Charles Gold

Post #69

Boston, Massachusetts - Sunday's race went well. I earned my second gold medal in the lightweight single at the Head of the Charles with a time of 19:54.

2009 and 2011!

In head races, boats start one after another and whoever completes the course in the fastest time wins. You're essentially racing the clock. They start each boat five or ten seconds apart so it's one long line of boats going down the course. I started sixth and I had to maneuver around a few people that I caught up to in order to pass them. I was a little nervous about how that would go; the tight turns and bridges on the Charles are notorious for causing collisions. But it all went smoothly with no penalties and no clashing oars.

My favorite part of the race had to be passing under the second bridge, where the Wisconsin lightweight 8 girls were standing. They were screaming for me so loudly that, even with the pain of racing, there was rumor that I broke a smile. Then coming through the fourth bridge, the Wisconsin alumni tent was roaring and I knew they had brats and beer in hand. Erik biked along most of the race, taking splits and cheering me on. I could hear my family around the big turn coming into the final stretch. The last part of the race was hard to remember but there was a lot of noise as I closed in on the finish line.

I was thrilled when I got back to the boat trailer and Erik and Heidi told me I had won. Then, only a couple hours later, Heidi and I watched the Wisconsin lightweight 8 race and got to deliver the news to them on the dock that they too had won. On top of that, the Wisco men's four had earned a gold medal earlier in the day. It was awesome. It reminded me of the National Championship in 2008 when the Wisco lightweight 8 and men's 8 won on the same day. Those days don't come often, but when they do, they are extra special.

National Champions 2008: Wisco men & lightweights

Head of the Charles

Post #68

Boston, Massachusetts - This weekend is Head of the Charles Regatta. It's said by many rowers to be the "most wonderful time of year," and I totally agree. The Charles is a giant meeting of the rowing world, from novice rowers all the way up through the elites. It's one of the few regattas where I can watch my high school club, college team, and national team friends race, all in the same weekend. The two best things about this race are seeing friends/coaches/teammates from years past and all the people cheering from the six bridges on the course. I am so excited to get out there and race tomorrow.

Racing for the Badgers in 2006

This will be my eighth time racing Head of the Charles since 2002, but only my third time in the lightweight single. I won this event in 2009 and then missed the regatta last year since we were in New Zealand for Worlds. The entries in my event feature several women who have raced at Worlds or World Cups so it should be great competition.

I am racing in the lightweight single (event 47), on Sunday at 12:40 pm eastern. I'm bow #6, racing in a black Fluidesign with red Wisconsin blades. The Wisco lightweights will be racing on Sunday at 4:35 pm. You can get all the information here, including live video feed and live results. Row2k will also have comprehensive coverage of the weekend.

In the eight years I've raced the Head of the Charles, the weather has varied dramatically. Some years it's a perfect fall day in New England: crisp air, sunshine, and calm winds. In 2009, Saturday was nice but Sunday was miserably cold, windy, and snowing by the time the eights raced.

Saturday on the Charles in 2009

Sunday on the Charles in 2009

USRowing Athlete of the Year

Post #67

Oakland, California - I am incredibly happy and proud that my doubles partner, Julie Nichols, has been voted by the National Team coaches and athletes as the 2011 USRowing Female Athlete of the Year. I have been telling the news to everyone I know; I think I might be more pumped for her than she is for herself. It is just so special to get recognition like that from fellow US teammates. Julie works extremely hard and, even more importantly, works smart. She gets the details right and does everything well, no matter what it is. She pushes those around her (myself included) to do their jobs better and to me that makes her so deserving. I'm lucky to have her as my teammate and I'm so happy that our US coaches and teammates agree.

Go Julie!

Ironman World Champs

Post #66

Oakland, California - Claire Geiger, a good friend and former Wisco cox'n, competed in the Ironman World Championships yesterday in Kona, Hawaii. Claire finished in 11 hours and 1 minute and placed 9th in her age group! I followed along online all day yesterday as she completed the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. She did great. Claire and I are always trading emails about training and racing at this level. We've only become better friends since our time at Wisco and as we've progressed as post-collegiate athletes. She works hard, is a fierce racer, and is such an inspiration to me. Congrats on your finish, Claire - you are awesome!

Girls on the Run

Post #65

Oakland, California - Since the World Championships, I spent a little time relaxing and traveling but now I'm back in California and back to training. On my drive out here, I went through the salt flats in Utah, which are just west of Salt Lake City. The salt flats are like a massive desert, but with hard packed salt underfoot instead of sand. When I was there, it was a perfect day: 4:30 pm, 85 degrees, and gorgeous. It looked like the land went on forever.

Once I made it out to California, I jumped right in with Girls on the Run. I'm new to the program, but I already love it. I'm one of three coaches for the Lake Merritt Healthy Hearts team. The girls are great and we are quickly getting to know each other and settling into the season.

