New Zealand movie released check it out

http://vimeo.com/50032084

Pictures

160 new pictures being uploaded right now from Queenstown activities etc. Should be on flickr soon.

Balance

Today I was able to balance the single without the oars on the water for the majority of my row.  I now can pause and balance the boat as it runs out smoothly; its an amazing feeling.  It was especially awesome today on the glassy crystal clear water.  I can tell that I have a much stronger feel of the boat and what effect my every motion has on it.

As far as erging goes, out training has picked up.  We are doing more hard fast workouts now and not as many endurance pieces.  I PR'd 3 times in the past three days on my 1500 time during two different workouts, granted, my previous time wasnt very good, and it was from mid season last spring.  Oe workout was a 2x1500 all out with a 10 min rest, no sprint.  5:00.5, 4:59.5.  The other was 1500-10 min rest-1000-8 min rest-500.  4:57 on that one, also with no sprint allowed.

Queenstown

The Queenstown trip was absolutely amazing.  We drove through the mountains for four hours and came out at lake Hayes just outside Queenstown, rigged boats, then went bungy jumping off a 130 foot bridge.  While we were there we also went on a 9 mile hike up into the mountains on the Ben Lomond trail, saw Doubtful sound in Fiordland, and were taken by helicopter into the backcountry to hike around for an afternoon.  We did all this plus training every day; either running around lake hayes or going for a  row in a single or both.   The heli-hike was up into the "Remarkables" range.  Being in and around Queenstown was really weird because it seemed like we were on a ski trip out west in te US, even though its mid July.  It was much colder than Dunedin and we were in snow most of the time we were there. In the Fiords we even came to a frozen part that the boat had trouble getting through.  Coming back to mid forties in Dunedin was nice after below freezing temperatures for five days.

Queenstown

Big post to come when we return to Dunedin. Limited Internet for now. Expect videos and pictures.

More photos from the trip south on flicker site above.

Secret Trip

Our secret trip consisting of two days and a night was to Invercargill.  Its a town about 2 and a half hours southeast of Dunedin, pretty much on the bottom of New Zealand.  On the drive over we stopped at an amazing peninsula and a waterfall in the coldest tropical forest I have ever been to.  Pictures are posted. We then drove to Invercargill where we went directly to the boathouse and had an beautiful row as the sun set on a part of the New River Estuary in an eight with three kiwi rowers.  Being on a flat river was a great change from some of the rough water in Dunedin, even though when we came to out turnaround about 8k from the boathouse it was announced that we would be doing a timed piece back.  This morning we rowed again in the below freezing temperatures then had a short erg workout.  Before we left we went into the city and saw the original motorcycle from The Worlds Fastest Indian, then went to the beach where some scenes of the movie took place.  A really cool trip overall.

Weather

The sleet and 35 mph driving wind makes the bike ride to and from the boathouse a lot of fun.  As nasty as it is outside it has benefitted me by giving me a new appreciation for a warm room, even the warming effect of the erg room.  It also makes a trip to the cafe every few days a real treat.  Yet another example of why Kiwis are so tough.  When the weather is like this they usually take out bigger boats instead of just staying in.

Switching Sides

Switching sides to starboard for the first time in the lwt 4-, a bit wobbly at first but ran fairly nicely here. This boat with a Kiwi in the three seat will be racing against Australian team in a few weeks in Queenstown.

Me on the row perfect for the first time ever, and the view out of the erg room...not a bad place to spend a few hours a day.

48 hours-70 thousand meters

Today we showed up to the boathouse at 7 am and were greeted with a fairly hard workout. 5k run right into a 5k erg right into a 5k run. I ended up second overall, unable to chase down the leader in the end but I did make up a lot of time on him in the last run. After that we had about a half an hour then a light 10k row in the four. This afternoon it was very rough so we did a sixty minute piece on the erg. The past 48 hours have been insane, but I am noticing improvement. The way I feel right now is a new kind of tired.  Time to recharge and do it again tomorrow.  This training is awesome, I hope I can take some of the intensity and toughness of the workouts here and apply it to my training and my teams training for next spring.

