60 minutes, not 59 minutes and 59 seconds

Merry Christmas!

What a rush of activities, and as always, it was so great to relax and enjoy quality time with family.  It was especially nice to watch the kids (my nephew and three nieces) get excited on Christmas Eve when they saw Santa – yes, THE SantaJ.

Leading into the Christmas week-end, I had a great workout with Kathleen and Jackie (Jackie is a Canadian lightweight rower who is training out in Europe to represent Poland at the upcoming World Championships, and hopefully Olympics!).  Of course having the three of us side by side during a 60 minute piece brought some added competition to the workout – the 60 minute piece consistent of various rate changes in between and split goals to hit at each rate.  Overall, I think we all did pretty well: I held 2:04.7/500m for the 60minute at stroke rate 19.  This result helped boost my confidence a bit since a month ago I did 2:03.5/500m for 60min at stroke rate 22 (and that was a personal best). 

We were lucky to have some rate changes during the 60 minute piece to help keep it interesting, but regardless, it was still a little tempting to take a small rest as boredom set in – but we didn’t, and we are better off for not having done so.  Each day counts, so while in Dominican I will try to keep focused on that and motivated to get through my workouts alone, with the temptation of the beach just next door:S).

Speaking of boredom, I had a very funny comment from my nephew over the week-end.  I recorded myself playing the piano again, but this time it was for my parents.  Since I was the one to introduce the piano to my nephew (I started teaching him when he was 4), I wanted to show him the video.  The first thing he said was “you look so bored!”.  I couldn’t help but laugh, but he actually was kind of right!  I wasn’t bored, but I think I look it because I played this just after having done the 60 minute piece, followed by weights, and I had only a small window to record the video – so I was probably not as enthusiastic as I could have been.  Plus, this specific song is a Sonata that is made up of about 5 full length pieces (it is about a 25 minute song when played in full).

In any event, the comment made me think of the 60 minute piece.

Whether you are doing a long workout or a long performance, it is important to stay focused and know that the end result is what counts.  You may not get immediate satisfaction from the results performed that day, but it will pay off eventually and you just need to believe that with every practice, you are improving.  So if you have a 60 minute run/erg/bike, then do 60 minutes (not 59).

Even with piano, I have only been playing randomly for about 1-3 hours a week, but already my hands are starting to get more comfortable again on the keys.

Put in the work and it will pay off!

Enjoy this week and close out 2011 with a bang:D

(Below is the song I recorded for my parents - it’s 10 minutes long, so you may come to understand why I looked bored, but know that I really wasn’tJ):

Thankful for so much

With the holidays just around the corner, there are a number of parties going on (for work and friends): you drink, eat a lot, and have great times spent with family and friends.  For me, Christmas has been about spending time with them while also slowing down to appreciate even the smallest of things I am fortunate to have.  I think it’s easy to get caught up in the craziness of shopping for presents, and wanting this or that.  Some of us are lucky to be able to ask for things we “want”, while others are simply asking for things they “need”. If you have a chance, really look at yourself in the mirror to ask if you are one of the fortunate.  If you are, is there anything you can do during the holidays to give to those who aren’t as fortunate?  At work we are donating toys and food, and one of my friends held a charity night where everyone brought a new toy to donate to a kids charity.

I would like to be able to give back more to the community.  I am aware that I don’t do enough now, but that can change.  And this “giving” back will hopefully be all year round, not just for the holidays or after a natural disaster. I have a friend, Jackie Halko, who has lived in Poland for the past year as a member of “Athletes In Action”.  While involved with this organization, she has also had the opportunity to row for the Polish National Team.  As a role model it is really good to build your credibility as an athlete so that the younger generation of athletes you are helping can have a goal, believe and achieve just like you.  Jackie is a great example of this.

As I look more internally, I assess what my driver is with rowing.  At first I jumped to the conclusion that it was more selfish than anything else – think about it, I am choosing to spend time away from family/friends so that I can do something for me (twice a day, 6 days a week) with a goal of finding out how good I can be at something.  While that still holds true (“to be the best that I can be”), I know that my ultimate goal with rowing is to have the opportunity to build my credibility as an athlete so that I can give back to my community in a bigger way – specifically I want to be able to reach out to young female athletes.  I had some challenging times as an athlete when I was younger, and I see it much too often with others too (young and old).  At one of the Christmas gatherings, I learned about an amazing organization that is giving back now and making a difference.  It’s called “StepStones for Youth” – it’s a charitable organization run by two people who work endlessly to offer programs to children and young adults who are considered vulnerable or at-risk within their community.

