

Congratulations on the FM Graham =D> =D>
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Re: The long road back

Post by webberg »

short term goal now set at a one hour time.

Objective is 13,800.

First go today and 12,921
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Re: The long road back

Post by wojtek »

Well,

In much the same way - I think it is good to be back too!

It has been many a year since I sat on my concept 2 and rowed. After coming to Colombia in October 2010 I decided to stay here. I did bring my rowing machine with me in 2011, but since then I have not had much of an impetus to get back on. After 10 years in Colombia, getting married, getting kids - we adopted two lovely girls in 2016 - a series of operations (shoulder, hip, knee, gall bladder removal) and some illnesses (viral meningitis, another bout of malaria and most recently Dengue) I think I am finally ready to get back on.

I dusted the machine off to find that the PM3 I had had disintegrated with a battery leak - so I orderd a new PM5 via friends in the states. My old Polar chest belt was gone so a new Garmin chest belt was also purchased. Got the PM5 in August only to find out that my daughters had cut the cable from the power generator assembly to the PM3 (it looked like a nice cable to recharge their play mobile phones!) So, I ordered a new generator assembly. Got that today, 11th January 2021.

I now have to go and get a flathead screwdriver from the local hardware store in order to fit it. Then I am back.

It will be hard to figure out where to start, but I think a few gentle rows, get the momentum back, and start trying to remember all that I did 12 or so years ago. It will be hard but as Webberg, I guess I have to set myself a goal:

So, before my 50th on 19th July, I plan to at least row all the major categories of distance and timed rows. And try and get to my PB on the 2000m, if not better it! It´s a big goal, but lockdown is current here in Cali too, so I will just do the best I can.

Good to be back! Look forward to catching up with people!

Wojtek
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Re: The long road back

Post by Wolfmiester »

Wojtek!! Hi there, great to hear from you.
A hell of a checkered medical history there, wow. Good to see you back in a good place with a working rower though, good luck with it.
(What's the job in Columbia, I seem to remember your Uni course was something exotic?)
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Re: The long road back

Post by wojtek »

Hi,

I got the PhD in 2010 in Agroforestry, then moved to Colombia, got married (planned ahead of the trip). I went back to my roots of teaching. I am now a chemistry /Agricultural science teacher and department chair for sciences at Colegio Bolivar, in Cali, where I have been for 10 years. I also have a farm where I grow our own coffee, planted four years ago amongst other things. We have chickens, quail, a turkey or two and about twenty ducks, two dogs, two cats, a mother and father in law and 4 hectares of cloud rain forest, plus all the fauna that goes with that - the odd snake, tarantula, scorpions, perros de monte (a cute wild animal that lives in the forest), porcupines, probably some form of cat, anteaters, and perhaps some monkeys though I have never seen them. Tonnes of bird life too, one of the areas with the highest number of species not just in Colombia but the world!

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Re: The long road back

Post by duffyoz »

Had to look up what a perros de monte was - apparently also called a bush dog or vinegar fox. Kind of cute looking dog/fox cross thing.

Good luck with the rowing comeback, sounds like life is busy.

Cheers, Lesley
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