The week before the week before

Sorry I have been quiet for the last couple of weeks. The Green Mountain Head was a little bit of a wake up call for me and showed me that while I was, in fact, beginning to feel fit again, that alone does not make me fast in the single. In the week leading up to that race, I had some encouraging data points in training that led me to believe that I might have somehow continued progress from last year, despite far less summer training and racing and much more time off. I performed better on a few pre race workouts that I typically do before the GMH, but what I failed to comprehend was the fact that the circumstances were much different this year than the past three. In 2013,14, and 15, I finished racing at Worlds, took two weeks off, and then had a week back in the boat before Green Mountain Head. There was still plenty of speed work left over from the peak at Worlds, so to get ready for the Head race season all I really needed to do was backload some long aerobic work and get familiar with the single again. Every year I had  gotten a little faster on that course and this year was the first year I drove away from the muddy cornfield having rowed a slower time then the previous year. It was perfect conditions to set a new course record but instead I went 19 seconds slower than last year. Last year's 18:49 was a near perfect race and is something I think back to a lot as an example of  using my bodyweight well. I had a very consistent, loose, and long approach to the front end that allowed me to connect quick but without using any of my drive. The swing was very consistent and as a result the speed was unwavering. This year, it felt like my ability to repeat the same stroke was what was holding me back. As the old saying goes, " miles makes champions" and in the last few months leading up to this race I was just not in the boat much at all. It was clear during the race that I was rowing a knock off brand of my best sculling. It may have superficially looked similar to the way I row, but my boat knew the difference. It could tell that I was not letting it breathe and I was trying to move it too abruptly on the drive. So no sweat. I identified what felt wrong and have been working on it every day since.  I have been bringing a heightened focus and renewed sharpness to the boat and in the last week have felt some of the looseness I talked about come back. I have been thinking a lot about Katrin Rutchow, Olympic gold medalist W1x in Athens. The way she approaches the front and and works the arc is incredible. Whenever I think about rowing like her my splits go down. That focus makes me sit up, roll deep into the front end, connect quickly, and then keep myself up at the front end. I have put in a lot of work this week and am looking forward to resting on Sunday. On Tuesday and Thursday I got in solid mileage and was encouraged by how my body felt afterwards. Wind and rain kept me indoors on Thursday and without really meaning to, I ended up logging 50k on the erg. I did 100 min on the static erg in the morning and then 90 min on the dynamic in the evening. The morning's workout was at 145-160 HR and the afternoon was a recovery pace cruise under 140 HR.

AM. 2 x 50'/3' rest static erg. 148 avg HR, 159 max HR.  

90' dynamic erg. 133 avg HR, 142 HR. 

On Friday, I rowed 16k in the morning and then lifted in the afternoon. I am doing a circuit style lift right now that is centered around high reps of bench pulls and leg press @ 30 spm. This is borrowed from Guenter and is something that has always helped me prepare for 6k's and head races. Right now I am doing 60-90 reps x 6 with body balancing exercises in between. These lifts leave me pretty gassed, but I'm excited to feel that way. I think I will be better prepared the next time I race to endure the hard meters without losing speed.

Exactly a week from now, I will be all done racing in Boston and probably walking down the toe path from the Northeastern boathouse to meet up with friends and family. More times than probably most of the people reading this blog know, I have made the walk down the toe path sulking and full of regret. More times than you know, I have been flat out disgusted with the way I raced. I am a sculler built on those memories and strengthened by many failures and many lessons learned. A lot of people have reached out to me excited that I am bow number 1, starting ahead of probably the fastest single sculler in the world. They want to know what my honest goal is. My honest goal is to walk down the toe path proud of the way I prepared and proud of the way I executed. But I am certainly not preparing to go slow.