============================================================ INDOOR ROWING NEWSLETTER #52 ======================= 25-January-2002 ======================= _________________________________________________ C O N T E N T S 1. Indoor Rowing Grand Prix 2. Indoor Rowing Training Guide 3. Crew Class 4. 100,000 Metre J18 Record 5. 2002 World Indoor Rowing Championship 6. Tel's Tales - Marathon Rowing 7. Spot The Erg 8. Jonathan Gornall: Rowing The Atlantic 9. Charity Rows 10. Forthcoming Race and Events **************************** Feedback Back Issues Subscription Information ________________________________________________________________ ========================================================= Indoor Rowing Grand Prix ========================================================= The East Midlands IRC, the second race in the Indoor Rowing Grand Prix series took place at the Nottingham University Sports Centre on Sunday 13th January. There were some excellent battles and a full report for each event can be found at http://www.concept2.co.uk/gp/reports.php. Some of the highlights of the day include the domination of the Men's J18 Hwt by 15 year old, Andrew Walker. The Men's Open Hwt saw a rematch of the BIRC encounter between Nik Fleming and Chris Rushton; Chris won in a time of 5:58.7 with Nik doing 6:05.0; impressively Nik had won the 30-39 Hwt scant hours earlier in 6:01.8. New British 40-49 Hwt record holder John Dixon held off Andy Sangster and Marcus Harvey while in the equivalent Lwt event, Graham Price did well to beat John Brooks and David Hislop. Full results for the East Midlands IRC can now be found on the Grand Prix web site at http://www.concept2.co.uk/gp. Also up now are the updated overall Grand Prix standings at http://www.concept2.co.uk/gp/standing.php which show where people are after two races. As well as the Grand Prix events, there was also a 5km Team Battle Charge, featuring Royce's Gym, the Forum Flyers and Nottingham University. There were between 6 and 8 people in each team and the following report is in the inimitable words of race organiser Nigel Mayglothling: "Off the start the pure power of the Royce Boys was countered by lightning changes by the Forum Flyers through their first rotations, with the Uni "Young Tigers" trying everything to stay in touch. At the halfway mark the Royce Express was still pulling 1:10s and had nicked about 20 metres off the Forum Flyers, nothing at all given the nightmare scenario of total derailment each rotation can bring up, with the Uni boys blasting along about 150 metres back. "Forum threw everything into the third quarter rotations as the lactate levels really kicked in, but could do little to dent Royce's lead. With the crowd bellowing them home Royce powered up to the line in 13:40.4, a magnificent time given some early changeover problems, with the Forum Flyers only twenty seconds back on 14:03.0...a challenge to the Forum boys then, to break 14 minutes in 2003? The Uni lads, aware of the reputation they had to uphold, battered and bludgeoned their machine home in 14:44.4, bloodied but unbowed, and a great climax to an excellent day's racing in their home venue." The next event in the series is the North of England IRC on Saturday 2nd February at the Manchester Velodrome. The event promises to be a right royal dust-up, so even if you're not competing, make sure you go along to support. Directions, maps and gubbins can be found at http://www.manchestervelodrome.com/. ========================================================= Indoor Rowing Training Guide v2.0 ========================================================= Back in the autumn of 1999 we published the Indoor Rowing Training Guide in a both a print version and to download off our web site. Two years later, the Training Guide is still the most downloaded thing (http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/training_prog.htm) and has gone on to win the Booker Prize, the Whitbread Prize (twice) and Chat! Magazine's coveted Knitwear Pattern Of The Year. Since then, much water and many copies have passed under the bridge, and it's now time to go back to the printers. The second printing of the Guide will include extra chapters, many of them based around questions that have appeared in this newsletter, with articles on weight training, nutrition and so. In order to make the new version of the Training Guide as useful as possible, we're asking for people who've downloaded or bought the original version to send in their thoughts on the publication. Did the book do all you hoped it would? Was it too difficult? Too simplistic? Did it answer all your questions? What else would you like to see in it? Send your thoughts in to webmaster@concept2.co.uk and you'll have our eternal thanks.