Run with Eric:
rowing

The Concept 2 Cross Team Challenge is a UK-based website which hosts a monthly rowing challenge. Each one is different and can be quite interesting. Instead of a standard set piece, like a 2000m, the challenge usually consists of some mix of intervals or time-based challenges. The fun part of these type of challenges is the strategy for achieving the best result requires some forethought and planning.For example, the November challenge was 2x20' with 5' rest, the goal being the maximum number of meters rowed over the 2 20 minute intervals. The trick to that one, of course, was determining at what pace to row the first 20 minutes and whether is should be closer to a 10K best effort or more like a 6K.
The December challenge is even more of a brain bender. Called the Rote87 (not sure where the name came from), the test consists of 10 x 300m with 2' rest. Sounds easy enough. The trick is that each interval must increase in watts by at least 10 watts or there is a 2.5 second penalty. The result is the total time for the ten 300's plus any penalties.

I took a stab at this and here is my result.

time (500m pace) / watts / stroke rate / watt difference

1:04.5 (1:47.5) / 282 / 30 / na
1:03.7 (1:46.1) / 292 / 29 / +10 1:02.8 (1:44.6) / 305 / 30 / +13
1:02.0 (1:43.3) / 317 / 30 / +12
1:01.3 (1:42.1) / 328 / 30 / +11
1:00.6 (1:41.0) / 340 / 31 / +12
59.9 (1:39.8) / 352 / 32 / +12
59.1 (1:38.5) / 366 / 32 / +14
58.4 (1:37.3) / 380 / 33 / +14
55.0 (1:31.6) / 454 / 38 / +74

total: 10:07.3 (1:41.2) / 337.5
As you can see I started very conservatively and played it straight, just aiming for a 10-12 watt increase each rep. A huge watt difference on the last interval indicates I should have started at much higher watts. The rest period of two minutes is sufficient for a near complete recovery between reps due to the 1:2 work/rest ratio.
After looking at this site, put together by Team Oarsome, it is clear that there is a big advantage to gaming the test somewhat. Instead of rowing all ten reps with a slight increase for each rep, it is beneficial to break it up into three mini-sets. Starting with three reps increasing to max watts, three more again increasing to max watts and then the last four with each rep increasing to max watts. Despite incurring two penalties of 2.5 seconds each, this would results in a much faster overall time. I am going to take this approach next time and will post my results.

As you can see from the image to the left (taken in my front yard), winter has hit like a hammer here in West Virginia. The first week of December has been marked with near-record lows, single digit windchill and copious amounts of the fluffy white stuff falling from the sky.

My kids aren't complaining, we had the first two snow days of the year already. More to come I am certain.
What that means from a fitness perspective is lots of time will be spent on my indoor rower, my bike trainer and working out on the TRX and in the gym. The only difference is the addition of a space heater in my garage... the low temps mean that it's only getting into the 30's in my workout space. It is kind of strange putting on layers to workout indoors.
Progress on Project 640 has hit a speed bump. I slipped on the ice on the steps of our patio a couple weeks ago, managing to land squarely on the rear part of my ribs, right where my ribs meet my spine on the left side. The resulting bruise and muscle strain has kept me off my Concept2, but I've been trying to compensate by adding in some tough workouts on the bike trainer. I am optimistic that I will back to where I was within a week or so. A while back on Twitter, I broadcast my intention to get over the million meter threshold for the season my year-end. As of this morning, I am at 853K, so that is still within reach, if I can manage just shy of 10K a day. Not easy, but doable. More on that to come.
Aside from my rowing goals, things are starting to percolate for next year... a couple events have caught my eye, the Cheat Mountain Challenge in August, a 105-mile ride with 10,000 feet of climbing including a climb up to Snowshoe Resort. The route has numerous 11-15% pitches. Tough to say the least. Another is a 100-mile mountain bike ride, the Mountain State 100 in May. As for running or triathlons, I'm holding off until the first of the year to see how my Achilles is doing. But the competitive itch is starting... I need to find a way to scratch it.

As part of the Concept2 Challenge Series (info located here), I completed a 1 mile (1609m) time trial on the erg. To analyse my technique, I filmed the effort. While the mile is not a standard set piece, the folks at Concept2 UK have a penchant for coming up with unusual challenges to keep things interesting and fun.

A mile on the erg is essentially an extended sprint. While slightly shorter than the dreaded 2K competed at the Olympic level, rest assured a lot of pain is involved when rowing at nearly 100% for 5-6 minutes. Interestingly, the highly lactic acid levels ever recorded by exercise physiologists have been on rowers after a 2K, so it's pretty clear that the misery index is high.

My goal for the 1 mile was 5:30, an average pace of 1:42.5/500m. For power junkies, that is equivalent to 325 watts.

Splits:
500 - 1:44.2
1000 - 3:28.4 (1:44.2)
1500 - 5:08.2 (1:39.8)
1609 - 5:29.9 (21.7)

Just squeaked under the 5:30 threshold. Good progress toward my 6:40 2K goal.

Some technique flaws that I am working on.
Breaking my arms too early... I need to hang longer on the drive.
Sit up straighter.
Quicker hands away.

Hopefully next time I post a video, I'll have slightly better technique.

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.

I haven't been running lately due to my Achilles injury. In an attempt to maintain some modicum of fitness, I've rediscovered something with which I was painfully familiar with my freshman year in college. You see, I rowed as a novice collegiate rower way back in 1989-90 and learned how to use the torture device pictured above, also known as a Concept 2 rowing machine. Or as rowers affectionately call it, the erg.

The Concept2 is a well-loved (hated?) machine, and is the standard indoor rowing machine used by competitive rowers throughout the world. There is a World Indoor Rowing Championships (called the C.R.A.S.H.-B's) hosted in Boston, MA every year, as well as satellite
competitions in 21 major cites around the U.S. and Canada. The Concept2 company hosts a online logbook (www.concept2.com/logbook) and ranking page for rowing enthusiasts to compare their performances with others around the world.

The standard distances for rankings are 500m, 2K, 5K, 10K, half-marathon (21,097m), full marathon (42,195m) and 100K. There are also rankings sheets for distance completed in 4 min, 30 min and 60 minutes.

My online ranking page on the Concept2 website is here.

The benefits of rowing are significant. It activates all the major muscle groups (legs, back, arms, core), is non-impact and provides a tremendous cardiovascular workout. More on this to come in later post