Week two of the Dog Days of Summer challenge hosted by Concept2 Logbook
| filed under: Dog Days of Summer Challenge, Dog Days of Summer, Concept2 Accessories, Indoor Rowing, Concept2 Accessory, Concept2 Challenge, Individual Challenge, Individual Challenges, Concept2, Concept2 Challenges, Concept II, Concept 2
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.
Dog Days of Summer 2020
Concept2's annual Dog Days of Summer individual challenge started on August 1. It's a ladder challenge, which means that each week of the three week challenge in August increases the number of meters required from the week before by 10,000 meters, starting at 10,000 meters during the first week, 20,000 meters the second week, 30,000 meters the third week, and then 40,000 meters during the final week:
- Week 1, Aug. 1–7: 10,000 meters
- Week 2, Aug. 8–14: 20,000 meters
- Week 3, Aug. 15–21: 30,000 meters
- Week 4, Aug. 22–28: 40,000 meters
Here's my current Dog Day Progress as of the posting of this blog:
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15,276m | 13,350m | 0m | 0m |
While I am not impressing anyone, including myself, I have made the minimums so far. And, I'll have it up over 20,000 meters this evening. But there's nobody preventing anyone from blowing the doors out of these numbers, though I assume this challenge is an easy way to onboard an erg addiction slowly, surely, while still being a part of a proper Concept2 challenge.
While it's too late to actually complete the challenge from week one, it's never too late to start rowing. Step one: get access to a Concept2 indoor rower; Step two: join the Concept2 Logbook; (optional) Step three: buy a heart rate strap (works with ANT+ and Bluetooth) and download ErgData. Extra points for connecting your logbook to Strava. Of course, if all of this doesn't work, you can always just input your meters and times manually.
Don't worry, you haven't missed out. There are a lot more challenges this late Summer and Austumn through to Christmas 2020:
| Fall Team Challenge | September 15–October 15 |
| Skeleton Crew | October 25–31 |
| Holiday Challenge | November 26–December 24 |
There are two types of challenges: individual challenges like Dog Days and team challenges such as the upcoming Fall Team Challenge. It's not hard to find or start a team so be sure to go for it! It really helps keep you motivated as the Summer ends and it starts to get a little chilly. Good luck!