Tales from the IC (#10): Running vs Rowing. My experience of two different worlds

[CBDB]

Just thought I’d post a few ponderings from my rowing experience and comparing it to my 2 years of running. As many of you know, I hit the IC runners couch just late November with some metatarsal issues. It’s getting better very slowly, and this has given me some time to explore rowing as cross training exercise.

Once on the injury couch, I first hummed and hawed, taking me three weeks of doing only Yoga 😱😱😱 to get to the point of knowing what rowing plan to follow and how to make rowing a bit more adventurous than just staring at the wall in our guest bedroom, the home of our indoor rower.

So what made rowing as fun as running?

I always liked rowing but it didn’t compare to running outside in wind and weather, on trails and paths, alongside streams, birds, dogs and other humans.

That is until I discovered what is there for rowers to row away the time:

- The virtual world of Zwift and how to row a runner on it

- Understanding the complexities of rowing, including technique, posture, drag resistance, foot positioning, stroke sequence, etc etc

- Rowing stats (oh boy! Yeah! So many more stats than running!)

- Intervals (!! See pic on right 🥵😄) and rowing pyramids, intensity mashups, 👍🏽😄😛💪

- Brilliant YouTube channels like RowAlong, and DarkHorse Rowing

- The fun of following a multi-week workout plan for running, plans like The Pete Plan, RowAlong’s 30x30; 2k and 5k plans

- A very lively online community, which is annoyingly mostly on Facebook (to name a few: RowAlong FB, Concept2 Forum, Zwift Rowers FB.

- Oh, the apps, the apps: ErgData, ErgZone, ErgRace, Zwift, Companion app, PainSled, RowedBiker.

- And online challenges line C2CTC team challenges, Concept2 Individual and Team Challenges and daily workouts.

The differences between running and rowing

And some things I learned are different from running, as far as this newbie rower can see:

- Rowers by far are not as medal mad as runners are! 🥇😄

- The rowing community offers more online team challenges

- Rowing technique seems more complex than running

- There are much less rowers then runners, but rowing is gaining immense momentum

- Rowers focus in general more on shorter distances, e.g, less marathon and ultra distances, although these exist.

- Rowing is a great cross-training activity for running; but running is not quite as good a cross-training activity for rowing

- As a low impact activity, one is able to row six days a week

My stats in comparison: running vs rowing

And when I looked at my stats since I started the online logbook ( see pic left) I can see the difference between my running and my rowing:

- I row an average weekly sum of around 22K comparing favourably to my average running (before hitting the IC) of 18k per week

- In hours this compares to rowing 3h30min/week to running ca 4h/week.

- In terms of calories, according to the Concept2 logbook, I burn in the average 220cal per workout, so with 6 sessions per week I should burn ca 1320 calories. My 3 runs per week gave me ca 1400cal, according to Runkeeper.

So how do I feel?

- legs are definitely getting stronger, which is logical considering it’s horizontal squatting for 30 min 🤣

- Rowing must surely increase my ankle flexibility as the forward move puts the heels in an equivalent of a low squat

- My arms are getting stronger

- My core must surely be getting stronger but can’t tell

- I did notice a difference in leg strength when doing a one-leg exercise, and I never noticed that from running

And yoga still feels as if it’s perfectly stretching all my muscles, supporting both my running and rowing!

So there you are! My comparison of my experience as a runner and that of a rower!

I’m beginning to really like rowing, but am also missing my time spent outdoors running my joggly snail-pace way whilst enjoying my surroundings.

So a plan is beginning to form that once I start running again I might consider starting with 2 runs / week and rowing 6 days / week, and then see how it goes.

Happy running and working out everyone!

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

ALL LINKS TO MY RECOVERY POSTS:

So just to keep my links to my recovery couch available, here the links to the posts during the weeks on the injury couch. I’ve added a few terms to each link, as a means of reference:

Tales from the IC: Getting to know my Metatarsals (# 1) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (Metatarsalgia, fracture vs Morton’s Neuroma, shoes, barefoot and zero-drop shoes, exercises to strengthening toes)

Tales from the IC: zero-drop shoe quandaries (# 2) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (more about barefoot running, yoga for toes)

Tales from the IC: Reader, I ran today. (#3) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (trying out a short hill run, IPhone issues)

Tales from the IC : Stop Go Stop Go … (#4) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (back on the IC, waiting for last medals)

