Category Archives: Good workouts

Oarsome Challenge rowing tips

Thinking of signing up to the Oarsome Challenge rowing event? Wondering what you’re letting yourself in for?

If sightseeing, with your butt on a hard bench while you manoeuvre a heavy oar through the rolling waters of central London appeals – you could be a candidate for the annual Oarsome Challenge.

I took part in this year’s event – read on for my first-timer Oarsome Challenge rowing tips.

What is the Oarsome Challenge?

The Oarsome Challenge is a charity team rowing event that rides the flood tide along the Thames right through the middle of historic London, starting in Greenwich and ending some 28km upstream at Chiswick Bridge.

You’ll be rowing sweep in a crew of eight, plus steering cox, using a single oar in a fixed-seat, broad-beamed, robust wooden vessel. Previous rowing experience is not necessary, although every crew is required to attend an organised training session before the day of the Oarsome Challenge.

The event raises money for London Youth Rowing (LYR) and the course consists of two parts. The Challenge kicks off with a rare chance to row safely through the Pool of London, where rowing is normally prohibited on safety grounds. The second stretch is a timed race from Putney Bridge to the finish line just short of Chiswick Bridge.

Racing is optional, but all boats need to complete the course.

How long will the Oarsome Challenge take?

The first 20km is rowed in a group, so you can only progress as fast as the slowest boat. The whole course, including the race section, will take between three and four hours.

The good news is it ends with refreshments (beers and pizza this year) and prizes on the foreshore just beyond Chiswick Bridge. It’s the same pretty spot – Quintin and MAABC boat houses – where crews land after the annual University Boat Race.

Be prepared for sore arms, knees, back and butt by the end of your Oarsome Challenge outing.

Disembarking from boat at MAABC foreshore at the end of the Challenge — Oarsome Challenge : end of the race at MAABC foreshore

What should I wear?

The event takes place on a summer evening, when the days are longer and the air is warmer. Row boats aren’t allowed under Tower Bridge until after 6pm, and organisers plan the start time so you’ll be riding with the tide all the way. So odds are you will be rowing from late afternoon until around 8pm. Dress accordingly.

There’s a prize for the best fancy dressed crew. However, make sure that your outfit can withstand three hours plus of rowing motion and non-stop exercise.

Top tip: Loose fitting clothing is at risk of getting caught on your oar, so the kind of fit kit you’d wear for cycling or running is a good choice. Padded cycling shorts are perfect.

Buoyancy aids are compulsory (and provided), so bear in mind that your chest and back will be covered – jackets also provide extra insulation so a thin sweat-wicking T-shirt will be enough for most rowers. Take a small waterproof bag in the boat with a thin, splash-proof jacket or cover-up. There will be time to pause and put it on if necessary. There is also plenty of space to stash bags under your seat.

A well-fitting hat is a good idea – something that won’t blow off – and a pair of padded cycling gloves will ease hand discomfort. Good quality sunglasses will protect your eyes from the potentially damaging glare of sun on water, even on an overcast day. And you must of course wear sun cream, even on a dull day.

Make sure you have a warm cover-up available after you finish – you will cool down quickly once you’ve stopped exercising. Stick a hoody or fleece in your transport bag.

Race section under way as Oarsome Challenge boat emerges from under Putney Bridge — Oarsome Challenge : coming through Putney Bridge

What should I take?

Oarsome Challenge organisers will transport your bags from the start to the finish point, but there are some essentials you will want to keep with you in the boat. Here’s what to take on board:

Footwear you don’t mind getting wet. Your feet will get wet climbing from shore into your boat and out again at the other end. Wear old, comfortable trainers – or wellies for embarkation, carrying your trainers to put on once you’re in your seat.
Top tip: A seat pad – use gaffer tape to attach it to the seat bench. You can get specific rowing seat pads, or use the kind of seat that goes on a garden bench, or a pad you might kneel on for gardening.
A waterproof pouch for your phone that you can wear round your neck / clip round your waist
A large sports water bottle to keep you hydrated en route
Energy snacks that are easy to grab on the move. Jelly beans, dried fruit, energy bars all fit the bill.
Lip balm

Will the Oarsome Challenge hurt?

