This isn't training - this is a war 8by500m 1:30 rest

And it's not a war I'm ultimately going to win - I mean the erg is built from steel I am merely flesh and bone - sure I've snapped a few of the nuts of the erg and sheared the odd bolt - and the brass ferule is built to break but ultimately it's more than likely going to out live me and at the end of the day I'm not likely to push the erg to point that it goes off the monitors scale - I've already lost part of my back (disc) ... so for today's battle - off the back of two defeats - I went down with the intention of sacrificing my body from the start - my PB on the 8by500's is 1:29.3 from 28th December 2013  - so the target was to start the session faster than that and then hold on - if I had to drop one rep to 1:40 plus in order to get eight done I would have - as much as the pace I needed to complete the session.

Rep 1 - of I pushed and I flew back - little quicker than I intended - something went - not sure what - had to stop to check the handle and then took a few strokes to check the cog was OK - everything seemed alright so maybe it just jumped - really didn't need to go flying back of the erg though - especially as my back already has a few issues - so I checked that there wasn't anything behind the erg I might hit if I came off and set to go again - and we're off - felt strong and tried to keep the rate up which I struggled a little with - the PB was set at 34 spm and ultimately averaged 32 today for the set. Managed to get the first rep done and blowing good. Second rep much the same but more pain in the legs. Third rep and increase in the discomfort (have to remind myself the pain I was in during the back issues - and ye this is a discomfort in comparison) and although the desire to slow down increased I just finished it as if it was the last rep - the plan was working I was cooked - so start the fourth and although the pace was there at the start the discomfort was slowing the power and ultimately the pace - think I was holding 1:34's at the end so from here it was a case of start hard and try to hold the ave pace from the previous rep and simply get through them - then between the 5th and 6th rep I had a call from the mrs - it wasn't urgent - it ended quickly. 6th, 7th and start of 8th rep where just discomfort - started sub 1:30 split on all (after first stroke) but then slowed up until the last 250m of the last rep - upped the pace from 1:34 to 1:32 and then for the final 15 strokes upped again to 1:30/31 and collapse - cough - curl up in a ball lol