Judging by the past three rows I finally seem to be having some success at rowing slowly, which I will define as rowing at ≤16 spm. And moreover I am rowing slowly without fretting too much about split times in excess of 3:00/500.

In the past I was not able to bring myself to row so slowly. A 3:00/500 split would have been a cause of real pain, frustration, and self-doubt. In my mind it would have been not just slow — but discouragingly slow.

So being able to row so slowly — even if I am still a little uncomfortable doing it — is definitely progress. As I see it the slowness in my split times and the shape of the force curve signify that I am on my way to becoming the sculler I hope to be.

Also I feel compelled to mention that while I was rowing these recent workouts I found it useful to envision the slow motions of Tai Chi.

“Tai Chi is a formidable self-defence discipline. Over a long period of intense practice, the slow but focused movements enable the martial artist to develop a superior inner strength. This strength is considerably more powerful than the brute forces of the 'hard' martial art styles.” www.taichiaustralia.com/articles/TaichiSlow.htm

As Sancho says to Don Quixote, “Sir, it will all come out in the wash.” We’ll see if slow but focused movements will enable me to develop a superior inner strength.