Haven't we met before?
Some early morning fog threatened to ruin the festivities, however, it beat a hasty retreat for which I was thankful.
A fun surprise prior to working with the novices was running into the Oregon State women who were running a racing simulation practice. I was able to catch up with the coaches, and John the trailer driver. It's only been a couple of weeks, but it was still fun to see them again.
And then it was time to start our practice. Two eights of novices. I haven't run two eights since I was at UPS - that fall I was running five.
I've pegged the final two regattas, WIRAs - Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association - and ACRAs - American Collegiate Rowing Association - as the races that we want to perform best at, especially since ACRAs is club nationals. This means the months leading to the races are dedicated to finding boat speed, and teaching technique.
This last week we've been focusing on the release. This week will be the catch, and putting it together - the basics - so we can start moving and working at a clip.
Today was spent mostly working by fours, executing the movements from the erg on the water. It never fails to amuse me that no matter how much time we put in on land, everything gets a little hectic once water is introduced. The boats tip, the seats seem to move on their own, basic technique is suddenly incredibly difficult.
This is why this morning and the next few weeks won't be about speed or pieces. The head coach has a training plan that will cover our fitness needs for now leaving me free to focus on technique - something I continue to be thankful for.
Launched at 9:30, back on the dock by 11:30 - two hours is a lot of technique - and then a quick chat about how the week was going to progress. I thought that the athletes executed the practice fairly well, and I was glad to be working with very capable coxswains - a massive blessing.
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