The fitter you are, the less arduous you will find the event. On-water rowing is the best preparation you can do, with row machine training next best. Any cardio work like running or cycling will help build up your lung power and endurance. Focus on arms and legs if you’re in the gym.

And yes, it will hurt! Don’t underestimate the achievement of completing your Oarsome Challenge – 28km is a very long stretch even for an experienced, regular rower.

However, the picturesque river journey through iconic, historic London along with friendly competition from other boats and the motivation of raising money for charity should help keep your mind off the muscle strain.

Handing out prizes at the end of the Challenge — Oarsome Challenge : prize giving

Would I take part in the Oarsome Challenge again? Definitely. It was a privilege to row a route that few people get to experience and a team achievement to complete the course and finish in winning position. Thoroughly recommend.

Rowing : mindfulness on the river

It’s the killer all-body cardio workout: 60 minutes in the boat = 700 calories burned. Boom! But who knew that rowing would also be the ultimate in mindfulness practice?

I’ve been learning to row on the Thames at Putney with TopRow since the spring, and am loving it not just for the fitness boost but also for the mental benefits.

Rowing as part of a crew is the ultimate team effort. Full-focus on the mechanics is essential, and it’s that concentration that forces all other thoughts out of your mind.

Mindfulness with every stroke

Every stroke, I am aware of how my body is moving, whether I am in synch with the rower in front, how my weight is balanced and the rhythm of my breathing.

I am thinking about the positioning of my hands on the oars, keeping wrist twist to a minimum as my fingers swivel the oar to square the blade before it enters the water, engaging my quads and glutes throughout the stroke, making the optimum stretch forward through my arms and then back to ensure a smooth, effective movement through the water.

Stay relaxed, don’t tense shoulders, jaw or neck. Lean, heave, slide, stretch. Breathe steadily throughout the stroke to maintain tempo and concentration.

Utterly absorbing

Closing my eyes, I hear the creak of the boat, the slide of our seats, the clunk of the oars in the rowlocks as they switch from vertical to horizontal and back again, followed by the gentle splash as they drop in the water. I feel the smooth motion of the hull in the water or perhaps a slight jerking or wobble if we don’t get the timing quite right.

The epitome of mindfulness, blind rowing is an exercise that amplifies the feel of our movements on the motion of the boat and is just one of a number of exercises our TopRow coach has employed to help finetune our technique.

Let your mind wander and it can be just moments before you fall out of time with the rest of the crew, miss a catch or fail to square up the blade just early enough to make for an efficient stroke. Rowing is utterly absorbing.

When I signed up for my first TopRow course, I expected to spend time on the water enjoying the view, observing birdlife and maybe even chatting. But an hour on the Thames from Putney, upriver past Hammersmith Bridge and back is more often than not a prolonged period of physicality and silent concentration. Conversation can be a distraction, so we save it for rest/coaching periods, or when we are rigging/de-rigging the boat.

Striving for correct form on every stroke, requires utmost concentration. I love it.

Join a running group to boost your training

I love running but when I go out on my own, I’m a plodder, grinding out the miles while listening to podcasts. Good for the mileage but does little to enhance my run performance.

Hill reps, intervals, power moves would all, I know, help build my speed and endurance, but they hurt. So if I’m going to incorporate them effectively into my running regime, I really need to have someone there making me do them – and making me do them properly. No cheating when it gets tough.

