Row Row Row and Surprise Surprise
Our Concept 2 rowing machine arrived Thursday afternoon just as I was trying to catch a quick nap on the couch to begin my weekend. I didn't mind the interruption as I was psyched to get it set up and give it a try. Tammy was surprised at how big it was but fortunately, we've got an ideal spot for it. It also folds upright should we need the space.
It's a heck of a workout. I did a couple of 2000 meter efforts on T
hursday at a moderate pace to see what sort of pain I could expect. I pushed it on Friday with a more strenuous and continuous 10,000 meters. I finished in just under 48 minutes thinking that I did really well. I uploaded the workout to my online logbook and found that the average for my age group for that distance is a little over 42 minutes. Wow, I wasn't even close. How depressing is that? I have to remind myself that I'm new to this and my muscles are nowhere near conditioned for what I'm asking them to do.
I didn't row yesterday but opted for 60 indoor miles on my rollers instead. Most people, cyclists included, would think I'm nuts to go that far on rollers but I actually enjoyed the workout. I was watching my Greg LeMond, remastered 4-DVD pack; great stuff. I'd have gone further but we were having friends over last night and I needed to get ready. I don't think I've ever gone that far indoors and I was surprised by how fine I was with the distance. I'm thinking of knocking out a century ride down in the basement in the next few weeks just to say I've done it. Hey, it's been a rough winter and it's my way of coping.
I climbed back on the rower today and improved my time by 4:30 for the 10,000 meters. Tammy took some video of me. If you think I'm buff now just give me a few months.
That was a joke.
We got a phone call on Friday afternoon from a friend of ours from church. Lorretta lives on the 2nd floor of an apartment in Burnsville with her ten-year-old son Manny. She bought a puppy (Charlie) for Manny last week and it's turning out to not have been a very well thought out idea. Lorretta recently had knee replacement surgery and trying to keep up with Charlie has been much more difficult than she imagined it would be. So, she called us to ask if we'd be interested in taking Charlie in.
While still on the phone with her Lorretta, Tammy gave me a quick run-down about what she was calling about. I could tell that Tammy was wanting to say yes. "What kind of pup is it?" I asked. "It's a four-month-old Shit-Zu" Tammy said with a definite 'can we keep him?' look in her eyes. Oh boy. All I could think about was how this would likely upset the harmony of Toby and Allie's world. I'd never want to stress their little lives and I didn't see how bringing a puppy into the mix would improve on what they have.
The talk soon turned to the idea of bringing Charlie over for a couple days to test the waters and see if there was any chance of him fitting in with our family. He's a cutie but then what pup isn't? There's not an unfriendly bone in him. I feel bad for him because he so much wants to play but he's getting nothing but t
he cold shoulder and nips from Toby and Allie, especially Toby. It's apparent that it's going to take more than a couple days for them to warm up to Charlie.
Tammy did some research online this morning to find out the best approach to bringing a new pup into a home with older dogs. The most important thing is to not make the new pup the focus of attention. It seems obvious and makes sense but how do you do that? You've got this little ball of energy getting into everything and then you've got Toby and Allie just chilling.
Charlie has been winning the battle for our attention.
We're making an effort to give Toby and Allie the same attention they normally get which means they spend a good deal of time in my lap. That hasn't changed. But we're also keeping Charlie on a leash inside when he's not in his kennel so he's a bit more subdued and Toby and Allie aren't being pestered by him. I've been at work all afternoon and evening but Tammy says it seems to be working.
I don't know how long we'll give this probationary period a try but I'm fine with giving this little guy a chance to make his case to stay with us. He sure seems worth it to me.
I took some video over the weekend. Be sure to stay with it until the end.
