Rowing

The state of the blogger outreach union ten years on: The state of the union of blogger outreach is good for brands and agencies but great for the bloggers and online influencers
HIIT: 3 minutes of anything is hard: Historically, I have been Mr. Steady State Cardio.
8: A Collaborative Hypernarrative Fiction: Collaborative Hyperfiction written between 02-SEP-97 and 31-AUG-1998
I've been erging forever: While I have always been spotty when it comes to rowing my Concept2 Indoor Rower, I have been doing it forever!
dry elbows: Love poem written for Michelle in Hawaii from DC.
In praise of social media mediocrity: Social media rewards consistency, persistence, and attention, even if it isn't super-service or if you take a full 24-hours to respond to a query or concern.
Make your tweets beautiful with the Twitter Cards Validator: In order to render correctly on Twitter Cards, you actually need to implement Cards on your site by adding the correct meta tags to the page.
Our Sculling Caper: September 8, 2002, Washington, DC – It is true that Mark had talked to Paul about being okayed to be allowed to take out Sculls onto the river; it is true that Mark and I rowed in college at GWU. When Mark and I arrived to rent racing sculls from the Thompson Boat Center (from where Mark and I rowed during college), I hadn’t rowed any shells in ten-years, and I had never rowed in a single scull in my life.
My new year's resolutions: Happy new year everyone! It’s 2018 and I am actually putting together a list of my own personal new year’s resolutions: slow jog, slow row, kick box, bell-swing, push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and, finally, some weight-training.
Added "take the stairs" to my resolutions: The worst workout when I was a college rower at GWU was running the Exorcist Steps in Georgetown off of Water Street. We flowed up and down, first thing in the morning, as a team, with folks powering up and streaming back down. It was a terrestrial vomit comet, worse than suicides, burpees, and wind sprints combined.
Online reputation management (ORM): don’t forget Google when you’re in crisis mode: When the shit hits the fan and you, your client, your company, or your brand ends up in the entirely wrong sort of spotlight and you don’t fully subscribe to the axiom “I don’t care what the newspapers say about me as long as they spell my name right” then you’re going to need to focus on two things right away. In this order: first, of course, address the media about the issue in real life; second, preemptively and proactively prepare yourself for catastrophically-negative search results that will outlive and haunt you well past your devestating time in the limelight.
My review of the TB12 Plant-Based Protein chocolate powder supplement: The plant-based protein powder that I am using after I come home from spin class every night is from TB12 (10% off with discount code PBP10). I like it.
Spartan Launched Dekafit: DEKAFIT is a true modern-day decathlon of fitness for participants of each and every fitness level. It's the very first environment that inspires continuous training and exercise. Putting an emphasis on training with a purpose, DEKAFIT gives you the ability to consistently set goals and challenge yourself.
I have worked remotely since 1996: I have worked remotely since 1996, first because I was backpacking around the world as a photographer but, later, as I transitioned from photography to technology as an open-source developer, later called LAMP, and now called Full-Stack.
Spartan just launched a new workout and training system they’re calling DEKAFit: Spartan just launched a new workout and training system they’re calling DEKAFit:. In the same way that they’ve made obstacle racing globally popular, Spartan plans to do the same thing for functional fitness using a process that includes both training and competition. The first event is in Denver on March 21st at the University of Colorado’s Bowlen Fieldhouse (register here) with the second event in Dallas on May 2nd at the Cowboy’s Ford Center (register here).
Got the OK to Spin, Row, and Run!: I had to beg and I had to plead but I got the OK to run, to Spin, and to get back on the Erg. This Fat Erger will pull a Fat Ergo again!
My latest plan for getting fit fast: At the end of the day, I want to scull on the Potomac every day in a single shell. Since I've been a member of the Potomac Boat Club, I've never been light enough to get into a boat.
Exercises I am adding to my daily workouts in addition to daily two-handed kettlebell swings: In addition to burning out my posterior chain with daily morning two-handed kettlebell swings, I want to spend my evenings on an erg, on a bike, or slow jogging on the road for at least an hour every evening, even if it's while watching bad TV and movies.
I was a college rower on a college crew: My Novice GW Crew coach, Stephen Weiss, was my idol. No matter how young and strong and cocky we young rowers were during training, Steve could take us. He could row faster, he could lift stronger, he could run further, he could sprint harder.
Today I will be an indoor cat as temperatures in DC will top 100F: Someone on Facebook made fun of me because I am obsessed with urban hiking, something I never thought to call it. But it's true. And I pride myself on my ability to weather the heat and humidity of the mid-Atlantic; however, today I will do all my work and my workouts safely cocooned in my air-conditioned little studio.
