Caught on RowTV

Our bank holiday monday eights activity was caught on RowTV, proof if proof were needed that my technique needs work ;o)

The Ross Regatta films are at http://www.rowtv.org/ross.htm

The senior four eights races featuring the pot winning Llandaff eight are at:-
Semi-final = http://www.rowtv.org/ros/ros272_11.asx
Final = http://www.rowtv.org/ros/ros272_40.asx

How to build an eight

I found an interesting little article, a BBC Sports page all about the layout of a standard eights boat....


[I got the eights picture from a University College Dublin rowing web page, that used to be located at http://www.ucd.ie/boat-men/recruitment/scholarship.htm (link checked and found broken in Feb'2011)]

...even given we won on the weekend twice in an eight, having looked at the above article I am not sure the boat couldn't have be laid out better seating of personal wise... ah who cares we won :o)

World championship rowing success

It seems that the recent World Championship Regatta at Dorney Lake, Eton was a great success according to the link below...
"London 2012 News Archive"

[Sadly the link no longer went anywhere and so I removed it (Feb'2011)]

All change - the 'big' name switch

This blog used to be called "Andy on the run" but in light of how little running I was doing I have morphed the blog into "Andy on the move"... to better reflect my attempts to be active and on the move.

The old URL was "http://andyrunning.blogspot.com" to become the new and very different... "http://andymoving.blogspot.com"

That has also meant a change of banner ;o) If you search back in my blog you'll find how I created it in the first place.

End of season flourish

The season threatened to end on a down beat note at the Ross rowing club regatta, with failure to progress in the coxed four. Only for two races in the eight to put smiles back on all faces... the category was non-status (i.e. three crews not the minimum four need to gain a points win), and we drew the extra race in the draw... but we won, yippee!!!

I shouted like a quite mad person when we beat Royal Chester Rowing club to the win late in the afternoon, and was beside myself with relief that the long day was not for nothing.

That made three pots for the season, one for our novices and two in the eight in the last weekend of the season :o)

Winter training starts here and promises the much awaited return of some running, ah ha!!! Haven't totally figured out what winter training will mean exactly... watch this space I guess ;o)

Gloucester regatta - failure and success

Gloucester regatta (@ Ross-on-Wye) saw a failure to pass the first round for the four, which meant a long wait around the regatta site for an eights race late in the afternoon. The day was spent trying to still chilled and focused in the face of the usual on bank nonsense... boat issues, ARA card troubles, club politics, flurries of races, and long dull delays.

I managed to stay relatively within myself, so much so that on the run up to the start in the eight I was told to not have lazy hands to which I had the presence of mind to call the rest of the crew to sit it too - which happily they did.

The race itself was a little ropey at the start, I lost my feet in the over sized shoes (they must have been size 15 or something) within the first 300-400m that did serve to concentrate the mind somewhat. The last 250m the crew got it together and came through to deliver a good final speedy burst to take the win... and a pot!! My second of the year, the eight was none status (straight final), but stuff that we won :o)

Happily my wife also won a straight final in an eight after a similar start to the day... a good rowing day in our household ;o)

One year on...

I have been feeding this blog now for a year, quite a year it has been indeed, 170 odd entries and awful lot of sporting endeavours. I haven't so much been on the run as on the move... I have had a landmark year in sporting activity. Oddly I haven't lost weight over the period to any get extent, although apparently people have been noticing a change of body shape. Though hard to judge objectively, I have noticed my legs have increased definition, also my arms to some extent... as I say all difficult to assess. Generally I am stronger so that's good enough for me.

My running hasn't progressed, although my rowing is doing well. The year has seen changing priorities that's for sure :o) Looking forward to what another year of blogging might bring...

Lessons in what not to do for Regattas

Over the weekend the crew travelled to the City of Oxford regatta on the Thames. For me it was a lesson in what not to do... in summary...

1) Don't neglect basis fitness work - can offer excuses but that a bit rubbish.

2) Be organised - I was off beam all weekend and it showed on the water - inconsistency breeds inconsistency may be.

3) Alcohol and day two of a two day regatta don't mix - I was not drunk on the middle night but it still took the edge off - we raced the eventual winners, thus we could have been the eventual winners if sharper perhaps.

4) Don't listen to or get involved in crew gossip / slagging fests - they inspire negative thinking.

5) We camped next to a scout hut so should have been reminded about this one - be prepared - my mental preparation was non-existent.

Some lessons you learn the hard way I guess :o(

Nice sites on a rainy Cardiff afternoon

On a browse I came across...
TDR - The Danforth Review
and an article within the site about online publishing... "FICTION SITED: A Look at Fiction Online by Corin Cummings"
Looks like a good place to browse during a coffee break ;o)

The other place to go is Sianni's Photo Journal my wife's collection of photos of all kinds of diverse stuff (at least I forecast it will be as it grows - its still quite new).

[At time of checking this link (Feb'2011), unfortunately TDR is no longer... the link leads to a page explaining as follows...

"The Danforth Review was an online magazine published out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, between 1999-2009.
All content and a number of full past issues are archived at the website of the Library and Archives Canada."

...sad news]

Pain and pressure

The last time I rowed (Monday night) my ribs hurt like crazy from when I fell off my bike... the pain coupled with the perceived pressure of keeping in a crew for next year meant that it was the worst row that I have experienced in a long long time.

