New Home, New Goals, New Beginning: A Post-Olympics Blog Post

[Links to my Olympics photo albums!  Here, here, here, and here!   Enjoy and share!]

Christening our namesake: the new Yale Crew racing shell! (thanks to Meg Sullivan for the photo)

In early October, the seven Yale Olympians returned to New Haven for a Elis-in-London celebration. It was a glorious weekend—going to practice with the current Yale team, answering questions at a panel discussion at the Yale Law School, being honored at the Yale football game, reconnecting with Yale alum young and old at the Head of the Housatonic, dedicating new racing boats at Gilder Boathouse…  It was such an honor and a privilege to be welcomed back at Yale, and the entire event was the perfect way to add closure to the whole post-Olympics period. Now it’s time to pick myself up off the couch, dust off my 48-month calendar, and start looking forward to my next steps.

Rowing with the Yale varsity– a good reminder that before we were Olympians, we were just wide-eyed college freshmen, learning how to row on the Housatonic.

The Olympics were surreal, exciting, and absolutely magical—a never-ending adrenaline rush! It’s as if your birthday, Christmas, college spring break, the Super Bowl, NCAA March Madness, and a family reunion all fell in the same two-week period. You’re surrounded by celebrities, and you receive VIP treatment wherever you go. There’s an open bar, a famous chef in the kitchen, and children asking for your autograph outside the Village gates. You have front-row seats and a backstage pass to the hottest show in town. We didn’t have enough suitcases to take home all the free swag that sponsors were throwing at you.  For two surreal, exhilarating weeks, you ARE a superstar.

And then, just as quickly as it began, the Olympics ended… the smoke of the fireworks from the Closing Ceremonies had barely cleared away, and already volunteers were already starting to close up the facilities, take down the signs, and ship the athletes on their pre-dawn shuttles back to Heathrow International Airport.

Taylor and I enjoying the Closing Ceremonies with Lolo Jones (an incredible athlete, and one of the nicest, most sincere woman I’ve ever met)

The team receives so much mental preparation in the lead-up to the Olympics—how to cope with the pressure, the ever-present media, the distractions of the Village, the intensity of competition. But no one can prepare you for the emotional roller-coaster as you transition back into ordinary life.

I’m taking a short break from the Princeton Training Center in order to pursue my education—a doctorate in physical therapy at Eastern Washington University. But training at home leads to a myriad of challenges: after the excitement of London, how do I motivate myself for that lonely gym session? How do I keep myself accountable for that 6am workout if my pair partner is 3000 miles away? How do I balance the pressures of training, work, school, and family when I don’t have a coach and a team manager to establish a daily schedule for us? It’s definitely a struggle, and I’m still figuring it out!

Back in Washington! After enjoying my first true summer vacation in years, it’s now time to get back to work.

For this fall, I’m focusing on health—I still need to resolve the lingering injuries from the January car accident, and try to maintain fitness while not flunking out of school (first Clinical Anatomy exam this morning! Eek!). But come winter, it’s time to start rebuilding up my calluses! If I’ve learned anything in the last two months, it’s this: you gotta use it, or lose it; I’ve rowed almost everyday for seven years, and it still only took eight weeks of cross-training to leave my hands as smooth as a baby’s bottom. !!!

Read Full Post »

Olympic Whirlwind: a much-belated blog post

Sorry for the much-belated blog post… I’ve done a much better job at updating my facebook albums!  Please check them out (and share!) for a behind-the-scenes look at the Olympic life.

Let The Games Begin: our final week of training before Olympic racing begins
US Rowing at the Olympics: racing for gold! and out and about in London with the Redman posse
A quick photo tour of the Main Village Dining Hall
A Photo Tour of the Olympic Village:
Time to Enjoy the Olympics!: front-row tickets, VIP lounges, rubbing shoulders with celebrities… life is sweet for Olympians!  I’ll be adding photos everyday or so, so keep checking back!

Watching my teammates launch for the Olympic Final

This week has been the complete emotional rollercoaster… watching my teammates race for gold in their Olympic Finals was one of the most inspiring moments of my life. I’m so so so happy for their success, and I’m honored that I had a role to play in helping them achieve their Olympic dreams.  It was a total affirmation for me to see the American women perform so well  (6th in W2x, a close 4th in W2-, bronze in W4x, gold in W8+)– it is a small comfort to know that I didn’t lose my spot in the boat to mere mortals, but OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS.  I am so so so proud of them, and proud to be called their teammate.

