Social Workout

From the Editor

B.O.W.C. By the Numbers

Day 14 of B.O.W.C. (and 28 of SocialWorkout.com!) and we thought it time to break down the Challenge numbers to date, answer some questions, and generally offer massive encouragement.

We will refer you to adjacent graph, and make several salient points: Two weeks in, and of the nearly 300 challengees at our virtual start line April 1st, we are left with roughly 100 still in the hunt. The few, the proud, the achey.... Despite malicious rumors to the contrary, we are not yet half way through the Challenge. There are 18 shopping days to go. Thus, if you've logged just eight workouts to date, you're still mathematically in the running to hit the Big 26.

The world will not stop, of course, if you don't get to the TWO SIX, and we've been seriously touched by your posts on balance, diet, guilt, and accountability. Some people have reset their workout target based on unavoidable schedule mishaps, and we approve fully.

All that said, a target is a target is a target, and we'll be your Drill Sargent around here. Don't go soft on us now you B.O.W.C.s! Wherever the hell you lousy bastards are -- in Brooklyn, or Dublin, or Portland -- just remember: Every day is Day 1. We've got your back. Suck. It. Up.

Right. So, there have also been some recurring questions hitting our Inbox, and we realized it might be time to start an F.A.Q. We're working on an official, permanent page, but here are some of the top items:

Who's Keeping Track? A small crew of us is reading through all your posts, and keeping the "Attendance Sheet" up to date. As you may have noticed, we have (roughly) a one day lag -- i.e. we update the sheet today for yesterday -- so we don't leave out people who work out late. That said, if a Challenge participant does a "catch up" post, and fills in several days at once, we go back and update their previous day(s). We may only give you credit for a "WORKOUT" and not a full on "YES," but the workout is the most important part.

OK, but what exactly do all the different terms mean? You'll note that our system has a certain oganic quality, with "Yes" and "No" and then some other homemade terms. "Pre" just means "Before April 1st." It has no bearing on the Challenge, but some people started their workout blogs early, and we wanted to note that somewhere. As for "Blog" vs. "Workout:" Some people post items even if they don't work out. Again, there is not obligation to do this, but they find it helpful, and if sometimes the post can be very good, i.e. explaining their problems, indicating a rest day, or getting fired up for the next day. (The more communication the better, but it does not count as much as getting in a workout.) If someone forgets to post a workout, but later updates their blog, then they get the "WORKOUT" note. Sometimes, to capture more information, we'll indicate "Day Off," or if someone has said they plan to workout, but haven't actually worked out yet, we might write "Pending." You get the picture.

How Will We Judge This Thing: To reiterate, everyone's a winner. That said, our team of hall monitors will convene with a panel of celebrity judges including Trainer Brian and some of our sponsors, and we will review each persons record closely, weighing various factors: Basic attendance, workout rigor, quality of expression, sense of humor, sense of tragedy, rhyming skills, community spirit, etc. Don't get hung up on all that. Do your Challenge for yourself, in your own voice, and you will be richly rewarded.

When do we get to party together? Word up! We're deep in preparations for an April B.O.W.C. Victory Bash, and official launch party for the site. Location: Manhattan. Date: Early May. Details: To Come.

What the Hell is this Web site? Fantastic question. Fact is, you're showing us the way. We're still learning how to crawl -- shaking down our shaky editorial, and improving our basic technology. All of our dreams (and our endless To Do list) have to do with building on the community spirit and sharing of workout intel that's been going on around here just in the past 13 days. Thank you so much for your posts, and your patience, and the kind words. It's been inspiring to be hosting the Challenge, and we hope to do many more in the future.

Onward.