To My #1 Sponsors

I would like to thank my number one sponsors in this post: Mom and Dad. Without their support, both financial and emotional, none of what I have accomplished to date would have been possible. Everything from bank-rolling my collegiate experience, to supporting my exit from graduate school into full time training, to providing assistance when I am in need to travel across the country, to letting me know that everything in my life is going to be OK when I have moments of crises and doubt. Thanks Mom and Dad - everything I accomplish is thanks to you. Love you.

So what is on the itinerary today? I started with a solo, easy steady state row to the tune of 15K. I slept in until 6:00, a pleasant treat, and took my time getting ready. Prior to my row, and after a small breakfast, I weighed in at 149.6 lbs. That is exactly what I am looking for - less than a pound of sweating to get to 2x weight without any drastic measure or extreme dieting. I think, perhaps, the stress of travel this Summer has cause my weight to drop off quite a bit. And while the 2x is not a sure thing yet, it is nice to have the option and still feel great.

Next step: get my affairs in order to travel to Princeton with Hashway. Laundry, derig, pack, and a light workout to include little more than a warm-up, light calisthenics, and a stretch. Long drive tomorrow and I probably won't have a chance to row when we get to Princeton as the course will likely be closed by the time we get there.

There are 13 entries in the light 1x. That is the most heavily subscribed event at Trials this year. So at least two races for everyone, and more for the strong. My goal is to make a semi-final, with a reach goal being to make it to the final. I can think of a few guys in the event who are very strong and have a history of out-racing me, but I have picked up a fair amount of power and finesse this Summer, so I am hoping to jump a couple spots up the ladder.

Pieces again with RBC

I had taken the last few mornings to sleep in and catch the 8-10 hours of snooze time to which I had become accustomed this Summer. However, today I arose at 5 to meet the RBC guys for some race-pace pieces, varying from 250 to 1500 in length. It was pretty solid, and a few of those pieces, I would rank as my best in 4 months. The 1500 was, both technically and in terms of pacing, probably the best I have done on the water in a while. I had that burning lung feeling that I associate with an all-out erg 2K. The kind of effort where, between the good water and good rowing, you are able to dig all the way to the bottom of your gut and pull out speed that You did not even know you had. We also had a 500 in there at the end that was solid for me too, and the closest I have been to Hashway since I started training with him. I opted to go low and long, and was understroking the rest of the guys by 3-4 beats while still moving away. It felt amazing.

Gorgeous day in Boston today, currently 73 and sunny with a predicted high of 79. Not planning on rowing again, trying to boost recovery so that I can feel great for these hard morning workout this close to race day. Might bike a bit, very lightly. Weight has been climbing a pound in the last few weeks since I left 8+ camp - I still have several more to go before I hit max, but I like to keep it in check, just in case.

Butt

Charley Butt thanked me this morning for my good behavior during my stay in his boathouse. Coming from a man who has been coaching the Harvard Varsity Lightweights for as long as I have been alive, he pretty much made my day.

One Week to Trials, Part Un

We are closing in on my last 1x race for the season, upon which the end of the season hinges. I have stopped waking up to join the Riverside crowd. It would probably be good for me to have the company, but with my speed coach and the markers for the 2K course, I can opting for more sleep, more light, and a solo approach to doing pieces. Lots of intervals at or a little above race pace with a ton of rest in the mornings, and steady state with speed bursts and practice starts in the afternoons, with some light biking thrown in as my volume drops off to help with weight management.

We are up to 12 entries in the lightweight 1x, which is funny because I really only see one, maybe two of those guys going for the big win. I guess a lot of guys are thinking the same thing I am, that this regatta can be used as an end-of-season speed test. SRC has two entries in the women's open 1x, best of luck to both. I am looking forward to reuniting with my teammates.

Shout to the U23s from this last week at their World Championship Regatta. Lots of records fell, and the US brought home three medals. Michael Wales's light 4x finished 13th overall, and Liz Robinson's light 4x finished 6th overall. We're all always looking for that next gear.

I got my Head of the Charles entry put in. Still wondering how the costs will get covered this year, but I have some ideas. Dave Smith put in his entry as well - it will be fun to prepare alongside him leading up to the race.

