Part 2: NSR
Predictably, it was a difficult transition back to the cold weather and water at Mercer, but we tried to take it in stride and understand that we had a lot of good prep under our belts already. As racing approached, we were forced to do some of the speed work on the erg but the week before the regatta was actually beautiful and I had a couple very high quality race rehearsal pieces. Prior to those workouts I was a little worried about the lack of speed work I had done, but I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly it came back. My final hard workout leading into racing was 3 x 750m consisting of a race rehearsal starting piece, a base piece, and sprint piece. The last piece was particularly solid clocking a 2:28. Given the water temp( <50F), I was really encouraged by the speed and how the rig felt at race pace. I would find that the speed I was producing in this workout and the perfect conditions I had for it would lull me into a false sense of security.
When racing kicked off with the Time Trial on Tuesday morning, it felt like we were rowing on a different planet. As I paddled to the start, I told every referee that I saw that I thought it should be cancelled. It seemed like everyone I talked to was using the Single Heats in Rio as an excuse for why the racing should not be cancelled. Yes, I understand they held the Olympics in dismally unfair and unrowable water. So bad, in fact, that the Mexican lightweight sculler beat Kim Crow. Yes, well done to the Mexican sculler handling the conditions, but just because they ran that race does not mean, in my opinion, that it should now be standard practice to run a singles race in 3 foot chop. I digress. Needless to say, the Time Trial really changed the landscape of the field. When I crossed the line, I was sure I didn't make the top 16. How could I have!? I was dead stopped on the course probably three times. My last 500 meters in a 20 mph tailwind was a 2:01. As I paddled back to the dock, I laughed it off, and honestly was not mad. It was just such an outrageous experience. I quickly learned that I was not the only person that had a bad time. Tom Pezsek and last year's USA M1x Michael Clougher were 19th and 22nd respectively and would not be in the Heats. I snuck into the top 16 at 9th place. I was really looking forward to racing those guys and I felt really bad for them. I was lucky to be moving on and hopefully I could get back on track in the Heats.
Nope, sorry. Conditions were just as bad in the Heats. I got off the line and once I was in qualifying position, I did whatever I could to just stay afloat. I didn't have to work very hard and ended up finishing second behind Justin Keen. When I got off the water, I got word that the Semis were moved to later that evening and the Final would be the next morning. This really changed my approach to the regatta. I felt a little vulnerable because despite going down the course twice, I had not gotten even remotely close to race pace yet due to the conditions. Typically, I will warm up into a regatta and practice certain elements of the race with the hope of putting it all together in the Final. All the sudden, the Final was in 16 hours and I had not really woken up my system. So, I went out in the Semifinal to do just that. I blasted out off the line and went out searching for a brick wall. It was really important that I go and find it so that the next day I would be prepared to break through it. I had a good enough lead that I was able to ease off for the last 600 meters or so and still qualify for the Final, but man, that was painful. I basically went out there to hurt myself knowing that I would adapt for the Final. It's all good in concept until you actually feel what its like to hit your limit and then start dealing with the doubts that cloud your mind. It feels like there's nowhere to go and you just have to accept the fact that's all you have. A lot of people just stop right there and never get to see that the fun really starts after that seal is broken. I came into the dock totally wounded and my system shocked to its core, but I knew that if I could cool down, refuel, rest up and attack again tomorrow morning, I'd be ready.