* * Cash value = 0.000001p. ========================================================= Crew Class ========================================================= Crew Class is the fancy name for any instructor-led group rowing activity and, last newsletter, we issued an urgent plea from the Concept 2 Education Team for people involved in it to get in touch with us at webmaster@concept2.co.uk (a plea that still stands incidentally). One of the people who responded was Alan Ashcroft who suggested we added a new section to the Concept 2 message board, devoted to the subject. "This would allow people to share ideas, programmes, class locations and so on". Never let it be said that the Indoor Rowing News doesn't listen to its readers (apart from that bloke who keeps on asking for nuddy photos of Terry O'Neill). You can now find a new, and somewhat empty at the moment, category in place at http://www.concept2.co.uk/messageboard.htm - get in. ========================================================= 100,000 Metre J18 Record ========================================================= An item that unfortunately got missed out of the last newsletter, was the stunning achievement of Windsor Boy's School on the 22nd of December. Rowing at the Windsor Leisure Centre, they set a new J18 World Record when they managed a highly impressive 4:53:35, which works out at a 500 metre split of 1:28. Which suggests that they spent considerably less time puffing Capstan Full Strength behind the bike sheds than we did. As well as setting an impressive mark for other schools to have a crack at, the team (Adam Robinson, Ben Fousset, Sam Hall, Mark Patton, Michael Ashford Hodges, James Cosham, Jose Albarran, Matt Tucker, Adam Freeman-Pask, Richard Thompson) also raised over 1,000 pounds for SPARKS (SPort Aiding medical Research for Kids). Full records for all distances can be found at http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/brit_world_records.htm ========================================================= 2002 World Indoor Rowing Championship ========================================================= Hello, hola, ciao and bonjour. The 2002 World Indoor Rowing Championship is now just under a month away. Taking place on 24th of February in Boston, USA, the race will be a meeting of some of the greatest athletes in the world. Georgina Evers-Swindell and Hurnet Dekkers will both be racing in the Women's Open Hwt, and Georgina is apparently determined to avenge the defeat she suffered at the Dutch girl's hands at BIRC. Vaclav Chalupa, the second best single sculler in the world for the last decade, will be racing in the Men's Open Hwt, while indoor rowing legend and the greatest living Frenchman Jean-Paul Tardieu will be competing in the Men's 50-59 Lwt. So far, there are over 80 people in the British team, including world record holders Herbert Leah, John Hodgson and Anna Bailey; British record holders Shelagh Allen, John Dixon and Paddy Rouse; international rowers Mark Hunter and Nicholas English; former British Lion Roger Uttley and a host of other top notch athletes. The deadline for entry for the championship has been extended to 5 p.m. on Thursday 31st January so, if you want to take part, scoot to http://www.concept2.co.uk/wirc pronto. Also, if you're going to the championships and you've not yet told Concept 2 UK, drop us a line asap, so we can put you on our list and cheer for you out there. ========================================================= Tel's Tales - Marathon Rowing ========================================================= No Terry this fortnight as he's been working in Spain. He'll be back next newsletter, however, so if you've got a training or fitness question you'd like answered, send it in to tels-tales@concept2.co.uk. Last newsletter we asked for people to send in their tips and advice on rowing a marathon, in order to help anybody taking part in the PPP healthcare National Indoor Rowing Marathon on April 14th (see http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/marathon.htm for more details). A number of you got in touch, and below are some of your tips: Neil Rhodes, who recently completed a million metres in less than seven days: Each to their own, but here's my tips: 1. Put lots of time in, the only way to extend endurance is to do more distance, but take care and time. Extend your distance gradually. 2. Learn to do distance before you start worrying about the pace. 3. Make sure you have enough energy and fluid inside you. 4. Keep hydrated throughout your row. Take at least four large gulps, every 20 minutes. I have my bottles lined up by my side. 5. Keep your glycogen levels high. I use High Five, during my row. Eat within 2 hours of your exercise. 6. Ensure that your technique is very good. You may get away with poor technique on short distance rows, but when you get into distance rowing, you will pay dearly for that poor technique. 7. Get a mental strategy. Play mind games with the monitor, listen to music, watch TV and RELAX. Always be positive. 