Again, I feel it is important to slow down and really appreciate how lucky I am and be thankful for the opportunities I have been given.  Never take anything for granted.

So on my mission to build my credibility, I am continuing to work hard in the erg/weight room.  Over the week-end, between the ridiculous amounts of cookie eating, I did trainJ.  I actually had some of the best training sessions to date.  I was fortunate to be with my teammates, Kathleen and Claire.  I’d like to say that we destroyed the ergs, but part way through some of the pieces I felt like I was getting destroyed pretty bad myself, ha!  The one piece I am most proud of this week-end is the 2 x 3000m workout.  I was able to hold sub 2:00 / 500m at a stroke rate 20.  My second one ended up being faster than my first, so I am seeing more consistency and endurance coming into play now.  This is now the last week before I head off to the Dominican (this time I can check off “personal” instead of “business” on my customs formJ).  I am hoping to get the chance to train on an erg while I’m there, but if I don’t, then trust me I will entertain you with a very interesting way of erging with a rolling seat and bands!

Happy Monday!

Analyzing behavior (behaviour)

I just got back from Indianapolis for work, and as always, it was a very productive trip.  The purpose of this trip was to bring my whole team together to talk about our goals for the next fiscal year.  We had a guest speaker come in to review and discuss something called the DISC report – it’s an in-depth personal behavior assessment: D = Dominance, I – Influence, S = Steadiness, and C = Conscientiousness.

In general, everybody has some percent of D, I, S or C.  It was interesting to read through my results as they were very close to how I actually behave.  DISC can help a team become more aware of their similarities or differences, and learn how to be more productive when working with one another.

I can see how this kind of report can be beneficial for rowing crews as well.  Right now I am rowing in a single scull, but having rowed in crew boats for 5 years (8+, 4+, 4x, etc) I can see how it can be helpful if everyone (including the coach) understands how each individual behaves.  I would guess that there would be many Ds and Is in a rowing crew (highly competitive individuals who strive for results), but it would be important to see if there are Ss and Cs in the group too.  Would coaching strategy change if you knew what types of athletes you had?  Maybe they do these kinds of reports on athletes at the elite level – I don’t imagine it being harmful if you had this information handy.

I could go ahead and tell you what my report looks like, but I’m sure you could guess on your own.  It really was scary how accurate they were:S  Being “aware” of a behavior (unfavorable) is the start to being able to change so that you can have a favorable behavior. 

On another note, when traveling to Indianapolis I officially claim to have trouble getting up in the morning!  The bed at the hotel is SO comfortable that I can’t get myself to get out unless I absolutely need to.  So, that will be something I need to work on – training myself to get out of really comfortable hotel bedsJ.

No more hotel training for a while, back to the erg in my living room or at the rowing club!

This is what training feels like..

Yesterday I attempted to train and I was able to get through half of my workout – moving in the right direction.  Many people have pets, and as a pet owner you really come to feel that your pet is not just an animal, but rather, they are a part of your family.  And for anyone, it is hard to lose a family member.

After 17 years of being in a routine, it’s hard to just fall into a new one.  For example, I don’t come home at lunch or after work anymore to take Waggs out.  That part of my routine has changed and will take some getting used to.

I’m going to start to turn my training around.  As I mentioned in the Tribute, Waggs loved to lick my sweat after workouts (ewww, haha), so to get myself moving again and focused on preparing for the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships in February, I’m going to try and sweat as much as I can in every workoutJ.

This somewhat came into effect today as I got my heart rate up doing weights with my teammate Kathleen.  She kept me smiling and laughing the whole time with her energy, it was really nice – thanks Kathleen!   We did a heavy weights circuit, and since I haven’t done weights since Saturday, my muscles were struggling, ha!  Usually the next day after doing a new set of weights, people feel like their muscles are HUGE (you feel like you look like the Hulk!).  I am already feeling this, and it’s only been an hour after the workout – I feel like my little biceps are POPPING out (I wish)J.  Often people feel this with their quads after doing squats…walking down stairs can be brutal, not sure whether going up the stairs is easier or harder than going down (you know what I’m talking about).