Tales from the IC : Baby (running) steps … (#5) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (trying out another mini run, ordering zero drop shoes)

Tales from the IC : Row Row Row your Run (#6) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (starting to row a runner on Zwift)

Tales from the IC : Festive Rowing-Run (#7) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (XMas, finished Zwift Running 101)

Tales from the IC : More Virtual Running Fun (#8) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (update on my rowing in all virtual races, also start of RowAlong 30x30)

Tales from the IC : Rowed runner intervals and hot lava! (#9) healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (third week of daily rowing and missing running)

Tales from the IC (#10): Running vs Rowing. My experience of two different worlds healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (differences between rowing and running, differences between different running vs rowing online communities, differences in stats)

Tales from the IC (#11): I dreamt I was running healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (update on all virtual rowing challenges)

Tales from the IC (#12): Strong knees and cute toes healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (finished Jan rowing challenges, starting to think how to get back to running)

Tales from the IC (#13): Running vs Rowing, muscley toes, and recovery plans healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... (recovery plans rowing and running, year goals)

[GailXrunning]

Amazing the way you took this on a real project. I really applaud that. Research and experiential observations. It’s fascinating. I also love that you wouldn’t let the set-back, well, set you back. Instead, you sought ways forward. Fabulous spirit shown there, and inspirational.

[CBDB Graduate10 in reply to GailXrunning]

Awwwhhh 🥰🥰🥰 and ditto! 🙏👏👍🏽

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate]

So many comparisons and differences, i used to love the rowing machine at the gym as it looked out over the sea. Keep rowing and you will be running again when healed,

[CBDB Graduate10 in reply to SueAppleRun]

Oh thank you! And what a nice view for a rowing machine. Hubby and I now dreaming of putting the rowing machine somewhere nicer in front of French windows. But they don’t quite yet exist and needs a bit of renovation and building work first. 🤣🚣‍♀️🌁

[Zev1963]

I used to row every day until I took up running in 2014. Now I only row if for some reason I cannot run. I think that rowing is a great exercise, but unfortunately I find it incredibly boring. I have had a Concept 2 rower since 2005. I started with a Décathlon rower, but it was worn out in less than 12 months, so replaced under warranty. Then that one wore out in less than 12 months, so I bought the Concept 2 E which is still as good as new. What do you do specifically when rowing to reduce the boredom?

[CBDB Graduate10 in reply to Zev1963]

Three key resources for me were:

1) I think this channel and its 30 days of rowing series really showed me how versatile rowing can be: youtube.com/playlist?list=P...

2) I hooked up my PM5 to Zwift (my explanation how to do this is here: healthunlocked.com/strength... )

3) And then what you may know already, Concept publishes every day 3 different rows in 3 different intensity levels. Now you can program them in yourself, or use ErgZone to do that for you. I have not yet used these yet, as I find the RowAlong channel brilliant.

Hope all of this helps. I am beginning to see rowing as the perfect cross training for running. So I think we’re fortunate to have rowers available.

[Zev1963 in reply to CBDB]

Thank you CBDB

[CBDB Graduate10 in reply to Zev1963]

Oh and I should note (but that’s particular to me, a tech geek), when rowing I often have 4 screens open :

1) PM5 monitor, and I play around with that often. So I’ve discovered the screen with the force curve and this helped me understand what makes a good stroke technique (if of interest, I have an article somewhere about that that I can dig out)

2) my 2nd hand Android running PainSled which connects the rower to Zwift , but it gives me also more stats, such as rowing ratio

3) iPad which runs the Zwift virtual running world

4) my iPhone running the YouTube video from RowAlong

So it’s a bit of a tech fest, but having both a beautiful virtual Zwift landscapes rolling by as well as a RowAlong video talking you through the workout session makes the 30 min fly past like a flash!

[Cmoi Graduate10]

I'm so impressed by what you do CBDB , particularly since it's absolutely not for me - to be honest I actively avoid Zwift, tech, technique, training, stats, challenges... all the things that you love, basically! There again, I'm not into races, medals, Parkrun, or anything else that the majority of runners seem to enjoy. I'm a weirdo.

[CBDB Graduate10 in reply to Cmoi]

🤣🤣 but we all love to run! Isn’t it great that it’s such a basic thing that so many diverse communities rally around?

[Cmoi Graduate10 in reply to CBDB]

Definitely!