Is my 2k any good?

Two weeks ago, after some relaxing holidays all over Greece, I was reading my usual newspaper and saw that they were running Connect’Up again, an accelerator for startups in the Balearic Islands. It’s their 9th edition and it’s growing every year.

To my surprise, after reading it carefully, I could take part this time, even though I hadn’t yet released OceanLog, the logbook for water sports I launched on 1 October.

I was thrown in at the deep end straight away.

Two weeks into an accelerator, I caught myself asking: I’m behind, but how far behind? It’s the same question I ask the rowing machine.

That made me think outside the box.

When I’m landlocked and can’t surf, I go to the rowing machine to maintain low-intensity cardio after my usual surf routine. Most days it’s easy zone 2 cardio, relaxing after some upper-body strength work. But every few weeks I do a 2k, and the same questions come back: “Is my 2k any good?” “How much did I lose this time?” “How fast was I when I was in my best shape?”

Why the 2k

• It’s the test every rower knows: short enough to repeat, long enough to hurt.
• You can see it displayed on many rowing machine models.
• It’s perfect for the gym, or the hotel if you’re on a business trip.

The problem with the 2k is that it’s more than one number…

• Split per 500 m: did you go out too fast? How steady were you? When did you run out of gas?
• Stroke rate: think of it as your cadence when you run, or the RPM in your car.
• Drag factor: how heavy did you set it?
• Heart rate, if you wear a chest strap or a smartwatch.
• Perceived effort: did you go all in?
• Room temperature: how helpful was the air conditioning today?
• Time of day: before breakfast or after dinner, your body will react completely differently.
• How you slept.

That usually takes a lot of discipline, an excellent memory… or OceanLog.

We’re testing a direct link with the Concept2 Logbook right now. Until it’s ready, you can upload your erg sessions. Once it’s live, you’ll just sign in with your Concept2 account and your pieces will come in by themselves.

We won’t compete with Concept2, we complement them. Keep their leaderboards and workouts, and use OceanLog to see your own progress. On the Pro and Coach plans, OceanLog’s cross-sport read puts your erg pieces next to your surf, bodyboard or kayak sessions, so you can see how one sport complements the other.

And like always: stored in the EU. We never sell it and never advertise.

Start logging, it’s free! oceanlogapp.com