Just yesterday I sat down after some light UT1 work to do a 30-minute trial. My July CTC was awful and I wanted to right the ship. I hadn't rowed a whole lot for a few days to gain some of my energy back, and this seemed a good time. Daughter to bed, wife watching a chick flick, and the bedroom was free for some good heavy rowing. Hell, I only needed a half hour!
I get going well, right off the mark, keeping it down low (1:46 splits) for the first 10 minutes not feeling at all tired. Another 5 minutes and I'm getting the idea that more mental energy is needed. I do that, or try at least. It works. Halfway done. 14 minutes left, concentrating deeply and, ... ABRUPTLY, and I mean that, the bedroom door swings wide open and hits the wall with a boom!
When you row a hard piece there's that feeling that you are one with the environment around you. You can even note the slightest change in temperature, or if someone sneezes downstairs(or upstairs, depending.) The second the door was opened I could feel the wind being sucked out of the room, just as a different air was being driven in. Sister-in-law.
"Everything ok in here?! Oh! Sorry!" There I was, half naked, riding a piece of steel on a rubberized seat, dripping with sweat. She slammed it shut, after a good 5 seconds. I knew it was 5 seconds because I turned, in a good stunned fashion, to look at the PM2 after she had left.
The SIL had come over, unbeknownst to me, to watch the second half of the chick flick with the wife. She later admitted to curiosity, and, thinking there was an air-conditioning problem in the bedroom as she passed to use the bathroom, proceeded to check it out. As if the first thing anyone says aloud, to a room with an A/C problem, is "Everything ok in here?!"
Now, before I go all out on a long distance row I tell everyone in the house what I'm doing. But stragglers beware, if you interrupt me, I will throw something at you!
The piece ended up being ruined completely.
Today I was devising an "unclip handle" that would come off in an instant, and could be thrown at people or pets with ease! Perhaps C2 could help me with this. It's either that or Chinese stars. Two of them, to be precise. One Chinese star to hurl at the intruder, and the second to shut the door behind their falling form. Anyone have a similar story? Anyone?
, but it WILL be different than being down in "the cave" (as my wife and I call the basement workout area).
Most of the time, though, I just hang in there even when family wanders through- it's a good way to learn how to focus with other folks around.