Still tweaking my rig ever so slightly and I think I finally have it set. My work-through is more in line with what I had at NSR I, but with the whole rigger/foot-stretcher system maxed out to stern. Same oars that I used for NSR I, but my seat is not lifted. I have adapted to having the knees in my way again, and might try to go back to something like that for my next season, as I am feeling some small advantages to not being so 'on top' of my foot-stretchers.

Another 2K

Busted out a 2K with the Riverside guys today in Dave Smith's 1x (a gorgeous red Fluidesign). Did better relative to the rest of the field than I had been in previous workouts. Better rested? Different rig? Not entirely sure. I used a set of C2's Low-i Smoothies today. I had never used oars like that before. In fact, I have almost exclusively used Drehers in my sculling career. I never knew the stroke could be made so easy just by switch oars! It was infinitely easier to just lock on and get the the stroke than it had been with Drehers. That being said, not sure if the C2s were actually faster, but they were certainly easier to row. Did not have a stroke coach, but rating seemed good and efficient. Thought about the race in terms of start 20, power 40, a couple of power 60s, a power 30, then a sprint to the finish. Have no idea what the 2k markers are on the course here, so I stop when other people stop.

Rode the stationary bike for a couple of hours and did some core once a thunderstorm rolled in.

Had a chance to visit with a Ryanne Filbey, a former housemate and dear friend from my Logger days. Always good to reconnect.

Traffic in Boston blows my mind. I cannot believe that people are patient enough to drive here. Oh wait, they're not, as indicated by the constant honking and shouting.

750s

Had some good pieces this morning with the Riverside guys. Today was the best I have felt for any of these morning pieces. Maybe I am finally recovering from selection camp, maybe it's the access to pre-exercise coffee, or maybe it's sleeping in an air-conditioned room. Regardless, I felt better and performed better, and am still hanging around 150 lbs. Over this next week, I am looking to get down to a solid 149 so that I can easily sweat to the 148.8 needed to be the ultimate 2x weight-maker.

Today the temperature is expected to bust over 100. Humidity is pretty righteous as well. Not a fan. I will be off the water this PM in order to avoid this bit of nastiness. I will probably try to go for a short run, do some body circuits, and stretch.

Looking forward to a pretty chill weekend - probably only working out once a day to avoid Charles boat traffic. Maybe hit the bike or try to get out in a 2x with Hashway if he'll permit it.

I have discovered my secret weakness when it comes to weight-management: Nutella and peanut butter. Uh-oh.

Training Shift

We've been having a rough time getting our sleep at the bachelor lair. It has been in the high 90s, and humid enough to make it feel over 100. Solution? 6000 BTU window AC. Absolute game changer. This should help me get enough rack time to actually start recovering between my workouts, rather than going on 3-4 hours of sweaty sleep a day.

Additionally, we recently acquired a coffee grinder and French press. These two items allow me to easily triple my coffee intake in a cost-effective manner, which should further aid in my recovery.

I have been waking up at 4:45 AM to run pieces with the Riverside gang. It has been nice to have company that can push the speed. I am still having some difficulty getting back up to speed in the 1x, but I am feeling better all the time. Still trying to get control of a solid, power-based rhythm.

This afternoon will be my first workout away from the water for the week, as I spend some time on the stationary bike and doing body circuits. With a heat index of nearly 110 and an air quality warning, I figure it would be a good time to head indoors.

Boston Routine

Made it to Boston in one piece. I am pretty pumped up to be back in the 1x and in control of my own rowing again. I am rowing out of Newell, with the gracious permission of Charley Butt, and using the Michael Wale's awesome Fluidesign and Dreher sculls. I am crashing with the awesome David Smith, who will be joining us this Fall in Seattle to hit the grind. It is a pretty good set up - I stroll a mile in the morning to the boathouse, grab a coffee on my way, hit the water for a couple hours, and stroll on back where I sleep, shop for apartments in Seattle, and replenish my much needed glycogen reserves. I spent the last couple days doing some long steady state to get my feel for the boat back and tomorrow I am starting an aggressive sequence of interval training to get myself back up to speed and ready for Trials. I am hoping to do some work along side Andrew Campbell, a very accomplish Harvard Lightweight, once he returns from U23s, as well as joing up with the Riverside crowd when the opportunity presents itself.

