Come visit us at the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games
www. wudiboat.com
Race Proven Klaus Filter Hulls
Joan van Blom competing
at the 2007 European Indoor
Rowing Championships in
Dresden, Germany.
15
and Van Blom soon realised her times on
the machine were not far off competitors at
indoor rowing competitions.
“I had just turned 50 and I noticed the
CRASH-B (indoor rowing competition)
qualifying time for the 50-year-old lightweight category was something that I could
do.” Now, six years later, Van Blom owns two
World Records.
“During the past few years, I’ve been
loosely following a plan, which involves
controlled rating and pace distance rowing
(40-80 minutes) based on my 2km paces, as
well as medium distance (6-12km) at a faster
pace with interval work,” explains Van Blom
who can list a veritable who’s who of coaches
that she has worked with.
Van Blom’s success comes from keeping up a
rigid training schedule. “I train about five days
a week and in the past several years my training
has mainly been on the erg,” says Van Blom
who notes that, with the years, she now trains
a lot less but more efficiently. “I think the reason
I still enjoy rowing is because, with advances
in knowledge, my training is no longer about
racing at every workout. I enjoy distance
rowing and working on achieving particular
paces at different lower stroke ratings.”
Since Van Blom became a regular “erger” the
longest she has spent away from the machine
has been just nine days. It took a cruise ship
without an erg on board to make this happen.
“If we travel in a car we often take the erg
with us,” adds Van Blom. “If I fly somewhere on
vacation, I try to find an erg.”
So, will the now 55-year-old Van Blom ever
retire? “I hope I stay healthy enough to
continue, if not in indoor racing, then in some
vigorous healthful physical activity.” ■ M.S.B.