Takinging it slow with my Concept2 SkiErg: When I bought a Concept2 SkiErg, I thought I would spend so much time using it. But the SkiErg is extremely unique.
It's the Intensity, Stupid: Any exercise, either with or without equipment or machine, can give you the workout of your life. It all comes down to intensity.
My messy CBreeze hack on my Model C Concept2 rowing ergometer to make it work best for me: I was having a terrible time keeping my CBreeze on the fan so I glued sloppy please rails on either side of my Concept2 Model C's fan. Really messy. Used a silicon glue. The paracord rails aren't going anywhere. No more struggling with the placement of the elastic cords.
Starting the Tour de SkiErg Challenge Today: I spent the last month cycling at Spin class at CYCLEBAR on Columbia Pike instead of indoor rowing for either Team Blue Wave or the Potomac Boat Club (only put in a paltry 35,424m out of the amazing 641,820m that the rest of the team rowed).
I think I finally have a feasible fitness plan for 2019: 349 pounds snuck up on me. The last time I had checked, I was 312, which was still 100 pounds too heavy. Now I am 150 pounds overweight. I could blame the season or blame the stress and sitting required to launch an online magazine, but I know the blame is on me.
Planning for 20 more erging days left in the Concept2 Fall Team Challenge: Between now and midnight, October 15, I have 20 full days to row at least 200,000 meters. So far, I've rowed 59,508 meters and have 140,492 meters left to go.
Tuesday Fall Team Challenge Update: I didn't get as many meters as I wanted tonight primarily because of technical failures. I moved from POLAR H7 back to an old school Garmin ANT+ strap and disabled my USB thumb drive on my PM5 and then needed to swap out a dying Apple iPhone 5 and set up my Samsung S8 Active to work with the ErgData app.
Sunday Fall Team Challenge Update: I spent parts of all day rowing along a little bit at a time but I added 11,289 meters to the 39,946 meters I had accrued. So, according to my lovely Concept2 Logbook's 2018 Fall Team Challenge page, I'm up to 51,235 meters total--that means I am 25.6175% of the way to my goal of 200,000 meters, 200kms, or 124.27 miles.
Join the Fall Team Challenge by September 30: We're only a few days into the 2018 Concept2 Fall Team Challenge and I've only contributed 9,899 meters to the Potomac Boat Club team of the 200,000 meters I want to row between now and October 15.
8,011 meters in four easy pieces: I checked out of work a little early this afternoon and got some rowing on my Concep2 Indoor Rower, my trusty old Model C with the PM5 monitor upgrade.
I am going to add some calisthenics to the kettlebell swing mix: I am really loving my two-handed, heavy-kettlebell, swing routine but I also plan to add some simple Army-style calisthenics to the mix in addition to slow jogging, indoor cycling, and indoor rowing.
JLRacing ErgTrou are the ultimate trou: At first, I thought that the polypro unisex ErgTrou by JLRacing was a gimmick. All I could see that was any different at first blush was that gimmicky alternative logo of a stick figure little unisex person on a Concept2 indoor rower and a slit pocket at the small of the back in which you can stow your smartphone or MP3 player while you're doing all the meters on your erg.
I've been doing the Cliff Young Ultra Shuffle: I just discovered Cliffy Young via Amazon Video today. At 61, he ran 500 miles from Sydney to Melbourne, Australia.
Membership in the Potomac Boat Club Concept2 Team is Empowering: The Concept2 virtual team challenge, World Erg Challenge, is ten-days old and I've only clocked 24,607 meters so far--but I am still mid-pack in the Potomac Boat Club.
Mud Season Madness starts today on March 1—get in those 10km days!: I haven't erged yet today but I am going to aim at rowing at least 10,000 meters every day on my Concept2 Model C indoor rowing ergometer for at least 25-days during March.
Row Daily, Breathe Deeper, Live Better is a book about slow rowing for a better life for life: According to D.P. Ordway, our not doing anything physical is as much of a shock to our physiological and neurological systems as is running, cycling, and doing CrossFit; however, it's the wrong sort of shock. D.P. believes that we all should have a baseline of activity every single day and that should be at least 45-minutes every single day on a Concept2 Indoor Rower. I thought that was my idea but it's not!
My favorite running shoe is still Saucony Jazz: No matter what I try I always fall back in love with my Saucony Jazz Original running shoes. That's not true, actually. I started off only running in Nike Pegasus running shoes--The Original Nike Pegasus to be exact--back in middle school. The original Nike Pegasus bears a striking likeness to Saucony Jazz Originals.
