NSR 1 Recap
Well. I am sitting alone on the couch back at home in Craftsbury. It's 40 degrees warmer than it was two months ago when we packed up and headed south to Clemson. I just opened the windows in our house because the temperature outside is warmer than inside. Awesome.
The last week of racing down in Princeton ultimately was successful ending with a 1.3 second victory over my teammate and close friend Steve Whelpley in the final of the M1x. We engaged in a fight that had only been seen otherwise every single day in practice. The only difference was that we were doing it 8 seconds clear of the rest of the field.
In my opinion, my rowing this week was the least noteworthy component of the final result. We had trained so much, taken so many strokes, and were physiologically ready to race it up over 2k. But, that is just a necessary foundation for racing. Training alone doesn't produce a performance. Racing is special. It is not training. The race is a stage and you either perform or you don't. It's entirely possible to have a great year of training and then not perform to your capability on the day. I know, I have unperformed many times. So many times. It doesn't matter who you are or what you have done. All that matters is what you are doing at that moment and that alone defines the moment. Larry Gluckman always used to say, " Nothing will work unless we do". Well, that's exactly right. Just never really understood it that way. Then the question is, how do you deal with the pressure of performing on THE DAY? Well, everyone's different. But, I believe you combat it with pure playful exuberance. By loving to race and genuinely enjoy just being a wild animal. Thank you Lynn Jennings. If that's what you love to do, then when it comes to race day, it ain't no puzzle. You have no control over what others do, but you know for sure that you are going to LIGHT IT UP. None of us control the outcome of these races, but as a close friend of mine likes to remind me, we ALWAYS control the quality of our experience. ALWAYS. Why would you not want to have fun? Exactly. That's what this year has been about so far and that's what this week was a continuation of. There's no finish line, there never is, just work upon work. The definition of work is up to you.
This weekend we are all decompressing, settling back into VT, and getting ready for training next week. I haven't decided exactly what my plans will be going forward, but I earned the option of racing the M1x at the World Cups this summer. Pretty cool. Certainly was not the plan this year, but that's fine. I see this year as part of a bigger picture and the important thing is to just be racing a lot and getting faster. So, I will take any opportunity I have to do so. I will probably decide for sure over the next few days.
The last week of racing down in Princeton ultimately was successful ending with a 1.3 second victory over my teammate and close friend Steve Whelpley in the final of the M1x. We engaged in a fight that had only been seen otherwise every single day in practice. The only difference was that we were doing it 8 seconds clear of the rest of the field.
In my opinion, my rowing this week was the least noteworthy component of the final result. We had trained so much, taken so many strokes, and were physiologically ready to race it up over 2k. But, that is just a necessary foundation for racing. Training alone doesn't produce a performance. Racing is special. It is not training. The race is a stage and you either perform or you don't. It's entirely possible to have a great year of training and then not perform to your capability on the day. I know, I have unperformed many times. So many times. It doesn't matter who you are or what you have done. All that matters is what you are doing at that moment and that alone defines the moment. Larry Gluckman always used to say, " Nothing will work unless we do". Well, that's exactly right. Just never really understood it that way. Then the question is, how do you deal with the pressure of performing on THE DAY? Well, everyone's different. But, I believe you combat it with pure playful exuberance. By loving to race and genuinely enjoy just being a wild animal. Thank you Lynn Jennings. If that's what you love to do, then when it comes to race day, it ain't no puzzle. You have no control over what others do, but you know for sure that you are going to LIGHT IT UP. None of us control the outcome of these races, but as a close friend of mine likes to remind me, we ALWAYS control the quality of our experience. ALWAYS. Why would you not want to have fun? Exactly. That's what this year has been about so far and that's what this week was a continuation of. There's no finish line, there never is, just work upon work. The definition of work is up to you.
This weekend we are all decompressing, settling back into VT, and getting ready for training next week. I haven't decided exactly what my plans will be going forward, but I earned the option of racing the M1x at the World Cups this summer. Pretty cool. Certainly was not the plan this year, but that's fine. I see this year as part of a bigger picture and the important thing is to just be racing a lot and getting faster. So, I will take any opportunity I have to do so. I will probably decide for sure over the next few days.
Comments
Post a Comment