Feeling confident

I'm feeling a LOT better after tonight's 5km on the Concept2 indoor rowing machine.

I set a plan and executed it, first time for a while I've completed what I set out to achieve and with the discipline required to make it happen (on the erg anyway!).

Plan: (paces are the equivalent 500m times)

1k - 1:53
2k - 1:52
3k - 1:51
4k - 1:50
5k - 1:4... (whatever was left)

Execution:

1k - 1:52.9 - r23
2k - 1:51.9 - r23
3k - 1:50.7 - r23
4k - 1:49.6 - r24
5k - 1:45.3 - r25

5k - 18:21.2 - 1:50.1 - r23





Setting myself strict split targets took my mind off the challenge as a whole. Instead of thinking "2k down, 3k to go" or "nearly half way" or "just a mile left" - I was thinking "1:54? better pop in a 1:52" or "1:49? better ease off a tick" all the way through it was about sticking to the plan.

It got gradually harder of course but I was never in doubt of finishing or hitting my targets. Didn't lay the power down until the last 200m and wasn't a flat out finish, tried to get close to 1:50 but just missed in the end.

Confidence restored. Not at full fitness but not a million miles off now. These middle distance rows are helping me, like in the build up to Farnborough in May.