This issue's Me And My Rower is by Deborah Richards of Truro. If you've got a story about, well, you and your Rower, send it to [email protected]. It used to be Me And My Rower, now it's Us And Ours! I had used a Rower at many a gym but going regularly was getting harder and harder as my main sport is long distance and fitness swimming. We had to give up farming because my husband Michael was losing his eyesight. This was not a sudden thing, but the time had come to reassess. All of a sudden, we discovered how hard it was for him to get any exercise; gyms don't encourage handicapped people, leaving a previously active farmer with an enlarging waistline and little exercise. About five years ago we bought an Indoor Rower; initially it got used but not overused. It was mainly a replacement for my swimming if work and family responsibilities kept me out of the pool. I used it more in the winter when walking was not really an option. I enjoyed the old Training Guide and enjoy the new one even more. Michael used it until he had a heart problem and now rows on it even more, regularly building up the time. For him, the PM2 is of little use as he can't see it, so we use a kitchen timer. His heart rate is controlled by drugs, which makes monitoring him harder, but he enjoys the Rower and the time it gives him to listen to opera undisturbed in our spare room. This last year, I've used it a lot to add a bit of va-va-voom to my training for a sponsored swim. (3,000 metres in one hour 10 minutes in a very cold outdoor pool, but I raised 800 pounds for a blind charity). In this last year, my 17 year old has started using it for keeping his fitness up for his Laser sailing - as an RYA instructor it is even more important. My 15 year old uses it to help with activity 'gaps' between cricket and hockey seasons and my youngest, now 13, has just discovered that it is an excellent tool for keeping his fitness going in preparation for a major cross-country run in March! I too will be making more use of it - if I can book a time when it is not in use! - to supplement my training for a crossing of the Scillies next summer when I have to swim between and walk across the seven main islands, hopefully raising some money for Breast Cancer. Now we feel that our Rower and the spare room are well used, with the whole family making use of this tool, so good habits are being built. Michael, who can't get access any other way, now has a form of exercise that helps keep him healthy. Thanks too to Terry O'Neill who, from time to time, guides me with answers to my silly questions on cross-training - he's as much part of the family as the rower! Thanks to you all!