When I arrived to the course Thursday morning, the wind was fairly calm but it was blowing in the forecasted cross headwind direction. This worried me a little bit because I knew that the other guys were substantially bigger and would love to lean into a nice headwind. A couple minutes before I launched, the wind really picked up. I could see the water darken and what was 3-4 mph looked like 7-8. I made a quick decision to lighten my gearing and shorten by oars by a half centimeter. In the warm up, I practiced rowing a little lower and longer into the headwind and prepared myself mentally for a longer race. My tens and twenties with the direction of the course were jarringly slow and I wondered whether we might be dealing with a race in the 7:40s. Regardless of conditions, my plan was to be more conservative than usual in the first 1k and to then drop speed similarly to the way I did on the 2k time trials in Chula Vista. I had a clean first 5 strokes and quickly got to a relaxed long rhythm into the headwind. It was a huge leap of faith for me to not go crazy off the start and to just trust my rhythm. My boat felt smooth and I felt relaxed and I was pleasantly surprised that I was slightly in the lead over Justin Keen and Erik Frid. As we passed the 750m marker, I shifted to a quieter and longer rhythm and focused on finding a couple inches of run every stroke. This focus got me a little more and as I approached the 1250 I was sitting about a length up on Justin and Frid. I was feeling great and the race was right there for me to crack open. I shifted to 36 and began the build to the line. I was pouring it on and totally forgot where I was on the course, I was just flat out going and my body and rowing felt great. Forearms were loose, legs were connected, and the boat was jumping. After some very difficult losses from while in the lead last year, it felt great to be the one accelerating away. I didn't notice the 1500m mark until I was already into the last 250m. I could see Frid had made a move and gone into second but he wasn't catching me, I was still moving away. My Dad got a little upset at me for this after the race but I stopped rowing a couple strokes early and floated across the line. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't done it, but the reality was that in the moment, I had done the work and the race was done. It was a great end to a very eventful few days. The overwhelming feeling when I crossed the line was not fatigue or pain, I was honestly proud of myself for being a mature and smart racer and executing the plan. It would have been very easy to get derailed by any number of things during the week but I was proud of the way I stayed even keeled and performed when it counted. I don't want to get too caught up in the times, but I was a little bit upset about how the changing conditions reflected poorly on our race. As I was getting off the water, the wind had shifted to a cross tailwind and stayed that way for the rest of racing. There's no question Kara and Felice are going insanely fast, I know, I have been matching up with them on percentage all spring and they've been unbelievable. But I also have a very good idea of where I stack up with them and I'm about 1-1.5 percent slower depending on the distance. It's not a big deal, anyone who was there saw what happened with the conditions, but the last thing the men's scullers need is more people telling them they are a lost cause and so far off the pace. If anything we could have used the conditions getting worse for the rest of the races! Regardless, I actually think guys are considerably faster than last year at this time and are doing a good job. That all being said, Felice and Kara are off the charts. I honestly think if the W1x medalists from 2017 Worlds were in that race they would be in places 3,4,5. They have both continually raised the standard and it has been awesome to be around.
Over the next five weeks I will continue training in Princeton alongside the women and then go race WC1 in the 1x. WC is the same weekend as IRA's, so Ben and I will get going in the double the following week. We will then have about a month until M2x/ U23 1x Trials. While our main focus will be shifting to the double post WC1, the foundation of our speed will be in the singles. One and half years out from Olympic Qualification and two and a half years out from the Olympics, its important that we are both building speed in singles. Some might say that Ben rowing U23's is a distraction from the 2x, but I actually think its a great short term goal for him, the same way trying to make the A Final at WC1 is for me. When U23's is done, we will have a month and a half to prepare for Worlds in Bulgaria. Should be a fun summer. Thanks for reading.
When racing kicked off with the Time Trial on Tuesday morning, it felt like we were rowing on a different planet. As I paddled to the start, I told every referee that I saw that I thought it should be cancelled. It seemed like everyone I talked to was using the Single Heats in Rio as an excuse for why the racing should not be cancelled. Yes, I understand they held the Olympics in dismally unfair and unrowable water. So bad, in fact, that the Mexican lightweight sculler beat Kim Crow. Yes, well done to the Mexican sculler handling the conditions, but just because they ran that race does not mean, in my opinion, that it should now be standard practice to run a singles race in 3 foot chop. I digress. Needless to say, the Time Trial really changed the landscape of the field. When I crossed the line, I was sure I didn't make the top 16. How could I have!? I was dead stopped on the course probably three times. My last 500 meters in a 20 mph tailwind was a 2:01. As I paddled back to the dock, I laughed it off, and honestly was not mad. It was just such an outrageous experience. I quickly learned that I was not the only person that had a bad time. Tom Pezsek and last year's USA M1x Michael Clougher were 19th and 22nd respectively and would not be in the Heats. I snuck into the top 16 at 9th place. I was really looking forward to racing those guys and I felt really bad for them. I was lucky to be moving on and hopefully I could get back on track in the Heats.
