Back on the Rail

4 June 2026

30:00 | 7177m | 2:05.4 | r20

May didn't finish the way I expected.

When EDS Awareness Month began, the plan was straightforward enough: row regularly, raise awareness, and keep the conversation going.

Then life got in the way.

Or more specifically, the shed did.

What started as a few evenings of groundwork gradually turned into drainage, levelling, concrete pads, bearers, measurements, re-measurements, and all the little jobs that somehow consume every spare hour. The rowing machine sat waiting while the focus shifted elsewhere.

Part of me was frustrated by that. The competitor in me always wants to finish what I started, tick every box, and complete every session.

But life doesn't always work like that.

The Conversation Continues

One thing EDS has taught our family is that progress is rarely a straight line.

Plans change. Circumstances change. Sometimes the best thing you can do is adapt, deal with what's in front of you, and keep moving forward.

So while EDS Awareness Month didn't finish with a perfectly completed rowing challenge, the awareness doesn't disappear just because the calendar turns to June.

The conversation continues.

Back to Work

Today was simply about getting back on the rail.

No heroics.

No testing.

No chasing numbers.

Just thirty controlled minutes in the work gym at r20.

The first few minutes felt exactly as a return row should feel. Slightly rusty. Slightly disconnected. Then the rhythm returned.

The splits tightened naturally throughout the session:

• 2:07.0
• 2:06.4
• 2:05.9
• 2:05.5
• 2:04.4
• 2:03.0

No surges. No forcing. Just a gradual build through the piece.

Quality Metres

The most encouraging part wasn't the pace.

It was the reminder that the aerobic base is still there.

After nearly two weeks of moving timber instead of moving a handle, the engine switched back on surprisingly quickly. The final split was the fastest of the day, the rate never changed, and everything remained under control.

That's something the old Road to Sub6 years taught me repeatedly.

Fitness isn't built through occasional heroics.

It's built through thousands of controlled decisions made over time.

One session doesn't make you fit.

One missed session doesn't make you unfit.

You simply keep turning up.

The shed isn't finished yet. There are still jobs to do.

But the handle is moving again.

And that's enough for today.

Built through control.

— Paul Buchanan

Road to Sub6

Chasing Stripes 016 — Removing Friction

May 22, 2026 – EDS Awareness Month

There are sessions where you chase numbers.

There are sessions where you chase rhythm.

And then there are sessions like this one — where the entire goal is simply to remove friction.

Not forcing the pace.

Not wrestling the handle.

Not trying to manufacture intensity that isn’t there.

Just sitting down in the middle of a workday, locking the monitor on r20, and building quality metres one stroke at a time.

For people living with EDS, consistency matters more than occasional perfect days. Sustainable training usually comes from repeatable loading, controlled progression, and learning where the line is before you cross it. Sometimes the smartest sessions are the ones that leave something in the tank.

That was today.

Session 016

40:00 continuous @ r20

Distance: 9,670m

Average Pace: 2:04.1/500m

Average HR: 135

Max HR: 146

Stroke Rate: 20 spm

5-minute splits:

2:05.9

2:05.4

2:04.8

2:04.4

2:03.8

2:03.4

2:02.9

2:01.8

The shape of the row mattered more than the headline number.

No spikes.

No panic pacing.

No mid-session collapse.

Just a gradual squeeze on the pace while the rate stayed nailed to twenty.

The final split came down naturally because the early part of the row stayed under control. That’s the part people often miss. Fast endings are usually built long before the last five minutes. They come from restraint early on — from not feeding the handle-down demons too soon.

The work gym sessions always feel different from the shed rows. Different atmosphere. Different distractions. Different fatigue. But in some ways they’re useful because they strip things back to basics. No perfect setup. No “race environment.” Just you, the erg, and whether you can stay disciplined for forty minutes.

That’s what this block is really about right now.

Building repeatable work.

Building fatigue resistance.

Building sessions that can stack together week after week.

Not forcing speed.