Run Together

The answer? Get a PT (costly solo solution) or join a running group (less expensive, more sociable). I opted for the latter, a new RunTogether group led by Wimbledon’s enthusiastic and inspirational health coach Anna Desogus, who I already know from my work on the @HealthyMerton healthy workplace programme. The group was set up in association with central Wimbledon yoga studio Jiva Health, so keep an eye out, as there may be some useful run + gait therapy + yoga sessions scheduled soon…

Find out more about Healthy Workplace services here

Runners' feet — Raring to RunTogether: high vis recommended on a frosty Wimbledon night

The first session took place last night. Anna kicked our training off with a 7pm safety briefing, then we took a slow jog to a safe cul de sac where we performed a series of power/strength moves: exactly the kind of thing I would never do when running alone. Duly warmed up, we head for a secluded residential area just off Wimbledon Hill for a hill reps session that challenged every one of us.

It was perfect: better runners could aim for more reps, while the less experienced/ambitious among us could go at our own pace, performing fewer circuits yet still pushing ourselves. No one was left behind, and Anna was super-effective in instruction and motivation. An hour later, we were all back in central Wimbledon for a final stretching session then home in time for supper. Brilliant.

Fancy joining Anna’s weekly Monday night RunTogether session? It caters for all levels of running (you must be able to run for at least 10 minutes), with a varied programme incorporating a dynamic workout as well as pure running, making it the perfect complement to your usual run sessions. Thoroughly recommend.

Find out more (and book your place): Anna’s Raramuri running group
Personalised nutrition, health, coaching services: Anna Desogus Health Coaching

Go tandem! The RideLondon 2015 blog post

RideLondon-Surrey 2015 — We made it! 100 miles by tandem: another RideLondon-Surrey completed

With two pairs of legs powering us along the 100-mile course, we should have crossed the finish line at under six hours, but instead the Team Thompson tandem finished in seven and half hours due to unavoidable hold-ups.

Slightly disappointing time-wise due to a crowded, crash-heavy course (not us, thankfully), but with shouts of ‘Go tandem!’ ringing in our ears as we powered our way round the picturesque circuit of central London and the Surrey Hills on a bicycle made for two, this year’s traffic-free RideLondon-Surrey 100 was another splendid day out.

The highlights:

Roadside support – from friends, our chosen charity (Muscular Dystrophy UK: donations still welcome!), RideLondon-Surrey volunteers and the hugely encouraging residents who came out of their homes to cheer us all on. Massive thanks to them all.

The joy of tandem – Everyone loves a tandem, it turns out, and it was heartwarming to put a smile on so many faces as we pedalled by. Solo riders admitted they were a bit jealous of all the attention we attracted!
Having two on a bike leaves one (me, the stoker at the back) free to wave while the other (my husband Piers, the pilot at the front) steers, changes gear and worries about braking. We both pedal like billy-oh, obviously.
Setting off in a tandem-heavy wave – there were at least 15 leaving at the same time as us – gave us a real sense of camaraderie, and what lovely people they all were.

The weather – after the rain-fest that was RideLondon 2014, cycling in warm sunshine with a cool breeze was heavenly.

Being on a bike with my husband for seven hours – might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but sitting astride a tandem means you can have an ongoing conversation without worrying about getting left behind. Also, it meant Piers (whose back wheel I normally stick to like glue on bike rides) didn’t have to keep glancing over his shoulder to check I was still there. And I could easily raid his back pockets (our in-bike tuck shop) for high-energy snacks as necessary. The perfect fit-date!

Riding on traffic-free roads – there is a peculiar thrill to cycling through red lights, the wrong way around roundabouts and on the right-hand side of the road, totally legally.

The final sprint – the RideLondon-Surrey course ends with nine-plus miles of mainly flat and downhill roads including Putney Hill, The Embankment, Whitehall and finally The Mall, lined with enthusiastic cheering crowds. Wow, what a feeling to get your head down and literally sprint the whole way home.
We averaged 22mph over the last nine miles, powering past hundreds of riders (how good did that feel?!) and crossing the finish line at 24mph, lungs gasping and legs utterly spent. Whoosh! Proof that when you really get a tandem going, it goes like a bullet.

