Forum Flyers

[Slothful1]

Regarding getting on a boat with other members, I feel I should see how I fare with the Pete Beginner Plan and the rehab on my arm. I would hate to join a boat and have to tap out as the only female and have others lose out on a challenge. At this point, I am too new...I will be sure to get "on board" when the time is right though!

Hi Lisa

You don't have to worry about anything - the places in boats are all done automatically. So if you're keeping another female out of a boat it's because you're the faster one! Unlike the Indoor Rowing League where we had to pre-nominate 10 rowers for a team at the start of the competition, the CTC is ultra-flexible. Just need at least 1 female, 1 lightweight (male / female) and the rest is filled up with whatever we can put together. We tend to have an oversupply of heavy males at the moment, which is why the key for us is to get participation, so that the lonely members of the half-filled boats get a chance to score some points. My wife is planning on getting back into some regular rowing again, so I've already started working on her to throw a score at the CTC every month regardless of how good / bad she feels it is.

Dave

[hjs]

Regarding getting on a boat with other members, I feel I should see how I fare with the Pete Beginner Plan and the rehab on my arm. I would hate to join a boat and have to tap out as the only female and have others lose out on a challenge. At this point, I am too new...I will be sure to get "on board" when the time is right though!

Hi Lisa

You don't have to worry about anything - the places in boats are all done automatically. So if you're keeping another female out of a boat it's because you're the faster one! Unlike the Indoor Rowing League where we had to pre-nominate 10 rowers for a team at the start of the competition, the CTC is ultra-flexible. Just need at least 1 female, 1 lightweight (male / female) and the rest is filled up with whatever we can put together. We tend to have an oversupply of heavy males at the moment, which is why the key for us is to get participation, so that the lonely members of the half-filled boats get a chance to score some points. My wife is planning on getting back into some regular rowing again, so I've already started working on her to throw a score at the CTC every month regardless of how good / bad she feels it is.

Dave

There are no negatives about putting in a ctc result. Don,t worry about that, but really feel free to enter or not, focus in the first place on you own needs! Keep us updated on that

[Citroen]

You don't have to worry about anything - the places in boats are all done automatically. So if you're keeping another female out of a boat it's because you're the faster one! ... Just need at least 1 female, 1 lightweight (male / female) and the rest is filled up with whatever we can put together. We tend to have an oversupply of heavy males at the moment, which is why the key for us is to get participation, so that the lonely members of the half-filled boats get a chance to score some points. My wife is planning on getting back into some regular rowing again, so I've already started working on her to throw a score at the CTC every month regardless of how good / bad she feels it is.

Dave

Thanks Dave, that's a succinct definition of the CTC and the whole reason behind the CTC. It has been running since December 2005 and has a few of us left who've rowed every CTC so I'd suggest it's the most successful of the monthly challenges.

[Paul N]

Did the Jan CTC this afternoon - it's a bit of a toughie!

Interval, Distance (m), Time (min:ss), Pace (min:ss), spm
1, 1000, 4:30.0, 2:15.0, 27
2, 250, 1:02.9, 2:05.8, 33
3, 1000, 4:35.3, 2:17.6, 27
4, 250, 1:03.5, 2:07.0, 31
5, 1000, 4:36.2, 2:18.1, 26
Total, 3500, 15:47.9, 2:15.4, 28

Was targeting Carol A's time - finished 8s behind...

(For any newbies, "Pace" is the equivalent time to row 500m, and spm is the stroke rate (no. strokes per min).

Very tough to complete it I thought - wasn't looking forward to the 3rd 1k at all - even the 2nd 1k was a struggle. I see I dropped by ~5s from the 1st to the 2nd 1k, and then by another 1s to the 3rd 1k - not sure if that's bad or not so bad. My individual 1k best is 4:19.4, 2:09.7, 29 spm. That was in October, 2 days before I sprained my ankle, and when I was at my fittest.

Hi Lisa - as Henry has said, take care of yourself first of all, regarding health, injuries etc. However, the CTC really is a great competition and by registering, you are not committing to doing any set minimum number of challenges - you can do whichever months take your fancy, and skip those that don't. I should add that many of us do them not just from the point of view of trying to score points for the team (or trying to get into a floating boat), but because they make great individual challenges where you are competing merely against yourself. They are also great for thinking and learning a lot about pacing strategies, which is one of the areas where you can make great gains in rowing (along with improvements in cardio fitness, technique and strength).

[jackarabit]

Lisa, the lemons that life presents ("bionic" knee joints, repeated surgeries) can be converted to lemonade following more than one recipe. I agree that your pursuit of health and functional fitness should be your first priority. FF welcomes you for your commitment to join a virtual team for the current month-long C2 participation challenge. Some of us (not all) also play the CTC racing game but none of us would seriously ask you to risk your personal fitness goals to participate. You can, as Henry says, pick your own venu to fight your own battles and do the CTC only when YOU wish.

