Sunday, January 24, 2010

The Golant Is Not Enough

I've gotten back in to rowing. Sculling, specifically, which is better for my back. I found a club near here (only an hour drive!), called Castle Dore Rowing Club, which is a recreational (ie, non-competitive) community fitness club, largely made up of middle-aged vets with busticated back. Perfect! (Or so I thought.)

For the past month or so I've been going out with them on a Sunday afternnon. The river is lovely (when there's water in it). It's always a scratch crew, made up of whomever shows up: men, women, novice, vets, whatever; we all get lumped in together. I was really enjoying myself, just pissing about on the water, not having to think about upcoming events, split times, or whether stroke could possibly go any faster up the fucking slide (Jesus Christ, Becky, it's not a race to the catch!).

And then something happened. I was in a crew with 3 blokes, all of them half-decent oarsmen. We set a rhythm. It wasn't shit. We pulled on it. The boat moved. We lifted the shell onto the surface of the river and heard the water bubbling cheerfully as we whizzed along. We moved. It felt fantastic.

And I was done for. The adrenaline all came surging back in time with the surge of the boat. I felt my heart pounding. I heard my quads say to me, "Oh yeah, we remember this!" I fell in love again.

The quiet, little, recreational club isn't enough any more. I want to go fast. I want to go fast now. I'm too young to be an allakadoo. I'm too young to be this old. I'm getting back on the ergo. I'm setting training regime, and when Pirate and I move away from Cornwall sometime this spring, I'm joining a proper boat club again. I want to win shit.

5 comments:

Zig said...

Any idea to where you'll be moving?

You watch that back or you really will end up old before your time - take it from one who knows!

Wandering Wynie said...

Glad to hear you're back in the proverbial saddle! But be careful purleeeeeease!

helena said...

What they say! But I can (because of Herebe) understand where you're coming from - although I think you're both mad. Why would you want to row a boat when God gave us perfectly good outboard motors?

Moominmama said...

zig: nope. we won't know until march at the earliest.

ww: i wiiiiiiiiiilllllllll!

hc: why burn fossil fuels when you can burn calories?

viagra online said...

I just love going to any nice club. I use to go out with my friends and we like to discover new spots.