June 19, 2006 - Done with Week 1
Looking ahead, it’s amazing how little time we really have before performing on rowing’s biggest stage. If I was feeling a bit unmotivated at the beginning of the week, those sentiments have been washed away by a flood of reality that tells me that I’ve got a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it in. Accordingly, I have had a very focused week of training.
At the completion of Week 1 of the National Team training program that Karen prescribed for us, I must say that the work outs have lived up to the Olympic hype. They have been, to say the least, challenging, but I have absolutely loved them. Pushing myself until my body is really exhausted and spent is one of the things that first attracted me to rowing. It’s very much a “mind over matter” kind of sport. To be doing tough training sessions with the added levels of accountability that I’ve picked up by making the National Team is really refreshing, even if tiring.
This week I had the added bonus of two nieces (ages 4 and 2) watching me work out. It was pretty funny to try to explain to them exactly what I was doing and, even more difficult, why I was doing it. My mother might have inadvertently given the most profound description of erging I’ve heard in a while in her discussion with the younger niece: “Look, he’s working pretty hard but he isn’t moving anywhere, is he?”
Now there’s something to ponder next time I am doing a long, steady-state row.
Overall, it has been a good week. Sunday I had to do a time trial and report my score to our coach and my team mates, and I felt really good about it (10 minutes, 22 SPM’s, 2,800 meters, 1:47.1 split for you rowers). In other good news, today my dad reported a lead on some prospective sponsors and, as icing on the cake, I spoke to Aerial on the phone tonight and she got me all pumped about the fun National Team gear we’ll get to sport for the games. Those of you who know me well know that I’m pretty much an equipment junkie, so I probably got more excited about the prospect of a National Team splash jacket than I should have.
Thanks again to all of you, the two Lindsay’s in particular, who have encouraged me this week with your letters and messages. They really mean a lot and keep me pumped. When I’m really tired and I want to cut work outs short or slack off, I put my friends in my mind and start dedicating strokes to each of you. It sounds pretty psychotic, I know, but it works for me. Thanks again.
At the completion of Week 1 of the National Team training program that Karen prescribed for us, I must say that the work outs have lived up to the Olympic hype. They have been, to say the least, challenging, but I have absolutely loved them. Pushing myself until my body is really exhausted and spent is one of the things that first attracted me to rowing. It’s very much a “mind over matter” kind of sport. To be doing tough training sessions with the added levels of accountability that I’ve picked up by making the National Team is really refreshing, even if tiring.
This week I had the added bonus of two nieces (ages 4 and 2) watching me work out. It was pretty funny to try to explain to them exactly what I was doing and, even more difficult, why I was doing it. My mother might have inadvertently given the most profound description of erging I’ve heard in a while in her discussion with the younger niece: “Look, he’s working pretty hard but he isn’t moving anywhere, is he?”
Now there’s something to ponder next time I am doing a long, steady-state row.
Overall, it has been a good week. Sunday I had to do a time trial and report my score to our coach and my team mates, and I felt really good about it (10 minutes, 22 SPM’s, 2,800 meters, 1:47.1 split for you rowers). In other good news, today my dad reported a lead on some prospective sponsors and, as icing on the cake, I spoke to Aerial on the phone tonight and she got me all pumped about the fun National Team gear we’ll get to sport for the games. Those of you who know me well know that I’m pretty much an equipment junkie, so I probably got more excited about the prospect of a National Team splash jacket than I should have.
Thanks again to all of you, the two Lindsay’s in particular, who have encouraged me this week with your letters and messages. They really mean a lot and keep me pumped. When I’m really tired and I want to cut work outs short or slack off, I put my friends in my mind and start dedicating strokes to each of you. It sounds pretty psychotic, I know, but it works for me. Thanks again.
posted by Jamie at 11:26 PM
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