Challenges and Driving Adaptation

And if one day you do get into erging, you'll want to use the C2 online logbook.  It's clearly the best tool for logging erg work outs, but it can suck you in too far.  Every year C2 has a Holiday Challenge where one tries to row 100,000 or more meters between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and by virtue of using the log book, you're automatically entered.  The choices then are to row over 100,000 meters, or to row less than 100,000 meters; there really is no "I'm not doing the challenge because I should be doing intervals" option.

I'm sucked in.  C2 is a great company, and at least publicly Pete Dreissigacker is a great guy.  For every meter you go over 100k, Dreissigacker and C2 give actual real money to actual real charities.

So I'm trying to row a half-marathon on Thanksgiving, one on Christmas, and get my other 50k + meters in between with high-quality interval work.

Here's my problem.  On a good day I can row a 7:08 2,000 which is a 1:47/500 pace.  It's not easy, and it's not repeatable on demand, so it can be said that for me rowing a 7:08 2000 still disrupts homeostasis and forces my body to get better at rowing 2,000 meters.

From my experience, and more importantly at my experience level - the experience of vastly more experienced rowers, there are a few key work outs for improving the 2k.  Probably foremost among them is 3 x 1,000 meters / 2:00 minute rest.  As much as I hate those, I do them, and I try to do them around a 1:42/500 pace.

Yes, I improve my 2,000 by rowing intervals at a pace faster than my 2k pace thus definitely disrupting homeostasis.

There is also a too common idea circulated which maintains the way to improve the 2k is something like this:

2,000m Row
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Squats
2,000m Row

Actually this is not a bad idea.  I can post it to facebook, and it only costs me two or three weeks of training time to recover from.  If I do adopt this approach, I'll have to forget that my first 2k will come in around 7:40, and my second will be over 8:00, neither of which stresses my body enough to make it get better at the 2,000.

I do the half-marathons because I want to be a good citizen and support Dreissigacker's good citizenship.  They do look great on facebook, and they do give a training adaptation.

Yes, my sitz bones are tougher than your sitz bones.

Another thing I'll have to forget along the way is that erg races are decided on time, not on sitz bone density.

Now, read this whole thing again and remember it has nothing to do with rowing.

This is all about scaling those CrossFit WODs that beat you down and make you regress.

Yes, I'll allow that sometimes you have to do epic shit and post to facebook.