Holiday Challenge

Concept 2 is the company that makes my rowing machine. This is THE rowing machine that you'll find at most training centers from high school to national team. I have the Model B which is the same one I was introduced to when I first started rowing in my junior year in high school in 1986. They now produce Models D and E. I have to say that we have maintained it well and have made some upgrades to various components over the years since we bought ours in 1991.

But I have digressed. Concept 2 is holding their 9th annual Holiday Challenge between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve. The idea is to row 200,000m over the 28 days, which works out to 7143m each day. Which is something like 35 minutes per day for me, with no days off. You want days off? Keep rowing.

For some, that challenge is not enough. Those people complete the challenge in one day. That's maybe 13-15 hours of rowing (for them, much longer for me) in one day. It's the distance of nearly 5 marathons. What are they thinking?!?

I have participated, and completed the challenge three times (maybe four?), including the years I was pregnant with Little Dudely and the year he was an infant. I think I was pushing into the realm of insanity that year. All five of us were living in a tiny apartment during several major life transitions - new baby, new job for my husband and building a house. The only space for my rowing machine was outside on the tiny deck. The only time I had to row was at night. I vividly remember many rows out there in the dark, bundled against the below freezing temperature and cutting winds, my boom box blaring whatever music I needed to get through the workout (um, do I dare admit that at that time it was a fair amount of Meatloaf?). And that's how I clung to whatever sanity I still had. The next year I skipped it.

Well, that's not exactly true. I had learned that trying to do so much of one thing with such determination and focus left me burnt out. So I created my own Holiday Challenge that year. To be honest, my husband created that challenge. He didn't want me getting so wrapped up in my rowing goal and ignore the rest of life. He gave me points for various workouts and also for maintaining balance in my life. It wasn't nearly as inspiring, but then I didn't burn out either. Or become so uptight. Or gain weight over the holidays (which is, of course, one of the significant benefits of undertaking such a challenge).

So now, two days before the start of this year's C2 Holiday Challenge I am debating what to do. Do I give into the draw of the C2 HC and get myself in really great shape at the possible expense of life balance (and I will admit that it is tenuous already this year for other reasons) or do I keep on a more middle way path and create my own HC? Are they really mutually exclusive? Hmm... I've got some interesting beliefs hiding in there, eh?

(The picture today is the logo from the 2008 C2 Holiday Challenge www.concept2.com)