Just a few days until we head down to Boston for HOCR. The last week or so has been pretty amazing up here, sunny and flat on the water. I feel like my boat is moving pretty well right now and find my focus shifting to racing. The way my focus has been heightened on the water recently shows me that as much as I try to play down the Charles, it is a big race. On the water I have been slipping into race visualization like I would do preparing for an NSR, World Cup, or World Champs. Not because someone told me to or even I planned to, but because it is my subconscious defense mechanism to whenever I start feeling the excitement, anxiousness, and fear of a big race. I start running through the race in my head, every detail, the way I see it happening. It is an incredibly useful and real way to prepare. I think I have been doing it for a long time and in different sports, but recently have gotten much better at it.
Today we did 4 x 1k, the first two simulating the first 1000m of a head race, the final two being all out finishing pieces. After some uncharacteristically thick morning fog, we got on the water and got to work. Flat water with a little head/tail breeze depending on the direction. Ben, Steve, and I did the pieces together and paced each other for the first couple. The goal of the first two was to cruise with very little exertion, sub max. I was happy with how the boat felt, the speed I was going, and most importantly, how I felt. I could tell I was at the right intensity by how ready I was to start the next piece. On pieces three and four, Steve and I began to put the pedal down and accelerate away from the pack. Piece three was the test as to whether you had done the first two at the correct pace or not. I stepped on the gas in the first 500 and got clear of the field, focusing on working middle 1k type speed, repeatable speed. I was pleasantly surprised with how in control I felt and that by the end I was able to conserve a little for the fourth and final piece. The last one was a rehearsal of the last 3 min of the race, simulating going around the Cambridge turn, past Belmont Hill, and into the final stretch of the Charles. I rowed 30-32 spm for the first 500, then went 34, dropped the pace, then 36, dropped the pace, and with 200m to go, threw everything I had at it to the line. It was a decent rehearsal of how that is going to feel come race day, but its just practice. Excited to get on the big stage in Boston and put on a performance.
This afternoon I will do some heavier weights before rowing with the bungee for 60' or so. We will do another longer tempo piece tomorrow, load up the trailer, and drive down to Boston Thursday morning. Hopefully, I will get a couple rows in before it gets to crazy down there.
Today we did 4 x 1k, the first two simulating the first 1000m of a head race, the final two being all out finishing pieces. After some uncharacteristically thick morning fog, we got on the water and got to work. Flat water with a little head/tail breeze depending on the direction. Ben, Steve, and I did the pieces together and paced each other for the first couple. The goal of the first two was to cruise with very little exertion, sub max. I was happy with how the boat felt, the speed I was going, and most importantly, how I felt. I could tell I was at the right intensity by how ready I was to start the next piece. On pieces three and four, Steve and I began to put the pedal down and accelerate away from the pack. Piece three was the test as to whether you had done the first two at the correct pace or not. I stepped on the gas in the first 500 and got clear of the field, focusing on working middle 1k type speed, repeatable speed. I was pleasantly surprised with how in control I felt and that by the end I was able to conserve a little for the fourth and final piece. The last one was a rehearsal of the last 3 min of the race, simulating going around the Cambridge turn, past Belmont Hill, and into the final stretch of the Charles. I rowed 30-32 spm for the first 500, then went 34, dropped the pace, then 36, dropped the pace, and with 200m to go, threw everything I had at it to the line. It was a decent rehearsal of how that is going to feel come race day, but its just practice. Excited to get on the big stage in Boston and put on a performance.
This afternoon I will do some heavier weights before rowing with the bungee for 60' or so. We will do another longer tempo piece tomorrow, load up the trailer, and drive down to Boston Thursday morning. Hopefully, I will get a couple rows in before it gets to crazy down there.
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