Jan 5th 2008

Jan 5th 08
Harry put me through my paces yesterday. I visited his shed which looks quite ordinary but in fact contains instruments of torture! We talked about our plans for the year as we up the pace, and my general fitness needs to improve. He is pleased with my progress so far but I am so aware that I have a lot more work to do to get in shape and get tough enough to cope with this challenge.
Rowing
I used Harry's concept 2 and now I really know how to row. It made my previous attempts to row look inadequate but Harry explained that this new technique is competitive and there is a place for a slightly gentle technique as well. The key to the new approach is to reach forward so you virtually touch the front of the rower. Then lean right back and pull hard at the last minute. So I am working on long consistent strokes. We did two sets of 10 minutes with a stretch and then 10 more minutes. Then we did 2000 meters in 500 meter splits with varied pace. I will also be entering some open water events this year, and I will confirm these with you shortly. There is a possibility that I will be taking part in some indoor rowing events also.
Harry and I discussed putting my training schedule on the blog including my observation dairy. The diary includes daily blood pressure, pulse and temp as well as mood. This helps us to understand the natural pattern of my body so we can assess when it is best for me to tackle the swim. It isn't just the tides, currents and jelly fish we need to monitor!! We will add it to the links and it will be called Training and Fitness.
Organisation
I met up with Karen (coordinator) and Pauline (publicity) for a last minute spontaneous coffee and we looked at the blog and discussed plans for the year. We are woefully inadequate with the technology of this site but we know we will get better, so watch this space.
We also discussed the importance of regular meetings and more help regarding ongoing fundraising and event coordination.
More later
Cheers
Ros