I’ve worn these shoes for every metre I’ve rowed on the Concept 2!
I’m not particularly athletic.
Actually, that’s a huge understatement. I’m not athletic at all.
The last time I was on a bicycle (twenty-five years ago), I ran into a tree. The only time I tried skiing, I hit a snowman. I can’t run because I have dicky knees from doing stupid things with weights when I was at university. And those same knees play up if I walk for more than 5km on the treadmill. I’ve fallen off exercise balls, ended up with stitches from a volleyball accident (I tripped and collided with the knee of a very large Fijian man) and been dragged along (on my face) behind a motor boat while trying to waterski. You could write a Monty Python sketch on my sporting history.
Ten years ago, I went on a mad “Get Fit for Forty” health kick. It involved eating a ridiculous amount of turkey breast and tuna, and I was soon crippling myself on the treadmill trying to maintain the cardiovascular component of my exercise program.
Pete insisted that we buy an indoor rower (I’m not a gym girl, and will only exercise at home). I thought we were going to buy a $300 hydraulic number. Half an hour after we walked into the exercise equipment store, our credit card was $1300 worse off, and we were the proud owners of a Concept 2 Indoor Rower.
It is, without doubt, the best investment we’ve ever made. I suspect it might have saved my life, actually. For the first time, I was able to exercise at an intense enough level to really get my heart rate up, without doing muscle or joint injury. For the last ten years, as my weight has yoyoed up and down (oh, how I hate perimenopause) and all other forms of exercise have fallen by the way, the rowing machine has been my constant.
Twenty weeks ago, I decided to try and crank up the half hour rows that I’d been doing three times a week. So I started working towards the goal of rowing a half marathon distance. That’s a long way – 21km, to be precise.
Thankfully I had some help – my old friend Kevin runs marathons, Dredgey used to coach rowing, and darling Ali’s husband Nick is a former AIS rower. They were all on my coaching team, offering advice and support over twitter and in person.
I started off all those months ago rowing 5km in 30 minutes at zero resistance. My plan was to do two short rows a week, and one long one each weekend, gradually building the longer distance to 21km and increasing the resistance on the shorter ones. Last Wednesday, I did a 5.4km row in 30 minutes at a resistance of nine.
There were some tricky moments – like when no-one thought to remind me that I was supposed to be drinking water when I went for long rows (though let’s face it, maybe I qualify for a Darwin award for not realising that myself). Kevin, who’s known me for 30 years, was terrified that I’d injure myself by trying to go too hard too soon. He was right, of course, and as you all saw, I went down in a ball of flame a couple of weeks ago.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, last Sunday I finally nailed the 21km distance.
It took me 2 hours, 13 minutes and 29 seconds. It’s by no means a great time, and I’m still pretty sore, but I’ve done it. I watched two long episodes of Top Gear back to back as I rowed, and had less than two minutes break during the whole time, to drink water and eat jelly beans.
As you might have read in my previous post, life is a bit stressful at the moment, so it was soul-nurturing to be able to end last week on a personal high note. The new goal is to try and do this distance twice a year. I’m going to have a few days off now…and then get back on the Concept2.
I’m incredibly grateful to have a physical activity which works so well for my body. I’d love to know…what do you do for exercise?
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Celia, you’ve done amazingly well (and it’s you that’s done it!) Well done and enjoy a few days off. Xxx
Thanks darling. And please thank Nick for all his help – I couldn’t have done it without him! :)
Celia – it is a massive achievement. It’s amazing what you can achieve if you dare to give it a go! Enjoy the afterglow, Kevin
Hey Coach, thanks! I remembered to drink water this time! :)
CONGRATULATIONS Celia! That is amazing! Well done! Yes you’ve definitely earned a little rest after that. What an achievement.
I used to be big into running but a few months ago my body just decided it didn’t like it anymore (that’s what I say anyway). Now I walk most mornings and try to get to yoga once a week and that seems to keep me going. I could probably do a bit more strength work but I swear things like rolling tortillas are just as good a workout.