Nope, sorry. Conditions were just as bad in the Heats. I got off the line and once I was in qualifying position, I did whatever I could to just stay afloat. I didn't have to work very hard and ended up finishing second behind Justin Keen. When I got off the water, I got word that the Semis were moved to later that evening and the Final would be the next morning. This really changed my approach to the regatta. I felt a little vulnerable because despite going down the course twice, I had not gotten even remotely close to race pace yet due to the conditions. Typically, I will warm up into a regatta and practice certain elements of the race with the hope of putting it all together in the Final. All the sudden, the Final was in 16 hours and I had not really woken up my system. So, I went out in the Semifinal to do just that. I blasted out off the line and went out searching for a brick wall. It was really important that I go and find it so that the next day I would be prepared to break through it. I had a good enough lead that I was able to ease off for the last 600 meters or so and still qualify for the Final, but man, that was painful. I basically went out there to hurt myself knowing that I would adapt for the Final. It's all good in concept until you actually feel what its like to hit your limit and then start dealing with the doubts that cloud your mind. It feels like there's nowhere to go and you just have to accept the fact that's all you have. A lot of people just stop right there and never get to see that the fun really starts after that seal is broken. I came into the dock totally wounded and my system shocked to its core, but I knew that if I could cool down, refuel, rest up and attack again tomorrow morning, I'd be ready.
When I arrived to the course Thursday morning, the wind was fairly calm but it was blowing in the forecasted cross headwind direction. This worried me a little bit because I knew that the other guys were substantially bigger and would love to lean into a nice headwind. A couple minutes before I launched, the wind really picked up. I could see the water darken and what was 3-4 mph looked like 7-8. I made a quick decision to lighten my gearing and shorten by oars by a half centimeter. In the warm up, I practiced rowing a little lower and longer into the headwind and prepared myself mentally for a longer race. My tens and twenties with the direction of the course were jarringly slow and I wondered whether we might be dealing with a race in the 7:40s. Regardless of conditions, my plan was to be more conservative than usual in the first 1k and to then drop speed similarly to the way I did on the 2k time trials in Chula Vista. I had a clean first 5 strokes and quickly got to a relaxed long rhythm into the headwind. It was a huge leap of faith for me to not go crazy off the start and to just trust my rhythm. My boat felt smooth and I felt relaxed and I was pleasantly surprised that I was slightly in the lead over Justin Keen and Erik Frid. As we passed the 750m marker, I shifted to a quieter and longer rhythm and focused on finding a couple inches of run every stroke. This focus got me a little more and as I approached the 1250 I was sitting about a length up on Justin and Frid. I was feeling great and the race was right there for me to crack open. I shifted to 36 and began the build to the line. I was pouring it on and totally forgot where I was on the course, I was just flat out going and my body and rowing felt great. Forearms were loose, legs were connected, and the boat was jumping. After some very difficult losses from while in the lead last year, it felt great to be the one accelerating away. I didn't notice the 1500m mark until I was already into the last 250m. I could see Frid had made a move and gone into second but he wasn't catching me, I was still moving away. My Dad got a little upset at me for this after the race but I stopped rowing a couple strokes early and floated across the line. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't done it, but the reality was that in the moment, I had done the work and the race was done. It was a great end to a very eventful few days. The overwhelming feeling when I crossed the line was not fatigue or pain, I was honestly proud of myself for being a mature and smart racer and executing the plan. It would have been very easy to get derailed by any number of things during the week but I was proud of the way I stayed even keeled and performed when it counted. I don't want to get too caught up in the times, but I was a little bit upset about how the changing conditions reflected poorly on our race. As I was getting off the water, the wind had shifted to a cross tailwind and stayed that way for the rest of racing. There's no question Kara and Felice are going insanely fast, I know, I have been matching up with them on percentage all spring and they've been unbelievable. But I also have a very good idea of where I stack up with them and I'm about 1-1.5 percent slower depending on the distance. It's not a big deal, anyone who was there saw what happened with the conditions, but the last thing the men's scullers need is more people telling them they are a lost cause and so far off the pace. If anything we could have used the conditions getting worse for the rest of the races! Regardless, I actually think guys are considerably faster than last year at this time and are doing a good job. That all being said, Felice and Kara are off the charts. I honestly think if the W1x medalists from 2017 Worlds were in that race they would be in places 3,4,5. They have both continually raised the standard and it has been awesome to be around.
Over the next five weeks I will continue training in Princeton alongside the women and then go race WC1 in the 1x. WC is the same weekend as IRA's, so Ben and I will get going in the double the following week. We will then have about a month until M2x/ U23 1x Trials. While our main focus will be shifting to the double post WC1, the foundation of our speed will be in the singles. One and half years out from Olympic Qualification and two and a half years out from the Olympics, its important that we are both building speed in singles. Some might say that Ben rowing U23's is a distraction from the 2x, but I actually think its a great short term goal for him, the same way trying to make the A Final at WC1 is for me. When U23's is done, we will have a month and a half to prepare for Worlds in Bulgaria. Should be a fun summer. Thanks for reading.
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