Plans Change

For the past few weeks, I mostly have been in small boats. I previously stated that I wanted to row in the double and give it a shot at U23 trials, and so I did go out and find a partner who was willing to try. We put out an enormous amount of meters these past two weeks and really got into small boat racing. Most of the time we were in the double, but for a few days, we would take a break by getting in the single and the ergo. But as a group, we decided that our speed and rowing was too premature for this short upcoming race. Of course, these trials were my big summer goal, and you can't stop if there is a a roadblock in your way, so I decided to make the single my priority boat and race it at trials. This is obviously not very traditional but you can only find out by trying. After this regatta, we will both regroup and practice both shells as Club Nationals approach. We will both be fully tuned and ready to race together and against one another at that point in time.

I still have learned a lot in the past weeks about diets, stretching, and training so I'll share.
Dieting
As an average college student, I eat healthy foods and obviously some junk, but when summer comes around and your entire focus is training, you have to make adjustments. Listening to your body is one of the best things to do for illnesses or how you are reacting to training. Based off of that information, I try to answer back with the right foods and fluids. I carry around the house during my time off a huge mug of water so I can stay hydrated; the secret is to not drink too much or else it will be to the toilet every 10 mins. But on the water, I bring along one bottle of water and one of Gatorade so that I can refuel and not be thirsty. For food, I have been hanging around a raw vegan food place where we have been eating breakfast a lot, and at home, eating lots of granola, fruits, vegetable juices. I let myself have some freedom once in a while but most of the time, things have to be on point. The important thing to remember is to eat a lot, not at once, but throughout the day like before an early row, after each outing within 30mins...

Stretching
Most athletes have their stretching routines down and don't really change them, but being open minded is a good trait. My partner showed me how his way of stretching has helped him back and prevent injury. This way has apparently been proven to work so well it brought broken people back to walking again. The idea is to to stretch the traditional movements but only holding them for 2 seconds at a time. By doing so, you are also engaging the antagonist muscle. the longer you hold a stretch, the more it seems to be aggravated. So by doing repetitions of the small duration, the muscles will be able to relax better and stretch out more.

Training
Understanding your sessions and training plan is extremely important to figure out how to perform and why some things occur like being more tired than usual. Some breaks are needed at times to recharge or simply re-establish when you want to perform your best. This has been a very big help to me especially in the small boats when you don't count on many more than yourself.

So until June 25th, I'll be training by myself in the single to hopefully bring a little fear in the competition's race plans.

And the are only 42 days left until the Olympic Games, get excited!