Scrimmage

I got back to my regular training protocol this week. My orthopedist has informed me that the Baker's cyst in my right leg cannot be reasonably treated aside from the use of anti-inflammatories and ice. It is likely that my condition will be on-and-off through the season and I will just have to manage the pain. The underlying cause is arthritis in my right knee - aged well beyond my years. But I have managed to get the discomfort to a reasonable level and will be working hard through trials.

Today we scrimmage with Pocock and Steve Souvall from LUC. SRC brought its A-game for sure. I won both of my pieces with the light men in two sets of 2K with building rate caps. It was a fun tussle. I am looking forward to Elk Lake regatta - it will be a fun chance to show my best in the single.

I have had a few chances to row with Chris Wales, the 17 year old on the SRC Junior squad and younger brother of former teammate Michael Wales. Props to the little guy and the 140 lbs he can hurl down the course at startling speed.

Time for a restful weekend.

Ergomania

Yesterday was Northwest Ergomania, the regional satellite erg race for the CRASH-B indoor rowing championship. Seattle Rowing Center made a decent showing in many events. Lindsey Meyer, Helen Thompkins, Michelle Trannel, Liz Robinson, Aiden O'Sullivan, Sam McVeety, and David Smith all competed on behalf of the elite team, with Lindsey qualifying for the CRASH-B competition and winning her division. The Junior team also had a strong performance, with solid finishes in all categories. My Holy Names team set a number of personal bests. This bodes well for Spring as we start to move away from a more erg-intense schedule to more rowing.

For me, Ergomania has always been the demarcation between Winter and Spring training. I have competed in 6 of the last 8 Ergomanias, missing only 2009 win I lived in Oregon and this year, as I currently am experiencing a hamstring-oriented injury. So here we go, counting down the days to Olympic Trials.

Dave and I have secured a boat from the Long Beach Crew, a 2005 Fillipi in good shape. We will be heading down to Long beach about nine days prior to the start of the regatta to rig and train. We will stay with my mom while we are there, and then drive to Chula Vista when the course opens and stay in a hotel nearby through racing. This seems like a brilliantly easy way to have organized ourselves for racing and I am looking forward to some California racing.

In 3 weeks, we head up to Victoria for the Elk Lake Regatta, a fun event that generally showcases some solid competition. I should be back on a normal training schedule by then. Currently I am swimming and lifting to stay in shape. I get my MRI results tomorrow so that I can more specifically address the problem. I am confident.