Tales from the IC : Rowed runner intervals and hot lava! (#9)

[CBDB]

Just a quick update from the IC.

Well I’m still indoor rowing a runner on Zwift, and this morning I did an intensive 30min rowing session with 1 min all out and 2 min easy row, repeating this 10 times!

And whilst I was doing these intense intervals, I was running virtually through the lava fields on Zwift’s Watopia! Very fitting, considering how hot and sweaty I felt!

And great session This session, representing the 3rd week of almost daily rowing sessions, gives me the confidence that even when I cannot run due to my metatarsals, there are ways I can keep my physical activity up and get that famous runner’s high (or rather rower’s high) to keep me happy.

However I do miss running immensely. The one huge thing that rowing does not give me is the experience in the outside world. I miss the rainy drizzly mornings, the sunny crispy winter noons, the dusky, clouded but lively dog-walking-rich afternoons. I miss the smells, the humidity, the fresh air.

I miss coming back from a wintery run, standing in the kitchen with the coldness of my skin still tingling in the warm kitchen environment.

It makes me want to take my rower and take it out into the garden, but my rower is pretty heavy and kind of built into our guest-room. So I dream of setting up the rower in front of the garden-view French-door windows that we do not have (yet). 😂😂

But I can’t complain, and I feel so lucky we invested in this rower more than a year before COVID hit, as I read from various forums that during this pandemic crises, rowers were in such high demand (like much other at-home gym equipment) that it was really hard to get one affordably.

So I row my runner to virtually give me the experience of running through woods, hills, fields and various natures and towns, even through mountainous landscapes with volcanoes and lava fields, giving me the apt impression of a landscapes fitting my intensive and hot rowing workouts! 🥵😀

Happy running and working out everyone!

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

ALL LINKS TO MY RECOVERY POSTS:

So just to keep my links to my recovery couch available, here the links to the posts during the weeks on the injury couch. I’ve added a few terms to each link, as a means of reference:

Tales from the IC: Getting to know my Metatarsals (# 1) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (Metatarsalgia, fracture vs Morton’s Neuroma, shoes, barefoot and zero-drop shoes, exercises to strengthening toes)

Tales from the IC: zero-drop shoe quandaries (# 2) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (more about barefoot running, yoga for toes)

Tales from the IC: Reader, I ran today. (#3) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (trying out a short hill run, IPhone issues)

Tales from the IC : Stop Go Stop Go … (#4) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (back on the IC, waiting for last medals)

Tales from the IC : Baby (running) steps … (#5) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (trying out another mini run, ordering zero drop shoes)

Tales from the IC : Row Row Row your Run (#6) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (starting to row a runner on Zwift)

Tales from the IC : Festive Rowing-Run (#7) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (XMas, finished Zwift Running 101)

Tales from the IC : More Virtual Running Fun (#8) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (update on my rowing in all virtual races, also start of RowAlong 30x30)

Tales from the IC : Rowed runner intervals and hot lava! (#9) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (third week of daily rowing and missing running)

Tales from the IC (#10): Running vs Rowing. My experience of two different worlds healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (differences between rowing and running, differences between different running vs rowing online communities, differences in stats)

Tales from the IC (#11): I dreamt I was running healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (update on all virtual rowing challenges)

Tales from the IC (#12): Strong knees and cute toes healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (finished Jan rowing challenges, starting to think how to get back to running)

Tales from the IC (#13): Running vs Rowing, muscley toes, and recovery plans healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (recovery plans rowing and running, year goals)

[Doris8 Graduate10]

Great post. Your upper body strength will be good. I am puny, Do u watch tv or something on iPad or music. I couldn’t do it if never had the sort of thing, I would get bored. I’ve got an exercise bike and when I used it do my exercise bike had my pad for company. Hopefully shortly u will be back running🤞

[CBDB Graduate10 in reply to Doris8]

Yes, hopefully, thank you!

And yes 😂😂 I watch something as otherwise I would definitely get bored.

On my iPad I see my virtual world and landscapes of Zwift rolling by, and this has the possibility to text-chat with other runners on Zwift. But I don’t text-chat as rowing doesn’t give you free hands as running does.

And then often I have a RowAlong YouTube video playing with a trainer talking me through the workout. The trainer (John Stevenson) rows himself whilst he talks to you, so you can learn and correct your technique while you row and watch and listen. (This is great)

And sometimes, if I don’t have that video running, I put music on via Spotify. And that helps a lot.

Something I haven’t really tried yet is that there is a group of rowing-runners like me, and they have the one or other Discord based audio chat. So you can

- row

- watch landscape roll by on Zwift

- AND chat to other towers whilst row-running

It’s a new world for me, so just the exploration of this whole rowing thing and its different online communities is really motivating in itself.

And there is a lot of tech involved, which is not for everyone, but is something that I really love. So I’m definitely motivated.

But I do miss my runs. I’ll be back soon running. I’ll get there, I’m sure.

[Maddee_6333 Graduate10]

I’d miss the outdoors like crazy too. Very glad you can keep on rowing though x

[CBDB Graduate10 in reply to Maddee_6333]

Yeah, there’s that. I Might just resort to going back to doing the S&F podcasts outside 3 times per week, to replace my runs. But my time availability just doesn’t seem to expand with my appetite for physical activity! Hey ho…👍🏽🙏

[Hidden]

I do am a little bit jealous of your rower. Part of me would like to have one too. But already having an (old) indoor bike, treadmill, stepper, twister and fitness ball, I don't have the room for a rower plus I don't use all my equipment and fear it would be just another thing catching dust...

[CBDB Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

You’ve got a nice selection there, though. I just have a rower. 😂 (and together with hubby we are already beginning to dream of having a dedicated room as a home gym! 💭👟🏋️🚣‍♀️🧘🏼‍♂️🤹🏽‍♂️)

And if you ever are interested and make your way into Zwift via your bike or the treadmill, let me know your avatar’s name on Zwift as I’d be up for trying to run-row together! (I don’t think you can twist a runner on Zwift …yet…🤣🤣)

[Hidden in reply to CBDB]

I would have to look into zwift to know if my very basic treadmill and / or very old bike can be connected to zwift. But I fear you would need internet? I don't have internet there... 😔

[CBDB Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Ahh yeah. Internet is a must. Once you have that, for the treadmill running you can get “running pods” that are attached to your shoes, and I think they do everything thing then. But that’s part of the tech that I haven’t tried out, as I don’t have a treadmill.

Cycling is a bit more complicated I think.

[Hidden in reply to CBDB]

Yeah, I had a footpod for my treadmill. Doesn't calculate 100% correctly as I don't run the same way on a treadmill as outside. But I just spend a bit of time researching for a bike and it's a big no go. I can't attach a speed sensor to the bike as the wheel is hidden in a casing. I can attach a cadence sensor, but that doesn't give speed and thus is not helpful in regards to Zwift. Too bad... oh and the internet of course 😂

[CBDB Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

👍🏽🙄🤔😅. Bummer. Upsides and downsides! 😉 As long as it keeps us keeping on, I think we’re good!