The low-lights:

Delays – it could be because we had a late start time (a mightily civilised 08.24) in the tandem wave, but the course seemed a lot more congested than in previous years. Water and hub stops were also having trouble coping – long queues for water refills and loos.
From 16,000 riders in 2013 to 20,000 in 2014 and 26,000 this year, perhaps the RideLondon-Surrey 100 has reached – or even exceeded – peak bike?

Crashes – I feel so sorry for the people we saw being treated by medical teams: there seemed to be a lot more than in previous years. Again, perhaps the sheer number of cyclists contributed to this? Unfortunately, the logistics of getting ambulances to them meant there were numerous times when we had to dismount and either wait or walk as congestion meant cycling was impossible for anyone, let alone a bulky tandem.

Leith Hill – we found out later that a cyclist had suffered a heart attack and died at the bottom of Leith Hill during Sunday’s ride. Very sad: condolences to his family. The fall-out of the situation was that the road had to be closed, and thousands of cyclists (including us) ended up stationary for more than hour as treatment was administered and ambulances made their way to the scene. Such was the number of bikes that it was impossible to get us all back in the saddle so we all ended up walking almost halfway up Leith Hill before there was enough space to get cycling again.

Aching hands – ouch: after seven and a half hours spent trying to force some traction from our woefully underpowered brakes, Piers’ wrists ended up suffering from temporary ‘handlebar palsy‘, yes it’s a real condition.

Some RideLondon 2015 stats:

Total time on the course: 7.5 hours
Average speed over the first 40 miles: 21mph
Average speed over the final nine miles from Wimbledon Common: 22mph
Speed as we crossed the finish line: 24mph

Snacks consumed per person: one banana, one Bounce energy ball, two energy gels (Gu, salted caramel, espresso love: highly recommend); half a Nakd bar; four bottles of sports drink
Number of times someone yelled ‘Go Tandem!’ at us: too many to count

We won our RideLondon 2015 tandem places in the ballot and paid for them, but chose to cycle in aid of Muscular Dystrophy because it is gradually – but quickly – stealing the mobility of the children of some very dear friends. All donations will help fund ways to tackle this devastating condition. Find out more and donate at our Just Giving page: justgiving.com/ThompsonTandem

The one where it rained. A lot: Read my RideLondon-Surrey 2014 blog
The one where I crashed and Piers was a hero: Read my RideLondon-Surrey 2013 blog

RideLondon 2014: conquering the weather

…because rain is temporary, quitting is forever.

Piers and Nicola: we survived RideLondon-Surrey 2014

Imagine having constant buckets of water dumped on your head while you cycle in a bath with a high-pressure jet of filthy grit trained on your face. For five hours.

That was RideLondon-Surrey 2014.

On the plus side, it wasn’t raining when we started – so at least we weren’t standing around in wet clothing getting cold and miserable before we began. That would have been a potential deal-breaker.

Conditions remained dry, in fact, until Canary Wharf (three miles down the road from the startline at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park) where my husband Piers and I hooked up from our separate start waves to cycle in convoy.

It was our second RideLondon; last year’s event was marked by a crash caused by a jaywalker which almost put paid to our ride and pushed our chip time to seven hours plus. [Read about our 2013 RideLondon experience here] This year we were hoping to complete the 100-mile circuit in 6h15.

We knew from the start, however, that was not going to happen: organisers had responded to the forecast of atrocious weather conditions and shortened the course to 86 miles by cutting out the big Surrey climbs of Leith Hill and Box Hill. Disappointing but understandable, given that we would be cycling in the slipstream of Hurricane Bertha.

So whatever Bertha had to throw at us, at least we knew it would be over relatively quickly.

Cycling through Central London on closed roads is a joy, although there was less sightseeing this year as it was heads down to escape the lashing rain. We glanced up to admire the moat of poppies at the Tower of London, though, and I remember catching a glimpse of Harrods as we pedalled past.

