World Cup Prep

Post # 136

Since our NSR 2 victory a month ago, Kate and I have been training in California to get ready for the World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland. We've gotten in some solid weeks of work here and it's been a lot of fun to start fine tuning this double. We're leaving this week and will be training and adjusting overseas before we hit the starting line of the World Cup for our international debut as a LW2x.

Training in Oakland 

Lucerne is a magical place. It ranks high, if not the highest, on my list of favorite places to race. How can it not be when there's flat water, fast and exciting racing, rolling hills, and clanging cowbells - all set in a quaint, historic city with towering mountains as the backdrop? (Oh, and I think there's something about the Swiss and their chocolate...) There's no denying that I'm excited to be going back.

Lucerne from a castle

We'll be racing July 12-14, and there will be much more info to come as we get closer. In the mean time, check out this brand new organization: US Lightweight Rowing Association. It was created to help support lightweights in the US, both in development and on the elite level. What they're doing is already pretty exciting and I have no doubt we'll be seeing some great stuff from them in the future. So if you like lightweights and you like rowing, you should probably "like"the USLRA on Facebook. 

Go USA!

What Does a Crazy Person Look Like?

Post # 135

Like this. 

(The guy on the right...come on now)

This week, I had the pleasure of meeting Scott Jurek at an event hosted by Clif Bar. For those of you that don't know, Scott is the best ultramarathon runner this country has ever seen. He is the owner of seven consecutive Western States 100 titles (yes, that's running one hundred miles as part of a race) and has twice won the Badwater Ultramarathon, dubbed the world's toughest foot race (it's a 135-mile race in Death Valley...enough said). He's also a vegan and author of Eat and Run, which I read earlier this year and definitely recommend.

Why someone would have the desire to run that many miles at one time is beyond me, and that's precisely why Scott draws such a huge following and packed the house at this event. It was fascinating to hear him talk about his experiences and how he came to do what he does. His message was one I really believe in: you won't know if you're able to achieve something until you get out there and try it. Whether your goals are large or small, it's important to keep pushing past your comfort zone because what you'll discover can be pretty amazing. Despite all of his success and fame, Scott is a humble, down-to-earth guy and it was an honor to meet him. 

On the rowing front, Kate and I are grinding day in and day out in preparation for the Lucerne World Cup in July. It's been so great to have Kate out here to train with. Stay tuned for more to come on Lucerne. 

Training shot from this week. Photo by Jeremy Ivey. 

National Championships

Post # 134

Today was finals day for the collegiate national championship. It's only held on the west coast once every four years and lucky for me, this was one of those years. It wasn't a big training day, so my Wisco alum friends and I went up to Sacramento to cheer on the Badgers. On the way up, we got word that the Cal women's team (that Julie and I trained alongside last year) won the heavyweight national championship in Indianapolis! It was a really tight race and they pulled out a win. After hearing about that, I knew it was going to be a good day.

Once we got to Sacramento, we got to cheer on the Wisconsin boats as they charged down the course. The lightweights did a great job. They earned a bronze medal in the 8 and a repeat gold in the 4. Really cool to see them getting themselves slowly back to the top.

Back at home, my time with the kids at Artemis wrapped up at the end of the spring season. They're starting their summer season, but I'm taking time to train "for real" instead of coaching, which means I'm putting more hours of my day into training and the much needed rest/recovery that goes along with it.  I'm still involved with the program - I was at a local high school with the other coaches last week to teach kids some rowing basics and try to get them to come give it a shot - but not nearly as much as I was before. It feels strangely empty not seeing the kids and being around their ridiculously funny antics on a daily basis. I'm training at a boathouse right down the waterway from them though, so there have already been a couple times that I'll be tackling a long workout on the bike and will see them rowing by. I of course have to pause my timer for a moment, run out onto the balcony, and cheer wildly for them as they go by. Looking forward to stopping by for a longer visit one of these days.

NSR 2 Win

Post # 133

With a time of 7:12.31, we won the final of NSR2 yesterday! We were able to lead wire-to-wire and are pleased with how we executed our race plan. Also in action were the men's and women's heavyweight pairs, heavyweight doubles, and men's lightweight pairs and doubles. The complete recap of the event is in USRowing's post-race press release/interviews and a complete photo gallery of the finals on row2k.

This win means we'll be representing the US at a World Cup regatta later this summer. The first one is on the Olympic course in London in late June and the second one is in Switzerland in July. More to come as we figure it all out from here. Thanks for following along and cheering us on!

Excitement after crossing the finish line 

Credit: Row2k.com

NSR 2: Day 1

Post # 132

Princeton, New Jersey - Just a quick update as day 1 of National Selection Regatta 2 is now in the books.  We're off to a good start with a win in the time trial (we're listed under USRowing Training Center - OKC A even though we're a "composite" boat).  Here's some video from the time trial - you can find us at the 8:32 mark.

Next up: the final on Saturday. Winner qualifies to represent the USA at World Cups. We'll be in lane 4 at 8:10 am eastern. Watch live here! Coverage for all the events starts at 7:30 am. 