I am definitely missing my Seattle gang and comforts and I look forward to returning soon.

Out of Dartmouth, Back to the Single

Today was the first round of cuts from the 8+ camp and I did not make it. I had early success in my seat races in the coxed 4+s, but once we got into the 2-s, my partner and I could not string together any victories. I guess I had not spent enough time preparing to sweep as I should have.

So farewell to Hanover. I am headed to Boston, where I will train in Michael Wales's single and then head to Princeton to trial for the lightweight single. Then back to Seattle where I will resume my training and working. For the immediate future, I will stick to sculling - I believe that is where my advantage lies.

Pictures from Camp

First Pieces

Today we did our first set of race-rate pieces. I was bow in a coxed four, and we had another coxed four, two straight fours, and three pairs today. We did 1 minute on, 1 minute off at 32 stroke per minute in preparation for the seat races that start tomorrow. I have been in 8+s, 2-s, 4-s, and 4+s since I got here. My favorite rowing has been stroking the 2-. I think that is because it is most like the single in that my individual contributions have the greatest weighted impact, and I don't have to follow anybody; I get to cruise at the 15 to 16 spm that I am used to for technical, steady rowing. Plus the slowness of the boat through the water is easier for me to get used to relative to the 8+s we were rowing in the first few days.

I am pretty pumped up for the selection process. There are so many outstanding athletes here and I am curious as to where I sit relative to them.

Into Hanover

So long, Oklahoma. It has been fun while it lasted.

I arrived into Boston on Tuesday, with only a short delay at the Oklahoma City airport due to a technical problem with the aircraft. David Smith put me up for the night and helped me get to my bus station the next day, as well as provided an erg for me to work out on. He is a solid guy and I look forward to his presence in the SRC boathouse this coming season.

I was a bit nervous at first, but now that I am a little more settled I am very excited to be here at Dartmouth. This is my first time in a camp environment, and with so many high-caliber athletes around, it is a bit intimidating. But now I am largely over the intimidation and am pumped up to have the opportunity to row with so many talented young men. I have never had the pleasure of rowing boats like this before and it is quite the treat. The coach, Dan Roock, is a very personable and intelligent man and I can tell he is going to have a positive impact on the whole group. He has suggested that while the light 8+ is the priority boat at this camp, he will take time to develop all the athletes and is interested in also fielding a light 2- from the selection group.

My home that I am staying in is amazing. Jane Bedford is my host and she is very kind. She has offered to feed us during our stay here and we each get our own room. I feel very fortunate to have ended up with her as my host. I am also staying with Jack Carlson (Oxford and Georgetown coxswain), Karretti Pisapatti (U Pitt and Senior 4+ coxswain) and John Redos (Cornell Junior and U23 4x). They are a nice bunch of guys.

We are currently running two 8+s and a 2- at practice and will likely end up with two 8+s and a 4-. I am switching between port and starboard to see which feels best after three years of not sweeping, as well as trying to determine where I can contribute the most. The guys here are all so strong - I might have the slowest erg of the group!

I think win, lose, or draw, I am going to learn a lot in the next few weeks. At the very least, this will turn out to be a pleasant vacation to wind down my Summer.

3x2K

We did 3x2K, all out today. I practice keeping the rate higher, racing my base at 32-34 and sprinting at 35. It was a much more sustainable rhythm than normal - my strokes were more compact, smooth, and efficient. I went 7:31, 7:36, and 7:34, with conditions similar and about 15 minutes of rest between each. That consistency suggests to me that I probably have more in the tank that I did not tap into - I was probably too conservative in the middle 1000. Not bad for time trialing with a men's 4x and women's 2- and 1x. My stroke has really transformed since I got here. We row more, and generally at a slower pace than in Seattle and that has given me more time to really hone my boat feel and blade work in just 3 weeks. This will be a lesson I will have to carry with me back to Seattle.

Here is some video of my last piece:

http://www.youtube.com/user/rowcoach24#p/u/0/ZSustlktqas