A Rowing Club to Call My Home!

A Steak Holder

I have finally joined a rowing club on the mighty River Thames! I had a look around the club last Saturday (6th Feb) and I knew it was the one. Plus, one of the members (who just happens to be a 2012 gold medalist!) recommended a great steak house in town for lunch afterwards, and it was the best fillet steak ever! It's a no brainer really!

Circuit Training

My first session was on Wednesday (10th Feb) evening, and it was a veritable baptism by fire! Circuit Training... A necessary evil if you want to win races. It was a really good session. We did each exercise for 60 seconds, followed by 60 seconds of skipping (with a skipping rope), and then move on to the next exercise. The playlist was good, which always helps, and there was a beep every 60 seconds so we knew when to move on.

The facilities are world-class, clean and modern, which is a far cry from circuit training in a cold and dusty school gymnasium. But I'm not complaining, because if you can consistently train in a horrible school gym at night when you'd rather be in bed, it will make an athlete out of you!

The Early Bird

My second session was at 7am this morning. Unfortunately, because the river is quite high and running fast, the coaches did not allow any small boats to go out. So, the senior ladies 8 went out, which left 2 of us to do some land training. Normally that would mean doing a couple of pieces on the rowing machine. But because we were dressed in our outdoor gear, my training partner suggested that we go for a quick jog around the town.

It's been months since I went for a jog, and it's a different kind of fitness required for jogging, but whenever I move to a new area, I tend to pick up jogging again as a good way to scope it out. It was drizzling this morning, but it wasn't too cold, so my lungs didn't go into shock. The jog was really good. We chatted a bit as we went along, and it came as a big shock to me that I could talk and jog, because I did not think I'd be fit enough! I normally jog alone, and I'm not in the habit of talking to myself generally, so that was a small victory.

When we got back to the boat club, we stripped off a few layers and did a 6K piece on the rowing machine at 20sm (strokes per minute). My last session on an erg (rowing machine) was Monday 11th January, so I was a bit out of shape. About 45 seconds slower than usual for a 6K piece. I fully expect to get back to my former level of fitness (and beyond) again, now that I will be training regularly again.

Races Are Won in the Winter

Here's what my weekly winter training schedule is going to look like until the Spring when we'll have mostly water-based sessions.

My next session is tomorrow at 7:15am. No more leisurely weekend mornings for me, but I wouldn't have it any other way :)