Coast Hopping

Post # 131

Last weekend wrapped up the spring season for Artemis Rowing, and the kids did great. The theme of the weekend? Artemis athletes going out, racing the big dogs, putting an awesome effort into each stroke, and hanging with kids who were, often times, much bigger and older than them. As coaches, we couldn't help but be excited with every race that came down, not only for this year, but for years to come. These guys are just getting started, and they're going to improve so much with every practice and every race. Our boys' freshman 8 placed out of 7th out of 20 time-wise in the heats, and most of those kids are in 8th grade! Can't wait to see what they can do this fall and especially next spring with a whole extra year of rowing under their belts.

The team has also grown a ton since the start of the fall season. We are always trying to get the kids of Oakland out on the water with us, regardless of age, athletic experience, financial situation, or anything other factor. We just want them to learn how great this sport can be and how much you can learn from being on a fun, supportive team. This was our team photo on Sunday afternoon. Look how many there are now!

In the spirit of my annual spring coast hopping (I've now alternated coasts each weekend for the past four weeks), I am back in New Jersey prepping for National Selection Regatta 2. Unlike the race two weeks ago, this one is going to be in doubles and it means a lot more for selection. The double that wins this race gets to represent the USA at a World Cup regatta in London or Switzerland. There are 3 World Cups every summer that happen before the big show: the World Championships. World Cups are a chance to line up against a bunch of other countries in your event and see where you stand.

But back to NSR 2, which is going down this week. I'm racing with Kate Bertko, who won NSR 1. Here's the schedule:

Thursday - 8:30 am Time Trial
Friday - off
Saturday morning - Final

Results and Info posted here.

This morning's practice

(c) Erik Dresser / Row2k

NSR 1 Wrap-Up & Southwest Regionals

Post # 130

I'm back in California after a busy week of racing at the NSR. I came away with a second place finish in the final, which I'm happy with. Kate Bertko, the winner, blew us all away with her speed this week. She's new to lightweight rowing, though not at all new to the elite rowing scene; she's been racing as a heavyweight sculler for Team USA for the past five years and just made the switch to lightweight this year. All credit to her for that race. She did awesome.

This week is another busy one, this time on the Artemis Rowing front. We're leaving for the Southwest Regional Championships on Friday. We'll be facing 32 other clubs from the southwest quarter of the country for a regional ranking and the opportunity to qualify for the national championship. The team can hardly contain their excitement; everyone was running around with so much energy as we loaded up the trailer with boats and equipment last night. I'm super excited for all of them too. They've worked so hard this year and they get to see all of their hard work pay off in the next few days.

Boys' lightweight four practicing on the estuary

NSR 1: Day 2

Post # 129

Princeton, New Jersey - With wins in the heat yesterday and the semifinal today, I'm off to the A final tomorrow here at the USRowing National Selection Regatta. USRowing recapped all of the events and is also providing live streaming for tomorrow's finals. My race is at 8:10 am, which is at (oof) 5:10 am in California. Here we go!

Big props to Row2k for these pictures.

NSR 1: Day 1

Post # 128

Princeton, New Jersey - Racing is underway here at NSR 1. We raced the time trial this morning and are now seeded into heats, which will be run this evening. My heat is at 6:50 pm. Here is the schedule and progression:

Today at 6:42, 6:50, and 6:58 pm: Heats (top 4 to Friday semifinals, rest to C final)

Friday at 7:48 and 7:56 am: Semifinals (top 3 to A final, rest to B final)
Friday at 8:28 am: C Final

Saturday at 7:52 am: B Final
Saturday at 8:10 am: A Final

More information, including results and how to watch the live streaming, can be found HERE.

Go CRC, go USA!

Wouldn't be a spring NSR without choppy water! Racing this morning in the time trial. (Photo: Row2k) 

Launching for practice yesterday afternoon. (Photo: CRC) 

National Selection Regatta #1

Post # 127

This year has been different in many ways. Coming off the Olympics last summer, I really had no idea how it would shape up. I didn't know if I'd want to row anymore and if I did, how often I'd want to be out there. I also wondered whether I'd find the same passion for it that I'd had before or just feel burned out on it all. For the first year in my 13-year rowing career, I've had a chance to step back, train less, and finally take a deep breath (not literally speaking, of course). I took things easier than normal (which is all relative) but I left my options open so that if I wanted to race. Slowly, over the course of the year, I realized that I can't not race. I love to have a goal and train hard for it. That's why in the fall, it wasn't hard to "convince" me to race at the Head of the Charles - it in fact took very little egging me on. And it's also how the National Selection Regatta (NSR) 1 entry list ended up having my name on it.

This first NSR of the spring starts on Thursday in Princeton, New Jersey and for the lightweight women, it serves to show us where we stand compared to each other. We all train in different locations - there are entries from southern CA, northern CA, Seattle, Oklahoma, Philly, Boston, and more - so we meet up at this first race to get an idea of our rank.

USRowing's preliminary schedule for the lightweight women is as follows:
Thursday morning: time trial (to seed the heats)
Thursday evening: heats
Friday morning: semifinals
Saturday morning: finals

One very exciting update from the past two weeks is that I got a new boat! It's made by Hudson Boat Works and it is gorgeous. Julie and I have trained and raced in a Hudson double for the past two years, so it's great for me to be able to rep them in the single as well. Unzipping the cover on a brand new boat isn't something you get to do a lot of times in your life, and you feel just like a kid on Christmas morning. I got to see it for the first time on a Monday morning, and it totally made my week.

As usual, I'll be keeping the blog updated throughout the racing. Until then, here are a few photos of training over the past week or so: