Winter Training and Planning

I started getting everything planned out for my season in December.  I made arrangements to go on-leave from my department at the University of Washington for the Spring quarter and to have a replacement hired to continue my research assistance.  Once coaching at Holy Names died down, I added a few more tutoring clients so I could keep bringing in cash.  I figured if I could end March with $7K-$8K in savings, I would be able to cover my living and training costs for the summer (excluding international travel).

I did the bulk of my training in Seattle for December.  Seattle Rowing Center organized a training trip to Florida, but I have never been one to get into those sorts of things.  Seattle water stays liquid all winter, and traffic dies down significantly as it gets colder, so I find the training conditions pretty ideal.  I sleep in a little more, enjoy holiday parties, and bulk up my "winter coat."  I traveled to OKC for a little bit to visit with my Dad's family and to Long Beach to see my mom, briefly enjoying both as training venues as well.

As the racing season got closer, the sense of urgency becomes stronger.  I was hoping for a big breakthrough at Ergomania this year, but did not break 6:25.  Sort of a medium performance for me - not my best or worst in the last year.  I chalked it up to nerves - all of my training and practice data suggested my fitness and strength were greater than ever, so I took the result in stride.

Our first race as a training group is the Elk Lake Spring Regatta.  This one is always a blast, as it is an opportunity to mix it up with some elements of the Canadian Training Center guys.  This year's regatta was made extra special since Keara was coming along to race as well and we were able to get a solid hotel room close to the course.  I signed up for both the heavy and light 1x races in order to maximize my trips down the course, and the racing was great.  I finished 3rd overall in the light 1x, finishing behind a guy from the Canadian National Team sweep group and a top development guy who had finished second at Canadian Henley last year.  We were all within two seconds of each other across the line.  The heavyweight final also ended up nicely, as I was able win a rematch against the winner of the light 1x and finish 4th overall.

At the end of my Winter quarter, I had my single shipped down to Long Beach via Crew Classic, and when March ended, I said goodbye to Keara and my team to head to Southern California where I could prepare for NSR I in a focused environment and stay with my Mom.