The Indianapolis Indoor Rowing Championships were just held on January 28th.  The Indianapolis Rowing Center (IRC) puts on a great event each year.  This year we had more participation from FBD than ever before.  We registered 3 male rowers and 3 female rowers for the 2000 meter sprint event.  We also registered a 4-person mixed team for the 500 meter sprint event.

Training starts for most of us in mid-November with the FBD Rowing Challenge.  After the Rowing Challenge ends we continue with team practice and  our individual practice until the championships.   Steve Smith is the Coach for this event.  Each of us set personal 2000 meter time goals, and with Steve’s coaching plus the added adrenaline on the day of the event, we all managed to meet or exceed them.

Here is a list of our Events | Goals | and Actual Times:

Michelle Hayes  rowed in the Ladies Masters Regular Division.  This was her first time racing in this event, and she did a wonderful job winning her division!  Masters refers to the age group (30 – 50 yrs. old).  Her goal was to hold a 500 split time of 1:58 or less.  She held her goal time at 1:57.6 and finished with an overall time of  7:50.3, the WINNER of the Ladies Master Division.

AJ Smith joined us this year in the Men’s Masters Regular Division.  His goal was to hold a 500 split time under 1:50.  AJ flew under his goal with a 1:45.8 average and fininshed in just over 7 minutes (7:03.2).  This was a great finish.  Congratulations AJ!

Steve Smith was entering his 4th annual race.  He was also in the Men’s Masters Regular Division.  Steve’s goal was to better his record in the previous year.  He went in to the race trying to hold a low 1:40′s average 500 meter  pace.  He beat his overall race time by 4 seconds, finishing 2nd in his division with a time of  6:43.9  making his average exactly 1:41.  Nicely done!

Matt Hudson entered his first race this year, also in the Men’s Masters Division.  He, AJ, and Steve all competed at the same time.  His 500 meter split time goal was to hold it under 1:48.  Matt managed to come in just under his goal time  of 1:45 .3 and finished with an overall time of  7:01.2.  Like AJ, this was a great first year effort!

Lisa Hudson entered her third annual race.  Also in the Ladies Masters Regular Division, she went unapposed in the lightweight (< 135 lbs.) catagory.   Her goal was to maintain a 500 meter split time of 2:06 for the race.   She came in right on target with a 2:05.9 average, and a total time of 8:23.6

Finally, we had a surprise entry when Laura Smith (Steve’s wife) entered the Women’s Open race on the day of the competition.  Laura raced an impressive 2:02  pace and finished with an 8:11.2 time.  Her heat was comprised of collegiate athletes and Laura finished in the middle of the mix.  Very impressive indeed!

In the Team Event comprised of Michelle Hayes, Lisa Hudson, Matt Hudson, and Steve Smith rowing anchor, we rowed our best time shaving off 8 seconds.  We finished in fourth place with a combined time of 6:45.5.  We were among some fierce competitors.  Please put this race on your calendar for next year.  It is always held the last Saturday in January.  To all of you who rowed meters in the FBD Rowing Challenge, consider participating next year.  It is a blast!

AJ in the popular post-race position!

Michelle, Lisa, Steve, Matt

With the weather turning colder and Christmas decorations hitting the store it can only mean one thing…it’s time for the Holiday Rowing Challenge.

This will be the 4th year for the Fitness by Design Holiday Rowing Challenge. The challenge is simple – row 25K, 30K, 50K, 100K meters or more. (Simple, not easy.)

Dates for our challenge, which mimics the national Concept 2 Holiday Challenge, are Nov. 16 – Dec. 15. During a time of year that many people tend to overeat, the event is designed to increase cardiovascular fitness and expose more people to ergonomic rowing. Participants in this year’s Concept 2 challenge will also be supporting disater relief. For each person who completes the challenge Concept 2 will donate $.02 for each kilometer completed. More info available on their website.

The Rowing Challenge is also a great way to kick-start training for the 2000 meter indoor race, which is scheduled for January 28. Here’s some video from last year’s championship (a couple of old-timers): Watch Lisa / Watch Steve .

There are two ways to complete the challenge:

1. Row independetly and track your meters on the challenge board at FBD.
2. Take the indoor rowing class with Steve Smith which starts on Nov 16. (class info here)

Don’t miss the fun. Get signed-up today.

For more information call 574-0782. Email Steve to sign-up or click the button.