In any event, this feeling means I’m still in the game and I am on the road to getting back into my training routine.

Taking it a day at a timeJ

Night

Tribute to my baby girl, Waggs.

Today I held one of my bestest friends of 17 years, and said good-bye!

Back in 1994 I was blessed with a new family member, best friend and protector.  Her name was Waggs.  I fell in love with her at a family friend’s cottage when she was just 2 weeks old – our family friend used to take care of dogs until they were old enough to be adopted.  I found out how much it would be to buy her from the humane society, so I worked hard washing cars and selling lemonade to save enough money to buy her, and I did!

She has been with me through elementary school, high school, university and adulthood.  When she was younger, she would bark with so much power that outsiders thought she was a big dog.  But Waggs was small, no more than 12 pounds.  She was an adorable yet interesting looking little mutt – a mix between schnauzer, poodle and fox terrier, with solid black hair and a stripe of white down her chest.  And although her hair turned to grey as she aged, strangers would still think that she was a puppy because of her energy and puppy-like looks (up until just a few months ago).

Waggs got her name for a reason (it has the double “g” because I was 10 when she was named and I couldn’t spell all that perfectly:S).  She got the name because she was ALWAYS wagging her tail – it acted like a mini air conditioner in the summer.  It was a powerful tail, and long enough to whip you if you weren’t too careful.  As a puppy she would think her tail was a toy (as most dog’s do), and she would chase it for hours – she would just be running in circles!

She had so many funny habits: circling around trying to gain momentum so that she could poop, again circling around before laying down in her bed, trying to make her many versions of beds as small as possible so that she could just lay on top of the mess, she would get her food from her bowl and then walk away to eat it in another location (always fun to clean up after her!), and she would also jump up to my waist every time I came home in hopes of jumping high enough to reach my face so that she could lick me…

#1 Fan

Back when I did Triathlons, Waggs would hang back with my family and cry for the whole duration of my race (which could have taken several hours).  She would not let up until I was finished racing and went to see her – at which point she would try to lick every ounce of sweat off of me.

Partner in Crime

As a little kid, I would naturally get into petty arguments with my parents, and one time I threatened to run away with Waggs.  I put her leash on, walked out the front door, and then walked with her around the neighborhood – simply to find myself returning back home only because Waggs needed food and waterJ.

She “nose” bad people

She also had an amazing sense of people.  When I was younger and lived in a townhouse complex, there was a man she couldn’t stand – she would bark and bark and bark at him, pulling hard on the leash to have at him.  She didn’t do that with anyone else, unless she had the same feeling towards them.  Soon enough we found that same man leaving the complex in handcuffs.  Waggs could smell a bad person from a mile away!

Consoling

A while ago my dad had a mild car accident that in the end put him in the hospital.  Since it was “mild” in his view, he thought nothing of it and didn’t go to the hospital to get checked.  However, for weeks after the accident, Waggs sensed that something was wrong with my dad.  She wouldn’t leave his side and lay with him constantly.  It was her way of trying to console him as his internal system struggled – soon after, he was rushed to hospital and treated.  

All in all, Waggs was just filled with SO much love.  Her and I were incredibly close, and although she’s physically gone she will still be with me forever.  17 years is a long time – it equals 119 years in dog years!  She lived a very good and happy life, while making everyone around her either love her or question their love at times (she may have peed in a couple of places where she shouldn’t have:S).

We did almost everything together and she has been with me through the most adventurous times of my life.

She is missed and will always be, but her energy, love and spirit will live on!

Love you Waggs and may you rest in peace in doggy heaven. xoxoxo

Sweating for speed!

“Don’t feel entitled to anything you didn’t sweat and struggle for!” – Marian Wright Edelman

Sweat!

There was no shortage of that this week.  With the heavier training load, I sweat so much that I actually lost 2.5 lbs from one day to another.  However, that is NOT good!  Athletes need to make sure that they are refueling with food AND replenishing their electrolytes.  I usually drink an electrolyte drink during and after training, but clearly not enough during the week.  I learned quickly though and made sure to drink enough yesterday and today, as I had hard workouts back to back.

