Injury and Christmas

Well it's been a while since i wrote last and that's because nothing much has been happening. I've had a few weeks off training to rest a niggle i had in my lower back. Just lots and lots of core work on the gym ball. The break coincided with Christmas which was both a good and a bad thing. It meant i had more time to enjoy it and relax but it also drove me mad. I'm not the sort of person who can just stop training completely and i found it really hard not to go and do a light session. In the end i had to keep telling myself that a break now means that i can start training properly again in the new year with nothing to hold me back. Now i've got all the Xmas food to work off as well though so extra long sessions on the erg!

I did go on the erg yesterday to see how i was progressing and managed to do 1.5 hours with no pain or niggles at all. It was a lot further than i was expecting to do (i was thinking 45 mins) but i just kept on going with the people erging next to me and the time flew by. I reckon i should cut it down for a weeks or so though just to make sure and out the resistance right down to reduce any pressure put on my back. And do the most unnatural thing for a rower - pull lightly. It is surprisingly hard to pull lighter than you are used to and is (well i find anyway) more tiring. I'm starting to train using heartrate now, which means that pull at a rate/speed to keep your heartrate in a set region. it's a lot of getting used it but i could really feel the difference in my fitness before the injury hampered things. Now i've got to back to that level but slowly. I'm going to see a chiropractor as well as it's better to get some expert help especially with what's at stake. One thing i know though is that i felt so good after doing that erg. There is something about exercise that makes everthing so much better.