Run with Eric:
Strength training

The 2000m erg test is the defacto standard measure of rowing fitness. It is the distance competed in on-the-water rowing events at the Olympic and World Championship level and is also the distance competed at the World Indoor Rowing Championships (aka the CRASH-B's) in Boston, MA every year.

Now that rowing has become my primary sport during my extended hiatus from running, I need a challenge to motivate me through the winter. And now that I have my very own Concept2 Model D adorning the workout space in the garage, I've decided to take on the challenge of improving my 2K time. My one serious effort was a 6:58.4, which was this past summer about a month after I started rowing.

I've drawn a line in the sand at 6:40, which equates to an average pace of 1:40/500m or a power output of 350 watts. This time would put me in the top half of the rankings in the 30-39 Heavyweight men at last year's CRASH-B's, so it seems like a worthwhile, yet attainable goal for someone who has just taken up the sport.

While a 18 sec improvement doesn't seem like a lot, it requires a significant leap in power output to achieve. My current best effort of 6:58.4 equates to a power output of 305.8, so improving to a 6:40 is a increase of 44.2 watts or 14.4%. No small task.

The bulk of my time on the erg has been steady distance, but in order to improve my power output, I am changing up my training routine by adding the following components to the endurance work I am already doing. In the spirit of full disclosure, I didn't come up with the following workouts in a vacuum, I've borrowed heavily from well-respected rowing coach Pete Marston and his Pete Plan for these.

Speed intervals (i.e. 8x500, 250-1K-250 pyramids)
Endurance intervals (i.e. 4x2000, 5x1500)

In addition, I am adding in some strength components to my routine, focusing on posterior chain and core strength. Some specific circuits will be coming in later posts, but here are some of the key movements I am incorporating into my workouts.

Kettlebells - two-handed swings, one-handed swings, cleans
Lunges, split jumps, dumbbell and bodyweight squats, deadlifts, pull ups
TRX Atomic pushups, suspended lunges, burpees, supine hip press, planks, side planks, body saws, ab rollouts.

Over the last several months, I've been struggling with an issue with my achilles... what I fear is the beginning of tendonitis. This is something I haven't mentioned before primarily because if I did it might become real and I would have to stop ignoring it.

Somehow with the help of a lot of ibuprofen, stretching and ice I managed to get through the preparation for both Oceanside and Wildflower without too many problems. After Wildflower, I took a couple easy weeks which I thought would help. But when I tried to ramp my running back up in late May, it became clear to me that I couldn't ignore it any longer. Waking up nearly unable to walk was a good signal that I needed to take some steps to address the issue before I did some serious damage.

It's been over two weeks since I've run a step, the longest break from running I've taken in nearly 3 years. I'm also getting regular ART treatments to help loosen my calves and am stretching a lot. The pain upon waking up is gone, though both tendons are still a little tender to the touch.

As much as it pains me to stay off the roads, I'm going another 2 weeks before attempting to run.

In the meantime, I'm staying fit with some time in the pool, on the bike (making a point to avoid excessive dorsiflexion), and the elliptical trainer. I'm also taking advantage of the forced off-season to work on an area of fitness that I've long neglected - strength training.

Key areas of focus:
Core strength
Leg strength and power

my basic routine (either done with kettlebells at home or with free weights at the gym)

• squats (quads, glutes, hamstrings as well as core stabilizing muscles in abs and lower back)
  
• hang cleans (quads, lower back, deltoids, biceps, traps, calves)
• deadlift (lower back, hamstrings)
• pushups (chest, triceps and core stabilizers)
  
• lat pulldowns or pullups (lats, biceps)
  
• planks (prone and both sides) (abs, obliques, back)
  
• swiss ball crunches (abs, obliques)
  

I'm really enjoying the change in routine... and I'll tell you what. If you don't think weight lifting gets the heart rate up, do a set of hang cleans. Those suckers are tough.