Great Day

This morning we started off with a 14k row in the 4+ at about a 22, full press.  The sun was coming up and the sky in the distance was bright red, quite a beautiful morning.  The second AM row was a short session in the singles in some water that back home would be considered rough for big boats.  We then had an erg and core workout this afternoon, 3x12 minutes @26 full press, I averaged about 1:48 on those.  Total meters for the day coming out to be thirty thousand or so.  Im already noticing the benefits of the high volume and core work.  My form on the erg and water has also changed for the better.

Special Olympians

On monday nights and wednesdays we are working with special needs high school students and special olympians at the boathouse.  We help them with technique on the erg and the tanks.  Today they had 250 meter race pieces and some of the other rowers and I joined in; there was also a girl there today who couldn't even walk but was on the erg and even rowing on the tank, and she had a huge smile the entire time.  Its times like these that are really rewarding and remind me why I row and how lucky I am.

Routine

Starting to really settle into the training now.  Yesterday we had a 45 minute erg piece in the morning @21 then in the afternoon we did about 30 minutes of steady state followed by 4x250 @34.  This morning I got out in a 4- with some of the high performance guys for 2x20 minutes, that row totaled about 14k, it was still pitch black out when we finished.  Then this afternoon we had a 30 minute run followed by a 20 minute pyramid between rates 22-28 on the erg.  Photos of boat bay and erg room will be up soon.  Ergs overlook the basin that we row in.

Sandfly Beach

Took an afternoon trip yesterday out onto the Otago Peninsula and saw some really amazing places.  Not only were the places we stopped incredible but the entire drive was.  We stopped on the end of the peninsula on top of some big cliffs overlooking the ocean.  On the way back we stopped at sandfly beach, a place known for its wildlife including sea lions and penguins.  A truly awesome and inspiring place. A lot of photos are on the flickr page above.

Small Boats

Over the past two days I rowed in a single or the first time and in a pair for the first time.  The single was a little shaky at first but with some practice and time getting used to it I got it moving, once I am able to really row the single well I am going to like it a lot.  The pair was a lot less unfamiliar.  Yesterday morning we had two rows back to back with a short break totaling about 28k, this is completely normal for the kiwis, but the other two americans and I were pretty tired for the rest of the day.  Today we have an all day clinic at the boat club which includes water time, erging and a few other things.

I can already tell that there is a different feel in the boathouse here. The Kiwis seem to have a much simpler approach to training and nutrition.  Malcom hands out gummy worms between erg pieces to replenish carbs, and suggested that I eat toast with pasta on it for breakfast to get enough carbs.  Though the weather seems nasty it is perfect for me and exactly what I want, because it is easy to focus fully on training and it inspires a level of intensity that is unattainable elsewhere.  It is easy to see why the Kiwis are some of the toughest athletes out there.

First Day of Training

This morning I did a 40 minute piece @ about 21, I was the only one there because the University students have exams.  This was the longest continuous erg piece I have done and felt pretty good.  This afternoon I had a 2x20 minute workout @21 and 23 with a bunch of local rowers, which wasnt as good.  Im a little jet lagged and that hurt me this afternoon. Glen and Malcom are awesome, Malcom took some video and already has ideas for changes to be made that should drop some time.  Weather is supposed to clear up tomorrow so we should be able to get out on the water.

Day One

Im very tired after a full day of flying, and my first day in Dunedin.  I arrived at about 9 this morning and have been going nonstop since then.  Saw the boathouse, dining hall, a really cool beach, and what seems like most of the city on a quick tour.  The weather is as expected, mid forties and drizzly, to rough to row today.

Packing and Weather

Almost finished packing for the trip tomorrow, being sure to include tons of layers and winter gear that I havent seen in months.  Still havent quite wrapped my head around the fact that it will be mis forties and drizzly in Dunedin, but it will be much easier to focus in that sort of weather.  Cant wait to get back out on the water.

Cold Feet?

As monday and a 14 hour flight from L.A. to New Zealand approach I find myself, surprisingly enough, not having any nervousness or withdrawals.  I havent been able to train as much as I would like since school ended because of college visits and preparations for the trip but I feel confident that I have kept in good cardiovascular shape and will have no trouble adjusting to the new workload.  I was a little sore after my last workout, 4 mile run, 250 squats and 5k on the erg at 1:52 pace, but that was the first significant run I have been on in months.  I am excited to experience a new culture in and out of the boathouse, and finally get to row in some small boats.  My current 2k is 6:38 and I am hoping to be in the low thirties by the end of the next six weeks.