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
