Chasing Stripes 009 — Hotel Gym Half Marathon

Sometimes the best sessions are the ones that almost don’t happen.

Hotel gym. Late evening. No shed. No routine. No “perfect setup.”

Just a quiet opportunity to sit down on the erg and see if the body would settle into rhythm.

The target wasn’t speed.

The target was control.

21,097m.

90 minutes.

Heart-rate capped.

Low-rate work.

No drama.

The first half settled in nicely around 2:07–2:08 pace at r20 with the heart rate gradually building instead of spiking. Exactly the kind of session that matters long term — not flashy, not social-media pace chasing, just quality metres stacked patiently.

Then came the rough patch.

Around the hour mark the HR trace dipped hard from strap issues, and there was a small fade in rhythm through the fifth split. In older training blocks that kind of interruption could derail the whole session mentally. Tonight it was just acknowledged and absorbed. Handle down. Refocus. Build again.

That’s the difference.

The final quarter tightened back up into controlled 2:06–2:07 work while keeping the stroke rate disciplined. No sprint finish. No emptying the tank. Just steady pressure all the way to the line.

21,097m completed in 1:29:59.4.

Not a race piece.

Not a PB attempt.

Just another layer added to the aerobic base.

The kind of work that doesn’t look dramatic while you’re doing it — but quietly changes what you’re capable of later.

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## Session Stats

- Half Marathon: 21,097m

- Time: 1:29:59.4

- Avg Pace: 2:08.0/500m

- Avg HR: 132 bpm

- Max HR: 189 bpm (strap spike/error)

- Avg Rate: 20 spm

- Avg Power: 168w

- Drag Factor: 126

- Training Effect: 3.5 Aerobic

- Location: The Address Hotel Dublin

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## EDS Awareness Month — Zebra Fact #9

People with EDS often have to become experts in pacing, energy management, and recovery long before most others ever think about it.

Progress isn’t always about pushing harder.

Sometimes it’s about learning how to keep moving forward without crossing the line that sets you back.

Chasing Stripes 008 — Hotel Gym Miles

Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) are not just “being flexible.”

They are complex connective tissue disorders that can affect joints, skin, blood vessels, digestion, fatigue levels, autonomic function, healing, and day-to-day quality of life.

As part of the Move for EDS challenge and EDS Awareness Month, this morning’s session came from the gym in the Croke Park Hotel, Dublin.

No shed setup.

No familiar surroundings.

Just another chance to bank some controlled aerobic work and keep the consistency going.

Session Details

30:00

7194m

2:05.1 average pace

r20

179w average

Average HR: 128

Max HR: 149

Drag Factor: 134

Temperature: 18.6–18.7°C

Humidity: 46–47%

A very controlled aerobic row throughout:

smooth HR rise

stable power trace

disciplined rate control

slight negative split across the second half

Exactly the type of session that quietly builds durability without digging a hole.

The important thing with hotel gym sessions is simply getting the work done. Different erg, different environment, but the same goal: quality metres, controlled rhythm, consistency over hype.

One more row banked.

One more step forward.

One row at a time.

Chasing Stripes 007 — Quiet Work

May 10, 2026

EDS Awareness Month keeps pulling the same lesson back to the front: movement has to be repeatable, controlled, and sustainable.

Not every session needs to be a test. Sometimes the win is keeping the rhythm alive without adding unnecessary load.

This was one of those rows.

The weekend was busy. Communion preparations. Travel. A disrupted routine. Training had to fit around life rather than the other way around.

So the goal was simple:

Keep moving.

Keep it controlled.

Keep the aerobic engine alive.

30 minutes.

Rate 20.

No drama.

The opening few minutes were deliberately restrained. Low pressure through the legs. Relaxed hands. Just enough connection at the catch to keep the flywheel honest without dragging the heart rate upward.

The monitor sat around 2:07 pace for most of the opening half while the body settled into rhythm.

Nothing spectacular.

Exactly as intended.

Then the row started to come to life on its own.

The pace crept down naturally:

2:07.6

2:07.2

2:07.0

2:06.2

2:05.1

2:05.5

No attacking the split.

No forced push.

Just better connection and cleaner rhythm as the minutes accumulated.

That is what low-rate rowing teaches better than almost anything else: when you stop forcing speed, efficiency starts creating it for you.

The heart-rate trace told the same story. A gradual rise from warm-up territory into controlled low aerobic work, peaking late without the row turning into strain.

No spikes.

No chaos.

No panic rowing.

Just steady work.

Session notes

Time: 30:00

Distance: 7117m

Average pace: 2:06.4 /500m

Average rate: 20spm

Average HR: 126 bpm

Max HR: 144 bpm

Average power: 173w

Drag factor: 128

Training effect: 2.2 aerobic

Exercise load: 17

7117 metres at 2:06.4 pace for an average heart rate of 126 is a different row to where this block started only days ago.

That matters.

The flashy sessions get attention.

The quiet sessions build foundations.

Tonight was quiet work.

And quiet work still counts.

Chasing Stripes 006 — Flow

May is EDS Awareness Month, and one of the biggest lessons with EDS is that consistency usually beats intensity.

Tonight’s session was built around that idea.

No heroic pace targets.

No chasing numbers too early.

Just controlled work at r20 and letting the session develop naturally.

The original lunchtime row never happened, so this became an evening shed session instead. Sometimes training has to fit around work, family, fatigue, and life in general. The important thing is keeping the chain moving.

The plan was simple: hold rhythm, sit on pressure, and build gradually if the body allowed it.

That’s exactly how the row unfolded.

