Research

I started this year with a dilemma of finding out what I truly want to do with my life and what type of field and career I want to specialize in. After a lot of thinking and figuring out what I enjoy the most, I realized that I'd like to do research towards pushing back the limits that society has set over the past hundred years on the human body in its abilities to perform, and this doesn't have to only deal with sports and athletics, but also with just how the human being has evolved. This being said, I am going to revamp this blog into speaking about rowing, performance, and results of my training in a research type of way. Hope everyone will learn from some new stuff. And feel free to comment about your opinions and other ways of doing things. It's all about keeping an open mind!

Back

We have now been back to school for a few weeks but rowing for one. I'm not going to deny that waking up around 8a.m. was pretty sweet but of course the usual early practice are pretty much needed. We all have mostly been erging and running to get ready for the first 6k test. I definitely think there is a lot of potential from the freshmen but also from the returning group. We haven't been on the water yet but everyone has a pretty good mindset about training. I don't have much to say at the moment but I'm sure in the upcoming weeks I'll have better things to talk about. 

France Update

Finally made it back. It has been a solid year since I haven't been back to Nogent and seen friends and family. I got here Wednesday morning, took a long nap since the long flight hours did not treat well, and got some training in. Whenever I fly back, there is a 6 hour difference and it takes a few days to get adjusted but if you train right away, you can get right into the actual schedule since you are tired. It just makes things easier and a more enjoyable trip.

Something I appreciate greatly when I get here is that my mom is right there for me for anything including rowing. She knows exactly what to work on and she doesn't let a stroke go by without notice. Reason is, I don't really have a coach in Melbourne following me and helping me work. My main problems that we have been working on are having a strong upper body to stay upwards from the finish to the catch, a fast hands-away motion, and good body set while keeping the legs flat, my left shoulder down (because I'm a port), lacking some spring-like motion from the legs at the catch, and pressing down enough at the release on the handles so that I can only keep going upwards towards the catch instead of my usual small dip. This seems like A LOT and it sort of is but a minuscule scale. I technically am not doing the whole movement wrong, but bits and pieces can be improved. And one huge thing to change, more of a mindset, is don't go HAM on every stroke. I have to muscles and the force so there is no need to try to top that, which I have been doing because of the eight. I'm sure that doesn't help me there either. So by relaxing and being more efficient with a more velocity concentrated stroke, I'll be able to go longer and faster while still being ok.

This trip has been great though, I've been able relax, eat and drink well, and not worry so much about the next day. I feel good and I'm not hurting like I would normally be if I was doing full on training. Another big thing I noticed is hydration. I don't have to drink much water and still be completely comfortable while I row or during the day, whereas in Florida, I drink water just to stay alive! So I kind of have to push myself to drink more. For the last few days, I've been able to row with a Australian guy who has been training out of the club for the last few weeks since him and his parents were here an vacation. He is rowing at the university level for a while since it is technically a club and it shows. We got in the double together and it worked right from the start. Obviously it's not perfect but it feels good and gives me the opportunity to work on some of my difficulties. I have a little bit of video from our second row.

Besides that, I got to go to Fontainbleau which is south of Paris where one of my mom's old coaches is based out of. I got to go out and get some good advice from him and really feel what is right and wrong, which I did. I already mentioned what I need to work on but I was able to change a few things, which won't stay unless I put many miles with it. I have some video of that too.

All in all, I'm having a great trip and I can't wait to head to Marseilles to go see my sister and hang by the sea. Should be an awesome trip! And I'm also super stoked for the Games, only 5 more days!!!

Club Nationals '12

Phew that was a rough few days, not because of my results but more because of being tired mentally and physically. When people ask me how my heats went, I described them as well as possible but it seems like I'm just laying out excuses, which isn't the case, I'm just plain tired. As we wrote my summer training plan, we decided to peak for this regatta with a good physical showing at trials. As I look back, I do believe that I peaked well at trials, and as soon as I got home to train for Clubs (a week), things didn't feel right. You are feeling a little disappointed but just trying to push yourself even though it seems dumb.

