I N D O O R R O W I N G N E W S L E T T E R # 1 2 =========================== 12-May-2000 ==================== _________________________________________________ C O N T E N T S 1. Concept Ranking 2. Tel's Tales #1 3. Slide Championship 4. e-Row Software 5. Supersprint Rowing 6. Tel's Tales Million Metre Special 7. Competition Results 8. Nick Lowton 9. A Sad Dickensian Tale Of Poverty And Woe 10. The X Zone _________________________________________________________________ ========================================================= Concept Ranking ========================================================= Despite a concerted attempt to defeat its appearance by the Temps From Hell, this year's Concept Ranking should be hitting the stands early next month. Those of you with access to the Internet and who can't wait to see where you or friends rank can sneak a peek at it on our web-site at http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/ranking.htm. The Ranking is our annual compilation of personal bests for everybody in Britain (well, everybody who competed in the British Championships or who sent in a time) over 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, the marathon and 100,000 metres. This year it's Matthew Pinsent's turn to be able to puff out his chest, finishing top of the pile as he did with a new British 19-29 heavyweight record of 5:42.6. The printed version of the Ranking will also contain its usual blend of articles, including reviews of the British and World Championship and the new 100k team record, as well as enough photos to float a battleship. If you'd like a free copy of the Ranking, simply send a SAE (with £1 worth of stamps) to the usual, incredibly long address of: Concept Ranking Vermont House Unit 5 Wilford and Sth Nottm Ind. Est. Ruddington Lane Wilford Nottingham NG11 7HQ If at the moment you're busy slapping your forehead and muttering about the fact you've missed the boat, then don't forget that you can enter our on-line world rankings at http://www.e-row.com/ranking/home.asp Those of you who have already entered should be aware that since May 1st all your old results have been archived, so that while you'll still be able to see them they won't actually appear in the Ranking section. While we're at it, we credited Norwegian Tore Foss with a new marathon world record last newsletter. An e-mail from Glen Goodman has triggered both our memory and our guilt glands, as he points out that he's done the distance in 2:28:54, nearly a minute quicker than Tore's time. As Glen also holds the fastest time for the individual 100,000 metres with 6:22:56, the long distance crown stays in Britain for the time being. ========================================================= Tel's Tales - Aches, Sprains and Slight Pains ========================================================= Tel's Tales is our regular column laboriously pecked out on a typewriter by three times Olympic rowing coach Terry O'Neill. If you've got a question you'd like Terry to answer then drop us an e-mail at webmaster@vermonthouse.co.uk This week, Tel's Tales kicks off with a double column dedicated to those little niggles which people sometimes get when rowing. Andrew Porter: "Is it normal to get sore fingers from rowing? It seems that the rowing action has strained the fingers on my right hand." Terry O'Neill: I'm not totally sure what you mean when you say your fingers are sore. If you are not used to indoor rowing, you may get some blistering on the fingers and the palms. This will get better with continuing use of the machine, although in the meantime you could try wearing gloves. Later you use the word "strained" which suggests something quite different. Holding the fingers in a fixed position which they are not used to can cause strain. The best way to ease this is to relax as much as you can, especially on the recovery, using a loose grip. If this doesn't ease it then you should see a doctor or physiotherapist. Jonathan Nicholson: "I bought a Concept 2 last Christmas, and have been using it regularly ever since. However, when I row for 15 minutes or longer the blood circulation gets cut off to my left leg and I start to get pins and needles. This doesn't happen on my right leg. I have tried using different shoes and with the footrests in different positions, but to no avail. I take between size 11 and 12, depending on the shoe. The problem has got worse the more I use the machine. Do you have any suggestions?" Terry O'Neill: I'm afraid that you're probably looking in the wrong area, because although you get pins and needles in the leg the problem is likely to be coming from the lower back. Using some padding on the seat with holes cut out, may correct this by allowing the blood to flow more freely. Alternatively, have you suffered from any back problems in the past? It could be something out of line that you have got used to, but what you have got away with before is now being aggravated by the rowing action. Try the seat padding first and if there is no improvement you may have to see a back man. ========================================================= Slide Championship ========================================================= One of the big changes to the next British Indoor Rowing Championship is that it will be taking place over two days this year, as opposed to one. The centrepiece of the championship will still be the 2,000 metres, and this will take place on Saturday 25th November. The Sunday, meanwhile, will play host to the world's first ever team Slide championship. Each team will consist