Getting my body used to lightweight rowing again
As detailed in my last blog, it’s been four years since I last rowed properly, and even then, it was only briefly to train for the British Indoor Rowing Championships (BIRC). So the journey of just jumping on an erg was not easy.
I had a sore back, I just hit 30 and mentally I was in a rough place given the whole pandemic and all that, so I was nervous. I recorded my scores as I rowed and it was atrocious. I was so slow, I could barely hit 2 minutes per 500m for any sustainable amount of time. I did sign up to rowing across the Atlantic (more on that in a future blog!) and also logging in my scores on my Concept 2 Log Book, I found these league tables super motivating.
At this stage, in September, I didn’t have any expectations of racing, I didn’t see any in the calendar and BIRC was still unannounced then. I just wanted to get fitter and beat myself. I also needed to use the machine everyday to justify the space it was taking up in the living room!
My weight was about 78–79kg, and I didn’t focus much on that, just general fitness. I would do mainly low UT2/3 rows (low intensity) to get my technique right and watched lots of YouTube videos on how to stretch and warm up. I recommend GB Rower/legend Cameron Buchan and Training Tall. For four weeks I did just that, and from below you can see the gradual improvements.
When I rowed seriously at school and uni, I never did UT2/3 — even when we were supposed to, every row was max effort, perhaps it was the culture we were in, but the gentle rowing did two things, firstly it was easier on my body and secondly, I enjoyed it more. I think enjoying the process and the motivation that comes with that is really important, especially now that I am older and training without a club (more on THAT later!).
My endurance improved but as we got into Autumn I saw a few races appear in the agenda, including the Australian Champs. I was up for it but kinda panicked, I didn’t have a scale, and when I finally got one from Amazon, I was 3 kg’s overweight. I had a fortnight to burn it off. I was impressed how fast I shedded it — it was tough, I had to really cut my meals and I felt hungry for about a week. Even now, I no longer eat sugar but I felt quite good.
This was my weight leading up and after the race:
To maintain power I ate some vegan soy protein isolate from My Protein — chocolate flavour, it’s pretty good. Use promo code ‘BEAST’ to get a discount, thanks Eddie Hall =). It’s important for me to keep my protein up to help with my recovery, especially as I am plant based too.
So yeah, my body is getting there. There are moments of up and down, and I am still trying to get the balance right. I have a lot to learn, but no matter what happens next, I am proud of my progress!
