Possibly the only rowing joke in the universe...

The Navy and the Air Force decided to have a canoe race on the Potomac River. Both teams practiced hard and long to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Navy won by a mile. Afterwards, the Air Force team became very discouraged and depressed. The officers of the Air Force team decided that the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found.
A "Metrics Team," made up of senior officers was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was that the Navy had 8 seamen rowing and 1 officer steering, while the Air Force had 1 airman rowing and 8 officers and NCOs steering.
So the senior officers of the Air Force team hired a consulting company and paid them incredible amounts of money. They advised that too many people were steering the boat and not enough people were rowing.
To prevent losing to the Navy again the next year, the Air Force Chief of Staff made historic and sweeping changes: the rowing team's organizational structure was totally realigned to 4 steering officers, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering NCO.
They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 airman rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Air Force Rowing Team Quality Program", with meetings, dinners, and a three-day pass for the rower. "We must give the rower empowerment and enrichment through this quality program."
The next year the Navy won by 2 miles.
Humiliated, the Air Force leadership gave a letter of reprimand to the rower for poor performance, initiated a $4 billion program for development of a new joint-service canoe, blamed the loss on a design defect in the paddles, and issued career continuation bonuses and leather rowing jackets to the beleaguered steering officers in the hopes they would stay for next year's race.
Meanwhile, the Army team is still trying to figure out why the oars keep making divots in the grass when they're rowing.

Please tell me there are better ones than this, otherwise I'm going to have to try and make up my own, and nobody wants that.

Back home again

I have been away the last few days, so did not get chance to update the blog for last week. 210kg? The leg press at my gym only goes up to 190. Anyway, here's the long-awaited Tancock update.

17/7 - 2*30', 5'r 7505m(@21) and 7514m(@22). Weights, core, cycled there and back. Tennis match where we won 3 sets, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, 6-4. Finished in the dark at 9.45!
18/7 - 10k @22, 39:27.0. Core, weights, and cycled. 5*10 at 120kg for leg press, extensions at 50kg.
19/7 - 2*6k @18. 25:23.5 and 24:38.9 (got the hang of it for the second one). Core, weights, cycled, evening tennis.
20/7 - Upchurch ride in 1h13.54 including at least 2 minutes delay due to roadworks. 30' 7708m (@24) with gentle weights (but up to 3*10 @130 for leg press). Tennis match 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (9-7).
21/7 - Rest day - went to the cricket.
22/7 - Gentle day, cycled to tennis.
23/7 - 5k (@26), 18:38.6. Leg based weights, up to 140kg on leg press, 70kg on leg extensions. 90'' of each core exercise. Decided just cycling back from gym was boring so sprinted, 9:44.

Am back now, but at work, so having to use the early hours and evenings for exercise.

training

heating/AC only recently got fixed at the gym, before that nearly fainted after 12 minutes of an erg, wasn't even pulling 2 min splits, admittedly i'd barely eaten all day. Yesterday when cloudy it was a bit better, did 30min @ 21, 7550m, wanted to make sure i finished the erg. Also did a 5 k a few days ago in late evening when it wasn't too hot, got 19.30. other bits and pieces of unfinished ergs, really need to start finishing more! have been doing plenty of weights, about 4 half hour sessions a week, going to switch from machines to free weights for most stuff over the next couple of weeks, and try and start erging in the morning before work rather than late afternoon

At Home at the moment

Not too detailed, but I have still been training hard (I was managing 2 sessions a day and then wedding preparations screwed it up. Anyway, some highlights:

Weights: Am successfully doing about 4 pullups in one go. Als can leg press about 210kg in fenners.

Ergs: Was quite pleased with the 15k at 1:53.8 (rate 20) that I did in the gym today. The gym instructor was fairly impressed too :-)

On the water: Ignoring forgetting how to scull at Bedford Quarts which was fairly embarassing I have won S1 VIII's at Quarts and also went up 3 in town bumps to finish 10th, which was nice.

Right then...