8. Don't ignore your stretching. -------------------------------------------------------------- Colm McCoy: I am a 40 yr old lightweight and did one of these last year in 2:49 and had a bit to spare at the end. In my view the key is FLUID. I stopped after every 3,000 metres (about 12 minutes) and had a good gulp of lemon squash. Each break lasted about 10-15 seconds, so the flywheel did not stop spinning. I reckon I lost about 3 minutes overall, but my aim was to finish. I also resisted the urge to try to recover downtime and kept an even, comfortable pace throughout. For boredom avoidance, I listened to Wagner's Das Rheingold (not everyone's cup of tea I'll admit, but it doesn't have a beat so I wasn't being subjected to an unhelpful tempo). Finally, be prepared for a really sore backside. -------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Camplin: "I built up to a marathon over two weeks by a 25,000 metre row, then 30,000 metres and then the marathon. My findings are as follows. There is a huge difference in a 30,000 metre row and doing the marathon! After the 30k distance was achieved, I had a huge craving for a sugary drink, it was the most prominent subject on my mind; had I not already passed the 30,000 metre mark, I would have given up, but to row that far, I needed a target for next time, so keep an energy drink handy. I also lost time wiping sweat out of my eyes frequently and, as current fashion trends do not allow the use of head sweat bands, I tried a cap, only to discover that the sweat that got in my eyes was being produced just above the brow. With my first two sessions at the shorter distances, I set off at a steady slower pace, aiming at splits of between 1:55 - 2:00, this seemed to drain me of drive to improve as the distances grew. I tried to then do 1,500 metres steady and 500 metres fast. This brought a more positive drive and broke the boredom. On my marathon row, I decided to go as fast as I could from the off and resting when needed by slowing the pace for 500 metres, then build it back up for as long as I could. This produced quicker times for the 25,000 and 30,000 metre marks and I still had the mental drive to carry on through my sugar craving. I also did my row during two crew class sessions, which helped having people round me. If anyone wants to join me for distance rowing at Solihull Cranmore (week evenings) or Physicals (weekends) Woodford, East London, they can contact me at steve.camplin@wesleyan.co.uk. ========================================================= Spot The Erg ========================================================= More indoor rowing multimedia action. First off, reader Dave Painter alerted us to Fighting Fit. On the Discovery Channel every night last week, and presented by current British champion Matthew Pinsent, Fighting Fit followed the progress of two teams - Team Science and Team Army - as they got fit in preparation for the, somewhat Lord of the Rings sounding, Final Challenge. More information can be found at http://www.discoveryeurope3.com/fighting_fit and they'll hopefully say when the programme's going to be repeated as, in the words of our spy, "it was actually really good." There was also a fair bit of indoor rowing action featured on Channel 4 recently, when the British Indoor Rowing Championship President Steve Redgrave (or Sir Steven Redgrave, as we now have to call him if we want to avoid The Tower) finished top of the pile in the nation's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments. Amidst overpaid prima donnas, walking sportswear advertisements and jingoistic football matches, it was somehow quite reassuring to see people recognise the dedication of a genuine sporting hero. Going from the actually really good and the sublime to the rather ridiculous, another reader, who wishes to remain anonymous (and definitely isn't us. No.) reports that the Rower was featured in an episode of ITV glam-dram Footballer's Wives. Not quite the high profile dramatic role opposite Helen Mirren we were hoping for (although apparently "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Rower comes out next year, so fingers crossed.) ========================================================= Jonathan Gornall: Rowing The Atlantic ========================================================= "I have taken a note of the co-ordinates of my final position and they will be carved on my heart". Chief sub-editor of The Times, Jonathan Gornall, set out as a novice rower to race across the Atlantic in a two-man team. The attempt went awry from the beginning, and his shipmate decided to retire after only two weeks afloat. Left alone, Jonathan pressed on for 1,000 miles before finally giving up what had become an unequal battle with time, the elements and his own state of mind. Finally, he was obliged to watch as his boat was burnt and scuttled at sea. John, who finished 15th in the Men's 45-49 Hwt two years ago at BIRC, will be giving a lecture about his experiences at the Royal Geographic Society in aid of Orbis, the