Way back when all of *this* began, I said to Sarah that the one piece of gym equipment that I regularly used that I’d love to have at home was an erg, aka a rowing machine.
Long time blog readers know that I love rowing even though, as a sport, it wasn’t a good match for my life. Tl;dr It’s a big time commitment that doesn’t fit with my busy work travel schedule. Rowing was the “try something new” part of my fittest by fifty set of goals. I did and I’ll be back but for now it just doesn’t fit. See Rough times and tough choices. I kept up the habit of erging at the gym though. It was my standard knee friendly cardio warm up before lifting weights.
I did write a fair bit about rowing. If you’re curious see It’s 2 km day! and Row, row, row your boat! (Trying something new) and My first ergatta! and Six Things I Love about Rowing and Six Things I’m Finding Challenging.
So I quickly looked when the pandemic began and I asked about in my community of rowing friends. Not an erg to be found. Used ones were like weights, flour and toilet paper. All the stores were out of stock and lots of rowing clubs lent or sold theirs to their members in the way we’d acquired a smart trainer for the bike. Thanks Bike Shed!
Sarah though smartly got on the waitlist at Concept 2. She’s a planner that way. And recently, like just now, many months later, we got an email from Vermont telling us it was our turn to buy one if we still wanted to. We did and we did.
Now I’m patiently watching it wind its way from Vermont to Guelph. I’ve paid the duties. It’s left the factory. Expected to arrive sometime next week.
I’m hoping, superstitiously, that it’s like lighting a cigarette when you’re waiting for the bus. A long time ago, long before the blog’s beginnings, before my children were born, I smoked and jokingly referred to cigarettes as “bus magnets.”
I’m hoping the arrival of the rowing machine, a year since the pandemic– though it wasn’t yet called that–started spreading, 11 months after we started working from home, marks the time when the pandemic starts to turn around. That’s not realistic I know. But I’m needing moments of humour and if hope more and more these days.
I’m looking forward to using the erg one our back deck. Spring! I’ve got it in my sights long before it’s reasonable but whatever.
Congratulations on buying your erg! It’s a great machine and they last and last. Best thing I did was buy one 25 years ago after using one at a gym for a few years. And it’s still going strong -I just row a bit slower now.