Yesterday I did a 30 minute piece at stroke rate 20.  This is a common “test” performed in Europe to see how athletes are improving with their endurance.  I didn’t go into it like a “test” but my end result was good.  It wasn’t a personal best for me, but I held on for every stroke, sweat for the final result which was only .9seconds off of my personal best.  Then today, my teammate Claire and I did weights, low rate erg pieces (focusing on power per stroke), and a second erg piece focused on high rate and intensity.  During the high rate pieces, we both thought we wouldn’t finish…but we weren’t ready to let eachother or ourselves down, so we sucked it up, pushed our legs down hard and fought until the end.

I sweat so much that my clothes were soaked – it puts a lot of demand on my laundry machine:S

I came across the following:

6 General Guidelines for Replenishment (these are not concrete and should be tailored for each athlete) – www.waterbenefitehealth.com
The following six guidelines are general recommendations for replenishing electrolytes in the body lost as a result of exercise:

1. In most cases, drinking mineral-rich water will be sufficient to maintain electrolyte balance when exercising moderately for less than 60 minutes.

2. When exercising for 60 minutes or more, drink at least 12 ounces of an electrolyte replacement drink (with added sodium and glucose) every half hour.

3. Also drink an electrolyte-replacement drink for high-intensity and hot-weather activities lasting more than 30 minutes.

4. Reduce your intake of sodium in general. This will actually increase your body’s ability to retain sodium during exercise.

5. Increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables daily to increase your potassium levels.

6. Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of mineral-rich water throughout the day for stay properly hydrated. For example, if you weigh 190 lbs, you would want to drink a minimum of 95 oz. (about 3 liters).

This tank top used to be light grey! This was from yesterday's workout.

Happy SweatingJ

No answers, but a good break!

Yesterday, my training was “revised” slightly as Andrew and I went to the hockey game: Toronto Maple Leafs vs Boston Bruins.  It was a great game, even though we lost 6-3 (boo!).  Of course I was on the edge of my seat cheering for the Leafs and booing the refs when they called out some pretty unfair penalties, but I was also very observant of the goalies and their focus – there is so much pressure on a goalie!  How do they recover after a goal?  What strategies do they have to get back in the game and think positively?  They must have their own cue words I’m sure of it.

The activities in the rink alone are a lot to manage against focus, but so are the activities outside of the rink.  Near the end of the game, fans started to leave.  Whether it’s because of traffic or the score, I can see how that can be distracting.  Do the athletes notice or are they so focused on what’s going on in the rink?

So many questions…and no answers!  But sometimes as a fan and athlete I guess it’s healthy to simply sit back, enjoy a game, and let others feel the pressure for a little bit.  I was back to my routine today and felt pressure from training and work, so the small break yesterday was good timing!  Goodness knows that tomorrow and Saturday's workouts will punish me enough:).

Some photos from the game:

"But the bed is more comfortable than pain!"

You are warm in your bed, with your body limp and heart beating at 39 beats per minute.  What could possibly make you get out of bed before sunrise (other than work)? For me, it’s pretty obvious… rowingJ.

However, it was incredibly tempting to get back into bed this morning, especially when my location for training was right next door in my living room!  So while my husband continued to sleep, I got up, ate some food and got started with my warm up.  My workout was going to take 2 hours in the morning, so I had to get up early enough so that I had time to get ready for work and then head out to the office.

I knew this was going to be a tough week.  When I got my workout schedule, I noticed that it was DOUBLE the volume of last week.  All the workouts I did last week that I thought were hard on their own (as just one set), were DOUBLED for this week.  So as an example, instead of just doing 1x30minute pyramid, I had to do 2 x 30minute pyramids.  One alone is incredibly intense with the splits I have to hold and at the low stroke rates, so to do two of them made me a little nervous. 

So this morning, my workout was as I expected: tough as nails!  I was halfway through my first one when my husband got up, and he saw that I was already drenched in my own sweat, grunting for every stroke to get the split I needed to hold.  Soon enough, the first set was done…then shortly after, I was off again to start my second set.  Although I didn’t hit my splits, I worked hard for every stroke and stayed true to what I could do (no letting up).  I was excited to have my cold smoothie when I finished, yumJ.

After work, I headed to the rowing club and did my 80 minutes of strength training and then 45 minutes of erging.  To put it simply – I am now wiped out and ready for bed!  That’s why I will have to be very aware of my food intake and sleep this week (aiming to get 8 hours a night – super excited!).

Since I was solo today in my training, I made sure I had my visualization poster and music handy.  I also focused a lot on motivational cues that would help me get through my workouts successfully.

