Get comfortable with uncomfortable – **** 4by1k

 
Blinking life getting in the way of training again – really knocks me when I get out of a routine – so although I had a good week last week culminating with a PB on the 6by1 on Thursday – Friday we had a wedding to attend – funnily enough the reception was at the same hotel I started my erging in three years ago – so I took my gear hoping I might get a chance in the afternoon to sneak in a 30min or at the very least in the Sat morning before check out – sadly neither opportunities availed as Sat morning I woke at 10am and needed to get back for the dogs – I’d only had two pints the night before but obviously needed the sleep. Sat then flew past with getting jobs done and decided I was better to rest and do the 4by1k’s on Sunday – mid-afternoon I went out but as the dogs had woken me at 2:30am 4am and 7:30am I was pretty pooped and after the first 1k was done about a minute into the second my concentration levels just left me and I found myself handing down. That led me to questioning everything about my erging and whether or not it was worth training at this level with all life was throwing at me – should I even bother going to the Irish on Saturday!
 
So today the plan was to go down and get a pure 30r18 70% done as again the dogs had woken me at 5am after not getting to bed till 1am – but on the way down the mind decided it wanted to do the 4by1k – even if I only did one – I needed to get comfortable with uncomfortable by rowing some distance at 1:32 pace – and so I found myself going through the race warm up – and then I started on the first 1k – it went OK although breathing hard at the end – it’s not so much the legs that get me on this row it’s the breathing – and that’s more scary than the lactic legs – the feeling of drowning is a horrid one – especially if you’ve experienced it in the water – still got to get comfortable for the Irish and so I floundered through it – first minute of the 2nd 3rd and 4th rep are OK – the last 2 minutes make you wonder about how you are going to get enough oxygen in to move – still I did it – I survived – I got comfortable with uncomfortable and a shiney new PB – previous one was 1:33.6 – it’s now 1:31.9 – can’t wait for a time when I can start training properly.