Fall 2014

I knew going into Fall 2014 that I wanted to make this season special.  I had taken the summer to relax and refocus.  Plus I was in the wonderful stage of my doctoral program during which I have no more class work, but I also have not formed my dissertation committee.  If I was going to do something big, it had to be now.

The first things I had to do was get good at the single again.  I was putting in as much mileage as I could hand by the end of the summer, sometimes going our for 26 kilometer rows.  I planned on doing all of the local races and on getting out to travel for a few as well.

I also had to make the money necessary for all of the traveling I was planning on doing.  I was working as a TA and RA at UW already.  I was able to reclaim a job with Holy Names Academy again, as well as continue my tutoring work and my work with SSB.  I was putting away whatever I could for my war chest.

I was also able to save some money and significantly improve my quality of life by moving in with Keara, who had also started rowing with the SRC elite team.  We woke up, trained, and went to bed together.  Nothing keeps you disciplined like a partner who doubles as a teammate.

Rowing to my first win in the Open Men's 1x at Head of the Lake

My results for the fall were good.  Aside from a hiccup at Head of the Charles, I swept my single races.  I was particularly proud of my win in the Open 1x at Head of the Lake, a title that had eluded me for five years.  At the speed order, I almost matched my PR on a 6k erg test and had a fantastic race in my single, beating a number of the heavyweights.

The training group at SRC was small, as usual, but motivated.  Having those men and women around me helped me push harder and harder.  Importantly, Sam and I were able to start to normalize relations again and work together productively.  He was my biggest competition for the long distance work that characterized those first months of the season.

Needless to say, I was pretty pumped.  Conal and I had discussed my options for the season.  After talking with Keara, my academic adviser, and my parents, I started to set things in motion to take the spring quarter off of school so I could dedicate myself full time to training and racing.