Spectators were few and far between – there’s not much appeal to standing on a kerb in the rain at crack of dawn on a Sunday – and I did feel sorry for the poor marshalls. There was a lot less banter between cyclists too compared with 2013 as we all dug deep to keep going despite being soaked to the skin.

Curtailing the course meant that no one was going to get a 100-mile PB, so riding was generally very restrained and most participants were cycling defensively and sensibly. We witnessed little in the way of crashes, but numerous mechanicals. The roadsides were littered with cyclists fixing punctures in the pouring rain – I spoke to one poor guy who had used up both his spare inner tubes within the first couple of miles.

Heavy rain means the road carries more grit and debris, turning cycle tyres into puncture magnets. Piers had stocked up on spares but we were lucky enough not to need them.

From Canary Wharf onwards, the rain was heavy and constant so it was just moments before we were both soaked to the skin. At least we couldn’t get any wetter, and it was warm as long as we kept moving.

Determinedly stuck to Piers’ back wheel, for speed and shelter, I wasn’t too aware of the scenery. We were soon shooting through Richmond Park, across Kingston Bridge and towards Hampton Court, where the rain really started to hammer down. Torrential doesn’t do it justice: we were cycling into a wall of water, battered by enormous, brutal raindrops from above and at times almost knee-deep in floods.

Hurricane Bertha was living up to her name: gusts blasted us sideways as she continued to dump buckets of water on our heads. From Hampton Court all the way to Ripley (miles 25-40), the monsoon did not let up. Fed up? I was actually laughing. This felt more like a Tough Mudder than a cycle sportive .

Molesey, Walton-on-Thames, Brooklands, Weybridge, Pyrford, Byfleet: all a blur of wet road, wet shopfronts, wet corners and skid-scary roundabouts. I really had no idea where we were most of the time, despite these being familiar training routes. The rain was so heavy you could barely make out road signs or landmarks. By this point, we were so thoroughly sodden, that even Piers’ ‘weather-proof’ Garmin cycle computer had drowned. Kudos to those dogged spectators who were still roadside cheering us on.

Massive appreciation to Piers too for guiding us safely round so many hazards. He was riding for Macmillan in memory of his father who died suddenly of a brain tumour earlier this year. What better reason to keep pedalling?

Donations still very welcome for this fantastic cause!

As we progressed along the shortened route, keeping our speed down in a bid to stay upright, it became very obvious why organisers had cut out Leith and Box Hills: the descents would have been treacherous rivers. The climbs would have been littered with casualties.

Meanwhile, on the rolling flats of Surrey, we were already negotiating flooded lanes, with burst drains, overflowing gutters and impromptu waterfalls spewing onto the road. The amount of visible tarmac was frequently no more than a foot wide, with gigantic, spreading puddles at the margins. Staying alert to hazards distracted from muscle ache and the discomfort of squelchy cycling shoes and soggy chamois.

The funniest thing we saw all day: an enraged motorist so frustrated by the closed roads that he screeched his car into a U-turn to avoid a road-block, only to skid and crash noisily into a van. I bet that made him feel better…

Our first and only hub stop: rain-battered but still cheery

At the top of breezy Newlands Corner – the day’s first and pretty much only climb – we paused to fill our water bottles at the food hub but set off sharpish to avoid getting cold. Then it was more or less homeward bound.

The rain was easing off a bit by the time we got to Esher, although many parts of road were still utterly submerged – in places every pedal stroke saw cycle shoes disappear beneath the water. Kingston was pretty benign, and it was clear skies by Wimbledon.

Lovely to stop for a few words and hugs from the children, Piers’ mum and sister at the foot of Wimbledon Hill – thanks so much to them for turning out in the face of abysmal weather – then full-speed ahead for the final nine miles to The Mall.