[Slothful1]

You don't have to worry about anything - the places in boats are all done automatically. So if you're keeping another female out of a boat it's because you're the faster one! ... Just need at least 1 female, 1 lightweight (male / female) and the rest is filled up with whatever we can put together. We tend to have an oversupply of heavy males at the moment, which is why the key for us is to get participation, so that the lonely members of the half-filled boats get a chance to score some points. My wife is planning on getting back into some regular rowing again, so I've already started working on her to throw a score at the CTC every month regardless of how good / bad she feels it is.

Dave

Thanks Dave, that's a succinct definition of the CTC and the whole reason behind the CTC. It has been running since December 2005 and has a few of us left who've rowed every CTC so I'd suggest it's the most successful of the monthly challenges.

Dougie - I think you should add a link to the front page listing the legends who've done all of them - it's an impressive feat! My first one was number 6, and I managed to do 84 in a row before the missed months started appearing. As a variation in my training I've started redoing the past challenges in order, and comparing to my original times. Unfortunately I'm currently comparing a trough to my past peaks, but I know that I'm climbing out at the moment, so should shortly start catching up with the downward sloping times.

Dave

[Citroen]

Last time I looked there were only six of us. It's hard to do now that most of the UK forum folk have gone the way of the Faceborg. Jon Goodall is definitely on the list with me.

[lindsayh]

Dave, with nearly a full yr. until BRIC '18, you should talk to fellow Fliers and others about saving the Pete pressure cooker until a couple months out from the comp. Lindsay, Piers Newman, John Adcock, Rohan Dennis have recent experience with prep and peak and will be able to give you some ideas about the virtues of periodized training schemes.

Dave my experience FWIW leading up to Boston started 9 months before. IMO the PP has about 3 cycles before it gets counter productive and if you look back in the PP threads over the past few years that seems about it. It is just too intense to keep getting faster each time and 6 sessions a week gets pretty brutal and repetitive. At the same time it proved a really good thing to do. I much prefer the interactive plan when there is a specific goal in mind as it provides a more varied, focussed and reasoned program over a period of time.
I started with steady meters from June 1 for two months then dialled in a 24 week IP starting August 1 with a finishing date of the first week in Feb in Boston and a goal time just a bit faster than I thought I could do (6:40 made the maths easier but I was hoping 6:46 ish). For the first time in my life I actually wrote it all down - 6 sessions a week. (I don't normally document my training)
Aug1to September 10 I did the IP then I dropped 9 weeks of PP in to replace IP and did 2x 2k races as well then went back to the IP as it was originally planned about Nov 10 - that is I didn't start again. Then followed the IP right through to Boston. I used the HR as a cap on the UT1 pieces (80% HRR) and the AT ones and %of watts on TR and AN ones (up to 120% of 2k watts). The AT ones were too ambitious so had to modify my goals. In the end I got to Boston in pretty good shape and pulled a 6:47 so it worked OK for me but who knows if something else would have been better.
If you have all year then maybe you could do 2x say 3 cycles of PP interrupted by other stuff. Have a look at how the last say 10 weeks of the IP works as it sharpens and tapers and I reckon it makes sense.

[lindsayh]

We have a ??new member who is a huge meter man - Harry from Finland (>50k already this month)!
Amazing how people just appear out off nowhere
Harry are you "lurking"?

[Slothful1]

Thanks for the information, Lindsay. Looks very useful, and I've cut and paste it into a note in my training folder so that it is easy to refer to when I set up my plans in the next couple of weeks.

Put down a sighter for the CTC tonight. Wasn't that enjoyable I must admit, but I definitely can drop the 15:01.7 down a bit. Wasn't sure how to pace it - did the 1000m intervals at 2:12.7 / 2:11.1 / 2:05.4 and the 250m intervals were 2:06.2 and 2:00.0. Will probably aim for around 2:09 on the 1000m and 2:00 on the 250m next time and see how that feels.

Dave

[Paul N]

Your average watts is up Dave compared to the Dec CTC, even though this one is markedly more rowing distance / time. That looks like a result to me.

[jackarabit]

2nd effort this month. Gunning for Rick Bayko's 2:02.5 and a seat in a fully (wo)manned boat. Blew up in the second minute of the 6th interval and barely finished.

3m short - ouch! Sorry, but I'm afraid you were definitely destined to stay with me Jack!

Paul, given the difference in our ages I believe I am destined to "stay with you" for the very short time it will take you to improve your technique and fitness. You should be able to show me your stern very soon but it will take some work on your part.

[Slothful1]

Your average watts is up Dave compared to the Dec CTC, even though this one is markedly more rowing distance / time. That looks like a result to me.

Thanks for pointing that out, Paul! I hadn't thought to compare because the sessions seemed quite different, but I'll take the implied result.

[jackarabit]

Double ramp (hill repeats?) in Dec. vs. whatever this January monstrosity is designed to accomplish--or prevent one from accomplishing

[jackarabit]

Dave, with nearly a full yr. until BRIC '18, you should talk to fellow Fliers and others about saving the Pete pressure cooker until a couple months out from the comp. Lindsay, Piers Newman, John Adcock, Rohan Dennis have recent experience with prep and peak and will be able to give you some ideas about the virtues of periodized training schemes.

Rohan Dennis--tsk, tsk? Got pro cyclists on the brain per usual. Meant Rohan Gifford, the man from Corio Bay.