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
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