I’m one of those people who never wins anything in a raffle… or so I used to say. But not any more. At a Fitness Industry Association drinks party, which I was attending as a member of the Fitness Writers’ Association (incidentally, if you write about fitness , I thoroughly recommend joining), I was persuaded…
Read MoreSince I’m off rowing for a while, I’m anxious to be sure that I’m not falling behind too badly in my fitness. Without that weekly erg score to keep me focused, it’s been hard to keep track of my efforts. Until now, that is. The lovely people at Step Success have generously provided me with…
Read MoreIt started as a whisper. Just a tiny twinge in my ribs as I shifted in my chair. Within a couple of minutes, though, I realised what was happening: a hard session on the erg that morning was taking its toll. As the afternoon passed, the twinge turned into a pain and, to my dismay,…
Read MoreWorld Rowing asked this morning if anyone could describe rowing in three words. Easy, I thought… until I tried to narrow it down. There’s the day-to-day stuff. Blisters, callouses, trackbites. Hunger, thirst, food. Erg, shower, sleep. But that barely scratches the surface. When it’s all about racing, I might go for adrenaline, excitement, anticipation, but…
Read MoreIt’s that day of the week again: time for me to recommend some fabulous rowing blogs for you to read over the weekend. The first is the excellent Training in Transition, written by the fabulous Tory, who is My Kind of Girl – a rower who’s funny as hell, has callouses to be proud of…
Read MoreInitially it was the cuteness (and the nicely balanced square blading) that made me want to share this video: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU6hmgTY76M] But it’s that bit at the end that got me thinking. “It’s such a simple word: ‘Row’.” And it is… deceptively so. When I started rowing in earnest last year, I had no idea what…
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It’s all very well having a lovely stroke, but however elegant your rowing you can totally, utterly ruin the effect when you get off the water if you’re attired in dodgy kit. Whatever anyone might try to tell you, what you wear on the river MATTERS. If you don’t believe me, just take a close…
Read MoreNext time you’re feeling a bit blah about rowing – if it’s raining and you’re tired and stiff, or if you’re grumpy and disgruntled, or you feel like you’re taking one step forward and two steps back – and you need something to motivate you to get back on the water… watch this. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNA-JaCkvQg] Now…
Read MoreForgive me for being indelicate, but I can’t help noticing that with the head season nearly upon us, there’s rather a lot of testosterone in the air. The gentlemen of the rowing world seem to be greeting the prospect of long ergs and distance rows with more than their share of grunting and posturing. The…
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