Just removing friction.

#MoveForEDS

#ChasingStripes

#BuiltThroughControl

#Concept2

#BeowulfIndoorRowingCrew

Chasing Stripes 015 — Moving Through Fatigue

21 May 2026

EDS FACT #15 — Fatigue with EDS isn’t always solved by stopping completely. Sometimes it’s about adjusting the load, respecting recovery, controlling intensity, and still finding a way to move consistently within your limits. Sustainable progress is built through management, not destruction.

Some sessions are built on freshness.

Others are built on discipline.

Today was definitely the second category.

Long day on the road. Up at 4:30am, Dublin and back, home around 7pm, and by the time I got into the shed it was already pushing late. The easy option would’ve been to skip it completely. Instead, the goal became simple:

Get under the handle. Stay controlled. Build another layer.

40 minutes continuous at r20.

No chasing numbers early. No forcing pace. Just settling the flywheel, keeping the stroke long, and letting the session gradually come to me instead of trying to attack it.

The opening 5 minutes were deliberately conservative at 2:06.9 pace with HR at 120. From there the rhythm slowly tightened naturally across the row:

10 min — 2:05.8

15 min — 2:04.6

20 min — 2:03.8

25 min — 2:03.1

30 min — 2:02.7

35 min — 2:01.9

40 min — 2:01.1

That’s the kind of progression I like seeing right now. Controlled pressure instead of emotional rowing.

Final numbers:

40:00 continuous

9695m

2:03.7/500m

r20

134 avg HR / 147 max

Drag factor 152

185w average

806 strokes

Respiration stayed stable for most of the session before gradually climbing late as the effort tightened up. Nothing explosive. Just steady aerobic loading and fatigue resistance built through repeatable work.

That’s really what this current block is about.

Not hero sessions.

Not testing fitness every night.

Just stacking controlled metres together and letting consistency do the work over time.

Another stripe earned.

Another session locked in.

Chasing Stripes 014 — Moving Through Fatigue

EDS Fact #14 — Fatigue changes the rules.

For many living with EDS, recovery isn’t only about muscles — nervous system fatigue, poor sleep, long days and stress all affect performance. Sometimes the win is simply showing up, moving well and keeping the rhythm under control.

4:30am alarm.

Dublin and back.

Home around 7pm.

On the erg at 10:30pm.

This was never going to be a session about pace chasing or testing limits. It was about protecting the block, staying consistent and getting quality metres done despite the day sitting around it.

30:00 continuous @ r20

7,249m

2:04.1/500m average

The row started exactly where it should have after a day like that — controlled and slightly heavy through the first 10 minutes while the body caught up with itself. From there the rhythm gradually settled and the pace slowly built without forcing it.

5:00 — 2:06.0

10:00 — 2:05.0

15:00 — 2:05.0

20:00 — 2:04.0

25:00 — 2:03.0

30:00 — 2:01.8

Heart rate behaved properly again too after fitting the new Duracell battery to the strap, rising smoothly from 121 to 139 with no dropouts.

That’s the kind of session that matters more than it looks on paper. Not dramatic. Not flashy. Just another controlled row added to the foundation.

The engine keeps moving forward through consistency, not heroics.

Built through control.

Chasing Stripes 013 — Built Through Control

EDS Fact #13 — Consistency matters more than perfection.

For many people living with EDS, sustainable training comes from repeatable effort, controlled loading, and respecting recovery — not from chasing perfect sessions every day.

Today’s row was another lunchtime session in the work gym.

40:00 continuous
9760m
2:02.9 average
r20 throughout

The row built steadily across the full forty minutes:

• 2:05.0
• 2:04.4
• 2:03.5
• 2:03.0
• 2:02.5
• 2:02.0
• 2:01.5
• 2:01.0

A clean progressive session with the pace gradually coming down while the stroke rate stayed locked at r20.

The heart-rate strap dropped out halfway through the row, so the HR data after 20 minutes is unusable, but the effort itself stayed smooth and controlled throughout.