The opening 10 minutes were deliberately calm while the heart rate settled into the work. Stroke rate stayed locked at r20 almost the entire way through, power stayed smooth, and the pace slowly tightened across the session without forcing anything.

By the final five minutes the pace had naturally moved under 2:00/500m while the heart rate still stayed controlled.

That’s the sort of session that matters long term.

Not because it looks dramatic on paper, but because it builds repeatable aerobic strength without digging a recovery hole afterwards.

Main set: 30:00 @ r20

7372m

2:02.1 average

131 avg HR / 145 max HR

192w average

Drag factor 133

Including warm-up and cool-down, the total session came out at 40 minutes continuous work.

The graphs tell the story: steady HR drift, stable power, stable stroke rate, and a controlled late lift instead of a fade.

That’s proper low-rate aerobic rowing. Built through rhythm. Built through patience. Built through control.

With EDS, flow matters. Consistency matters. Smooth movement matters.

Another quality session banked.

Chasing Stripes 005 — Flow

 Today’s EDS focus was controlled movement.

With Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, load is not just about how hard a session looks on paper. It is about how the body responds to repeated movement, fatigue, joint control, and recovery afterwards. A session can be short and easy, but still needs to be managed properly.

This was a lunchtime row at work, so the aim was simple: keep it smooth, keep the heart rate controlled, and finish feeling better rather than drained.

The session was 30 minutes continuous, with the first 5 minutes used as the warm-up, 20 minutes of main rowing, and the final 5 minutes as a cool-down.

The main piece sat nicely under control. Heart rate stayed low and stable, with no big spikes, and the rate stayed mostly around 19–20 spm before easing down near the end.

That made this a useful EDS awareness session: not dramatic, not forced, just controlled movement and sensible pacing.

The row finished at 6,870m in 30:00, averaging 2:11.0/500m, with an average heart rate of 117 bpm and a max of 127 bpm.

For Chasing Stripes, this was a good reminder that progress is not always about pushing harder. Sometimes it is about moving well, respecting the limit, and keeping the work repeatable.

Session 005 30:00 continuous

5:00 warm-up | 20:00 main | 5:00 cool-down

Distance: 6,870m

Average pace: 2:11.0/500m

Average heart rate: 117 bpm

Max heart rate: 127 bpm

Average stripe rate: 19 spm

Drag factor: 130

Chasing Stripes 004 – Load

Date: 5th May

Session: 40:00 @ r19

Distance: 9,119 m

Pace: 2:11.6 /500m

Heart Rate: 118 avg / 131 max (monitor drop mid-session)

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EDS Focus – Load

With EDS, training isn’t about how hard you can go.

It’s about how well you can manage the load.

- Controlled stroke rate

- Stable pacing

- Low cardiovascular strain

- No accumulated fatigue

That was the point of today’s row

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Session Breakdown

Warm-up – 5:00

Steady and controlled. Heart rate built gradually into range with no spikes.

Main – 30:00

Pace settled early around 2:10–2:11 and stayed there. Stroke rate consistent at 19–20 spm.

Movement stayed smooth, long, and repeatable.

At ~30 minutes there was a clear heart rate drop — not effort-related, just a monitor issue. I’ll try to get the battery changed tomorrow.

Cool-down – 5:00

Pace eased to ~2:19. Heart rate came down cleanly. Finished under control.

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What Matters

This session was about load management.

No spikes.

No chasing numbers.

No drift into higher effort.

Just consistent, controlled work from start to finish.

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Takeaway

Consistency beats intensity.

Sessions like this build durability without forcing it.

No ego. No rushing. Just controlled work, repeated.

That’s how this gets built.

Chasing Stripes 003 – Load

Date: Monday, 4th May 2026

Day 3 of the Chasing Stripes series, and the theme was load.

Today included paving and manual work before the row, so the session was not done on fresh legs. That made the aim very clear: keep the work controlled, keep the heart rate capped, and do not chase pace.

The Session

40:00 RowErg

Structure:

5:00 warm-up

30:00 steady main row

5:00 cool-down

Distance: 9,076m

Pace: 2:12.2 /500m

Stroke Rate: 19 spm

Average Heart Rate: 118 bpm

Max Heart Rate: 136 bpm

Drag Factor: 128

The Row

The target for the main section was around 2:10 pace, with a heart rate cap of 130.

Because of the load already in the body from paving, the heart rate cap mattered more than the pace. The pace was allowed to settle where it needed to, rather than being forced.

The first 5 minutes were the warm-up.

The 30-minute main row stayed controlled, with the rate around 20 and the effort kept inside the planned limit.

The final 5 minutes were the cool-down, with the rate and pace eased deliberately.

There was a clear heart rate drop around three-quarters of the way through, but that looks like a monitor issue rather than a real effort change.

Zebra Fact #3 – Load

EDS affects connective tissue.

Connective tissue helps support joints, muscles, ligaments, skin, and other parts of the body.

For people with EDS, repeated load can be harder to manage. Ordinary activity, manual work, exercise, or holding the body in one position can build fatigue, pain, and joint instability.

Why This Matters

Today’s row linked directly to the EDS theme.

It was not about proving fitness.

It was about managing load.

That meant respecting the fatigue already there, keeping the session controlled, and adjusting pace to stay within the limit set.

For many people with EDS, this kind of management is not optional. Activity has to be balanced against fatigue, pain, and joint stability.

Today was a simple training example of that idea:

Do the work.

Respect the limit.

Manage the load.

Learn More

You can learn more about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome here:

https://www.ehlers-danlos.com

Day 3 done.

Load managed.

Chasing stripes, one controlled session at a time