1500s

I had a freakin' great morning workout today. We did 3x1500 with rate shifts every 500. Other than the first 1000 of the first piece, I was about as on fire as I have been since March. The first 1000 meters, the mental process was along the lines of 'concentrate on my technique, concentrate on my technique, wow I'm going faster, concentrate...' This evolved into 'freakin' go hard!' for the rest of the workout as I found my groove. The pieces were not blazing fast, but they were powerful and I found some solid aggression to help fuel the race. I was able to catch or pass Sam on all the pieces. I had a blast.

I think the anti-inflammatory early in the morning helps my workouts. It may not be good for me, but it lets me focus on power and technique and not on the little pains.

Strength

I threw up a new personal best on the leg press on Friday with a couple reps at 580 lbs. I was also able to get back into some of the more strenuous core exercises that I had been dodging for the sake of my back, which was very refreshing. By the time Friday evening hit, I was wiped out. Probably should have hit the ice bath to speed up recovery. Oh well.

I read an article suggesting the a mid-day 30-40 minute nap would increase my body's production of growth hormone. Something I might have to start scheduling into my routine.

I started to work with a physical therapist to address some of the underlying structural problems that may be causing me to be prone to chronic back pain. The issue seems to be a strength and flexibility imbalance between my left and right leg. Probable not perceptible to the untrained eye, but I can certainly feel it when I run or do squats.

Eyes are on the next regatta.

New Sponsor, New Diet, and Good Back Health

First, I would like to welcome our newest sponsor, Moga Jacobsen Productions. You can visit their website under our list of sponsors. As always, we appreciate our relationships with community entities and are always looking to build new partnerships.

I have started up on the Paleo Diet and already feel a world's difference. Some of the downsides include bonking on the longer, more intense workouts. I need to be cautious and always bring a sports drink with me in the boat, not just water. However, I am pretty sure that the increase in Omega 3s has helped to reduce irritation in my arm and low back. Also, I bought a blender so I can rock out with fruit smoothies now. I think that a fruit smoothie with peanut butter and protein powder will become one of my new staples. Unfortunately, this diet is a bit more expensive so I am looking around for new places to get good deals on groceries.

My back is so much better! I saw my doctor yesterday and we have decided that it was likely a rough bit of soft tissue damage. I still feel a little weak, but the pain has been significantly reduced. I am back on the training schedule now, with only a few modifications to the high-resistance components to allow my back to finish healing.

Today I did pieces with Michael Wales for the first time in a few months. Halfway through we switched boats. The difference in relative boat speed after we switched was huge. I went from being barely up or down to being up by open water. I look forward to some speed tests in the near future to see how much of the was the rig, the boat, and the oars.

Northwest Junior Regionals

I took the weekend off from training to travel to Vancouver, WA with the Holy Names Academy and Lake Union Crew junior crews for the Northwest Junior Regional Championship. As an HNA assistant coach, I was responsible for preparing 3 crews for the regatta, two of which brought home 1st place finishes. It was a good break from the hum drum of the boathouse while still being surrounded by the same community. I am almost as exhilarated to coach a winning crew as I am to be a part of a winning crew.

Back Injury

I aggravated my existing back injury last Friday/Saturday with back to back workouts that seem to have pushed my body more than it wanted. I had hurt my back in late March with some lifting and erging workouts that went together followed by some time at work bent over an 8+ for an hour. I rested but continued with as much of the training schedule as I could manage in the lead up to NSR I. The taper also helped it get better, but clearly it was not at 100%. So I am out of action on the water for the near future. I am spending monstrous amounts of time on the bike and in the pool, with some running and lifting to top it off. I feel like I am training for a triathlon! I had a CT scan this week and am going in to get the results tomorrow morning. I am hopeful - the pain responds well to anti-inflammatory medication and feels better when I warm up a bit.

When I am injured (which has happened a few times now), I tend to redouble my efforts in other parts of my life as a way of taking out some of my frustration. I plan out my diet more carefully, do a little more mental training, and try to get some more work in. I always find that working with the Holy Names crowd can take my mind off my own training frustrations as well. They are a good outlet for my desire to produce quality rowing.

I am starting to experiment with a modified Paleo diet to see how it can affect my training and weight management, if at all. I heard that Ann Cummins and Ursula Grobler both use it as a guide for their nutrition.

NSR II is right around the corner - I am curious to see how everything unfolds with the small team boats. Definitely looking to get my act together in the 1x before I aspire to the 2x.

NSR I and the Next Step

The first National Selection Regatta (NSR I) was an eye opener for me. It was my first 2K race in the 1x, my first head-to-head race against other development and elite athletes, and it was my first time at the Mercer Lake facility where the US National Team is headquartered for much of the year.

To say that I fell short of my goals and projections would be an understatement. I finished 22nd out of a field of 30 in the lightweight men's 1x. The goal had been to finish top 4. There were a number of athletes who finished ahead of me who spend less time on the water and have shown themselves to be slower on the erg. Even the top guys at the regatta are only a few seconds faster than me on the erg, with comparable time on the water. This left me a bit puzzled, but ultimately I was able to pinpoint my primary weakness at the regatta: inexperience.

My fly-and-die race strategy has proven to be less-than-optimal. It is a pretty novice race plan that I think illustrates my lack of knowledge regarding my own capabilities. The idea is to get ahead so I can track my competitors for the race rather than trying hold back and wait to move later. In the future I will aim to execute something a bit more conservative in nature, such as an even-split or negative-split race strategy. In order to do this, I need more time on the water simply practicing 2K races so that I will know what my limits feel like.

In this next training cycle, I am hoping to tend to some injuries and develop some more explosive power (my weakness). Conal has put together a pretty solid plan for the next month and we are all looking forward to the National Championship Regatta in June where I look to make a comeback in the 1x and perhaps try my hand in the 2x and 4x if I can find some teammates.

Thanking the Sponsors

I want to begin the blog by thanking those organization that have extended a hand to Lake Union Crew and me - without the support of members of the community it would not be possible to train full time. We keep a list of sponsors with links to their websites available. Currently, my team and I are supported by Cummin's Chiropractic and Wellness, Powerbar, and Ricochet Offroad armor. These are some fantastic businesses that are doing good work for others as well as providing quality products and services. We are always looking to forge new relationships with organizations at Lake Union Crew, so if you feel like you or your group could benefit from working with us, feel free to contact me or any staff member at Lake Union Crew.