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!
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