The best treadmills for runners, joggers, and walkers at home: I just received an email from Mei telling me about an article that she wrote for Reviews.com about the best treadmills after reading my article on this site, Hiit: 3 Minutes Of Anything Is Hard.
Sedentary lifestyle injuries are infinitely worse than sports injuries: I remember the days when I was so fit that a sports injury was always looming but it was only temporary. My fitness and wellness aided and accelerated my recovery every time--even if it took just a little help from a doc or surgeon.
My keto diet has killed my appetite and hunger dead: I have been eating according to the keto diet for eight days, according to /r/keto on reddit. After a little more than a week, my appetite has really been suppressed and it's taken a lot less keto-friendly food to sate my hunger.
The 2017 Concept2 Holiday Challenge Begins November 23: Some news from Concept2 about their upcoming individual challenge, the 2017 Concept2 Holiday Challenge:
Start preparing for the Concept2 Holiday Challenge today: Unlike most Concept2 Challenges, the Holiday Challenge demands a lot from us from the very beginning: 6,451.61 meters-per-day, on average, to accumulate 200,000 meters over the 31-day Concept2 Holiday Challenge—which is a lot if you're not used to high-mileage rowing. But you can do it!
2017 Concept2 Skeleton Crew Challenge Starts Today!: Today is day one of Concept2's annual Halloween individual rowing challenge, the 2017 Skeleton Crew Challenge! It's simple, on the nose, and fun: row at least 31,000 meters between October 25th and October 31st—Halloween!
Today's Day 1 of Concept2 Fall Team Challenge 2017: Today's the first of thirty days of the 2017 Concept2 Fall Team Challenge. I've decided to join Hope O'Keeffe over at Team Grotto -- currently, there are only two of us.
Join a Team for the 2017 Concept2 Fall Team Challenge: 2017 Concept2 Fall Team Challenge TallIf you have a Concept2 indoor rower (AKA rowing ergometer, AKA rowing machine) or a SkiErg, you can compete! Even if you just have one at the gym, you can be a global competitor. You can go from pulling hard in a room or at the gym alone to becoming part of a virtual team.
My favorite indoor rowing trou shorts just arrived from Concept2: UPDATE: I have indeed blown through a pair of these cotton rowing trou, just as I had feared. They blew out when I was sitting down for an indoor row.
Feiyue Tiger Claw shoes are perfect for indoor rowing: I love these Tiger Claw martial arts shoes for rowing on the Concept2 erg. I love them for kettlebells too. Even better than Converse All Stars. So minimal and so cheap and so sure-footed. Only $18 online. Such a deal.
My recommendation for indoor rower rowing shorts for erging on the Concept2: I've put a lot of meters onto my PM5-updated twenty-year-old Model C Concept2 indoor rowing machine. While you can, and should, row in whatever shorts you have on—even pantsless if you own your own erg—there are some better solutions.
Join the 2017 Concept2 Dog Days Challenge of Summer Challenge: The Dog Days of Summer are almost upon us! August 1–28, 2017! What better time for a Concept2 Challenge?
2017 Concept2 Summer Solstice Challenge: It's almost the official beginning of summer here in the Northern hemisphere, and we have a great challenge in store to celebrate. The Summer Solstice Challenge is our way of honoring the longest day of the year.
March is Heaven for Concept2 Erg Challenges: March and April are super-awesome months if you love the working out on a Concept2 rowing ergometer. There's both an individual challenge in the form of the Mud Season Madness and a virtual team challenge fifteen days later, the World Erg Challenge.
Join Team Grotto for the Virtual Team Challenge starting January 1: Concept2 2017 Virtual Team Challenge VTCIf you have access to a Concept2 Indoor Rower then I invite you to join Team Grotto for the Virtual Team Challenge starting January 1.
How to upgrade your Concept2 indoor rower to a PM5 today: If you have a Concept2 erg and haven't retrofitted your Model A, B, C, D, or E Indoor Rower to the PM5 performance monitor, I most highly recommend the splurge of $160-$180, depending on the model of your rowing machine.
Best erging shoes for rowing indoor rowers: I have been doing my erg sets rocking Saucony Jazz running shoes since I was actually running in legit waffle-soled Jazz trainers back in my University rowing team.
Rowing pneumonia: Last week, I felt like crap. Finally, the day before Thanksgiving, I huffed and puffed to my motorcycle and puttered down the clinic.
Skeleton Crew Challenge today through Halloween: Join me today, October 25, in the seat of your Concept2 Indoor Rower or standing astride your SkiErg, through Halloween October 31st, as we pull 31,000 meters in honor of all the candy and alcohol you'll be consuming at all the Halloween parties and hand-outs you'll be attending over the next six days.
