The Sub-7 Experiment

Tag: Fitness Mindset

  • Never Race a Stranger in a Hotel Gym

    11 years ago this weekend I rode 100km in one day on my bike.

    It was the furthest I’d ever ridden and it was the first organised ride I’d ever completed. My mate Rich and I set out to do it together and it was a great day out.

    One thing that has stuck with me since that day was cycling next to an old boy who, to my untrained eye, could have been 70 years old. He looked like he’d stacked up a lot of experience in his time, and he was riding a Pinarello Dogma. For the uninitiated, that’s basically a superbike. Think Koenigsegg or McLaren. Probably the finest bike money could buy at the time.

    This old boy was cruising along. Not in a hurry, not even looking like he was breaking a sweat. Me and Rich were keeping up with him fine. There was a decent-sized group and we were all moving along the flat at around the same pace.

    Then we came to a hill.

    There was lots of downshifting and lots of effort as we started to climb… except for the old boy. He seemed to put in the exact same effort as he had on the flat and just glided away up the hill like it didn’t exist.

    Rich and I still talk about that. And that older gentleman is my inspiration for what I’m doing now. I want to be 75 and still riding my bike up hills like they’re not there. I still want to be able to sit on a rowing machine and go well for 60 minutes at a time. And I’d like to be doing it with my mate Rich.

    This weekend I had a little moment of my own.

    We were away as a family in a hotel in Kilkenny and I decided to go to the gym for a row. We’d already used the pool earlier in the day and I thought a spin on the rower would be a good way to finish off a day of walking around town.

    The row was great, although the machine was a bit old and graunchy. It really made me appreciate how lucky I am to have my own Concept2 in the shed.

    There was a group of younger lads in there, twenty-somethings, and I could see them clocking me. I was cruising along, 22 spm, controlled. They kept looking over and I could tell I’d become a bit of a “thing” for them.

    Then one of them strutted up to the rower next to me, made a big show of sitting down and strapping in, while his mates watched… and he went for it.

    Like a demon. Straight into 35 spm, out of control. On those big Technogym screens you can see everything, and I did just enough to stay ahead of him on speed and watts while keeping it at 22 spm.

    He tried and tried but couldn’t get in front.

    After a while he got more serious, tried to find a rhythm, started increasing his overall speed… and at that point I dropped my stroke rate to 19 spm and just pulled harder. The display showed 220 watts sustained for about three minutes at around 1:55 pace and he still couldn’t get near me.

    When he hit 1000 metres he stopped, got off, and went back to his mates shaking his head.

    And I loved it…!!!

    Hollow victory? Maybe. Should I know better? Definitely.

    But the moral of the story is this: watch out for the old dudes on the rower. They are quite likely to kick your ass.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment.

  • Moving Again

    Second time back in the gym since the surgery, and it felt good just to move. I sat on the rowing machine for 30 minutes, kept the resistance low, and rowed an easy 6,000 metres. No pressure, no chasing numbers, just movement.

    Normally I’d be pulling harder, aiming for pace and power, but not today. Today was about giving myself permission to ease back in. About listening to my body instead of trying to prove something.

    I did a 5k walk yesterday, so this was the next step, gentle, deliberate, and calm. I’ll see how the leg reacts later, but right now my head’s in a good place.

    It’s funny how something as simple as half an hour on the rower can feel like a small victory. But that’s what this part of the journey is, not big leaps, just steady steps.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment. Currently in the slow lane.

  • Movement, Not Measurement

    It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything.

    We’ve been away as a family, and it was brilliant. A great place to stay, fantastic pool, beautiful beaches, good food, and superb weather. I even made it to the gym five times. Add in a load of walking and a day at the water park with my son, and it turned into a proper break, with plenty of movement too.

    Since getting back, I haven’t been sitting still either: a 66km bike ride, over 15,000 meters rowed. I just haven’t written anything.

    This morning I woke up feeling good and headed to the gym planning to go hard. But the loud music pumping from the speaker above the rowing machine broke my focus. I mentioned it to ChatGPT, told it my head was all over the place, and we pivoted to a 30-minute meditational row. Then I threw in a few sled pushes just because I could.

    It helped. I’m glad I didn’t force the original plan and just let it change.

    I’ll admit, I’m not wildly motivated at the moment. So I’m giving myself permission: the rest of July is just for movement, not measurement.

