Rep 27: 3:17.2 @ 1:38.6 - lung busting

I did a lot of driving today and spent the afternoon in the Sun working on my sister-in-law's allotment. Amazing difference in her soil. Here a spade goes in 5mm before hitting flint. There there is friable loam as far down as you can go. At least two full fork depths and I suspect endless more. Her allotment has been abandoned for years, so it is a big job. No photos though. I forgot the camera and also forgot my wife's camera phone. I tilled some Earth, cleared a parking space and fixed up a gutter to collect water. Very Heath Robinson but it will work. IT had also been a massive struggle to get out of bed this morning. My body is dog tired and I suspect I am approaching the point where I cannot go faster each day.

So I came out to row a little jaded and to be honest, my heart was not in it. Again if it were not for the sponsorship I would have been cracking open another beer. But quite out of the blue today, my daughter offered to sponsor me her monthly income (£1) for the rows. Now, if everyone else sponsored me one month's income...

As I was not up for it I decided to go out hard and hold on. I felt no pain at all for the first 250m and was cruising at around 1:36 but the fatigue then crept in and I found myself labouring at half way. I was supposedly "eased off" at this point, but it didn't feel like it! I held on for the target of a 1:38.6 split but it was hard work all the way, and my lungs were hurting at the end. The second half of the row is clearly where the cumulative days are beginning to hit me.

Writing this now, 10 minutes later I couldn't row another today. I feel this plan of going ever faster will come to an end sooner rather than later but I will keep trying and see if I surprise myself. 3:17.0 tomorrow?

The dropping split...


Metres today: 4,003