RowVigor drives me harder than I can myself: I own a Concept2 Model C indoor rower and I love it . . . though I only seem to be using it during official Concept2 Online Challenges.
9Round is for everyone -- I need to remember that: I had been under the weather for upwards of two months with Sinusitis. Even before that, I had been suffering from some sciatica and lumbago back pain. As a result. I started to avoid 9Round.
Arlington now has RowVigor studio: This morning I met with coach Fola Awosika of Row Vigor for my Foundations class. I was the only one in the class so I got to spend some great time chatting with Fola about Row Vigor.
Building muscle for rowing: I've actually worked How to Build Muscle for Rowing Review into my workout. The workout is very simple: seven machine-based workouts, four on one day, skip a day, three on the other.
Out of the frying pan onto water: Remember when I was running 5ks? It seems like only yesterday I was literally kicking ass and taking names at 9Round Penrose and doing Pacers-sponsored 5k races. Well, that took a break.
Member of the Concept2 Million Meter Club!: I’m actually really proud of this. Hard work. A million meters rowed. Next: 2 million meters!
Giving 9Round Columbia Pike my money: A brand new 9Round gym opened up in the Penrose Square neighborhood of South Arlington, and I popped on January 7 after eating tacos and drinking margaritas at my favorite local, Taqueria el Poblano, just to see who took over the vacated commercial space. It was a gym called 9Round.
Shop healthy, cook healthy, eat healthy, be healthy: I lost my way back in October and gained a lot of weight instead of losing it. I may well be above 300 pounds, which I plan to check this evening (I just ate lunch).
Doing Today's Concept2 Workout of the Day (WOD): It's already the 12th and I haven't even started the 2016 Concept2 Virtual Team Challenge to join my teammates on Team Grotto -- but I shall today.
Getting my Concept2 groove on towards 200km: I'm just procrastinating until I have to jump back on the erg to cover another stationary 10km on my Model C Concept2 Indoor Rower en route to making it to 200km by midnight Christmas Eve.
Slow, slow, slow I row gently on the erg: It's already December 5th, 2015, and I am only 36,948 meters in towards the 200 kilometers that I fully intend to collect between first thing 26 November.
Day 7 of my Holiday Challenge: Still working on ramping up but after a week, I have only amassed 26,622 meters so far. I need to start doing 10,000+ days in order to make sure I'm well over 200,000 meters by midnight on Christmas Eve. Wish me luck!
My Day 1 of the Holiday Challenge: While the 2015 Concept2 Holiday Challenge started at midnight the moment the calendar ticked over to November 26, I didn't get on the seat until an hour ago, then I put in a slow 10k towards the 200k I need to log between now and midnight Christmas Eve: 23:59:59.
Joining the 2015 Concept2 Dogs Days of Summer challenge: I own a Concept2 Indoor Rower that collects too much dust. As part of my intentional movement towards fitness and health I will be participating in the Dog Days of Summer challenge this year.
Week two of the Dog Days of Summer challenge hosted by Concept2 Logbook: I have been Zwifting, Zwalking, riding, and swinging this Summer. Now, I am adding my Concept2 indoor rower and SkiErg into the mix. Luckily, Concept2 allows you to do this slowly and powerfully with the Dog Days of Summer individual challenge. Better yet, it is compatible with both my erg and my SkiErg. So, I cycle between them, working hard to build my strength, fitness, and endurance.
My slow but acceptable Concept2 Dog Days of Summer Challenge progress: Each week, the Concept2 Dog Days of Summer Challenge requires 10,000 meters more per each subsequent week through the month of August: week 1: 10,000 meters, week 2, 20,000 meters, weeks 3 (this week, 4285.71 meters-per-day) 30,000 meters, and next week, week 4, 40,000 meters, which is 5,714.28 meters-per-day.
Some great books for slow jogging, slow running, and heart rate aerobic training: While it all started with my discovery of Slow Jogging by Hiroaki Tanaka, it's expanded to Slow Running by Chris Bore and The Maffetone Method by Dr. Philip Maffetone. And, of course, there is also the incredibly-useful book, Row Daily, Breathe Deeper, Live Better, by Dustin Ordway, which also suggests consistent, persistent, daily exercise with a twist: there's no such thing as too slow as long as you do it every day.
Slow rowing is the best medicine for your knees: Neither bicycling nor running give your knees the sort of full range-of-motion they need to warm up and lubricate. Only rowing—either indoor erging or rowing on the water—offers a combination of the aerobic load of the a bike and the therapeutic strengthening offered by leg presses, leg extensions, and squats.
