Million Metre update.+++++++++++++++Why is it that people who should know better do stupid things? Why do doctors smoke like chimneys, why do coaches that advocate self discipline and not over doing it try to row 200,000m in a weekend because they have fallen behind schedule and, more to the point, why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near? Yes, believe it or not I had one of my less great ideas recently when I tried to catch up on my crash bang wallop 1 million metre programme [see http://www.therowingcompany.com/v4/tels_tales.htm for details]. A bit of background for those coming in new: my mate and I, who were asked by the stewardess on a recent flight to sit on opposite sides of the plane because it was flying round in circles, decided we were going to get fit. We decided to go for the million metre t-shirt and, being competitive liars, we were both trying to do it quicker than the other but without telling anyone. This was for no other reason than the great feeling you get when your mate tells you he's done 400,000m and you can say not bad knowing that he knows that you are in front; but when he says what have you done then? and you reply well I think I've done about 450,000m you know that you've done about 475,000 but you know he doesn't know that you know that. Probably.So I was doing all right until my mate tells me he is going on holiday and taking a machine - can you believe it, taking his rowing machine on holiday so he can get in front of me. So I get this plan that over the weekend I will row 200,000m: 100,000m on Saturday and 100,000m on Sunday. The revised schedule was that at 8am I would row 10,000m and do this on the hour every hour until 6pm, sorted. 8am off I go, first 10k no problem but a nagging feeling that this could be a tough schedule too far. So I decide to cut the rows down to 5k at a time. After 45k I sat in the chair, oh I forgot to mention I had the machine in the front room and it was cup final day, so I'm in the chair and they kick off. The next thing I know it's 7pm, I've crashed out, missed the cup final and blown my schedule. Day two, kick off straight away on 5k intervals but after 6 of these intervals I'm completely knackered and call it a day.But then I have a great stroke of luck, my mate is ill all over the holiday and can't train YO, REEEEESULT or what.Anyway.Training Camp+++++++++++Did anyone see that there was a mention of our planned training camp in The Times? Lord knows where they got the info from unless one of you lot said something. Some of you that came to Boston for the World Indoor Rowing Championships may remember John Shepherd of UltraFIT Magazine. He is now coming on the camp to take part and to cover it for the magazine.John recently wrote an interesting article in the May 15th edition of The Times entitled Why fat remains the burning issue which is well worth reading. It explains in simple terms how to determine your daily calorific requirement and that if your calorific intake does not exceed your calorific consumption your weight will stabilise. There are also some interesting facts in there: A pound of fat contains 3,500 calories. Walking for an hour will burn around 400 of these and running for half an hour will account for another 350. This is why I tell people that weight loss through exercise alone is a non-starter and must be accompanied by a sensible diet.To work out your average daily calorific intake, simply add a 0 to your weight in pounds. Thus, if you weigh 180lbs you would need a daily calorific intake of 1800 calories to maintain your weight. If you work out three or more times a week then you should add an additional 200-300 calories a day. If you are stuck on a weight, try to under eat by 200-300 calories a day for a couple of days a week - any more than this and you run the risk of metabolism slow down.It is always good to know that your views are shared by the great and the good. In the last newsletter I addressed a question about numbness in the leg when training on the machine. We got an email from a consultant neurologist who gave a medical explanation for what was actually happening and the advice was the same as mine. If you get numbness in the leg, try changing your seating position and also various types of padding. If it persists, do not ignore it because it could be a trapped sciatic nerve, which could be permanently damaged if left. On that note, Godfrey Rowsports have got a double thickness seat pad that is well worth trying for all those rhinosorearses out there: http://www.godfrey.co.uk