Claire, thank you! I agree with you – cooking and baking can be a serious workout! :)
Please tell me you’re going to upload the video of you water skiing on your face – I’d buy a copy of that! Congratulations on your half-marathon. That’s a huge accomplishment. You must be so fit – I’m not sure I’ve ever exercised for more than 2 hours. It’s great you’ve found something you can do that doesn’t flare up injuries. Sorry to hear life has been stressful. I have been thinking of you and hoping everything is settling down xx
Thanks love. x
I won’t even begin to tell you about the time I tried to do walking lunges on a treadmill. I came right off onto my face, like a scene from a Marx Bros comedy. I don’t think I really AM all that fit – I still can’t run anywhere, or swim. But it’s nice to be able to do something! :) xx
Hehe your incidents with accidents sound like me actually! :P And well done for getting fit-I have bad knees too I think from wearing heels for too many years so I can’t do a lot of leg work either and running was so painful!
Lorraine, despite what the sporty types say, I think some of us just aren’t built for running!
Well done, Celia, a half marathon… you rock!!… perhaps we should have invested in a rower too instead of the elliptical (which Peter wanted too but won’t go anywhere near it!!). I am sending hugs your way and hope that things settle down again quickly. xox
Lizzy thank you, you’re such a good friend. I can’t use an elliptical – for some reason, I find it hard on my knees!
Wonderful job Celia, I’m so proud of you! Don’t you feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment that you kept at it until you won!
I go to Girly Gym, but nearly quit today when yet another busy body kept making sad faces at me and my casts. She then just had to try and tell me how my workout would be better if I used my arms (which I can’t- remember they are both in casts!) I have a doctor, a surgeon, a rehabilitation consultant, a physiotherapist and a hydrotherapist….. But nosy neighbor still thinks she knows better. I think I’ll stay home and watch Top Gear tomorrow…
Becca, I wonder what she was thinking! I’m so impressed you get to the gym so often with both your arms out of commission, good for you! (I can’t stand gyms though!) Maybe you might find an indoor bike useful? (I don’t have much luck with those either, though) :)
I have an air walker thingy at home, but find that going out and paying for the gym helps keep me honest about exercising :) x
Wow, that’s amazing Celia! We currently don’t have a rower, only a treadmill and bike. Would love a rower though as it gives me the best overall workout in the quickest time. You also know how fit/ unfit you really are!
Bronwyn, thank you! The rower really is the ONLY exercise I can do that doesn’t seem to cause me grief – I’m still a tiny bit achey today after the long row on Sunday, but not too bad at all!
Congratulations, Celia! What a marvelous accomplishment. Hopefully you’ll inspire me to get back on track. :)
Abby, thank you, and I hope so, but only if that’s what you want! Each to their own, more so in exercise than most other things, I reckon.. :)
Well done! I love rowing but sadly my lower back objects. Dave and I train at a private gym and it’s amazing how Howard (the owner) has helped Dave :)
Tandy, that’s fabulous that you and Dave get one on one training! x
Absolutely terrific and congratulations on staying the course! Once you achieved such a feat the security you feel will never leave you . . . It is a case of ‘to each their own’. I have a genetically bad heart and back which nothing in the world is going to fix: thus my ‘sporting history’ has also been shall we say ‘minimal’. But I absolutely love cycling instead of rowing – indoors I mean – little resistance but longer distances – my legs seem to be able to do the work which my upper torso cannot cope with. And, especially here in the beautiful countryside [huh: not in today’s wet, wet, wet!] walking and more walking talking to all the birds :) !
Eha, it must be fabulous to have such beautiful surrounds to walk in! :)
Well done. That’s quite an achievement!
Thanks Pat! Just need to keep moving.. :)
Congratulations Celia – what an achievement! I use a rower like this as part of my gym-based cross-training workouts, and i know how intense an activity it is. Like you, I love how it is low impact and doesn’t tend to trigger injuries, but unlike you, I usually do 10 minute bursts amongst other things! 21km and 2+ hours is incredible.
