I rowed again today. My voice is still husky but I needed to "get back on". I did a 2:00 split 10km and was interested to watch my heart rate. It topped out at 164. I may do that piece again in the future to compare. Whilst I was watching the piece unfold I couldn't help but think about when I first started back on my concept 2 machine.
I bought it in 1999 and was fairly keen at the start, but kids arrived in the family plus a job that led me to be away and I didn't row much. I started recording my rows in 2001. I would try to keep the split at 2:00 until my heart rate reached 170 then carry on for a set time. The first entry is this:
2nd January 2001: 15 minutes, 3,590m, 2:05.3 split, HRmax 175.
by 13th of January 2001 I was trying to keep 2:00 splits up for 20 minutes and failing with a HRmax of 183. It took me two months to be able to do 20 minutes at 2:00 split.
My first recorded 2,000m flat out in that log is a quite respectable (after seven months of on/off training) 7:23 in July. On the 27th July is my first recorded attempt at the U12 World Record for 2,000m. I blew up after only 500m. It would take me until 2006 to beat that.
How different things are now. I am lighter by 10kg (sooo much further to go) and the times above are just amazingly slow compared to what I can do now.
What was taking me to a heart rate of 180+ in 2001 within 15 minutes I can now comfortably maintain for 40 with a maximum heart rate 164. The other day I did equivalent times to the U12 World Record three times in a row with only 5 minutes rest in-between. I am the same person in a different body and I like it.
Most of the credit for the motivation for these changes must go to my friends at Free Spirits. You are amazing.
Metres today: 10,509
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