Preparing for the Holiday Challenge

The countdown to the Holiday Challenge has begun! If completing 100,000 or 200,000 meters in a month is a new challenge for you, read on for some ideas to help you prepare.

• Don't be intimidated! Every year people who have never completed long distances complete the Holiday Challenge.
• Gradually build your workout time. Try adding an extra 500 or 1000 meters per day, especially if you don't usually complete 6000* meters at a time.
• If you don't usually work out every day, try rowing/skiing for several days in a row. The workouts can be short, but see how it feels to row/ski more often.
• Keep some stretching in your routine or add it if you haven't been doing it regularly.
• Think about when you will fit your extra Holiday Challenge rowing/skiing into your schedule. If it requires you to work out at a different time of day than usual, try it out ahead of time to see how it feels.
• Plan ahead so that you can make up any missed meters due to travel or other commitments.
• Pace yourself! Many people have commented that the Holiday Challenge pushed them to row/ski more than they ever thought they could, and it felt great! On the other hand, it is not wise to make a sudden jump in the amount of rowing/skiing you do, so keep this in mind. You can build your daily meters gradually, even during the challenge itself.

*This year's Holiday Challenge runs from November 22 to December 24: 33 days in total. If your goal is to complete 200,000 meters, you'll need to average about 6060 meters per day (3030 meters daily for the 100,000 meter challenge).

Good luck!