So... never done a blog before, but it seems like the thing to do. The aim of this blog is to record the highs (and lows) of my fitness training using the Concept 2 indoor rower (or erg, as it's more commonly known). There'll probably be some other stuff along the way as well... chess, computers, films, and other subjects of interest to me. Mainly however, it'll be erging.

What's gone before? Well, I'm 30 (not yet in mid-life crisis territory) and have oscillated for a number of years between fairly fit and hopelessly fat, largely depending on the stresses of my job and my motivation (or lack of it). I've been familiar with the erg for many years, first experiencing it at school in 1989 and then again at university in 1995-7. I've owned my own C2 (model D) for about three and a half years, but for most of the first three of those it was used infrequently at best.

As of three months ago, I'm on a major new fitness drive, and since then I've erged a little over 1000 km. Most of that is down to joining Free Spirits IRC - the best rowing club in the world, on the net or off it! I joined them on November 20th 2006, and haven't looked back since, covering 700 km in 7 weeks. I've still got a way to go to beat some of my all-time PBs, but my fitness is improving every day, I've lost 7 kg since joining Free Spirits, and I'm having fun while I do it (well, most of the time, anyway!).