    The Sub-7 2K and the 150km cycle later this year are still the goals, but right now it’s about finding the fun in moving again. About enjoying it. About being present, for myself and for my family.

    That’s where I am. Even this post feels a bit all over the place, maybe too waffly, but that’s just what it is today. And I’m okay with that.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment.

  • Between the Jiggly Bits and the Split Times

    I’m off on holiday tomorrow, and recently I’ve been disappointed with my shape. I mentioned it in an earlier blog, after all the hard work in the gym and the kitchen, I’d hoped I would look different from how I do.

    I can see my arms and shoulders are bigger and more muscular, but it’s my midriff that still looks much the same. Certainly when I stand in front of the mirror and jump up and down, I’m jiggling in areas I’d hoped would jiggle less. It’s harder to shift the jiggly bits as you get older.

    Even though I can now fit into clothes that were way too tight six months ago, I still feel it isn’t quite enough. But honestly, I’m so far from where I was when I started this. And that’s what really matters.

    Today I decided to do a 2K test. Just out of curiosity more than anything.

    The last month or so has mainly been strength training, with rowing as a warm-up and finisher. My main efforts have been rowing-focused weights. And very enjoyable it has been too.

    So today I strapped in, told ChatGPT what the plan was, and asked for a warm-up and pacing notes.

    The warm-up was thorough and took nearly 20 minutes. Then the test began.

    I was more controlled in the first 250 metres than last time, I could feel the practice of not going out too hard paying off, and it felt great.

    500 metres came and went, and I was still pulling well, still on target pace.

    At 1,000 metres, a voice in my head said, loudly, “You know what, you’re not going to make it. Might as well stop here at 1,000. Who’s going to know?”

    Well. I will. Me. The person who’s been turning up every day while you’ve been skiving off and lazing around. So shut up and let me get on with it.

    And I did get on with it.

    1,500 metres came and went. The pace was slowing, still okay, but definitely fading. Then with 300 to go, another voice came in. A more confident one, almost alien. It said, “Keep going. You can do a 7:15. Let’s go!”

    At that point there wasn’t much left. My form was slipping. So I brought it back in line, dug in, and finished at 7:20.8.

    Two and a half seconds faster than last time.

    It wasn’t the ten-plus second leap I achieved in the previous test, but I’m still delighted with it.

    The learning from this training block is that weights alone won’t get me to the sub-7 2K, and neither will just rowing. The next block needs to be a mix of both disciplines.

    Holiday starts tomorrow. There’s a gym close by to help me stay grounded and present.

    Thanks for reading.

    This is The Sub-7 Experiment.

  • You Don’t Have to Be Fit to Start Moving

    Yesterday morning, I went out for a walk.

    It was a public holiday, and the streets were quiet. There weren’t many people around, but the ones who were?

    They were moving.

    Walking, running, jogging, cycling—everyone was out doing something.

    And it got me thinking.

    Maybe some people reading this blog are thinking: “It’s easy for him—he’s already fit. Of course, he can take on this experiment.”

    But that hasn’t always been the case.

    Like many others, I’ve had massive fitness and weight swings over the years. I know what it feels like to be starting from zero—to feel sluggish, unfit, or like it’s just too much effort to begin.

    That’s why I admire the people who were out yesterday morning.

    They weren’t all lean, athletic, or moving fast. They were all different shapes and sizes—but they were out there. And that’s the thing.

    They were doing something.

    One Small Step at a Time

    I don’t want to sound preachy, and I apologize if it comes across that way. But here’s the truth: just moving more makes a difference.

    And “exercise” doesn’t have to mean heading to the gym or running a 5K.

    There are simple, everyday ways to move a little more:

    • Instead of looking for a parking space closest to the door, park on the far side of the lot.
    • Instead of looking for the easiest route, take the slightly longer way.
    • Instead of waiting for the elevator, take the stairs.
    • Instead of sitting for hours, stand up and stretch every so often.

    These tiny changes add up.

    Not just over a day. Or a week. But over a month, a year, a lifetime.

    And eventually, they become a habit—effortless, automatic, part of your routine.

    That’s how it starts.

    A little bit more movement than yesterday.

    No gym membership. No 5K runs. No big resolutions.

    Just one step at a time.