Holding up our Girls on the Run cord

Warming up for the workout

On the rowing side of things, I am leaving in less than three weeks for Head of the Charles. The Charles is one of my favorite races since it's in my hometown. Plus it's a giant reunion of high school, college, and national team friends from over the years. What's not to love?! I'll be racing in the lightweight single on October 23. More to come later on that!

World Championships: 4th Place

Post #64

Bled, Slovenia - We are leaving Bled and the 2011 World Championships with a fourth place finish. The racing in the final was tight all the way to the finish line, and we ended up getting nabbed by the British double by 0.6 seconds to put us in 4th.

Like I said in my interview with USRowing afterwards, coming so close to the medals (but not actually getting one) is never an easy place to be in. Julie and I have had a great season though, and we accomplished a lot this past week. We had the highest finish in the US lightweight double since 2005 and we qualified the US for a spot in this event at the Olympics. So no matter how frustrated we want to be about not getting a medal, those are two really great achievements.

Now that the season is over, it's time to take a mini-rest, visit family, and get ready for next year. With London less than eleven months away, it's going to be a big year!

Last minute of the race (thanks row2k!)

Exhausted at the finish line

World Championships: Through the Semis, Onto the Final

Post #63

Bled, Slovenia - In semifinal #2 this morning, Julie and I placed third, which was enough to qualify us for tomorrow's A final. The race was the tightest through the 1500 meters that I've been in for a while, but that's part of why I love racing. There were five boats even across at that point and everyone was gunning it to get in that top three and advance. We are excited to have qualified the US in this event for the Olympics and to be the first US lightweight women's double crew since 2005 to make the A final.

Tomorrow's final will undoubtedly have more tight racing. We will face New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, Canada, and Greece. We're racing at 12:52 pm local time - that's 6:52 am on the east coast and (eek) 3:52 am on the west coast. Live video feed will be available, as well as live results. Thanks for staying tuned, and go USA!

Sitting at the starting line of today's semi

World Championships: Heat Win!

Post #62

Bled, Slovenia - Julie and I came away with a win in the heat on Monday, meaning that we qualified directly through to the semifinals. Based on the new (and potential Olympic) race schedule, the semis are on Saturday and the finals are on Sunday. Top 3 boats from the semi will qualify for the A final and everyone else will head to the B final.

Go USA!

Packed practice lanes

Off the start in Monday's heat (thanks to row2k!)

Finish line and grandstands from above (thanks to row2k!)

World Championships: Arrival in Slovenia

Post #61

Bled, Slovenia - We arrived here on Saturday morning after three flights and a bus ride from the airport. The nine hour time change from California has taken a few days to adjust to, but we're feeling better by the day. The venue here is great; it definitely ranks as one of the most gorgeous places I've ever rowed. There is a castle at the 500 meter mark and an island with a church at the 1500 meter mark. The pictures do a better job of describing the scene here:

With 26 entries in our event, we will be racing many times over the course of the eight day regatta. This year's Worlds are extra important for everyone: they mark the first step in the process to qualify for the Olympics. Every Olympic event has their own qualifying standards. For ours (LW2x), the top eight countries qualify...that's countries, not the specific athletes in the boats. The athlete qualification happens next year.

As mentioned before, I am one of several athletes writing for the row2k Worlds blog. Between all of us, there's probably more info than you'd need about how the US and Canadian teams are doing over here!

That's all for now - more to come later as we approach racing.

Pre-Worlds Stuff and Website Launch

Post #60

Oakland, California - My pre-Worlds training here is wrapping up and we're getting ready to head out to Slovenia. Margot and Paul (with puppy Samuel) have been letting me stay with them in California. Margs and I go way back: we rowed together in high school and became best friends. We both went to Wisconsin and rowed for the lightweight team there, often sitting next to each other in the 8. We also lived together for most of college, which means that I also basically lived with Paul once they started dating junior year. They are great people and are like family to me.

Row2k has asked me to be one of their National Team bloggers while at Worlds. I'll be contributing to their Worlds blog section throughout racing - keep an eye out! I'm honored to be one of the athletes contributing to this and I'm excited to see what all of us can put together. Also, since row2k is so awesome, they try to post a gallery of pre-Worlds training photos for each boat that will be competing. The galleries are posting this week, and ours was just put up the other day. The photos below were taken on Saturday morning.

Last but not least, I have (hesitantly) launched a website. I have never wanted to be an athlete who flaunts my rowing career, but I have wanted to keep friends/supporters in the loop. Hence, the website: kristinhedstrom.com. It was created as a result of two things: people wanting an easier way to stay in the loop (and find this blog's URL - it's easier to remember my name than this long blog address!) and people wanting a simpler way to help support me financially. For those of you who have donated: my sincerest thanks. The fact that you understand the financial burden that following a dream like this comes along with and are willing to help out means so much to me.