We cycled central London in bright sunshine, crossing the finish line largely dry but caked in filth. Especially my face, after a five-hour grit jet-wash facial from Piers’ back wheel.

Would we do it again? Try and stop us!

The lowdown:

Chip time: 5h 26min

Riding time: 4h 58min

Average riding speed: 17mph

Nutrition: three caffeine mule gels (coffee flavour), one High5 energy gel (citrus flavour), one and a half Bounce bars, one banana, a bite of CNP energy bar, half a bag of dried mango. Three and a bit bottles of water containing High5 electrolyte sports tabs. V impressed (like last year) with service and supplies provided at food stations.

Most jawdropping moment: being overtaken by a guy riding a BMX bike. Standing up on a bike for 86 miles? Rather you than me, mate.

Hairiest moment: losing the back end and skidding round the final corner out of Raynes Park. Without falling off, phew!

‘Doh, why did I open my big mouth?’ moment: cycling in the rain (natch) up Newlands Corner, to Piers, “well at least it’s not torrential at the moment”. At which point there was a crack of thunder and the hill turned into a river as torrents poured out of the sky and down the road beneath our wheels.

Biggest achievement? Surviving and completing what has got to go down in history as the rainiest ever RideLondon-Surrey.

Philosophy on the run

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Why do you run? To maintain a healthy heart and joints? Lose weight, build muscle? Boost feelings of wellbeing and self-esteem? Throw in a joy of exercising outdoors, and that’s my motivation for running pretty much nailed.

Yep, there’s a lot more to running than simply pounding the pavements. US-based running philosopher Mark Rowlands would agree.

His latest book is Running with the Pack: Thoughts from the Road on Meaning and Mortality. That’s one thing I forgot to mention – a good running session is perfect thinking time. If you’re on the same wavelength, Mark’s School of Life Philosophy on the Run day on May 11, 2013, is your chance to spend a day running and thinking, discussing and debating while you work out in the parks of South west London.

As well as sharing Mark’s philosophies, you’ll also benefit from a workshop to improve your running technique plus the luxury of taking the time to actually think about how keeping active feeds both your mind and your body.

Sounds perfect.

Meet you at the barre

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Barretoned

Anyone who tells you a ballet barre workout is easy is, unequivocally, a liar.

Barre workouts are tough. And I mean that in the best way possible. I’ve tested a couple of barre-style workouts in my life, once on holiday in Chicago (yes, I’m that person who loves working out on holiday), another time at home with a DVD. But until I tried a class at Barretoned in Notting Hill, I didn’t realise that those were run of the mill ballet-fusion workouts rather than proper, hold-it-until-your-muscles-shake-and-seize-up ballet barre workouts.

Again, I mean that in the best way possible. Very rarely do you come across a workout that challenges your muscles in a totally new way, a workout that you can feel is changing your body for the better by the second. I loved it. My triceps? Not so much.

So what did we do? A lot of tiny isometric movements to challenge our muscles at the deepest of deep levels. And I mean tiny. Like anyone watching would have had no idea we were actually working out, tiny. Also, we did a lot of hip tilting to get our abs involved, which I found surprisingly difficult. Really, I found the whole workout really difficult, but so good because I love a really good, tough workout.

After the first exercise – where we hinged our bodies forward and held our arms straight back behind us and pulsed inward slightly – my arms literally, literally seized up and I almost had to leave class with my head bowed in shame. I actually thought I wasn’t going to be able to continue, my arms were already so sore, five minutes in. And I’m considerably fit. I lift weights, run, do yoga, Pilates, TRX, you name it I do it. Except for Zumba. I hate Zumba.

Add to this the fact that the studio was faultless – free lockers in the changing room for anyone to use, plush carpet in the studio to protect our knees and elbows during floor work, and clean, stocked showers to freshen up in after. If you’re looking for a seriously good new workout studio in town, you simply must try Barretoned.

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