July ctc

Target was simply to go faster than last week 

4by750 3r - if there is a more brutal row to do after a week off....

please don't tell me what it is cos I don't want to know lol

so started painting a welsh dresser last week we got, it was pine, it's now grey/green (looks better than it sounds) and that turned into redecorating the entire kitchen ... so ceiling prepped and painted, walls prepped and painted, woodwork... tiled floor I actually got down and scrubbed by hand (well with a scrubbing brush) and that meant being up till 2 am one night, then the kitchen table got repainted to match the dresser - this combined with sorting the two family cars out with services and tests and new tires and day to day stuff sucked up my life, the reason is I'm starting a new job next week and we've a baby due in December which means it's all hands to the pump to get things sorted.

OK today we got the last of the stuff done so I got the opportunity to row - I decided to have a crack at the 4by750 which I had scheduled last week and I felt would give me the best training benefit. Not sure where to pin it - needed to keep the rate down as I didn't want to burn the lungs so originally thought r28 1:32 pace - but then after the warm up figured r30 would be wiser.

First rep was not too bad so on the second rep I went a little harder, the third rep was OK until the last 300m then I had to back of a little. Rep 4 and the fun began in earnest when I finally got to the last 200m I was dropping back to 1:35 pace so - switched the brain off and just rode the pain, it was brutal, managed to get over the line and then had a little lie down lol

October CTC plus late night 30r20 70% HRR

In between getting ready for Halloween and trick or treating without the need for a mask on my part... I managed to get a one of pop at the CTC 500m 2r 1250m 1r 250m - slightly slower in the 1250 than I originally wanted and the one minute rest wasn't much of a ..rest lol

Later on I got out for a row - should have been a HM r20 70% HRR but after about 30 minutes I knew I didn't have the energy levels and so took the sensible option to pull the plug.

This is my church This is where I heal my hurts - 30r20 200m

This is my church
This is where I heal my hurts

After a long absence from the erg and a even longer absence from the "Temple Of Q" this afternoon I started back. A long and mostly boring road ahead of rate controlled HR limit rows but I know that's how the results will come. It's also where I heal my hurts. So today I start with a 30r20 aiming at a 75% HRR but allowed it to drift up a little. Felt sick a few times but that's what happens when you are out for so long. For a bit of fun at the end I did reasonably controlled CTC (200m) drag 140 just pushed on the pressure.

Starter for 10 ... 10by30s 1m r r20 May CTC

Well it's been a while - life taking its toll and although I keep trying to get back into it I admit without the routine of a job to go it's been tough - I've started so many times in the last few months but stopped eve quicker, so maybe keeping account of myself may help.

It was a year yesterday since we had our sons Louis's diagnosis of Edwards Syndrome (Friday the 13th of May) and he battled on until just before his birth on the 13th July. So I once again had some reflections on life and once again I know I need to row for my own balance.

Other more recent happenings have been diagnosed with suspected Carpel Tunnel Syndrome which I first really discovered the last time I started to try and row again and we also sadly lost one of our dogs to doggy heaven. I checked my erg monitor this morning - last time I rowed was the 26th April - I also rowed on the 25th - for 30 minutes each time, prior to that it was March....

So where to start - well with the pains in the wrists a long slow one wasn't gonna help so as I knew that the current CTC is short reps I plumped for that to get the fun going in me. Deciding to be sesible I went with R20 and figured I should be good for 1:35 pace if not a little more. Into the gym at 9am and after the majority of my standard warm-up - which normally en-tales a max HR of 160 (I hit 180 without the high end sprint today....)

So not feeling hugely confident of I set and with a standing start hit 1:41 on the first stroke - hmm - 1:24 on the second and then settled in through the line at 167m with exactly 10 strokes. Then the fun began, with the monitor/ergdata for some reason at the end of the second rep even though I counted out ten strokes it came up with 11.... I noticed this again on the third but I had the erg lifting of the floor and so put it down to that I also noticed the monitor flicked up a 1:13 pace - odd at 20 spm .... on the 8th stroke.... something not right here.

The fourth rep it was getting daft and now I can see the ergdata it's showing I hit 1:13 pace on three of the strokes - it also recorded 13 strokes! So again putting it down to the erg lifting of the floor at the front I got up and walked over to grab two 20kg plates to hold the erg down. Funny how that takes it out of you in the middle of these kind of rows lol

That seemed to settle the issues of miscounting and pace out but it also took the stiing out my legs and so I slipped to just over 1:30 pace and at the end I was on 1:32 - still something to get me going and a target for next time so job done.

When in doubt - rate 20 it out 4by4min 4r C2CTC r20

When in doubt - rate 20 it out lol. Having been sick since new year and off the erg completely since the 8by500's ten days ago this was simply a case of getting it done with half an eye on the Irish only ten days away I'm not really sure if I'm going to go....

1k TT not a great way to do it... C2CTC

So after being made redundant I lost my way a little and last rowed a HM on the 20th November - prior to that I have only rowed HM's and FM's other than a play at a 500m on the 7th - I had my skierg arrive on the 28th and played a bit that day - yesterday I did a HM on it - why not ....

so today being the last day of the month meant the last date for a 1k TT for the paddypower CTC boat - after a day of driving around trying to find a new car and doing a few jobs (including joining a new gym local to me with) meant I was getting changed to do a 1k TT at 10pm at night of the back of no race pace work at all... sure perfect set up .... usual race warm up on the model B (which really needs new rollers) in the shed at about 3 degrees C and off I set - idea was r30 target 1:32 - went a little better - throat is burning now and lovely to taste some blood at the end lol

AM 60r20 70% HRR - PM 10kr22 open HR C2CTC

Pre work in to gym for a 60r20 70% HRR - nearly had a breakdown when I walked in and couldn;t see the ergs!!! But then spotted them over near the window - phew - quite nice location as when's it's dark the window works as a mirror so I can see both what's going on around me and keep a eye on my own "form" good session and was pretty strict with HR.

;

 So lunch time loomed and I wanted a bash of the 10k - aim was to low rate it and just keep the push on - no looking at the HR and grind it out - pleased enough with that - I'll call it r22 even though it shows r21

for the power of the paddies! ctc 10 min

well that was bloody horrible - had a short time in the gym at lunch and opted for the c2ctc which this month was a straight 10 minutes - in my head I planned on going 1:40 for the first 7 minutes 30 seconds rate 26 then putting on the pressure - in reality it was what it was - still with only two weeks sporadic training over the last three weeks with the three month break I'll take what I can and have to be happy I got it done - there where a few HD moments but simply reminded myself of a few recent incidents - namely running marathons and the pain I was in prior to my back operation - ye - this was't a patch on those - shame I couldn't get sub 1:40 overall split but what's done is done and I certainly was.

Guy jumped on the erg when I finished and I noted he pushed the lever straight up to 10 so I was having a quick chat and then mentioned he might be better of with a lower drag (I had it on 7 for 140) he agreed it felt a lot better - might have to do a bit of a class in there if they let me/are interested.