of four people and will take place over 1,000 metres. Hopefully it will be run in a regatta "heat and final" style format, although this is dependent on the volume of entries. The different categories which we will be running are as follows: Men J14, J15, J16, J18, BUSA U20, BUSA Open, U23, Open, 30+, 40+ Women J14, J15, J16, J18, BUSA U20, BUSA Open, U23, Open, 30+ Mixed J18, BUSA U20, BUSA Open, U23, Open, 30+ For more information on the Slide and to steal a march on your competitors, just go to http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/c2slide.htm ========================================================= New Version Of e-Row Software ========================================================= With haiku-like compression, the headline tells you pretty much all you need to know. Still, as I'm paid by the word rather than piecework, here goes: a new version of our e-Row software has just been released. For those not in the know, e-Row is a Windows-based software package for use with one or more Concept 2 Indoor Rowers equipped with PM2+ performance monitors. e-Row enables rowers to race a rival (or row with a friend) over the Internet, train with a computer-driven pace boat, plot individual performance during a workout against a variety of variables, or store data for later analysis. With two or more Indoor Rowers, e-Row makes it possible to train or race against each other, bringing Internet racing to life. To download this latest version, just go to http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/software.htm ========================================================= Supersprint Rowing ========================================================= Supersprint Rowing is a new form of rowing competition designed specifically for spectators and TV audiences. The brainchild of Steve Redgrave, the Supersprint format introduces high speeds and close finishes in a fast-moving sequence of races. In competitions at the international level, each country enters its top three men and two women, racing in three boat categories: men's singles (H1x), women's doubles (F2x) and men's pairs (H2-). These compete with the equivalent entries from other countries at sprint speed over 350 metres, then in a relay involving all three boats. The relay is raced at maximum speed, with competitors scrambling into position for the handovers. Last year, the inaugural event saw teams from Great Britain, Russia, Holland, Germany, Denmark and the US take part, with the Brits emerging victorious only over the final few strokes of the last event. The next Supersprint Rowing Grand Prix will be held at the new rowing arena being built by Eton College near Windsor. Apart from the international competitions and club, school and university events, there is also (you guessed it) an indoor rowing competition that will be running most of the day and is open to everyone. The format of that event will be a one minute sprint and there are a number of different categories and age groups with the best times in each being invited back for a grand final. For more information on either this or the Supersprints themselves, check out http://www.su-ro.com/ergo.html ========================================================= Tel's Tales Special (or The One Where Terry Decided To Get Fit) ========================================================= Me and a colleague went to China recently on business. The Chinese hospitality is fantastic and of course we ate and drank far too much. Not only that, I have been celebrating the World Cup victory of England over Germany for the last 30-odd years and my mate thought that if he got big enough he could get his own regional government and reduce his income tax. But, when on the way home the air hostess would not let us sit together because the plane would fly around in circles, we decided that enough was enough and that it was time to get on the Indoor Rower and start training. The plan was to complete 1 million metres in 10 weeks and at the moment we are two weeks into the programme and it's "ARD" but good, so I thought I would share it with you lot as we are coming up to the sponsored row season. Also, never let it be said that Terence doesn't practice what he preaches. The basis of the programme is 5 days training with 1 day off and 1 day catch up. If you stay on the programme you can either use the catch up day as another day off or you can get ahead of schedule. 10 Week Programme - Crash, Bang, Wallop Start - Definitely not for beginners or the faint at heart. Day 1 am - 5k Day 1 pm - 10k Day 2 am - 10k Day 2 pm - 10k Day 3 am - 10k Day 3 pm - 20k Day 4 am - 10k Day 4 pm - 10k Day 5 am - 5k Day 5 pm - 10k Day 6 am - Off Day 6 pm - Off Day 7 am - Catch Up Day 7 pm - Catch Up 12 Week Programme - Easy Start Week1: Day 1 am - 2k Day 1 pm - 4k Day 2 am - 3k Day 2 pm - 5k Day 3 am - 4k Day 3 pm - 6k Day 4 am - 4k Day 4 pm - 5k Day 5 am - 3k Day 5 pm - 4k Day 6 am - Off Day 6 pm - Off Day 7 am - Catch Up Day 7 pm - Catch Up Week2: Day 1 am - 4k Day 1 pm - 5k Day 2 am - 5k Day 2 pm - 6k Day 3 am - 6k Day 3 pm - 10k Day 4 am - 6k Day 4 pm - 8k Day 5 am - 5k Day 5 pm - 5k Day 6 am - Off Day 6 pm - Off Day 7 am - Catch Up Day 7 pm - Catch Up Week3: Day 1 am - 7.5k Day 1 pm - 8k Day 2 am - 10k Day 2 pm - 12k Day 3 am - 10k Day 3 pm - 15k Day 4 am - 10k Day 4 pm - 12k Day 5 am - 7.5k Day 5 pm - 8k Day 6 am - Off Day 6 pm - Off Day 7 am - Catch Up Day 7 pm - Catch Up Weeks 4-12: Follow the "Crash, Bang, Wallop" routine 20 Week Programme - Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy (ish) Follow