5k Row

" ♫ All I want for Christmas is a six-pack...♪"

Unusual for me to train on a Sunday, but I had a rest day yesterday because my PT session was Friday. All clear?

Anyway, I wanted to try a simple WOD from a couple of weeks ago - row 5k for time. I don't think I've rowed for this type of distance before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I watched the demo video and it looks like most people were finishing around 20 minutes. However, I thought that might be a bit ambitious for me, so I aimed for roughly 25 minutes, about the time I take for a 5k run.

Row 5k for time
Time = 25:54 (average: 41 s/m)

That's roughly my time for a 5k run, so not too bad. I tried to maintain a steady pace throughout, as advised in the video, although that was easier said than done as I became more fatigued.

I don't know if I'll ever do this again, not because it was too tough, but because it was bloody boring! By the time I got to 1.5k, I couldn't wait for the damn routine to be over. Running 5k on the road is one thing, because the scenery changes, plus there are the mini-challenges when I overtake someone or they overtake me. But rowing 5k on a machine when all I can see are the stationary houses outside is pretty tedious. 

To make matters worse, about 10 minutes into my session, there was a power outage in New Hamburg, which meant the TV and lights in the Stonecroft gym all went out. There were three other people working out on machines at the same time as me, but as soon as the power went, so did they. I spent the next 15 minutes rowing in near darkness.

Can't wait to do some heavy lifting tomorrow...

5k: Run for the Cure

Today I ran the CIBC Breast Cancer Run for the Cure for the fifth consecutive year. I wasn't expecting to run too quickly today because my legs were pretty damn sore following yesterday's personal training session. We got to the run site pretty early, so I had plenty of time to warm up and stretch. That helped tremendously, so I decided to do my best and try for a decent finish time.

I let the main crowd of runners get going for about 10 minutes, so I wouldn't be stuck in the crowd. The first part of the run is the most challenging as it involves a winding, step hill. For some reason I started out pretty quickly - too quickly - and I was already out of breath by the time I got to the top of the hill. I had to slow right down much sooner than I intended, and I thought I'd blown my chance of having at least one decent 5k this year. When I'd got my breath back, I sped up a bit and set a pace that I thought I could maintain consistently. It actually felt so comfortable I wondered if I was running too slowly. Because of the heavy overnight rain, I opted for the road course as it was less likely to b slippery.

I got to the halfway/turn around point and felt like I was in control. (By the way, I didn't check my watch until I crossed the finish line.) I was surprised when I saw the 4k marker because I thought I had much more than only 1k remaining. At that point, I really opened up. For the last section of the run, I went as fast as I could. My strides were really long and my arms were pumping like a friggin' lunatic. God knows what I must have looked like. That hill that felt so tough on the way up proved a different type of challenge going back down. I almost felt like I was going to end up somersaulting down the road as I pounded the asphalt.

I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch, finally checking it to see how I did: 25:47. That's nearly a minute faster than last year, and much quicker than I expected at the start of the day. My memory being as poor as it is, I can't recall what my best time was from previous years, but I'm really pleased with how I ran today, especially after the punishment my legs took yesterday morning. Of course, I'm not looking forward to trying to get out of bed tomorrow...