The pain will clear as my ribs (or rib cartilage as a trip to the doctors reveal it to be) heal over time and with use of anti-inflammatory drugs.... the pressure I am not so sure about, its a very new phenomena. I am not used to team dynamics (see previous posts for comments on that I'm sure), and am not used to being this competitive. I don't think I will get my head round it, so I just hope injuries and such work themselves out and I manage to maintain a crew without having to be too proactive... my biggest fear is that my luck in this department is due to run out!!!

Cropping a treat

The fruits of our garden labours have begun to crop a treat. Here is just one of several small bowls of cherry tomatoes.

We have also been enjoying strawberries, herbs, chili peppers, and lettuce. Soon to come are sweet corn, carrots, pears, courgettes, water melons, and artichokes.

Week off... well its never really that ;o)

I enjoyed a week off work last week, which simply means that I spent the week channeling my work energies into a different set of tasks.... predominantly gardening... predominantly cutting and trimming things.

I was slowed up in my endeavours by my foot injury, I can call it that now as the treatment for the verrucas that I was given stripped my skin and left one area infected. I was hobbling for quite a bit of last week. It seems to have improved greatly since I stopped using the cream (at least I can walk better!!), and it seems that the cream whilst painful may have paid off to a degree.

Spent a couple of days at my mum's, gardening... spent a few days at home, gardening... spent a couple of days watching shows about, gardening - well okay that and 'Grand Designs' re-runs on cable... wanna find a building plot, dammit!!!

Despite switching on my computer several times over the week I didn't quite get around to a blog. Could it be this is what I do for a break in work??? Surely not ;o)

Sustrans

The entry below reminded me... I am a member of Sustrans is the UK's leading sustainable transport charity. I joined last year but seem not to have mentioned them on my blog before...

What do they do... here are two passages taken from their web pages Why Sustrans?

"Cycling and particularly walking are the most sustainable ways of travelling. They require very little use of the planet's resources, and they are both fuelled by food, a renewable source of energy."

"So Sustrans has set about creating an environment that will actually help people to walk and cycle much more. Hence the National Cycle Network offering a mixture of traffic-calmed streets, quiet roads and traffic-free routes in communities all over the UK, helping people to work, shops, school and play."

Oh look... tarmac... ouch!!!

Yesterday on the way home on the Taff trail we had a collision. Sian and myself managed to get our bikes entwined and so down we came. Sian luckily found the side of the trail and thus the grass, I hope my hand on her handle-bar helped. I found myself looking at the tarmac, my bike had jack-knifed around my left leg and sent me left side first to the ground. I landed pretty well (very, very grateful for my bike helmet), the biggest pain was in my ribs, I think I managed to elbow myself as I crumpled!!!

Unfortunately I deemed myself fit to row, which in the main I was... until we lifted the boat off the water and tried to angle it to retrieve someones keys (which had been misplaced into the bow void of the boat)... then I felt my rib make a popping sound and it started to hurt that bit more. I think I have bruised the bone and pulled intercostal muscles, which apparently take a while to heal!!! Ho-hum, silly things happen :o)

Sunny day in Cardiff

It seems the weather has settled down again in Cardiff, after heatwaves and rainy days, the sun is out and there is a breeze a blowing. From my office window cars are buzzing back and forth, while I endeavour to be vaguely productive... as I am blogging I am clearly not managing that!?!?

Other recent task avoiding web things have been...
Rocket Boom - watching the site struggle & come to terms with its new host.
CommandN - watching tech news.
The Ultimate Olympian - enjoying the mans pursuit of Olympic percentages and charity funds.
FarmGirl Fare - soul food.
Wlpan diary - interesting for someone who might learn Welsh properly one day.
Argos Online Store - looking for weights stuff of all things, ugh!!
Wikipedia : Llandaff North entry - doing my little bit to improve our local listing ;o)

You know I really should switch my computer off more!!

Medical intervention

It seems that the large blister I suffered months back, that subsequently became infected and turned into a verruca... will require medical intervention.

I finally went yesterday, after weeks of self-treating (on and off) and avoiding making the call. The doctor looked a little stunned and exclaimed "I don't think that can be frozen off, or even cut out... try treating it with paste and we'll see if it can be shrunk enough to be frozen off".

Arrrgh!!! Weeks of treatment ahead.... The moral of the story is simple (yes, its a male thing probably) "as soon as anything looks / feels iffy see a doctor you prat".

If I ever create a list of important entries in my blog that serve as useful to anyone training / participating in sport after losing weight and getting fit I will sadly have to include things like this... highlighting my own stupidity!!! d'oh!!!

Ps. I would include a picture, but that's just taking it too far!!!!!

Not quite a year

I started my blog in August last year I noticed and got excited that perhaps I'd reached an anniversary... alas no... I started on the 27th of August, still some way to the one year anniversary.

Its been quite a changeable year of sporting endeavour, I think I might compose a monster blog entry to mark the anniversary and recap my years efforts ;o) Watch this blog space...

Rowing resource

I bumped into a rowing resource through a quick blog search...
Great Psychology and Excellence Resource Includes Rowing Content.

Found within The Daily Erg - Rowing Science, which seems to be an excellent blog with a lot of good information.