Rower with MS has completed 10 million meters in 4 years.

Linda on crest of a wave after completing rowing marathon
Graham Ford
LINDA Forrest has just become Hawick's first ten million metre lady.
On Monday, Linda, became one of only 60 people in the UK to have successfully rowed ten million metres on an indoor rowing machine. Her challenge began almost four years ago, and Linda, who suffers from MS, has shown an incredible level of determination to complete her solo mission. The distance is the equivalent of 237 marathons, or a quarter of the way round the world.
Linda had originally planned to row one million metres, but after completing that she decided to continue towards the ten million mark. She spent a minimum of four days a week at the Thinkfitness gym in O'Connell Street, ploughing away on the rowing machine, covering a distance of 10,000 metres on each visit.
More recently, this was increased to six days a week and 12,000 metres.
Stuart Oliver, from Thinkfitness, said: "Day after day after day, Linda has shown amazing determination and dedication, and to finally reach this amazing milestone, she must be thrilled. We're all very proud of her at Think Fitness, and it will be strange seeing her using the other machines after spending so long rowing.
"After reaching this tremendous landmark on Monday, she has already started a new programme, and we're all waiting to see what she's going to do next."
Health experts believe it takes seven times more effort for MS sufferers to carry out exercise than people in normal health.
Speaking to the Hawick News, Linda said: "Thank goodness I have finally completed it.
"I am so grateful to the boys at Thinkfitness for all their support over the last few years, despite the fact that I was constantly trying to wear out one of their exercise machines!"
19 January 2007

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Fellow Iron Oarsman rower, Steve Swift rows a great Marathon in 2:53:24.2

Dry Run to the Farallons


Swift completes marathon row
in 2 hours, 53 minutes, 24.2 seconds

OAKLAND, CA, Jan. 13, 2007 – In the final 45 minutes, his face, wrists and ankles were a pasty white. His chin slumped onto his chest each time he pulled the handle into his torso, but Steve Swift celebrated his 54th birthday here today accomplishing his goal – completing a marathon row, 26 miles 385 yards, on an indoor rowing machine.

The event was hosted by Montclair Fitness, the small gym in the Oakland Hills where Swift has been doing his weight, aerobic and cardio training for the past year. Swift usually rows facing a blank wall, but Dave Bordessa, MF owner and personal trainer, moved the Concept2 Model C indoor rowing machine to the center of the circuit training room for Swift’s marathon attempt.

The time – 2 hours, 53 minutes, 24.2 seconds – was but a mere 16 seconds slower than Swift had aimed to achieve.

For the current rowing season, the finish places Swift among the Top 10 rowers in America in his age and weight category on the Concept2 web site.

Seven family members and friends cheered Swift through the final pulls on the stationary machine as he completed what he had named a Dry Run to the Farallons, referring to small the rocky islands in the Pacific Ocean west of San Francisco by 27 miles, slightly more than the marathon distance. (For the record, Steve trotted across the carpet to a treadmill after the ride and plodded the final figurative meters to the islands.)

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Rowing technique for beginners

If you are new to rowing you might find the following technical tips useful.

In the last couple of days, I have been observing two new rowers and gave them feedback on applying their bodies more efficiently.

In general, most beginners overuse smaller muscles (trapez, biceps, hip flexors, deltoids, forearms) in order to propel their flywheel. Through coaching the focus shifts from the small musles to the larger muscle groups such as: quads, gluts, hamstrings, lat, lumbar muscles.

When getting used to the rowing stroke, it is important not to feel rushed during the execution of drive and recovery. Leaving the legs straight after finishing the stroke is important so that the arms and handle can travel over and beyond the straight knees, at which point the forward body angle originating from the hip joint travels towards the flywheel. The lowerback stays supported. It is at this point very likely that the hamstrings feel quite stretched. Over time the hamstrings will lengthen out and the hinging from the hip joint will feel more natural than mechanical.

Throughout the rowing stroke feel tall at all times from your waist up as you swing the body at 3/4 of the leg drive to the finish and before the first 1/4 of the leg/knee rise during recovery.

The shoulders shall be kept as far away from the ear lobes as possible. This relaxed shoulder position is only possible by keeping the trapeze musles elongated and relaxed. (Trapeze musles are often tight because of stress and a habit of shallow breathing).

I hope this helps.

Sincerely
XENO
Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist, Men's Single Scull

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Happy New Year! This is a good video about indoor rowing and where you can take it!

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Climbing Mount Everest without oxygene is like:

I just finished watching the IMAX Mount Everest movie. Quite amazing scenery and crazy motivated people who with the unbeliveable power of a bunch of superhuman Sherpas, got to spend a few minutes on top of the world.

There was this one western climber who took it upon himself to climb to the top without oxygene. He was so exhausted that he could not wait for the others to join him to celebrate the summit of Mount Everest.

Climbing Everest without oxygene is probably as smart as giving birth without epidoral. I leave it up to you to pass a pro or a con judgment.

There is no way with my fear of heights, and being father of young children that I would EVER in a million years undertake that climb.

I would rather row for a week and put in one million meters.

XENO

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.