Cues can come in the form of words, phrases, sounds and acronyms.  If you’re an athlete, you most likely have a number of cue words you use in your sport.

Here are some that I have come across:

-          I am strong (this is positive self talk)

-          I am committed to each stride (running), stroke (rowing), etc

-          Drive (common in rowing)

-          Sit up

-          Relax

You can probably find some songs that have great cue words in them too.  Below is an old dance song from the 90’s, as well as some of the lyrics that I focus in on:  “your body is moving you on” and “you know that you gotta go on”.

Night:)

Technique now, Power later.

Some friendly advice:

If you are a very active athlete (men included, but mostly for females), go get a blood test to make sure your iron levels are good.  I found out that the reason I have been so tired is because I have been anemic for the past couple of weeks (level of 4ng/ml).  A lot of athletic women are prone to this.  So just be aware of your body’s needsJ.

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/female-athletes-and-iron-deficiency-anaemia-752

That being said, today is the first day in a while that my energy has been normal and I’ve been able to get through a day without feeling completely exhausted.  It honestly feels like a new life has been given to me – thank you iron pillsJ.  I ended up having so much energy, that I did an hour run, did my erg workout, did a strength training session with my teammate Claire, AND went shopping for 2 hours:S  The last activity was a bit dangerous, but nevertheless…fun!

So today for my erg workout, I did a 3000m distance at stroke rate 20.  My average was 1:59.8/500m and I ended up negative splitting the piece which was nice to see for once.  It’s workouts like these where I see that I’m on the right path to pulling faster scores in the next round of erg testing.  It was a more technical erg, and I focused on keeping my shoulders down (not scrunching them up as I usually do when I get tired).  The technical part needs to be so good that when it comes to testing, one can just focus on pure power applicable and be strong enough to hold good technique for the duration of the test.   So this is why I’m putting such a huge emphasis on strength training and technique, and I know that this is not only for rowing, but can be instrumental for being a successful runner, cyclist, swimmer…and shopperJ.

Sometimes, just being incredibly strong (with terrible technique) can lead to winning races, but as a lightweight sculler, I have the same weight as my competitors, so technique does have more of an affect on how well I can perform.

I want to leave you with these videos that focus in on technique:

The rowing video above shows Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski (last names sounds familiar because she was married to my coach Bernhard) completely take control of the race after the first 500m.  Since her technique is flawless, she looks like she is easily rowing through her competition.

Sit up, relax, and GO!

Ping pong is NOT the same as Baseball!

That is pretty obvious isn’t it?!  Apparently not to me.

Today was a slower day at the office because of American Thanksgiving, so I actually had a few minutes to spare and took a break to play ping pong (we have a table in our cafeteria).  It was FUN!

But I am clearly not a racket player…I started by treating the ball like it was a baseball!  I’m surprised I didn’t take out my colleague’s eye, even though that could have helped me win (he crushed me all four roundsL).  Crush means the score was 21 (him) to 4 (me).  Even that score is probably being generous.

While playing, I got my adrenalin going, and I was moving left…then right…then back..then forward…then...AHH.  Start again!  It was really great, and not as easy as I assumed.  Never assume because it makes an “assume” out of “assume” and “assume”.

It reminded me of the awesome core workouts I was doing this week – balancing on a piece of thin wood while throwing a medicine ball back and forth with a teammate.  It wasn’t nice throwing, but rather it was aggressive throwing.  Every throw we would try to make the other person fall off their piece of wood.  Since this is an area that I have to develop, I pretty much fell off each time (but not for longJ).

Being able to react effectively in a sport is important: whether it’s ping pong, medicine ball throwing, running, or rowing.

Rowing is sport where I go from point A to point B, so why do I need to learn how to “react effectively”?

It’s because there are factors around me that I can’t control, and they may throw me off balance, challenge my technique, and affect my performance if I am not well equipped.  These factors include wind, waves, BUOYS (they need to be on the course, but it would be great if they could stay away from my oars!), and even rain (makes the handles a little slippery).

When rowing down a race course, I can’t control if there is a cross wind and it throws me off balance (forcing my oar to hit the water earlier than planned).  However, if I am able to maintain my strong rowing position, react with calmness and confidence, then I will win the point of that match – not the wind!

Today I didn’t win any matches, but tomorrow is a new dayJ 

Play Ball!

