Monday, November 30, 2009

reunited


and it feels hurt so good

as you may or may not know, i was a former ncaa div 1 collegiate rower. granted, i quit after freshman year, but i still survived both fall and spring seasons. rowing is similar to cross country/track - in the fall you race a longer distance (like a 5k) and shorter in the spring (2k).

anyway so i joined a gym here in kentucky for the two months i (supposedly) have left. the treadmills were full when i got there, but then i spotted an erg. being a glutton for punishment, i hopped on. i forgot all the old workouts, warmups and drills, so i decided i'd jump right into "just a 5k"... yes, i suppose jumping on the erg after 6 years of no-erging/rowing is similar to saying "hey i think i'll go run 3.1 miles" after not running for awhile. needless to say, my lower back and hips were very verbal in letting me know how out of shape they are.

the memories came flooding back as i pulled - legs, back, arms, arms, back legs - and i reminisced on the fun times (and the not-so fun ones). i even finished strong with a "power 10" (10 "strokes" as hard and fast as you can) which actually turned into a power 25 to knock the last 150m off the screen.

i'm clearly out of rowing-shape (my average hr was 170) but my running cardio helped me survive the workout. my rate wasn't anything to brag about (~24 to 26 strokes-per-minute) but i did get up to 31 or 32 spm in the power 10.

erg 5k: 22:40 (2:16/500m)

after that torture wonderful workout, i hopped on the treadmill for 5.2 miles. nothing exciting here; my hr was quite elevated for an easy run from the erg effort.

monday (11/30) pm run: 5.2 miles, 45:21 (avg pace 8:43), avg hr (172)
at 8:42 PM
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28 comments:

  1. Very awesome workout Lindsay!! No way could I do that!!! Your going to be in awesome shape!! Not that you aren't now, but you know what I mean lady!!!

    Good going!!!

    Did you have a nice Thanksgiving?
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  2. That sounds like a great workout. I've always liked the rowing machine. I will have to squeeze in a workout @ the gym on Friday post my final exam. I REALLY need to run too. Was hoping to do the Jingle Bell 5K on Dec 12th.
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  3. I have no idea what your post was about.
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  4. What a warrior, that workout sounds tough. Is rowing as hard as it seems?
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  5. Your erg workout sounds awesome. I tried it for the first time last year at the gym and I felt it in my upper body all week!
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  6. WOW, I actually didn't know you did crew in college. I have a friend who does it now, and that girl is RIPPED! Awesome job working yo muscles, I've tried the rowing machine a total of 1 time and had NO idea what I was doing, haha.
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  7. Obviously, I had no idea you used to row. But, if you can jump on one of those rowing machines and crank out a 5k, my respect for you has grown. I think I did 1k on a rowing machine once - it was a lot harder than I expected!
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  8. My ex-bf rowed in college and the team was co-ed. I was so jealous of how jacked those girls arms were!
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  9. Believe it or not, I've never tried the rowing machine. I have to wait until the gym is empty one day so I don't make a fool of myself. I'm sure it would be an unbelievable workout! Way to follow it up with a run!
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  10. I've been hopping on the rowing machine now and then lately to mix it up - 10 minutes is plenty for me!

    Nice job on the workout!
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  11. back the the gym... :( treadmill time is here! Hope after you 2 months in KY you head some place warmer!!!
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  12. I don't understand the language you speak in this post. Row? Erg? It's like german. LOL! :)

    Great job girl!
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  13. you were a rower?! awesome. no offense, but you seem too little to have been one (ok, i know i have no idea how tall you are in person, but all the rowing ladies i know have just seemed a bit ... bigger).

    anyway, awesome workout! i love that your 500m split over a 5k is faster than my fastest 500m time. lol. nice to switch things up though, right?
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  14. i didnt know that!! very fun :) nice job on the workout!!
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  15. So how does rowing compare to other forms of cross training?
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  16. Wow, hardcore! I cannot take rowing machines.
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  18. Great workout. Sounds excruciating. I'm back at it. My knee feels great, but now I've got the flu :(.
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  19. I used to use the erg in college-- it was so hard!!!! But my shoulders looked good. Nice work!
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  20. I like to think I enjoy the occasional glutton of punishment, but I've never found my way onto an erg before. Just thinking about it makes my muscles cringe. What a workout!
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  21. Oh yay! Someone who rows and runs! I've never rowed competitively, but I loved the row machine at the gym so my hubby got me a concept row machine 5 years ago. I try to do a 5K workout on it about once a week. I've been wondering if there's any correlation with a 5K row time and a 5K run time? Have you noticed that one is definitely faster than other, or are they about equal?
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  22. I'mgoing to break out my erg for my off days. It is such a *great* form of cross training. You know, you can get a "daily workout" from Concept2's website. Mos are 30 to40 minute workouts that work you through some neat progressions and pyramids that are just right for cross training.

    And it's very neat hearing someonewho actually knows how to row going through the steps. I used to cringe when I'd go to the gym and watch people pulling with all their might without engaging their backs. Ugh! Injury time!

    Thank you for your kind words and thoughts lindsay. My family appreciates it.
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  23. That's cool that you used to be a rower in college. Aside from the rowing machines at the gym, I haven't known anyone that rows. Of course, I haven't really lived in regions that are very conducive to that sport!
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  24. Thanks for reminding me about the ergometer... I was looking for another way to torture myself with some cardio
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  25. We have one of those in my gym's closet. No TV in that closet, & it's hard to prop up a magazine on that meter thing.

    Now I'll just have to think of you when I get on that thing ;)
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  26. I didn't know you were a rower, very cool. I'm always intimidated by the rowing machines but maybe I'll try one just to see what it feels like.
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  27. Future blog post suggestion: How to get the most out of your erg workout, and how to use the erg without making a fool of yourself. I recently discovered this amazing instrument of torture, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm doing something wrong when I'm using it. Tips would be much appreciated!
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  28. I LOVE erging. It's such a great workout! And I just had to laugh a little . . . because my sis rowed in college and quit after her freshman year too! I was shocked she made it that far considering how hard those girls worked!

    But yay, now you're inspiring me to get some erging in at some point in the near future! :)
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