Feb 1-14

We just finished our second full week of training here in Fellsmere/ Vero Beach, FL. I think a lot of people on our team were skeptical at first about Canal 54 and it's lack of scenery, but after a couple or rows it became clear that it is an ideal venue for elite training. 7k straight in both directions from the boathouse, a 2k course, no current, and water that is for the most part unaffected by wind. We've had a couple days so far that we would have been blown off the water anywhere else due to 20 + mph winds, but we were still able to get productive workouts in. Obviously, we want to familiarize ourselves with adverse conditions, especially of the crosswind variety, but I am thrilled to have a quiet place to call home for a couple months where our quad can build a strong technical foundation. During our first few rows I was definitely feeling being off the water for a month. Unfortunately, I could feel that I had made some adaptations on the erg in order to make splits drop that flat out do not work in sculling or rowing, in general. In Janurary, I felt like I was making noticeable improvements on the static erg, but the moment I felt the run of the boat under me again and the way the boat responded to the manner in which i applied my power, I realized I had been focusing on the wrong things off the water. Yes, power is good, we always need more of it, but only if it's within the right framework. It took me the better part of the first week to exorcise the static erg demons. However, I still hold that the dynamic erg promotes the right motion. Since arriving, I have been relearning how to suspend, how to reach with the seat, and how to get length outwardly and horizontally. I have been stroking the boat for the most part but we changed things up a little bit at the end of this week to give everyone a change of perspective. It's going to be important that we keep the quad fresh and special. Some of our best rowing comes after extended periods in doubles, so it would be wise of us to not be so fixated on the quad as the only means to improve. We want to be prepared and specific in our preparation, but it's seems to me that the doubles provide a little more tangible individual sensory feedback than the quad does. My individual focus has been working on squaring blade without changing handle height and always having the blade descend to the water without rising first. Coach Gluckman is great to have around to keep on me about this since this concept is one of his favorites to teach. It seems like I have a harder time doing it when I am in stroke seat, but the inherent anticipation that comes with following in the bow three seats seems to help me prepare better and keep the blade tighter to the water. Following Ben Dann, in particular, helps me to establish the blade path we're looking for. Along with the technical focus, we did a pretty substantial body of work in the first two weeks.  The increased work load left us all napping soundly in between practices and turning the lights out before 9 pm generally in the evening. While it was awesome throwing ourselves at training like we should be two and a half months away from Olympic Trials, the four of us  were weary about the looming 2k erg race that we signed up for...

Ben Davison has done the Southern Sprints a few times in his young career and he thought would be fun for us to go over to FIT and throw down a 2k. I totally agreed with the reasoning and the concept of finding a stage and performing regardless of the circumstances of our preparation. Especially since we are training without a boat of similar speed around to compete with, we need to find ways to truly challenge ourselves and push out of our comfort zone. This was perfect in that regard. Melbourne is only 30 minutes from Canal 54, so we were able to row in the morning on Saturday and then head up there in the afternoon for the Open Men's Race at 5 pm. I have never done an erg race before, but when I walked into the gymnasium at FIT, the energy was palpable, and I understood the allure. It is events like this that remind me that rowing is not a small sport and that there are a ridiculous amount of people out there who just want to bring down their 2k erg time. What is it about the 2k!? I had an intriguing conversation with a good friend about the meaning of the 2k. It somehow seems more personal than the result that is attached to your name on the water . We concluded that it seems to be implied that a 2k score or perhaps just the manner in which someone races a 2k suggests something much deeper about their character and not just their ability to pull an erg handle or move a boat. The way someone acts amidst the great challenges faced within a 2000 meter RACE may be a decent guide to predict the way they will respond in the face of other critical moments in their life. There is some brutally honest truth in that idea and that is part of the reason why I was disappointed to have such a lackluster piece at the erg sprints this weekend. Despite the deeper meaning of the 2k that I just suggested,  I have been careful not to analyze it too much or spend much energy questioning myself. But I would also  be lying if I said I wasn't upset to not have used the stage of Southern Sprints to put my fitness and determination on display and PR. There were plenty of reasons why a PR was probably illogical considering the high levels of fatigue and lack of erg prep since being down here, but I think we all felt that no matter the circumstances we could still rise to the occasion and make it happen. I guess it's easy to say that and seems conceptually simple until you feel the circumstances in your legs 2 minutes in. The simple truth is that no amount of will power or determination was going to get me the score I was aiming for-- I am mature enough as an athlete to understand the difference between a mental failure and physical one. My body was simply not prepared to respond to what my mind wanted it to do. I make these excuses, yet, Ben Davison had done the same training and he crushed his piece , going 5:59.4 and PR-ing by 4 seconds. It was really cool to see him in front of his home crowd rising to the occasion and putting on a great show. Ben has a real engine and will probably be a few seconds faster by the end of the summer. Unfortunately, it seemed like the rest of us in the 4x were not playing with a full deck. Leaving Craftsbury, we had done enough work so that I was fairly confident I could break 6 on dynamic and would probably be 6:02-6:03 on static. My PR was last year on dynamic, 6:03.1. I went out rowing 1:31's and was going to gradually increase rate and shoot for 1:30.5 avg. After about 800 meters, my rate was falling and the split going up. My legs began to fail and every catch felt like I was hitting a wall. I essentially rowed 6k pace for the remainder of the piece with my quads feeling like they were going to burst through my skin. Ben Dann and I had similar blow ups, but his was a faster meltdown than mine. He was holding 1:29-1:30 for 1500 before he fell  apart and limped in at 6:08. I am embarrassed to say what my score ended up being but it begins with a six and ends with a teen, so that gives you an idea!  We both walked away bummed and tried to console each other, but there was nothing ether of us could hear to make it better. We both wanted to fix what just happened and knew we couldn't. Like I said, there were plenty of logical excuses for performing off our potential, but nothing could stop us from walking out of that gym feeling weak, soft, and phony. There are so few times over the course of the year that we get to perform and put our names on results so even to have a sub par result on something that doesn't have any real implications still stings.  We will brush it off and keep moving the quad as fast as we can, but Ben and I in particular definitely had our tails between our legs Saturday and Sunday. 

This morning we went out in singles for 75' and then did some start work and drills in the 4x in the afternoon. Here is a clip of me in the single.

1x

 And I posted this a little earlier but here is a clip of us doing the legs only drill in the 4x. The most remarkable thing about this video being the water itself. Unbelievable.

Legs only 4x


I'll try to keep posting video every now and then as things progress but that's all for now. Thanks for reading and for all the support. I'm truly thankful that 2 months away from Olympic Trials we are able to train as hard as we can with nothing holding us back.
We  have great coaches and supporters behind the scenes to thank for that.