An erging a day keeps the orthos away: The only thing that soothes my sore, stiff, and sometimes painful knees is at least ten minutes of easy rowing on my Model C Concept2 indoor rower—my erg.
I am working towards sixty-minutes of slow rowing every day for the rest of my life: I am finally doing it. After I burnt out my knees by going from zero to forty-five minutes of spin class in a day and then every day, I allowed myself to recover and now I am slowly building myself back up to committing sixty-minutes every evening to Maffetone rowing on my Concept2 indoor rower.
Slow steady extended exercise is actually a type of breathing therapy: I have always been a terrible breather. I am a breath holder. I blame growing up in Hawaii and spending all my extra time freediving. That said, I have been thinking about oxygenation since the age of Coronavirus and since I started using a home ventilator, called a CPAP, and I think slow, steady, aerobic, exercise is another form of therapeutic breathing.
This is starting rowing every day for the rest of my life looks like: I don't want to jinx myself—though that's exactly what I am doing—but I feel like I have gotten past the hump and I have prioritized rowing every day, really slowly, but really daily. Yes, I know it's extremely slow, but I reckon it'll speed up this week or next.
When I said I was slow rowing I wasn't joking: I did an hour yesterday while watching Spies in Disguise. And I did it slowly. When I talk about slow-rowing, I am not kidding.
Final Numbers for my 2020 Concept2 Fall Team Challenge: While I started slowly, I committed to the entire challenge. I ended up being 13th in my boat and 2,573rd overall.
A day late and 6,897 meters short for the Concept2 Holiday Challenge: It turns out that the first day of the 29-day Concept2 Holiday Challenge started yesterday. So, instead of 6,897 meter-per-day to make 200,000 meters by December 24, I'll need to row an average of 7,142 meters-per-day. Wish me luck and join me. It's an individual challenge so you can just do it.
Slow row progress not perfection wins the Holiday Challenge: I flaked that the 2020 Concept2 Fall Challenge started ON Thanksgiving Day so I started on the 27th and have already missed December 1st. As a result, in order to reach my goal of 200,000 meters by midnight of 24 December—Christmas Eve.
Many rows make light work of the Concept2 Holiday Challenge: I have 19-days left in the 2020 Concept2 Holiday Challenge and I have reached 48,057 meters and have 151,943 meters left, requiring an average of 7,997 meters/day to get 200,000 meters done by midnight Christmas Eve, 24 December. Wish me luck!
Getting back on the sliding saddle for the Concept2 Fall Team Challenge: If you can't make a date with some sexy someone you love from September 15 through October 15 then they could either be in rehab or they could be fully committed to Concept2's yearly virtual team challenge, the Fall Team Challenge. Plan accordingly.
The biggest health mistake I ever make in a day is not rowing: I used to be a daily rower. Once, on the water, on the Potomac; then, on my Model C Concept2 Indoor Rower AKA the erg. My business partner, Dan Krueger, asked me if I had been rowing. I admitted that I had not. He re-lit my rowing pilot light. God bless that guy! I am back in the sliding saddle again! I have gotten out of the habit and have started up again today, no matter what else I have on the docket. Even if I walk, run, ruck, swing, ride, or spin, I need to get that slow 5,000 meters in every single day.
Getting excited for the Concept2 Virtual Team Challenge on the PBC boat this January 1st: Both my cardiologists and my GP signed off on me right before I got Middle Aged Dude Lower Back Pain. I am recovered and getting psyched and prepped for the Concept2 Virtual Team Challenge (VTC) starting in January 1, 2022, and persisting through to 31 January at midnight GMT. I will be on Team Potomac Boat Club (Team PBC) and will spend the next 12-days getting my body ready for a good effort for Team PBC.
On contradicting my Marine dad's sage health advice: My dad's advice was "if you don't need to run, walk; if you don't need to walk, stand; if you don't need to stand, sit; if you don't need to sit, lie down." I am embracing the diametrically opposite.
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson: This comprehensive and authoritative collection of all 1,775 poems by Emily Dickinson is an essential volume for all lovers of American literature. A powerful collection of verses by one of America's greatest poets. These beautiful, profound meditations on nature, spirit, faith, and love were created by the brilliant imagination of one of our most original poets.
Overcoming Obstacles in My Fitness Journey: One Day at a Time: Getting into shape has been the hardest thing I have ever done—and I have done it a number of times in my life. Unlike most men, losing weight and becoming both strong and healthy has never been motivated by women.
My Slow Plan for Slow Fitness and Slow Health: I have been working really hard at putting all of the pieces together in a nice sustainable string of sustainable behaviors in order to get back in the saddle and back onto the wagon.

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