The beat that keeps me going

Toronto hasn’t been hit with snow (yet), but winter has started in other cities around Canada and people are starting to shovel their driveways!

What does this mean for most athletes (runners, cyclists, rowers)?  It means that cross training has begun!  For a rower, cross training is performed on the erg, tank or rowperfect.  But if you’re lucky, you can fly out to British Columbia to train on the water all year longJ. 

When training indoors, I’ve seen that it’s a common practice to listen to music.  Truthfully I don’t know how I would get through some of my long erg workouts (1 to 2 hour sessions at a time) without listening to music.  Everyone has different taste though, so I’m very lucky that my teammates and I can listen to the same type of music and feel energized by it.  In general, anything with a beat will keep my happy, but I do like it when it’s my specific taste in music.

Even when I used to train for triathlons, I would put my music on loud to help get me through my hours of training on the bike (set up indoors on a bike trainer).  Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated to train in the winter, especially in the evening because there is no sun shining through the windows and it’s already dark by the time I get home after work - I feel like I should be going to sleep already!

So my question today is…can music help performance?  I’ve never seen athletes use their ipod’s during competition. I can see how it can be distracting with breathing – I have developed cramps before from breathing to the rhythm of my music instead of the rhythm of my stroke:S  But it’s a common practice, - I do it, and I know others do it too.  So what are the effects?

I looked at some articles and found this:

-          According to an article from 2008 in the “The Time of London”, music can:

o   Distract an athlete from fatigue

o   Act as a mood altering catalyst

o   Synchronize an athlete’s rhythm

o   Act as a trigger for learning certain motions and aid with muscle memory

-          BBC News (Health) also covered this topic.  See link below (there’s also the image of a rowerJ):

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10767128

Here are songs that are found on my playlist:

Levels, by Avicci

C'Mon, by Tiesto ft Busta Rhymes

We're All No One, by Nervo ft Afrojack

Raise Your Weapon, by Deadmau5

So Sick, by Neyo (slower, but I like the beat)

I'm Sexy And I Know It, by LMFAO

We Found Love, Rhianna ft Calvin Harris

Calabria, by Enur ft Natasja

Happy Thanksgiving to those in the US

Well, today I found out that I will not be invited to the development camp or considered for provincial funding - my erg scores are not fast enough yet, regardless of how I did at Nationals and previous time trial regattas.

It is what it is, and I welcome the challenge to put in more quality work into my training so that I can really bring those erg scores down.  So far this week I have started to address this with some really great workouts: a mix of erg sessions and strength training exercises, plus Zumba as a new addition to my routine.  On the erg I am working on power per stroke, so I think this focus will help bring my erging confidence to the next level.

On another note, at work today I came across a number of colleagues who were taking off for the long week-end, since it's American Thanksgiving.  It made me realize that it's important to be thankful for what I have, not just when it's Thanksgiving, but everyday!  It is easy to get caught up in the craziness of life.  Step back for a second and look at your life.  Do you have anything to be thankful for?  I am thankful for so much, but most importantly I am thankful for having such an amazing family, group of friends and husband.  I am also thankful for the opportunities I have been given at work to build my career, and the time I have to row (my secret therapy, haha).

 

Take some time to think about what you're thankful for:)

Long week comes to an end.

Done!  5 erg tests completed. It was a tough week to get through but it is such a great feeling to be done.  I think I felt the pressure of work and training add up the most in this past week, and this is probably why I became so incredibly tired over the week-end…sleeping a lot more than usual and trying to conserve my energy by staying home and resting (sleeping) once I was back from an AMAZING trip to NiagaraJ.

I was reminded of a couple of really important things this week:

-          Warming up and warming down before/after a workout is very important (for example, a warm up can include some general cycling/erging/running, with some bursts of power movements and dynamic movements like squat jumps, carioca, inch warm and more)

-          Core strength is fundamental to proper technique (for various sports!).  I noticed this about myself and also had teammates tell me how terrible I looked when I erged:S  As I got tired, my body started to collapse and I wasn’t breathing efficiently or using my legs as well as I could.  So that’s why I’m excited to get started with this next phase of training.  No more weak core!

-          It is so incredibly hard to do a test on your own.  The mind is so powerful and if it’s not ready to do well, then it can get in the way of what your body wants to do, or CAN do! Having a teammate there to help keep rhythm with and remind you that yes “you can do this” goes a long way!