I hope life settles down a bit but until it does, I’m glad you’ve got a time out option in this :)
Kari, doing 10 minute sprints is so completely different to a long row – I can barely manage huge sprints without dying! They’re so intense! And thank you for understanding, the exercise is a wonderful stress reliever.. x
Nice one C.
A brisk walk does me good.
I like the way you lit & photographed your trainers.
Cheers, P.
Thank you, dear friend. Those old shoes have seen me through millions of metres on the rower! :)
Congratulations on your half marathon! I like the way you set out your training schedule. My exercise is a twice weekly 5 km shuffle through the park before work. Andrew and Rosie did the Spartan race on the weekend and I’m inspired for the Stampede in September. Training schedule, here I come.
Jo, thank you! The training schedule was enforced by Kevin – I just wanted to go out and row like a demon from the start, but both he and Ali’s Nick told me I had to take it just a little bit easier on myself. Sometimes I forget I’m in my late 40s, until something starts to hurt.. :)
You rock, Celia! Well done you, what an inspiring and fabulous achievement.
I love swimming but sadly we had to cancel our too-expensive membership at our local gym with pool, now on the hunt for an affordable public pool. Hope life becomes less stressful very soon.
Danielle, thank you! I hope you find a nice place to swim soon. I wish I could swim, but my stroke is too dodgy and I can never manage to breathe in the right way. Both my boys are great swimmers though and swam several kilometres a week while they were at school..
WELL DONE!!!
What a huge achievement!!!
LOL! at all the exercise injuries… I have had quite a few of those encounters too, also I will add ,the scene from “Bridget Jones Diary” where she gets off the exercise bike and her legs are jelly and she falls to the ground… Yep that has been me.
I really love the first image of your shoes in black and white… just gorgeous.
Thanks Julie! And given what a fabulous photographer I know you are, I’m very chuffed by your compliment on my photo, thank you! :)
Hey well done Celia. I’d have rowed like hell to get away from Top Gear.
I admire anyone who has the willpower to exercise properly at home as I’d just give up. I love chasing a netball around the court, though part of the enjoyment comes from being part of a team I think. Goodness knows what I’ll do when I’m too old for that but it certainly won’t be the gymn.
So, when’s the full marathon?
You don’t like Top Gear, Anne? But..but…that’s how I know all about the UK, from shows like Top Gear and River Cottage. Oh, and I learnt everything I know about Essex from Jamie Oliver. :D
I can’t do netball, all that twisting is torture on my knees! And no plans for a full marathon anytime soon! :)
Hey well done, that is an awesome achievement xx
Thanks darling.. x
Congratulations Celia!
Craig! Thank you! I’ve been thinking about you last few days, hope it’s all going well! x
Good for you Celia, I admire your motivation in the exercise department x
Jane, thank you! Have to do something, and I’m grateful to have found this! :)
Congratulations Celia. You should be very proud of your achievement. I have always battled with my weight and I am very busty so running is out as is aerobics. I love to ski in winter but that is tricky here in QLD. Swimming is my thing with a bit of bike riding and walking.
Thanks Fiona! It annoys me no end that I can row 21km and *still* be chubby. I need to work on that zen “accepting your body” thing, I guess. :)
I would like one of those to be hooked up to the household electricity thingy (I don’t any of the words for this idea) But imagine if you could row, watch tv and POWER the tv at the same time. You should be proud of your achievements, this is fantastic and two and a half hours.. all by yourself.not racing anyone or anything. fantastic work.. love love.. c
Thanks Celi darling, the not racing bit was very nice, as was the rhythm of the row. It was very therapeutic! :)
I was on a rowing machine once, when i was a teacher subbing in the gym and that rhythm is pretty cool..
Rowing is the only exercise I LOVE besides riding my bike that is which doesn’t happen terribly much in winter! I have been hinting for years to Pete about a rowing machine but alas we don’t have the space for it in our home.
