ToS stage 2: Nine Hammers - official thread

You still look fresh to me.

Hmm… at hammer 3 I was pondering wtf am I doing here… but to keep a 57m story down to a a few lines -

I got to that last hammer, having been the nail for all prior hammers. Then, as that last hammer grew in intensity with each minute, I thought, “@(*# it, I AM THE NAIL”, and turned myself (virtually/metaphorically) up the other way, pointy side up, and really gave it to that damn hammer (translation: I added 10% - 20% more on top of what was called for).

Bring on stage 3 :slight_smile:

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Post Stage 2. Sir Chris Blom. Hobart, Tasmania.

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Not sure what is worse 21 days of quarantine or Stage 2! Nine Hammers is secret code for extended pain. (For some reason I cannot upload a photo of my place of suffering!!) Scratch that - all sorted! 0B97A168-2459-42A6-8A95-21EC6F36D113_1_201_a|666x500](upload://AanqQDQetQIgdu6DiWBMvFvm8F1.jpeg)

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I got hit on the ninth hammer as well. I had to adjust to 90% for the last two minutes - my cardiologist was not close by so erred on side of sanity.

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Congratulation to you all. The Valley of Nine Hammers can be as cruel, cruel place to be, we all know that.

I just got up, made coffee, family still asleep. Perfect time to watch the Hobart Gang doing their suffering. Too late to donate? No, it never will be.

Cheers.

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Nailed the Nine Hammers…just barely. #9 tried to whack me into submission, but I just managed to hold on… Hopefully I can get some life back into these legs before tomorrow!

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Joyride+Nine Hammers B2B
So much pain so much pain :sob:
Its a fine line between heaven and hell :skull_and_crossbones:

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Absolutely nailed…

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Despite the EPIC crowd support of:
2 children
1 loyal dog
3 Sufferlandrians riding
1 Sir David firing the starting pistol and
2 instances of Jason

I still got nailed (or is than hammered) on the 9th hammer. That last uplift in the last 1 minute of hammer 9 absolutely broke me and I had to sandbag it.

See you all for Stage 3! :muscle:t2:

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As a nine hammers virgin, I was naïve enough to think it’d all be ok. Hammer 5 was hard, and then I just couldn’t keep up in 9. ERG mode at 100% was far too cocky…

But at least I’m not as broken as my bike, which appears to have had a hammering of its own… Ominous creaky noises coming out from hammer 6 onwards…

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Hammers 8 and 9 are pure masochism…DESTROYED

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Grim after yesterdays installment, cant wait for fight club tomorrow :nauseated_face:

Yep…that hurt!

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Looks like you did The Long Scream!

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9H will be this afternoon GMT time for me.

As a bit of mental prep I looked up my previous visits to the valley. I know that I can usually finish it, struggling on the 9th (of course) but JUST about making it, Hammer 3 always being very tough and I get strength from finishing that and finding #4 easier. When I can do the 9th well without seeing double then I know I need a new FF.

Having smashed 9H with glee on the 26th Dec my most recent FF was 1st January and this is the profile I’m using for the Tour.

But. But. Apparently I did 9H late January only to bail at the end of Hammer 5.

I have no memory of this whatsoever, but my workout notes do not make for a pretty picture.

I’m now scared. Bring it, Grunter.

Lee

[Edited: I misspelt GvA’s name. That can’t be a good idea…]

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I think I need to come to yours, that looks amazing.

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haha, maybe another time (I loathe The Long Scream as much as the 9H). There was no scream there. I was just desperately gasping for air!

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Prepped hard for this one. Given its reputation.
Day off, proper eating and sleep.

Super happy to have completed Hammer 1.
And that was that. Well done folks that even get half way through this.

Did a couple of other (ftp) ones at 90-95 but anything yellow was down to 85 … (then less at the end)

S1 at 90% clearly took a lot out of me 2 days ago.
Some huge efforts here.

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I used a new approach for this. I started in a high gear then when my cadence dropped and I started to descend into the ERG death cycle I dropped a gear and/or stood up to keep the power up and avoid completely stopping. It wasn’t pretty but it worked and I managed that last 60 seconds and kept peddling into the recovery.

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