After a five-year absence from rowing, I have returned to the ergometer. I spent much of my freshman year of college rowing in boats and on ergs. It was on the erg that I discovered what my version Hell would be like: sweltering heat, no fans, no A/C, an erg, and a feisty coxswain yelling obscenities at me. I joined the gym at work and have decided to conclude every workout with an erg session. I lasted five minutes today with the difficulty setting at ‘3.’ For the rowers out there, my average split was 2:11. For the non-rowers out there, yes, this is terrible… but hey, it’s a start.