Today I did the 60 minute erg test at a stroke rate 22. I added the image of my results here (my results should be better) because it shows how much the mind and body can disagree, ha!

As you can see, I clearly went out to hard.  I started at a 2:00-2:01 split, when in fact this is my goal for the end of this year, not for now.  Because I went out harder than I should have, I started to struggle after only 20 minutes.  About 40 minutes into the test, I was ready to quit, and I did slow down significantly (I think I came to a short stop), but I kept going because my two amazing teammates (Kathleen and Claire) were both there with me pushing through the same pain and trying to get through this test.  I pushed my monitor back at this point so that the increasing numbers I was seeing in front of me were gone, and instead I could focus on feeling each stroke and rhythm with my teammates.  It helped a lot and surprisingly I was able to hold a better split without the monitor (reminded me again of the Death Crawl video). With pain and struggle comes grunting - something I’ve become well known for, haha.  For the entire second half, one of my teammates and I sounded like tennis players…grunting with passion and making funny faces.  I know I tend to scrunch my face so I’m working on relaxing those muscles. It’s not a time you try and look pretty, that’s for sure.

So the next race to prepare for is the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships in February.  This afternoon I met with my coach Stani and strength conditioning coach Rory to prepare.  Training for that shall begin tomorrow (after another long sleep)…welcome back to routineJ

Dealing with stress

This week has flown by. Perhaps because there's been one thing to do after the other!  I wouldn't have it any other way though:)

I had, and continue to have, these erg tests (all to be completed by this Sunday), and at work there's been a lot of prep for a big trade show coming up at the end of this month. It's the biggest Radiology trade show in North America, a really great environment to be in as some of the top and smartest Radiologists/Surgeons are there.

So needless to say, this has been a tough week to really put my energy into these tests.  Yesterday I did the 6000m test and got one score (which was a very slight personal best), and tried it again later in the evening around 6:45pm with my teammate Kathleen to see if I could go faster.  She is such one brave woman!!  She did the 6km test with me after only warming up for 5 minutes.  As much as I am not a fan of warming up, I definitely do not recommend this, but in our case we were limited with time as it was getting later and later in the evening, and I just wanted to get my second attempt over with!  In the end, the difference between both results was only 9 seconds, so that made me feel more positive about my fitness.  It is never easy to do a test, I always find myself closing my eyes and grunting by the second half.  But it's been easier to do tests and hard workout back to back since my recovery time has improved.  It's been great since I started drinking Shaklee Physique right after workouts (insert commercial right here, haha).  However if I want to get faster I'll need to really increase my strength, and no power drink can do that for me!  So on Sunday (once all these tests are done), I will begin with my new phase of weight training and keep you posted on progress.  Watch out, here comes the HulkJ.

But I do wonder, how do people cope with stress?  I know my schedule is quite packed, but there are so many people out there that juggle so much more!  It would be great if there was a magic pill (legal), but there isn’t.  I think it’s just important to be aware of your surroundings and know when you need to back off a bit.  I’m guilty of not always knowing when to back off, but I’m learning.

Here are some tricks I learned to decrease stress:

-          Do physical activity (boxing I’m sure would be great as an outlet for stress, but I chose to row)

-          When you feel anxious, rub your tummy in a circular motion (I see you all trying it…)

-          Listen to music you love, or in my case play the piano

-          Watch a comedy!  Laughter is one of the BEST ways to decrease stress!

So I wonder what I’m going to do to release some stress tonight….I’m going to go to NIAGARA with my mom and sister, and no doubt we will laugh a lot on our tripJ.  Spending time with them and getting out of the city will be a great way to clear the mind and relax before attempting my 2km erg test tomorrow afternoon:S  Wait!  What test do I speak of?  That’s right, I’m not going to think about it yet.  Going to relax and then focus on it (and rub my tummy) when the time comes tomorrow afternoon.

Here are a few facts about laughter and how it affects your health.  Good music too!

Until next time, relax, laugh and enjoy your Friday night…stress-free!

Rolling with the punches!

First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful and amazing sisterJ!

Now today’s theme: Rolling with the punches.

How do you respond to obstacles?  I have been working on trying to stay open minded and flexible, but it’s not always easy!  At work today I faced a common challenge of booking a flight for a higher price than it was just a few days back.  With my colleague we looked at our options, and by simply changing one travel time, we were able to find a flight that was the same as the original price (thank goodness!)J.  I know this isn't what we would generally consider an obstacle, but when you are working within a budget..it is!

