Monday 12 November 2012

NRC's Recap

What a successful weekend. I came fourth overall and second in the U23 category in the women's 1x in the A final. At first I was a little upset because the race didn't go exactly as planned (in other words I didn't have the perfect race), but there are so many things that went well this weekend that a minor setback didn't put a dent in my mood. One of the most significant differences in my race strategy was my recovery strategy. I bought a small runners water bottle (10oz) and filled it with recovery drink and brought it in the boat with me. As soon as I crossed the finish line I would make sure to drink my recovery drink and go for a good cool down row. I would follow this up with a light jog to flush out the legs and a solid roller session. By the time the final came around on Sunday, I hardly had any residual lactic acid build up in my legs and felt fresh and ready to go. This made a significant difference in my confidence levels. I will definitely continue trying to optimize my recovery routine, and maybe try adding a bit of running to my regular training program to help flush out some of the lactic acid build up that occurs in day to day training.
This weekend really got me wondering why rowers don't run? As my ex-biathlete boyfriend stated, it simply doesn't make sense.
Maybe once I am finished writing up this lab report I will do some research on the benefits of running and why you don't see a lot of it in the wonderful world of rowing.
Until next time...

Friday 9 November 2012

NRC's day 1

It was good to get all the pre race jitters out of the way. It was three to go through to quarter finals, and I came second. One race down and three to go.
The set up for the women's 1x is as follows:

Friday am: Heats- top three advance to quarter finals A-D, bottom three go to the repĂȘchage(reps)
Friday pm: Reps- top three from the reps go to quarter finals A-D, bottom three go to quarter finals E/F
Saturday am:Quarter finals- top three advance
Saturday pm:Semi finals- top three advance
Sunday: FINALS!!!

It is a little hard to lay out exactly how this works for those of you who are unfamiliar with the process (without writing an essay), as everyone actually ends up racing a final. I believe there are 7 finals (A-F) with A being ranked the top. If I wanted to make it to the A final, I would have to come top three in all my races.
For more information on results check out Regatta central. Next goal on the list to make it to the A/B semi.

Thursday 8 November 2012

Gearing up for Nationals

Its unbelievable how fast the time flies when you're training full time (nearly) and going to school. The past month and a half have been filled with long hours on the water, and equally long hours in the lab. I am taking a biochemistry/microbiology lab that takes up a substantial portion of my time, with 7 hours scheduled in the lab per week. Data analysis, report writing, and lab prep occur outside of these hours. Nonetheless, training has been regular and efficient, at times even gruelling. Tomorrow, and the following two days I will have a chance to see how I match up against the rest of Canada as I compete in the National Rowing Championships right here on Elk Lake, Victoria, BC. It has been a great fall, and I feel like I have made a number of positive changes, both mentally and physically.  This weekend will be both a chance to see the hard work pay off, and a chance to see where improvements can be made. I will post regularly over the weekend to let you know how my races go!