Back on the water at home!

Wow, so right now I’m listening to a mix on bpm (Sirius Satellite music) and it’s AMAZING!  Just puts the biggest smile on my face and makes me want to dance, haha.  Yes, dancing in the living room is TOTALLY normal, you know you do it too;)

I won’t lie, sometimes it’s hard to erg when there’s music on because…well let’s face it…I went to an Arts school growing up and so I just want to get up and jam it out.

No dancing was done last week though – a lot of focus was put on just trying to survive the week.  It was end of quarter at work, and so without fail it was a busy time with high pressure (I work best under pressure I’ve learned, so I welcomed it…and of course my team did amazing and so I am truly proud of the contributions they made and continue to make for the organization).  And the fact that I work for a Breast Health company hits closer to home now more than ever, and so I am really dedicated to raising awareness for earlier breast cancer screening.  Speaking of which, on the personal side, more progress has been made with my mom with respect to “next steps”, so in a couple of weeks we’ll prepare for her treatment (attack it like a pro!).  And finally with training, it was the last week to complete the erg tests, so those were all submitted and the results are what they are.  Actually, before one of the 2km erg tests I did, I drank an espresso (I rarely drink coffee and so this was somewhat new).  It made no different to my performance, but it did affect my energy after the test (I probably timed it wrong).  I was WIRED until about 3am!  So I took advantage of these many extra hours added to my life, and I did some work, made some food for the next day, and also did some surfing on 2km erg performances.  I came across the following blog: http://megankalmoe.com/.  Megan went to the 2008 Olympics and is now on a mission to make the 2012 team.  She wrote about the 2km test she had to do recently and she wrote this:

With very little speed work under my belt for this season so far, it was anyone’s best guess as to how my body would handle rating above a 30 on the erg for a full 2k.  I wasn’t sure how my lungs would feel.  Or my legs.  But as it turns out, my body hadn’t forgotten how to pull a 2k, and all the training I’ve been doing over the past 10 years has prepared me to perform even in situations where I’m not “up to speed” or “rested” or “possessing any awareness of what my 2k split should be”.

Unlike Megan, I couldn’t hit stroke rate 30 for the entire 2km, but like Megan, I am confident that I am in the right place to now start building on stroke rate and on water boat speed.  So my take away is to stay focused even though there may be some bumps in the road...there is a purpose in everything that you do.

With all that said, I am really happy to now be on the water.  It’s really hard to focus on anything BUT rowing when I’m on the water.  My mind is concerned about getting my blade work clean, sitting up tall, driving with my legs (not the back:S), and more.  Never a dull moment!  And this focus actually helps me because when I'm off the water I can give more in the other areas of my life since my mind/heart is refreshed, so in some way it’s kind of like a therapy.  And of course the week we are back on the water is the same week when the weather gets colder!  Seriously mother nature?!  I guess it’s fair, considering it’s MARCH.  Just makes getting dressed more fun…LAYERS!

My husband is the biggest fan of this image above…J.

So before I leave you for today I have to tell you a story that made me laugh…and feel old!  As you may remember, I went to a training camp down In Georgia recently where I was with a number of high school kids.  On numerous occasions I was asked if I was a coach…but the comment that stood out the most was this comment (said after I told this boy that I was in fact a rower and if he could guess how old I was):

“You are probably in your victory lap of high school right?”…oh to be that young again would be amazing, haha.

That’s all for now…back to dancing!

Let the RADAR tests begin!

This week is testing week, and as you may recall from previous blogs, athletes who are aiming for the National Team need to submit various erg results to be considered.  Right now my main goal is to make the lightweight crew that will be going to Bulgaria for the Non-Olympic World Championships this summer.  So the tests we have to do on the erg are: 1minute, power test, 2km, 6km and 60 minute.  Later in April we’ll do an on-water time trial and race.  After my trip to Georgia, I am more than excited to race on the water, although I’ll need to work on bringing up my stroke rate to higher than 22J.

So far I have done the power test, 60 minute and 2km tests – although I will be re-doing the 2km on Monday to see if I can pull something out that’s a lot more representative of the hard training I’ve been doing all winter.  Right now at this stage in my training, I have accomplished what my seasonal goal was – to gain more power (ROAR...calm down Laura).  I saw this in both my 60 minute test and my power test.  For power I am finally over 500 watts! It took me a while, but it was well worth the wait.  It’s crazy because the heavyweight guys on the National Team can pull up to 1000 watts on the erg!!  No joke, they are machines.  The 2km and 6km for me have shown to be the most challenging.  I am not comfortable right now at stroke rates above 22 (which is NOT a racing rate), and it would be crazy for me to do my 2km and 6km tests at this stroke rate.  And aside from dealing with speed challenges, I have been trying to get through this week emotionally.

On Monday my mom had a very successful surgery to remove the cancer.  The drugs had a strong affect on her, but she pulled in her amazing visualization skills and helped herself recover very quickly.  Each day I am learning something new from my mom!

Again she puts everything in perspective for me, but nonetheless, I personally have not been myself during this week.  I’ve fought myself mentally during tests, and it’s evident that that is no way to perform at your peak.  It’s important to have your mind, body and spirit all aligned so that you can truly perform at your best – whether it’s in sport, work, or life in general.

All week I’ve been trying to use mental tricks to get me through, such as using colours/words to represent certain cues, wearing new gear to help me feel fast (below is an image of my new pink pair of kicks), and imagining myself as one of the top and strongest rowers in the world (in my mind I am 6 feet tall and look like a terminatorJ, haha)…and although I had good intentions with this, it didn’t work. 