sight saving charity. The talk will take place on Wednesday 30th January at 7pm, with drinks beforehand. Tickets cost 10 pounds (6 pounds concession). For more information, contact Georgina Kaim on gkaim@ukorbis.org. For tickets, ring the credit card booking line on 020 7713 5247 or send a cheque made payable to ORBIS, with a s.a.e. to: G. Kaim, ORBIS, 17 Islington High St., London N1 9LQ. ========================================================= Charity Rows ========================================================= Glynn Allcock: "Just before Christmas four of us decided to do a marathon row each to support Cystic Fibrosis after a friend of mine told me that his daughter is suffering from the disease. We each trained towards the marathon for about two months and all completed it successfully, three of us beating the three hour mark which we felt was pretty good for a first attempt. The rowers were Glynn Allcock, Chris McLaughlin, Pete Wakelin and Jeff Jones all from RAF High Wycombe in Bucks. We raised over 2,000 pounds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust." We also received a somewhat, let us say, enigmatic e-mail from Simon Bradley... "It's us, the mountain climbing, rower carrying, million metre completing madmen from Wales [see Newsletter #43] "What have we got up our sleeve for this year then? Hmmmm lets see... "We have a rather secret "to-do" at the moment taking place on Saturday-Sunday (23-24th) March which will involve... "Let me think... "More People than the usual 4? OH YES "More drama than the previous event? OH YES "More Hills than 4? OOOOOHHHHHHH YES! "Tell us more - I hear you ask. "It will involve over 50 miles in 24 hours (walking), it will involve carrying (and using of course) the Indoor Rower, and it will involve a new set of characters (including the other owners of the madmen mantle - Alan Gregory and Martin Brown)... well, what is it? "You'll have to wait and see, but I can tell you that later on in the year we will be doing the six peaks (Ben Nevis, Scaffel Pike, Snowdon, Snowdon again, Cadair Idris & Pen Y Fan) the highest hills in Scotland, England, Wales, Wales again, Mid Wales & South Wales respectively) - the charity? Unknown yet but will let you know ASAP..." We're not quite sure what they're planning although, given the build-up, we're disappointed if it involves anything other than the discovery of the Lost City of Naxthloptl. If you're involved in a rowing event, make sure you let us know at webmaster@concept2.co.uk. ========================================================= Forthcoming Races and Events ========================================================= If you've got an event you'd like adding to the Event Calendar (http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/calendar.htm) then e-mail webmaster@concept2.co.uk Name: North of England IRC Date: 02/02/02 Location: Manchester Velodrome Distance: 2,000 metres Organiser: Matt Rostron Contact: T: 01706 350504 E: mrmatt103@hotmail.com Other: Race 3 in the Indoor Rowing Grand Prix (http://www.concept2.co.uk/gp) and the biggest race in the country after the British IRC. Deadline for entry is 19th January. Name: Sheffield IRC Date: 10/02/02 Location: Sheffield Hallam University Distance: 2,000 metres Organiser: Danny Porter Contact: T: 0114 2532140 E: dporter@shu.ac.uk Name: World IRC Date: 24/02/02 Location: Boston, USA Distance: 2,000 metres Organiser: Concept 2 Contact: T: 0115 945 5522 E: info@concept2.co.uk Other: http://www.concept2.co.uk/wirc Name: Welsh IRC Date: 02/03/02 Location: David Lloyd Centre, Cardiff Distance: 2,000 metres Organiser: Michael Hnatiw Contact: T: 029 2021 0233 (home) 029 2078 8146 (work) E: michael.hnatiw@ntlworld.com Other: Final race in the Indoor Rowing Grand Prix. Name: Cornish IRC Date: 10/03/02 Location: Phoenix Leisure Centre, Launceston Distance: 2,000 metres Organiser: Martin Williams Contact: T: 01566 772551 E: phoenix@ncdc.gov.uk Other: Entry Form available on-line at http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/calendar.htm ______________________________________________________FEEDBACK Like what you read? Dislike what you read? Ideas for future newsletters? Spotted a really silly error that would have been picked up by an eight year old pruf-reader? Make sure to tell us at webmaster@concept2.co.uk. Or, of course, you could always say something at our message board: http://www.concept2.co.uk/messageboard.htm. Oh go on. _____________________________________________________BACK ISSUES Revisit past glories by going to http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/newsletter_index.php3 and checking out back issues of the Indoor Rowing News. New issues are posted on the release date of the following newsletter. _______________________________________________SUBSCRIPTION INFO "I tire of your words": Reply with "unsubscribe" as the header. "Just the one thank you very much": Reply with "multiple" as the header.