Hello,

I've been home for four weeks and in that time I have:

* Watched Wimbledon, the Scottish Open, the Open and the Tour de France. I would have watched the cricket as well but I haven't got Sky.
* Been rowing once; I went in a double with my brother and did about 10km. there has been a huge influx of juniors down there and since Graeme sold his boat, neither of us can get out. Looks like the next time I row will be in October if I can't row in Warwick (see below).
* Cycled more or less 350 miles. I been out doing between 30 and 40 miles about 4 times a week, apart from today when I did 48. This is the route though I went down to Chester, through Waldridge to Edmondsley and straight to Holmside instead of the roundabout route to there through Pelaw and Grange Villa.

At the weekend I'm off to Royal Leamington Spa to work for Aston Martin, so I'll probably just be doing cycling until I get back. Inspired by Mr. Landis' comeback, I'll be looking for some big hills!

That is all.

Lazy summer days are here again

It's Test Match and Tour de France time, so I should by rights be watching every minute. But no.

10/7 - 2 sessions, the first was 10k (39:57.5) and weights, cycling there and back. Second was a step test on the cross trainer (11.38), weights and core exercises.
11/7 - Went to gym in the morning, forgot bike lock, did time trial from Hartlip back home instead (26'18). Went to gym in afternoon, remembered bike lock, 2*6k @18 (3'r) - 24.40 and 25.08. Weights and core for 45 mins or so.
12/7 - Spent day messing around with car - tennis in the evening.
13/7 - Upchurch bike ride - 1h17:09 (about 8mins quicker than last time - didn't need to keep stopping to look at the map!). 10k @22, 39.48.4. Weights and core strength.
14/7 - Morning tennis, afternoon did 5k @24 - 18:56.1, weights, core.
15/7 - Morning tennis again, Upchurch bike ride in 1h14:36.
16/7 - Went to Lord's for cricket so got up at 6.30 and did 30' on the static bike, Level 8 (of 16), 9.1 miles.

I'm getting back to a decent level of fitness, so let's bring on the improvements.

Training

Since henley i was surfing for a week and have been to the gym a few times. The heating was broken so erging didn't go too well, did 2 5k's @20ish, 19.48 and 19.25, plus started 3 others but it really was far too hot to finish. I've also done 5 sessions of weights. I've been beig quite gentle so far as I've never really done any before. My rough plan is to get up to doing about 30k of ergs and 4 proper weights sessions a week by the end of august. I finish work then and during september if I can't find something better to do I'll probably step it up more. Depends how keen I'm feeling :P

It's good to be back

After a week of being fat and sleeping, I have returned to training. My return to the gym has made me grateful for air conditioning! Anyway, here is the slightly late update for last week.

3/7 - Bike ride to Hartlip in 54'. (This is basically a downhill ride to start, turning around and heading back up the hills/inclines to finish).
4/7 - 5k in 19.40 and a long weights session (usual leg press, leg curls, lats, triceps, biceps, pec deck etc.)
5/7 - 10k in 40.26 @21, weights session and then tennis in the evening.
6/7 - Bike ride to Upchurch, back via Hartlip and the hills - 1h26. Tennis match for the club in the evening - my partner and I won all four sets 7-5, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2.
7/7 - 2*30, 5'r @20 7226m, 7110m, cycled there and back. In the evening did a long weights session, core exercises and a 250m sprint (44.5s).
9/7 - Hartlip bike ride again - with Dad. Cycled together to the bottom in 26 or so minutes. Total time 53.48 (with Dad coming in about 12 minutes behind). Weights in garage for 10mins afterwards.

Times are not great for the ergs but I just need to get back into it. I was also stuck with the bad machine most of the time this week - I have improved the times when on one of the other machines at the start of this week.

Start of Summer Training

Since Henley I have done the following:

Weights: 3 sessions, 2 low reps power weights, 1 endurance weights
Core Strength: about 4 sessions, I keep ending up missing them at the end of the day.
8's Outings: Sat/Sun/Mon/Weds with Simoco. All have been double runs
Sculling: about 5-6 sessions, down to the lock and then an extra reach.

I will try and be a bit more specific in my next post.