Racing Without Training is Racing for Fun

Today was the first of three days in which anyone who wants to participate in the World Indoor Rowing 1,000 meter sprint challenge can participate.

Since I haven't trained for a 1K sprint, I just did it.  Today.  With the only preparation being to first drink a few ounces of water, eat a banana and drink about 1/4 of a cup of black coffee.  The water and banana were for the purpose of buffering the black coffee.  The black coffee was because those first sips taste so good first thing in the morning.

The  FINAL RESULTS won't be until after midnight GMT on March 13th, but at the moment I am placed about 90th out of 205 in my age category.  There will probably from 100 to several hundred more, before midnight on the 13th.

The total rowing today was first a 6K warmup in zone 1-2, then the 1K sprint, then a 5K warmdown.

From top to bottom: RowPro finish screen graphs of warm up, 1K sprint and warm down

Session report for warm up

Session report for 1K sprint

Session report for warm down

I faded in the 1K sprint (my pace began slowing) right from the first 100 meters and for each following split of 100 meters but faded the most after about 500 meters, when it started to feel anaerobic.  By the end of the sprint, my upper windpipe was irritated/itchy and felt like it had either been dried out by the faster than normal passage of dry air or because some dust or something had been inhaled and was irritating it.  As this is being written, it is two hours later and I'm still coughing a bit and clearing my throat, in reaction to that irritation. But the irritation is almost completely gone.

It was fun and I look forward to the next such challenge!