One thing becoming noticeable is the difference between the work-gym rows and the late-night shed sessions. Midday rows seem to allow a slightly cleaner rhythm and better pace control, while the late-night rows are often done carrying the fatigue of the full day.

Either way, the focus stays the same: quality metres, repeatable rhythm, and building the engine patiently one session at a time.

#MoveForEDS

Chasing Stripes 012 — Back Under the Handle

EDS Awareness Month – #MoveForEDS

People with EDS often have to think differently about consistency and recovery. Progress isn’t always built through maximal sessions. Sometimes it’s built through controlled movement, repeatable work, and learning how to accumulate training without constantly crossing the line into fatigue.

Tonight was about exactly that.

First row since the 15th. No hero session. No forced pace. No chasing numbers for the sake of seeing them on a screen. Just thirty minutes of getting back into rhythm and reconnecting with the stroke properly.

30:00
7314m
2:03.0 average
r20
130 average HR

The important thing wasn’t the average pace. It was how the row settled.

The opening few minutes were just about finding movement again. Letting the flywheel spin. Letting the body remember the sequence. Legs first. Handle acceleration. Relaxed recovery. Nothing rushed.

Then the rhythm started building naturally.

2:05s became low 2:04s.
Low 2:04s became 2:03s.
Then the final quarter started edging towards 2:01 pace without any increase in rate.

That’s the part that matters.

The stroke rate never changed. The effort didn’t suddenly become aggressive. The speed came from connection and efficiency rather than forcing the machine.

That’s proper r20 rowing.

The heart rate profile told the story too. Controlled rise all session. No spikes. No panic. No hanging on. Just a steady aerobic climb into the low 140s by the finish.

Exactly where it should be.

The biggest positive was probably the feel of the row more than the numbers themselves. The handle stayed connected. Power application stayed smooth. No ugly pulling. No desperate finish. Just controlled pressure building stroke after stroke.

Built through control.

There’s a temptation after a few days away from the machine to “make up” for missed sessions. Usually that just turns into rowing emotionally instead of rowing intelligently.

Tonight wasn’t about proving fitness.

It was about rebuilding rhythm.

The aerobic base doesn’t come from smashing random sessions together. It comes from repeatable quality metres done consistently enough that the body adapts without constantly being dragged into fatigue.

That’s the foundation again now.

One controlled session at a time.

— Paul Buchanan
Beowulf Indoor Rowing Crew

Chasing Stripes 011 – Back In The Shed

 EDS Awareness Month – #MoveForEDS

People with EDS often have to approach recovery differently. Sometimes the biggest win is not smashing yourself into the ground, but learning when to rebuild through controlled movement, consistency and patience.

Back home. Back in the shed. Back on the erg.

The half marathon was two evenings ago in the hotel gym in Dublin. Yesterday morning was just a controlled half-hour row before travelling home, and tonight was about settling back into rhythm again without turning it into a battle session.

30:00

7347m

2:02.5/500m

r20

What stood out tonight was the control.

The rate barely moved from 20 for the entire row and the pace gradually tightened naturally as the session settled in. No forcing it. No chasing numbers. Just sitting behind the handle and letting the rhythm build.

The final section eased down through:

2:02.2 → 2:01.4 → 2:00.9

That’s the sort of low-rate pressure that matters. Controlled acceleration without needing to lift the rate.

The heart-rate receiver decided to throw another tantrum midway through the row, so the graphs look more dramatic than the session actually felt. Apparently I went from steady aerobic rowing to briefly flatlining before making a miraculous recovery...Technology.

The new shoes made their first proper appearance tonight too. Black with bright white stripes.

Accidentally very on-brand for Chasing Stripes.

These are the sessions that don’t look special from the outside, but they matter. Controlled metres. Repeatable work. Building durability again without waking the handle-down demons.

Just another layer added.

#ChasingStripes

#MoveForEDS

#Concept2

#IndoorRowing

#BeowulfIRC