 New shoes on the left...stinky (STINKY!!!) shoes on the right

So today I set no expectations for myself, wore my regular old smelly training gear (and STINKY shoes), and at the last minute said I’d treat today as a workout: do 2x2km – 250m at race pace, then the middle 1500m at SR28, and then the last 250m as a sprint again.  This was just to trick my mind and force me to go at it like a workout.  I never grunt as much as I do in a workout, so I thought this might work.  In the end, I only ended up doing one 2km because the result was decent enough to submit.  It’s not ideal or what I know I am capable of doing, but it’s moving in the right direction, and right now, I need to take anything that is positive to help get me to the finish line.  Nobody said sport was easy, and rowing is definitely the toughest sport I have ever done, by far!

These tests will pretty much end the winter season, so no more ergL…J.

And although I had quite a great relationship with the erg over the winter (my husband may have been a little jealous), I know that all good things must come to an end.

4 more days left of testing on the erg, and then into a rowing shell I go!

All the best to everyone who is testing,

Laura

Some pics from Training Camp in Georgia

So I'm on my way back home on a bus with my club teammates and another 40+ high school rowers...and well...we experienced some technical difficulties:S

I figured that since I have some time right now in this parking lot with my computer(while the bus gets it's tire fixed), I could post some pictures of the beautiful lake and view I had this past week in Georgia.  I'll see if I can post some pics later of some rowing.

Wish us luck - we had a great time but want to come home!

The view from our porch (Serena and I slept out here on our last night)

My AMAZING cabin-mates

Stani and me posing by the Lake

Does anyone want some exfoliation?:)

Happy Training

Fear of the unknown

I have faced quite a bit of fear in the past couple of weeks, but I have now seen the lightJ.

The first fear came from the word “cancer”.  Cancer in itself is a scary word, and has a very negative tone.  So when I recently learned that my loving and beautiful mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, I got very scared.  As I’ve mentioned before, I work for a breast health company (developing and selling products dedicated to screening and diagnosing breast cancer)…but never did I think that breast cancer would become so personal for me.  At first we were all scared, but that quickly turned into calmness as we learned that my mom was very lucky to have caught it early!!  I can say that my juice combinations have come in quite handy right now as my mom is drinking quite a lot of juice with beets, peaches, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, carrots, and more!

Her health is now our primary focus, and of course her primary focus I still the family’s health, but I think now she’s going to start to take care of herself tooJ.  She is my biggest role model, and her strength through this has only strengthened her role as such in my eyes!

All while this was unfolding, I was starting to approach my erg tests for rowing.  Needless to say, I was not focused.  Fortunately I still have time to do them once I get back from training camp here in Georgia.  However, before I left, I sat down on the erg and warmed up for 10 minutes before attempting my 2km test.  After the warm up, I sat up, packed my things and went home.  With all the things going on around me, I thought I wasn’t ready for it.  But truthfully, it was just that I was scared.  I was afraid of the unknown and afraid of what I might end with (disappointment).  How can I be scared of the erg, especially when my mom is showing me just how strong she is…with cancer!

While here in Georgia I’ve done quite a bit of thinking, and yesterday while overlooking the beautiful lake, I had an “aha” moment:  It is important to take things one day at a time (or one stroke at a time in the case of rowing) and rather than fear the unknown, I need to be prepared to embrace the good that comes, and be ready to stay strong through the challenges that come. 

Although I am miles, and miles, and miles, and miles away from home, my positive energy and prayers are with my mom and family back home.  It is nice to hear that she is making delicious juices and meals for herself, without my having to be thereJ.

Since I’m away, I truly need to make the most of each day I’m here at training camp.  We are definitely doing that with 2 rows every day, a 12km run or walk, and lots of eating!  Today I did 3 x 2km at various rates, and well…all I have to say is that my winter training is coming in quite handyJ.  At stroke rate 26 I am rowing as fast as I did last year at stroke rate 30.  So rather than rushing to stroke rate 30…I’m going to take it one day at a time…

Have a great week!

On the road to hitting targets

What a rush!!  Another VHARD workout attacked today, and it was no other than my favourite pyramid piece….two of them actually (although my first one was the real workout, ha!).

When I first did the pyramid back in the fall, my teammates and I started at stroke rate 12 (working up to 20 and back down).   After building up our strength, we got to a point where we could hold our target watts…120W, 140W, 160, 180, 200, etc.  Since then, the stroke rates have increased, and we are now starting at SR18.

Today I surprised myself and almost hit all of my watts…at these higher stroke rates (woot woot!).  This means that eventually I should be able to hold my 2km personal best at stroke rate 26-27!  Not yet, but on my wayJ.

So now we’re doing this pyramid with SR 18/20/22/24/26/24/22/20/18, and I am holding 250W at SR26 as my peak..10W to get to 260W!  So close!!!

It’s helpful to remember that as athletes we will not always see results from our hard work right away.  It takes time to build power, build endurance, build confidence, etc.  I feel I’m constantly learning and growing as an athlete, and days like today are very encouraging.

Do you see the value in each of your workouts?  Make a point to find the “purpose” in your workouts and know that every stroke, every day, every week of training is contributing to a bigger result.

Today RADAR begins (RADAR is the testing rowers need to do for National Team consideration).

So I expect that before I leave for training camp next Thursday, I’ll be doing a fun 2km test (hopefully I’ll be in the company of some great teammates doing just the same!).  I hope we’ll be at a stroke rate higher than 26 thoughJ.

Happy Training!

ps.  Here's a delicious healthy pancake recipe that you can try at home (thanks Katie Sauks for getting me on this, yum!)

-          1 mashed banana

-          2 eggs

-          3 handfuls of oatmeal

-          1 tablespoon maple syrup

-          1 teaspoon cinnamon

-          Optional: chocolate chips, blueberries, anything else you like

-          Combine ingredients and fry as pancakes in a pan