I remember the exact moment that I knew I wanted – no, NEEDED – a rowing machine. It was 7:00AM, the winds were blowing into the 40’s, it was a bone-chilling 12F with wind chill, and it was darker than dirt outside.

Since Hayden was born, I have stuck to an early morning paddle routine three weekday mornings a week so I get some on-water time and Brandon can still get to the office by 9AM. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are my mornings to paddle and, ideally, I am off the water and home by 8:00AM. But in mid-winter, 8:00AM in the Pac NW is STILL dark. Dark and wicked cold!

On the morning of my revelation, lacking all motivation to do anything but wrap my hands around a cup of hot coffee, I sat down at the table across from Brandon and told him we needed a rowing machine. He didn’t respond with much at the moment, and I figured that was the end of that.

Three hours later, I got a phone message from Brandon that went something like this, “I checked out the indoor rowing race scene on YouTube, it’s AWESOME! So, I ordered a Concept 2 rower. It’ll be delivered to the house in five days!”

In the two weeks we have had the rowing machine set up in the garage, my mid-winter morning blues have been replaced by total giddiness. Rowing is unlike any sport I have ever done. It feels like every single muscle in my body is working as part of a fine-tuned machine that is exploding with power on every stroke. With all those muscles pumping, it is really easy to get a great aerobic or anaerobic workout. This morning I did 10,000 meters, my goal being to negative split the 5000 meter times. This means my second half of the row needed to be faster than the first. It took me just over 40 minutes, and I successfully negative split by almost 1 minute. I was completely wobbly, winded and pumped as I came upstairs just as Brandon and Hayden were sitting down to breakfast.

These last few evenings after Hayden has fallen asleep, Brandon and I have surfed the Concept 2 website like a couple of star-struck kids. We study the World Indoor Rowing Records over and over and check out the who’s who of the rowing world. Then we browse the suggested “workout of the day”, technique videos and training tips. Finally, we log into our online logbooks and update them with our most recent workouts. It’s addictive, every bit of it.

When the days are cold and dark, it is easy to get the workout blues. Finding a fun way to cross-train can add a booster to your engine and pull you right out of the blues and into an entire new world of fitness or racing.

Stay Fit, Have Fun and Keep Charging Life!

Heather, Brandon and Hayden