Running, Rowing - why is it all so hard??

I'm back trying to get myself running, erging and rowing.  It's not been easy, it seems like since I took May off, I just can't get my groove back on. Although I certainly have my eating groove going on!  The erging is fine - it's a class and I feel guilt if I don't go and work hard when I do, but the rest... it's a struggle.

I'm finding the rowing to be particularly challenging.  I feel like, I just don't feel like, I am, a novice rower trying to hang with the competitive women.  It's challenging to put it mildly.  Everyday I finish practice and I think, "I'm going down to Intermediate, I gotta go down to Intermediate."  There's so much I need to work on that I can't keep it all in my head.  As soon as I focus on one thing, everything else goes to hell.  I practically panic when they bump the stroke rate up and then I tense up and it all gets worse.  I'm a mess.  If I'm being completely honest, I don't think I'm that much worse than everyone else, but it sure feels like it.  If we could just spend all our time rowing at about a 20 and doing drills I'd be perfectly happy.  Doesn't sound much like a competitive woman to me. :o(

And the running....  Geez, it's like I've never run before.   I can't even run a mile without having to stop and walk.  I might as well be doing a Couch to 5K program, run a minute, walk a minute.  Geez it's ridiculous.  I feel like my legs weigh 800lbs and I'm huffing along like a gimpy elephant.   It's just not fair.  2 years of running and I take one freaking month off and it's like I've never run before.    It doesn't help that I'm about 6lbs heavier than I'd like to be, which is like I'm carrying a bag of sugar with me on every run.  Today I ran 2 miles on the trail and then did 3 -one mile repeats on the Boathouse hill.  God, that hill sucks!  I was pretty happy with my performance.  My new goal will be to run that freaking hill without having to stop, by the end of summer.