Fall Speed Order 3 of 4.

Sure, the Fall Speed Order is not a big deal. It is an "informal" racing opportunity. It has no impact on selection for 2015. There are plenty of other reasons why maybe it's not worth attending. To me, all of those reasons are outweighed by the fact that it is the perfect opportunity to race in Princeton without all the pressure of a "formal" racing opportunity like Olympic Trials. On that day, four years of work and preparation will need to culminate in one race. The pressure will turned on high and there will be no room for error. So getting the chance to go down there and rehearse is valuable to me. When I say rehearse, that means rehearsing driving there, rehearsing what I eat the before the race, how much sleep I get, what I do in the morning before the race, what music I listen to, how much I warm up, etc…the point is that it is all important. No matter the race, there is always opportunity to learn and improve the process.  The goal is to facilitate the performance by being prepared. The performance needs to be predictable while also being special and unique. I enjoy showing up to a race having prepared very well and having an idea of what I am capable of and what to expect, but then letting the newness, specialness, and inevitable uncertainty of the race ignite the performance.

We arrived in Princeton on Friday in time for a short practice on Lake Carnegie and soon after fell right back into our typical routine of commuting back and forth between the Clarion Hotel and Whole Foods. Roughly 200 yards separates the two establishments. On Saturday morning before the 6k erg, a few of us went out on the water for 30 minutes or so just to loosen up and get familiar with the course. It felt like very quickly I was warming up in the Princeton Boathouse erg room, just a few minutes before the start. Four rows of ergs, filled with all the Training Center sweep guys and the scullers, made for a sweet environment and a vibe that we just don't have at Craftsbury. It was awesome to be a part of it. I love the way those guys get up for erg pieces and the enthusiasm they bring. Ben and I agreed to erg together and pace off each other like we did last year. My goal was 19:15, which would have been a 1 split improvement from last year. I went out holding 1.35s and feeling good. Looking back, I was definitely riding the energy of the environment and being too aggressive early. At 3k down, I was still moving well, breathing well, holding the rate, and holding the avg split steady around 1.36. With 2k to go, Ben and I lost each other on the rhythm. It was amazing how much of a difference that was. Immediately it felt labored and heavy. Both of our splits began to creep up and for the last 5 minutes or so of the piece I was really limping in. I was doing everything I could just to row 1.39.. Looking back at last year, part of the reason I had such a good piece was because my expectations were pretty low and I rowed easy for 4k, then sprint like crazy. This time, I was probably two full splits faster to 4k and had nothing to give after that. The erg teaches us this lesson time and time again. I finished in 19.32, five seconds slower than last year. While I know conceptually that if I paced better I could have PR'd by a good amount, the fact that I went SLOWER than last year really pissed me off in the moment. But whatever, going for the slight improvement has never really been my style anyways. Afterwards, I brushed it off and  didn't lose too much sleep over it.  If anything, the bitterness of the erg made me more excited to get on the water where I could rely on my boat moving skills to go fast, not just my
fitness.

Ouch.

Sunday morning was beautifully calm, the way that Lake Carnegie can often be. The starting order was based off of the 6k times, so I started back in the middle of the pack and would likely need to be clever getting around some of the guys starting in front of me. I blasted off and quickly began gaining on teammate Erik Frid. He was very good about yielding to me and giving me a good line. Erik is a new addition to our team and a great one at that. He has a lot of physical potential but also has a refreshing approach and youthful exuberance for training that is great to see. I look forward to seeing how he develops. That all being said, I wanted to pass him quickly because we have nicknamed him the "Tsunami" because of the massive wake he produces. At 215 lbs, he is one of the only true heavyweights on our team. After about 1000m, I passed Erik and kept pressing towards the next group scullers. There was a slight headwind, but overall I was able to keep the stroke rate around 32 and consistent throughout the piece. When I crossed under the Harrison street bridge, my splits began to drop, and I felt like I was accelerating well to the finish line. There was quite a bit of traffic ahead of me in the last 500 meters which made the rowing somewhat unpleasant, but I was able to keep the splits dropping. It's fascinating to me the thoughts that I have after a head race. It's different than a sprint race because you no idea what the result is. During a sprint race you can look over and see if you finished ahead or behind. After a head race, you are forced to assess your performance internally before you hear the result. I had a nice 4.5 k row back to the dock to think about what had just occurred. I thought it was possible that I left quite a bit of speed on the course in the last 500m or so and I was scared that it may have cost me. I reasoned with myself that no matter what I can't let this result get to me too much. There are inevitably going to be set backs on the road to Rio and this very well could be one of them. I just need to rededicate myself, stick to what I know works, and get back on track this winter leading into the spring. I knew Peter had been feeling good leading into this race and that he really wanted to beat me. If he did, good for him, I can't let it get to me. I docked my boat and walked back to the trailer. Sonshine was looking at her phone and said, " Nice job, you crushed it."  With so much doubting of myself on the paddle back, it felt great to hear that. I went 15:46, Peter went 16:02, and Willy Cowles was third in 16:19. And just like that, three Speed Orders have passed, one more to go in this Olympic Cycle. Excited to sit down and come up with a new set of short term, seemingly impossible goals for
the upcoming year.

Lake Carnegie, Princeton. 

I am now back in Vermont and looking outside at a snow covered landscape and snow flurries. I highly doubt that we will be back on the water anymore. Yesterday we went out in the 4x for the first time in a  while. Steve is back from his shoulder injury and it was awesome having the crew back together. The only difference from this summer was that I was stroking. Who knows if this is a lineup we will do in the future, but I felt like the boat was running really well and I enjoyed setting the rhythm. For icy cold water, we were hitting decent speeds. We rowed 12k, then switched to singles and rowed another 12k. In the afternoon, I did 2 x 40 min on the dynamic erg. While it felt good to put in some good mileage yesterday, it's clear to me that it would very easy for my body to be out of balance if all I did was erg. The skiing is incredibly important for core, leg, and lower back strength. I'm very excited to get back on skis. After all, there are only a few months until the Birkie.

First snowfall.