The 500 meter row. A staple for many; an all-out fly and die effort. For the fast it’s over quickly yet feels like it takes forever when done at max effort. Many, such as Sam Loch, have tried to chase down a two-decade old world record and come close, but it still sits out there beckoning challengers to try it. Others excel in their age group and dominate many different distances, such as Anne Bourlioux, who owns 35 world records.

Some people battle records for months; others break their own records, almost daily. Shawn Baker has done just that: he’s broken the 500 meter record for heavyweight men, age 50–59, over ten times in 2017. The previous record holders? Shawn Baker himself. Shawn likes to push to that dark mental place often, way more often than this writer does. A brutal 500 meters isn’t something that often crosses my mind as a piece I’d like to do every day.

What pushes someone to want to do such a challenging piece over and over? Continue Reading ›

Some days you can hop on and every stroke feels great, every push of the legs feels so powerful, and other days you would rather be eating a pizza watching your new favorite show. So what to do?

Through trial and tribulation I’ve found a few methods of pushing through the lack of motivation. These methods don’t apply when you’re trying to PR or hold a specific pace or stroke rate, but they can be helpful tricks for logging more meters. Continue Reading ›

My older daughter, now three years old, has already raced in her first regatta, albeit in utero. Rowing offers pregnant women a low impact option for exercise (always check with your doctor first) that can accommodate a changing body.

In the last weeks of my pregnancy, my stroke on the indoor rower was shorter because of my basketball-sized bump. Continue Reading ›