half of the "Crash, Bang, Wallop" Distances ========================================================= Competition Results ========================================================= The winning names in our Dyno competition have just been plucked out of the cap specially purchased for the purpose. The five lucky winners, who will each receive a copy of both the Indoor Rowing Training Guide and the Indoor Rowing Training Log, are: Andrew Goldthorpe Hayley Vrublevskis Alex Hilliam Ben Eastley Bob Smith We'll be in touch will all the winners shortly. Answers to the quiz and suchlike can be found on the Dyno page of our web-site at http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/dyno_main.htm Also: the latest mutterings suggest that there'll be a new Concept 2 quiz unveiled shortly, with prizes such as Indoor Rowers themselves to be given away. Keep, in the words of Shaw Taylor, 'em peeled. ========================================================= Nick Lowton ========================================================= If the fact that the wind is still rattling your window frames in May is enough to make you shake your fist in anger at the spiteful heavens, then you might be able to exact a crumb of warmth by thinking of Bath teacher Nick Lowton. In a couple of weeks time Nick will be attempting to make the first solo circumnavigation of Iceland by sea kayak. Buffeted by the north Atlantic and subject to rapidly changing weather and strong currents, this awe-inspiring coastline presents a highly challenging environment for a solo paddler. The total distance will be approximately 1,600 miles, and Nick hopes to complete this in around 100 days. So what sort of exercise routine do you need before paddling around the coast of Iceland? "The great bulk of my work has been done on my Indoor Rower. I've mainly been doing 10 to 20 kilometre pieces to build up my stamina, and this has been interspersed with some strength work. When you're kayaking, if you've got relatively flat water, and if you've got a decent basic stroke, then much of the strain is taken up by the large muscles in the back, the lats [the latissimus dorsi - the big triangular muscles on your flanks]. If the weather's rough and the water's choppy, then much more of the strain is taken on the arms. The biggest physical fear is the threat of tenosynovitis on your wrists, which is where the tendons and tendon sheaths on your wrist become inflamed. The only precautions you can take against that are to just do lots of exercises to strengthen your wrists. I've also modified my paddle so that it's got a kink in the crank [the main shaft]." Nick sets off on May 22nd, and hopefully we should be able to bring you the odd update on how he's doing, along with an interview with him on his return. ========================================================= A Sad Dickensian Tale Of Poverty And Woe ========================================================= "Sorry t'bother you Mistah, I wouldn't n'rm'lly asks a gentleman such as yrself, it's just ah'm desperates sir. Ah'm looking fr a new sponsor for the British Indoor Rowing Championship. No don't walks away sir, it's a fantastic and proven promotional package in return for a modest financial investment into the running costs of the event. Why, just last year my own mother noticed that the event attracted national press coverage in the Guardian, The Times and The Daily Telegraph; regional TV and radio coverage, 20 items of internet coverage and more than 150 press clippings from regional newspapers and magazines all over the UK, each carrying reference to the event's previous title sponsor, Perpetual. "No sir, I promise you sir, I won't spend it on the gin sir. Look, just speak to my guardian, John Wilson, who can be sent a telegram at johnwilson@vermonthouse.co.uk or spoken to on one of those new fangled phones on 0115 945 5454. Gawd bless you sir." ========================================================= The X Zone ========================================================= Much breath will be held in the Concept 2 offices around about the weekend of May 21st as a Concept 2 team attempts to win the Team Final of this year's X Zone. Held Wolverhampton way at RAF Cosford, we'll be racing over ten different pieces of fitness equipment (including the Indoor Rower, but don't tell the other teams in case they think we've got an advantage) against the likes of Leeds Rhinos, Saracens, the UK Gymnastics squad and a team of boxers from the Barry Hearn stable (especially don't tell that lot that we've got a slight advantage). The whole shebang will be broadcast on Sky in front of literally hundreds of people and, if we win, then we'll tell you all about it next newsletter. If not, prepare for the subject to be discreetly dropped. For more on the X Zone, visit their web-site at http://www.xzone.org __________________________________________________F E E D B A C K We're eager to hear what you think of this newsletter and we're even more eager for your stories, tales and anecdotes. E-mail us at webmaster@vermonthouse.co.uk _________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________S U B S C R I P T I O N If you're on this mailing list by accident, reply to this e-mail with "unsubscribe" as the subject header. If you're receiving multiple copies of this e-mail, reply with "multiple" as the header _________________________________________________________________ Concept 2 Tel: (0115) 945 5522 E-mail: info@concept2.co.uk Web: www.concept2.co.uk Printed from: www.concept2.co.uk/news/newsletter_archive.php