Time is ticking away!

Wow, it's nearly the end of February and nearly 10 months since my row began. There are just over 150Km to go, but time is ticking away and I am still out of action. Unbelievably I have been ill three times so far this year with 'proper' flu, another virus and a current chest infection. Hopefully the antibiotics will knock it on the head and I will be back to full strength soon. The positive side is that as I haven't been able to row my tennis elbow has been resting and there has been a small amount of improvement. All blood tests, ECG etc all clear, so just run down from the flu etc.

Anyway, completing the challenge by the end of April is still a possibility. Although its been 301 days since the challenge started I have only actually rowed on 88 days, covering 847,315m, so I am encouraging myself that I still have 64 days left to cover 152685m. That is 9 weeks! Minus a weeks annual, weekends off etc leaves about 37 days of possible rowing!

Irrespective of whether I make it by the end of April, I will continue on as soon as I am fit even if it means it takes me a bit longer and I plan to keep going anyway and row right the way round until I get back to where I began at Land's End.

That it for now folks!

Richard

Tennis elbow hampers rowing!

When i came back from holiday in October, i carried in our luggage from the car and afterwards my left elbow was hurting. Thinking little of it i continued to row, but over the last few weeks the pain has increased. So i stopped rowing about 10 days ago, have been pumping in the Neurofen and trying to rest my elbow in the hope that it will improve to enable me to continue rowing. I have continued in the gym on the bicycle to keep up my fitness. I realised how 'addicted' i have become to rowing as i have found it incredibly hard not to get on and row. In fact today i did row for 15 minutes to check out the elbow as the support that i have been using seems to have helped a bit! Hopefully with a week off at Christmas it will calm down and i can get back to some serious rowing in the New Year.

Off for an ECG next week following an increase in palpitations! Hopefully just extreme tiredness following recent flu and many sleepless nights with the kids being and/or stress with recent extra workload with moving mum etc. and/or too much caffeine!

Total metres rowed =845315m.

Happy Christmas to everyone

May God bless you in the year ahead.
Richard

80% of the way and still going!

For a month by month breakdown see the link to my rowing map on the right hand side of this page.

Mum on the move!

My blog may have been quiet for the last few weeks, but life has been as busy as ever! The main development is that mum moved into a Nursing Home last Thursday. Things at home for her became too difficult, especially at nightime and so following many discussions, meetings and looking at various options, mum moved to a lovely home near to where we live. There she can receive the 24 hour help that she needs as her condition progresses.The journey in the taxi was quite emotional, especially driving past mum's gym that she used to go to 3 times a week until just over a year ago.

On the rowing front, things have been quiet. I had flu again, which resulted in a 10 day break from the rowing, but I was back with a steady 5K last Friday and hopefully back with a 'normal' weeks rowing this week.

Total metres stand at 785,889m. Fundraising is still at £1185 plus gift aid.

Back from hols!

Had a great week away in dorset. End of October and on the beach!

Back to rowing. Just rowed 12k today. Timed myself at 2k and rowed 7 min 42.7s, which I was pleased with and then went straight into a steady 10k.

Total metres stand at 745,889m

End of the FRC with a personal best!

Today was the last day of the Fall Rowing Challenge. One month of rowing in teams to see which team can row the furthest. 'Empty the Tanks' finished 12th out of 256 teams. I didn't make the target that I set of rowing 200km in the month, but managed 131Km.

I broke my 10km personal best twice this week. Today, I rowed my fastest 10km time, which now stands at 41m 42.2s. That is nearly 7 minutes faster than when I first started logging my distances in March of this year. My colleague Robin rowed with me today and helped me to push myself to beat my time. We are thinking of having a joint row off somewhere in Walton-on-Thames - Robin rowing for the Firefighters Charity and me rowing for The PSP Association and splitting any monies raised between the two charities. (Possibly a half marathon or even a full marathon in the early part of next year to help complete my 1 million metre challenge!)

659880metres rowed
168 days 'at sea' that's an average of 3928m per day
Averaging 10,152m each time I actually row.

Out of the boat and into the water!

I have just returned from a Swift Water Rescue course in Northampton. Imagine white water rafting and then take the raft away and that gives you an idea of what I was upto. Rescuing from flood situations, self rescue and rescuing others from fast moving water etc! Physically demanding, but i managed a quick 5000m in between the two days at the hotel gym! Bck now and hope to be back on the rower tomorrow. Only one more week of the Fall Rowing Challenge. Our team is still 12th but i haven't managed to put in the distance over this last month that i wanted to (about 91Km so far).

Another very generous £25 in sponsorship from my friend Peter taking the total to £1185 plus gift aid.