The slack and the work [rowing]
Dec. 10th, 2020 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterOkay, so I know a couple more of you have acquired rowing machines recently. I think I've posted about this sporadically, but there's something you should know about, if you don't know about it already. It's an event hosted by the major manufacturer of rowing machines, the Concept2 Holiday Challenge.
My Arizona teammates got me started on the Holiday Challenge. The first year I did it was in 2006, the year after the Arizona Outlaws convinced me to give my first erg marathon a try. 2006 was the year when I only had 10 days to complete the Challenge before heading off to Australia for fieldwork. So that was the year of 5 days in a row of half-marathons, and completion of the 100 km distance. I didn't do the Challenge in 2007, so that makes 2008 the first year that I did the full 200km distance. And that makes this year my thirteenth year for the Holiday Challenge. Not bad.
Part of the reason I was so hit-or-miss in the beginning was because of limited erg access in Arizona; my options were the gym at school, which kept being closed for weekends and holidays, or the ergs up in the boatyard under the 202, which I only had limited access to through one of the local rowing clubs.
That first year in Texas was a real doozy, too, where I had to use those horrible "water ergs" in the gym there. That was a big part of what motivated me to save up and finally buy my own erg.
I've also been pleased with the addition of the BikeErg to the fleet, as of last year's Holiday Challenge. That lets me mix things up and enjoy some company now and again, too.
My Arizona teammates are the people who really continue to keep me going through the Holiday Challenge - four of us are all still at it, all these years later. I know that not everyone finds the number-watching aspect of sports to be enjoyable, but I do; it pleases the statistical part of my brain.
I also tend to think the online logbook is more fun and interesting when affiliated with a team; you can check out the global Affiliation Standings by clicking a quick link that's at the bottom of the page for the online logbook.
But I still have some frustrations on that front right now. Almost nobody else on my team here logs their on-water meters - Scuffy's the only exception, probably because I told him to, and he's new, so why not. That either means that I am ridiculous for doing so, or that I'm one of the only people on this team who cares about this stuff. Or, you know, both. I'm not sure that I really like either of these answers, because they also suggest that there are reasons why this club isn't the best fit for me. Not that any of the other clubs in the region appear to be any better - if anything, they're worse.
Second, there are two people on our team who show up as "Name withheld." For me that also sours the vibe. Either own your meters and your presence, whatever the speed, or respectfully withdraw. None of this behind-the-scenes stuff.
But I am going to keep on doing it. I don't think I'm so frustrated that I'll switch back to the Outlaws just yet, but I am still very much tempted to do so.
In any case, among my teammates here, I'm now slightly behind on meters. Among the Outlaws, I'm doing all right. None of that really matters all that much at this stage, because there's still 14 days to go and I've got 84 km remaining, which works out to 6 km / day between now and then. So I'm still in good shape to get this thing done. Just maybe not as soon as others will, unless I start picking up some slack.
Whatever keeps a person moving, I suppose.
My Arizona teammates got me started on the Holiday Challenge. The first year I did it was in 2006, the year after the Arizona Outlaws convinced me to give my first erg marathon a try. 2006 was the year when I only had 10 days to complete the Challenge before heading off to Australia for fieldwork. So that was the year of 5 days in a row of half-marathons, and completion of the 100 km distance. I didn't do the Challenge in 2007, so that makes 2008 the first year that I did the full 200km distance. And that makes this year my thirteenth year for the Holiday Challenge. Not bad.
Part of the reason I was so hit-or-miss in the beginning was because of limited erg access in Arizona; my options were the gym at school, which kept being closed for weekends and holidays, or the ergs up in the boatyard under the 202, which I only had limited access to through one of the local rowing clubs.
That first year in Texas was a real doozy, too, where I had to use those horrible "water ergs" in the gym there. That was a big part of what motivated me to save up and finally buy my own erg.
I've also been pleased with the addition of the BikeErg to the fleet, as of last year's Holiday Challenge. That lets me mix things up and enjoy some company now and again, too.
My Arizona teammates are the people who really continue to keep me going through the Holiday Challenge - four of us are all still at it, all these years later. I know that not everyone finds the number-watching aspect of sports to be enjoyable, but I do; it pleases the statistical part of my brain.
I also tend to think the online logbook is more fun and interesting when affiliated with a team; you can check out the global Affiliation Standings by clicking a quick link that's at the bottom of the page for the online logbook.
But I still have some frustrations on that front right now. Almost nobody else on my team here logs their on-water meters - Scuffy's the only exception, probably because I told him to, and he's new, so why not. That either means that I am ridiculous for doing so, or that I'm one of the only people on this team who cares about this stuff. Or, you know, both. I'm not sure that I really like either of these answers, because they also suggest that there are reasons why this club isn't the best fit for me. Not that any of the other clubs in the region appear to be any better - if anything, they're worse.
Second, there are two people on our team who show up as "Name withheld." For me that also sours the vibe. Either own your meters and your presence, whatever the speed, or respectfully withdraw. None of this behind-the-scenes stuff.
But I am going to keep on doing it. I don't think I'm so frustrated that I'll switch back to the Outlaws just yet, but I am still very much tempted to do so.
In any case, among my teammates here, I'm now slightly behind on meters. Among the Outlaws, I'm doing all right. None of that really matters all that much at this stage, because there's still 14 days to go and I've got 84 km remaining, which works out to 6 km / day between now and then. So I'm still in good shape to get this thing done. Just maybe not as soon as others will, unless I start picking up some slack.
Whatever keeps a person moving, I suppose.