It's a heck of a workout. I did a couple of 2000 meter efforts on T
hursday at a moderate pace to see what sort of pain I could expect. I pushed it on Friday with a more strenuous and continuous 10,000 meters. I finished in just under 48 minutes thinking that I did really well. I uploaded the workout to my online logbook and found that the average for my age group for that distance is a little over 42 minutes. Wow, I wasn't even close. How depressing is that? I have to remind myself that I'm new to this and my muscles are nowhere near conditioned for what I'm asking them to do.I didn't row yesterday but opted for 60 indoor miles on my rollers instead. Most people, cyclists included, would think I'm nuts to go that far on rollers but I actually enjoyed the workout. I was watching my Greg LeMond, remastered 4-DVD pack; great stuff. I'd have gone further but we were having friends over last night and I needed to get ready. I don't think I've ever gone that far indoors and I was surprised by how fine I was with the distance. I'm thinking of knocking out a century ride down in the basement in the next few weeks just to say I've done it. Hey, it's been a rough winter and it's my way of coping.
I climbed back on the rower today and improved my time by 4:30 for the 10,000 meters. Tammy took some video of me. If you think I'm buff now just give me a few months.
That was a joke.
We got a phone call on Friday afternoon from a friend of ours from church. Lorretta lives on the 2nd floor of an apartment in Burnsville with her ten-year-old son Manny. She bought a puppy (Charlie) for Manny last week and it's turning out to not have been a very well thought out idea. Lorretta recently had knee replacement surgery and trying to keep up with Charlie has been much more difficult than she imagined it would be. So, she called us to ask if we'd be interested in taking Charlie in.
While still on the phone with her Lorretta, Tammy gave me a quick run-down about what she was calling about. I could tell that Tammy was wanting to say yes. "What kind of pup is it?" I asked. "It's a four-month-old Shit-Zu" Tammy said with a definite 'can we keep him?' look in her eyes. Oh boy. All I could think about was how this would likely upset the harmony of Toby and Allie's world. I'd never want to stress their little lives and I didn't see how bringing a puppy into the mix would improve on what they have.
The talk soon turned to the idea of bringing Charlie over for a couple days to test the waters and see if there was any chance of him fitting in with our family. He's a cutie but then what pup isn't? There's not an unfriendly bone in him. I feel bad for him because he so much wants to play but he's getting nothing but t
he cold shoulder and nips from Toby and Allie, especially Toby. It's apparent that it's going to take more than a couple days for them to warm up to Charlie.Tammy did some research online this morning to find out the best approach to bringing a new pup into a home with older dogs. The most important thing is to not make the new pup the focus of attention. It seems obvious and makes sense but how do you do that? You've got this little ball of energy getting into everything and then you've got Toby and Allie just chilling.
Charlie has been winning the battle for our attention.
We're making an effort to give Toby and Allie the same attention they normally get which means they spend a good deal of time in my lap. That hasn't changed. But we're also keeping Charlie on a leash inside when he's not in his kennel so he's a bit more subdued and Toby and Allie aren't being pestered by him. I've been at work all afternoon and evening but Tammy says it seems to be working.
I don't know how long we'll give this probationary period a try but I'm fine with giving this little guy a chance to make his case to stay with us. He sure seems worth it to me.
I took some video over the weekend. Be sure to stay with it until the end.
Comments
I posted recently about my own problems with tendinitis in my right forearm; at least I thought it was tendinitis...it still may be.
I was sidelined off my rower for nearly 3 weeks after developing an acute pain in my right forearm. I gave it plenty of rest but it didn't seem to be improving. I tried a few strokes the other day on the C2 and noticed no pain whatsoever. I've also recently learned (a few posts later than this one) that I've been going about my rowing all wrong. I've been thinking of it as an upper body workout and not getting enough from my leg drive. Anyway, last night I got back on my rower not sure what to expect and to my delight, using my new and better technique, I had no pain in my forearm and I was rowing at a better pace than before.
I did a little over 6000 meters so as not to overdo it. My arm feels good today. There's still a bit of pain but not what I'm used to feeling over the last few weeks. My wife thinks that I may have had a pinched nerve and by rowing I've maybe helped it a bit. I don't know what to think but I plan to back on it again tomorrow and hopefully find a regular stride.
Sounds like you might be hitting it too hard. Need to allow time for body to adjust to all new repetitive motion. I think I started at 10 minutes and added 2 minute per workout. Also gradually increased pace.