Kudos to you Celia, what a magnificent achievement. Now I really want a rowing machine at home…you have spurred me on.
Hey if and or when I get one, we can do a life feed to row with each other – that would fun!
Have a beautiful day.
:-) Mandy xo
Mandy, that would be fun! If you do get a machine, make sure it’s a Concept2, we’ve had ours for ten years and it has never needed a service. The thing about not having room for a machine only matters if you care about how you house looks – ours sits in the living room.. ;-)
Dear Celia,
Row row row your boat, gently down the stream,merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, those layers of fat around the belly is gone!
Ahh..it will probably take more than that! :)
AWESOME! Celia, I am having trouble to comment “on the road” but had to stop and say AWESOME!
My running time at the half is exactly the same, 2 hours 12, I once pulled a 2h 6min, but never faster than that
I miss my long distance running days, but now I wonder if a rower could be in my future – expensive baby you have… :-)
CONGRATS!
Sally, thank you, on the cost of the rower, yes, it was expensive at the time, but it has been such a brilliant investment! Remember I’ve used it regularly for most of that time! :) PS. You used to be able to hire a rower to test it out first..
Good for you Celia! Amazing job!! :) The only work out I get these days is chasing after my 2 little monsters… they kick my butt! xx
Em, chasing after small people is exhausting! I don’t remember having time for anything else when mine were little! :)
Congratulations on a great personal achievement. I need to get an exercise routine going and you have inspired me, thanks.
Norma, thank you! I hope you find something you enjoy! x
Congratulations, Celia! Although reaching 21km is fantastic, it’s staying the course for the 6 months to get to this point that’s truly amazing! I hope things have eased up a bit for you now though rowing is a great stress-reliever. :)
John, the rowing really is a lifesaver for me, both in terms of staying a little bit fit and also managing the stresses of life in general. Thank you as always for your kind support! xx
I laughed along with you, and at myself as I have no athletic prowess… I can’t say “either” because your rowing half marathon is an inspiring accomplishment. It’s fantastic that you found something that suits you. The rower used to be good for me but since my lower back has deteriorated it’s not any more, just walking for me now, and if I don’t go, as has been the case during this weather around the winter solstice, my back protests at the lack. You watched watched two long episodes of Top Gear back to back? That also deserves a medal ;)
ED, no-one seems to like Top Gear, but it makes me laugh so much! It’s a nice distraction when you’re looking at the rower and there’s still 10k left to go! Glad to know I’m not the only klutz, I’ve had more exercise injuries than anything else! :)
Congratulations Celia. I thought I was the only clutz around. Thanks for the laugh…I saw myself doing the same. I was going to do a walk for cancer and had bought new sneakers, new outfit and when i started to stretch on the steps of a bulding, I fell on my chest and ended up in a hospital for a few hours….
Norma! I hope you’re ok! Oh dear, I hope it wasn’t too bad, but a trip to hospital is never good.. xx
Hi Celia, I on the other hand, am a gym girl :) I love all types of group fitness classes I don’t quite have the ‘tude for sh’bam or Zumba though.. :/ I go every week day on my lunch break, and three times a week after work as well. Rpm, vive, body pump, body attack, grit, cx works and boxing. I thinks it the loud music, lots of ladies doing it with me (I am a Fernwood girl) and the feeling of accomplishment at the end. I also did 16 weeks of bootcamp, and despite the 5am starts, really loved it.
With the new vege patch, chook house to put in and garden to work on, I plan to add in some garden exercise on weekends too, once this southern NSW winter is over :)
Dimity, that’s an impressive workout regime! The new vege patch and chooks are going to be exciting! :)
I’ve run a half marathon but I think rowing one would be far harder and more of a work out. I’ve started using a rowing machine and can just about do 2km (with a break) so I can only imagine the strength and determination needed to finish 21km.
I hope you celebrated with a lardy cake or two!
Nancy, rowing long distance is at a much slower pace that you would be rowing 2km! I can’t run even one km, so I’m impressed by anyone who can! :)