The Torture Device

Our workout schedule has been pretty intense for the last week. Every day we practice from 6:30-9:00, and 5:15-8:00 on the water. In addition, Tuesday through Friday we do a combined erg (this is the off the water rowing machine... i.e. medieval torture device) and circuit or weight training session from 11-1. I'm actually really enjoying these sessions because they're off the water and it gives me time to get a workout in with the team. I've been hopping on the erg and trying to feel all the things that I talk my rowers through when we're out on the water. It's interesting to sit in their seat, listen to our coach, and understand what works well for me, and the parts of the stroke where I have the most difficulty. It requires such an awareness of your body movement and positioning - it makes me appreciate what the team is doing and the challenges of the changes that we're asking for. In our session today we mixed it up - group erg to core strength circuit and then Emma andI hopped in the pool to do her back strengthening exercises. I love joining in and getting a small taste for just how hard EEAE are working. During some of the hard exercises we shouted out the names of our competition with our fiercest voices to make it through the full rotation.

If you didn't know, while out on the water the coxswain does not get a workout. Well... not a physical workout - my brain is working hard and sometimes you'll catch smoke rising from back there - dangerous given that my head is so close to Eric's butt. Really, I do the opposite of working out - I lie in the bow (front) of the boat (note that the coxswain at the top of our blog is in a stern loaded boat - we've upgraded to the bow loaded boat this year). There, I try to stay as still as possible. While thinking light thoughts, the coxswain lies still with weight buried in the center of the boat so as to not disturb the stability. Then, with great focus, enthusiasm, precision, and rhythm - I talk through what's going on in the boat good or bad, and the ways that we can find more speed.

Vroom Vroom

Attention

The best way to get better at something is to do that thing. A lot.

This simple adage has been on my mind a lot this week. Our workouts have been long and consistent: two by 12k each day at rate 20. At first glance these look monotonous and boring. But each practice we bring a new focus and energy to our pieces. it is easy to see the progress we've made from the vantage point of this afternoon off before our work starts afresh tomorrow. We have far more speed, efficiency, consistency and togetherness than when we started last Monday. We have established a solid foundation that will serve us well as our ratings come up and our splits go down. And none of this new-found power and cohesion would have come if not for our constant and deliberate attention.

Quick and Light

Big change in our rhythm this morning by working on acceleration through the drive. What's that mean? The drive occurs when the blade is in the water. This is when rowers move the boat - using a press of the legs, swing of the body and then finish it by drawing the arms in. With each stroke the boat picks up speed throughout the drive, and the blade accelerates through the water, reaching top speed at the end of the drive.

Today we focused on that sense of acceleration through the stroke, feeling the boats speed change on each individual stroke. It's particularly emphasized when you start from a stop and feel the boat get lighter and lighter as it picks up speed. The same 25% effort is faster and faster through the water as the boat builds.

The result of our focus was a big positive change in our rhythm and pick up. Quick and light. Quick and light.

We Have Alignment

My coxswain has a big mouth. She's bold and brassy, and the only time she talks more than she does on the water is when we're off it. Full disclosure: I'm the same way. The only way to shut me up is to put an oar in my hand. But on the water or off it, our only topic of conversation is rowing. We are both members of the United States National Adaptive Rowing Team, and our goal is to win as many medals as possible before we drop dead or, "lose the metabolism" to cox. This blog will catalog the many milestones, both great and small, that lie on the path to Paralympic excellence.