Pace started around 20 SPM & gradually increased to around 27. I didn't make it to 5km as I called it a day at 30 mins, which was 4.2k. But I wasn't putting huge effort into the pull & the pull was pretty much at the same pace as the recovery, just focusing on technique & maintaining a rhythm. That was with the drag set on 3.
Next step will be to put some welly into the pull as you say.
A few of the reasons a rower is such a good way to exercise, is that it's low impact and total body!
You use your legs as well as your arms and your core.
This is a great video to ensure you have good technique:
This is a great video to show you bad technique so you can hopefully avoid it:
If I was you I would repeat week one again, once you have done all 5 exercises and you should find that you will complete the 5000m the second time around.
The best thing about the Pete Plan is that it's varied. You will naturally find that you are better at some of the formats than others. For example I prefer the faster power rows with short rests, over the single longer distance rows. But... by mixing it up and doing all of them you will find that one format also helps you to improve in another.
Complete the 2 x 10min / 2min rest and then for the next session repeat the 5000m again. Don't move on to the 5500m at the start of week 2.
As you start to improve your technique and your fitness level, you will start to see huge improvements very quickly. It's the best thing about starting any new exercise. Once you've nailed the 5000m at a steady pace, you then just add 500m to the overall distance in the single distance sessions. You should find that you can complete the extra distance at the same pace as before.
I also found it useful to create a log, perhaps on here to share your progress.