On Wednesday, I raced the Senior 1x and that was a huge wake-up call; yes the other guys are fast but I could tell at that moment, I was running on fumes. After the first 1000m, I knew I'd finish 4th so I decided to keep as much energy as possible for that afternoon's intermediate 2x. I felt ok when we rowed up to the start, and we actually had a pretty good race. The first half wasn't too taxing but the third 500m was a little difficult for us and is why we got edged out a little. We did sprint but the other boat had the last stroke before the line to keep us out of the semis. What is frustrating at these big regattas is that they throw random heats together which aren't always fair instead of a time trial. For example, our time was faster than two other heats' qualified boats by 20 some seconds. But what are you going to do?
I had all of Thursday off to relax and try to reenergize a little. So this morning was my last chance to advance and things didn't go my way. The initial 500m were great as I was part of the leaders but when it was time to dig and keep up with the deep fielded heat, I just couldn't.

I am finally done with racing for this summer and it feels good to watch some races and relax even though I'd love to be in a bigger boat and keep racing. I will stay here until Sunday and then head back down to Florida. I'll have a day to get some cleaning done before heading back to the homeland and get some quality time with my mom. I haven't been back in over a year so this is a much needed trip. I won't be taking time off at first and will work on adjusting my technique. The reason that this is so important to me is because I know how much it is holding me back, not just on the water but also on the ergo. I know my times don't match my boat moving skills so if I can improve both than hazzah!

Good luck to Mary Mosier and Matt Sobotka for the finals.

Only a few more days until London and U23 finals are coming up the next two days! 

Last Go Of The Summer

It has been a long summer, and even though I'd rather be in Trakai, my last regatta of this summer will be Club Nationals.

Preparing for this race has been tough because I literally have no one coaching me or on the water with me; and it's hard to re-boot the mind up after trials. Before I left Melbourne last time, I lost my key to the boathouse so in return I've lost water time this last week, which sucks, being so close to racing. But I have been in contact with Olympic Champion Xeno Müller who is trying to improve and develop US sculling from his backyard, and it is working for me. I send him some footage and he comments on it with real criticism, detail and advice. This website is where you can find all the info on how you can help rowers such as myself to get some coaching help: http://www.indiegogo.com/us-sculling-and-rowing-development

I might sound like I'm complaining or something, but that is just the way I describe my current position. I'm actually really excited for Camden because it is going to be a whole week of straight competition, apparently it's the biggest turn out ever, and I'll be part of a team and not by myself. Like I said previously, I'll be racing three different events and that will really test my fitness and recovery. Speaking of recovery, I have been feeling a little weaker and not recovering as fast as I usually do. I don't know if that's because I'm getting a little burnt out or what but these next few days will allow me to really take my time and be ready by the time Wednesday comes around. Obviously the goal is to make it to the final in all events, and even a podium. If you didn't know, when rowers win races such as trials or club nationals in the senior events, you are moved up to elite status, which means you can't race anyone who are in intermediate or senior events. You are pretty much stuck at the top of the pyramid with only a select few and that would be a huge step for me!

Good luck to everyone going to Lithuania and Camden.

U23 Trials

Wow that was an intense trip! I left last Thursday and finally came back tonight, it was a solid week of rowing and driving. I will shortly explain the trip. After arriving in Princeton, I was told that the course wouldn't open for practice until Sunday which was definitely not part of my plan so I made a few calls and was able to erg at the Upper Merion boathouse until then. When I finally got to Mercer Lake, I had to somewhat catch up on my rowing with a few extra meters. This was definitely one of the most frightening events I've attended since I had no idea what everyone was capable of and where I stood since I've only been in the single for about 2 weeks now. Tuesday morning's time trial came around and I was restless. I raced the lonely race as best as I could, and with a little bit of luck, slipped my way into the final. That was my first goal so I was happy, but my lower back started to hurt a lot as I started to recover from the race. I think I ended up stretching a little too much because of being so nervous. With a few baths and a massage, I was back to normal. Making it to the final eased my mind because I had nothing to lose and I had done the work to be there. The final was very quiet and nerve-racking. Off the line, all four boats were quick but after about 500m the others were gone and all I could do was race third place. I had told myself to execute the first half as planned and the rest was improvisation. My moves worked well, and I was able to finish third but was never able to catch the leaders. The winner definitely deserved it since he took an entire year off to focus on the single. This was a bitter sweet moment because I was content with my race but it was definitely not fun watching the winners get their USA gear. I got to meet a lot of new people and got to see old friends too. Now I have a few days at home until we get to return to the Garden State for Club Nationals where I'll be racing the Intermediate 1x and 2x, but also the Senior 1x. 

If you have time, please check out UVA's Jonathan Furlong's new blog on his way to worlds in Lithuania. http://www.findingspeedlosingweight.blogspot.com/

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!