In terms of rowing…I headed to the rowing club after work as usual, only to find out that the erg room door was locked and there was another team already waiting to use the limited ergs available for training!  Well at least I didn’t have to sit through too much traffic to get there:S

This is definitely a limiting factor!  I could either:

a)      Get frustrated and upset and not do my tests out of spite

b)      Find a local gym with ergs I could train out of (realistic option but I already spent money on membership for the current rowing club I train at)

c)       Return home, get some batteries for my personal erg machine, and start warming up to do my tests

I went with option (c): put on some great erg music and got started! 

However, I knew I could use some extra motivation before attempting these tests from home (in a small apartment with the temptation of a couch and tv right next me).  So before my warm up I searched for something I knew could help…my “Visualization Board".  I made this last year with my team at work – it was a team building activity.  As a team we shared our goals for 2011 and spent time making our own posters with images and words that would help us stay focused on successfully accomplishing these goals.

There's a show I find quite funny called “Happy Endings”, and there's one episode (Season 2, Episode 4, on CityTv) where they bring in the “Visualization Board" idea.  Although there is some (a lot!) influence from one character to try and make another's dreams come true, I still encourage you to make one.

It could include anything from personal goals to work goals, and even have images of what you are working towards in the short term to what you are working on in the long term.

Who knows, they may start coming true;)

(Below is an example from the internet, it's not mine)

Bring on the protein!

My high from Nationals has died down as reality kicks in and I have to complete a number of erg tests this week to be considered for provincial carding: 2000m, 6000m, 60 minute, 1 minute and peak power tests.  A lot of athletes will be working towards this, and so I can’t say “I’m tired!” as an excuse, because everyone probably is.

I am seeing that it is quite challenging for myself and friends of mine, local and abroad (Poland and Switzerland), to get that kick of motivation to perform, or get up in the morning to train when there is no team waiting on you.  I have a suggestion (I have started to do this, so maybe this will work for some of you as well)…you can do a workout and then take a picture of the monitor and send the results to a friend.  That way you are committing to yourself and them that you will do the workout, and you will push through the tough parts when you feel like quitting.  I did this in the fall with Kathleen and it definitely helped me.  I’m not brave enough to post those results on my blog yetJ.

But truthfully, I just want to get past this week.  I want to get back into my routine of training, work and life (I’m sure my husband wouldn’t mind having his wife back and less stressed too).

So I’m going to think forward a bit and get excited about what lies beyond these tests…

From now until May I need to put a serious focus and commitment into getting stronger.  Those top 3 Nationals girls are no doubt strong and fierce!  If I want to be even slightly competitive in April/May, I am going to need to increase my strength.  My first approach is going to be increasing my food intake by a significant amount.  During the fall I was training 2-3 times a day and burning about 2500 calories, and I was definitely not eating that much!  It’s a little hard to eat that much when I am working at a desk for 8 hours in an open-concept office – and trust me, I already embarrass myself with the tubs of food I keep at my desk to keep myself from going hungry as the day flies byJ. 

I was looking online to see how much lean muscle a woman can gain a month, and the answers vary quite a bit.  It may also be genetics.  I have had teammates do the same weight training program as me, yet gain muscle a lot faster.  So I’m going to try and see if eating more, with more protein, can make that difference for me that I am looking for.  Plus, changing up my weight training program will help.  It may take an extra 30 minutes in my day to prepare the food, but it’ll be well worth it in the end.

So I will leave you with this…a few recipes that are high in protein and thought of as great snack foods.  If you aren’t open to eating horse food, then don’t try theseJ:

Homemade Granola over Greek Yogurt

Rolled Oats

Almond Extract mixed with Maple Syrup or Honey

Cinnamon

Dried Cherries or Cranberries

Almond Slices and Sunflower Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds

Anything else you want to add

Bake in the oven at 250 for about 20 minutes, and then once cooled off, put over Greek Yogurt and enjoy!

Protein Shake

Protein powder (such as Shaklee Physique)

Almond or Peanut Butter

Banana

Chocolate Milk (or Soy Chocolate Milk), but it HAS to be Chocolate;)

Turkey Meat Balls

Ground Turkey

Small Apple slices

1 tablesoon Maple Syrup

Sea Salt

Enjoy!