The best cheerleaders a girl could ever hope for

Now that racing is over, we’ve moved into the main Olympic Village in London (we were previously located in the satellite Rowing Village, about an hour away).  As is evident by this much-belated blog post, life is a complete whirlwind. So much to do, so much to see, so many people to meet, and SO LITTLE TIME TO DO IT ALL!  I’ve sadly neglected my email inbox, I haven’t even unpacked my suitcase, I barely have time to sleep or shower… there is just *that many* amazing opportunities!  Paradise on earth!  (Don’t even get me started on the dining options)

Look who we ran into on the bus ride back from the gymnastics arena! Pictured: The Fab 5 (!), Anthony and Robin (LM4-), and Ty (reserve pair)

For example: several nights ago, I was faced with a tough decision. Do I go to the Team USA hospitality house (delicious buffet, open bar, fun scene) where the US Swim Team (Lochte and Co.)  was having a reception? Or do I get a free ticket (front row balcony) to gymnastics finals?  Or last night: do I go to an exclusive party thrown by Coca Cola for their corporate execs? Or do I stay in, and watch track and field finals with other athletes in the US Athlete Lounge?  Does this decision change when I realize that the other athletes are the men’s 4x100m relay team and Serena Williams?  (On the outside: a super-chill rower, just playing it cool and chillin’ with her fellow American athletes. On the inside: “AAAAHHHHH!!!”)

Track and Field: capacity crowd, great seats, amazing competition… my ears are still ringing from the deafening cheers

This experience  has been completely surreal. I am so so so blessed and excited to be here. THANK YOU for all the support and encouragement!

Inspiration for Rio? (a big thank you to Esther for loaning me her medal)

Hurray for Spokane Olympians!!!! (Amanda Furrer, Mead HS, 50m rifle)

Read Full Post »

Opening Ceremonies are Tonight! Olympic Racing Begins Tomorrow!

**For more behind-the-scenes photos, be sure to check out my facebook albums! I’m adding new pictures every afternoon or so!  Album #1  and Album #2

The Olympic Torch!

The Olympics are *almost* here: t-minus twenty-four hours! All fifty-eight countries have arrived at the race course, ranging from the lone single scullers from Ireland, Algeria, or Cameroon, to the full squads from Canada, Great Britain, or Germany. Everyone tries to be courteous and professional while on the race course, but there are still some close calls!  (For example: in our effort not to get run down by the Italian men’s double, we nearly stampeded the Iranian women’s single. But no harm done, we all emerged unscathed!)

58 countries, 500 athletes, and one goal: GOLD!

It’s been exciting to see the transformation of the venue into a race-ready Olympic stadium. Yesterday was the “dress rehearsal” for the hundreds of volunteers, timers, stake-boat holders, announcers, and safety launches… it was fun to watch the teenaged volunteers stage a mock medals ceremony, complete with the inspirational music (from “Chariots of Fire”), honor guard, and national anthems. The starting-line officials were also also rehearsing yesterday, so everyone had the chance to practice a mock “start”, complete with the boat-holders, the official countdown, the lighting system, and the “boot” (a little plastic starting gate that holds our bowball—very cool!). The best part about the start simulations was that the officials didn’t discriminate between boat classes, so we were able to race it up with the Canadian M8+, British M4x, and an assortment of doubles/fours. Fun!

A morning practice at Eton Dorney (photo by http://www.row2k.com)

Amanda and I have been busy—even though we’re not officially listed in a boat roster, we still have to be fit and able to race should our team need us. So we’ve been putting in some mileage in a pair, sometimes by ourselves, sometimes pacing our official US pair, occasionally hopping in the eight when someone needs an afternoon off.

Brrr! Team USA’s ice baths

USA has garbage bins, New Zealand has a kiddie pool… tomato, tomahto; if it holds freezing water, it’ll work!

Now that racing is around the corner, the Village is bustling with athletes. I first noticed it a few days ago in the dining hall… the evening before, Team USA was King of the Cafeteria—no lines for hot food, plenty of extra dessert, our pick of which table to sit at. The next morning, it was a completely different story! Hundreds of athletes scampering around for their pre-practice breakfast, waiting for the harried catering staff to refill the coffee/ oatmeal/ cornflakes/ bananas, trying to find an empty seat near one of their teammates. The zoo atmosphere only lasted until 6:55am, when the dining hall abruptly emptied as everyone left to catch the 7am bus to the race course (only to repeat itself in the twenty minutes prior to the 8am bus!). Thankfully, everyone has quickly adapted to the increased traffic in the cafeteria, and both the athletes and dining hall staff are working together to keep the chaos to a minimum!  *More details to come about the Olympic dining experience, a culinary blog update coming soon!*

An example of some AWESOME rowing shirts– Team Ukraine wins for “most colorful”!

One interesting distraction is the colorful and patriotic Olympic apparel worn around the boatyards. A popular favorite is the colorful print on the Ukrainian coaches’ outfits. The British uniforms (designed by Stella McCartney!) are chic, but can’t compare with the fashion-forwardness of the Portuguese double’s green berets! Also interesting—despite the warm temperatures (hottest day so far this year in the UK!), the Egyptian W2x still train in head scarves and long sleeves.

The Portuguese 2x: super stylish! (photo by row2k.com)

The Egyptian W2x (photo by row2k.com)

The Opening Ceremonies are tonight (wow!, where has the time gone?!), and as much as I’d LOVE to be in the Olympic Stadium to enjoy the festivities, Team USA is headed to bed early… racing starts tomorrow!!!  (You can see the heat draw here)

Go USA!

Read Full Post »

An Olympic Birthday!

Arriving at the Olympic race course

As the years go by, it sometimes gets hard to remember how I celebrated a certain birthday. Was it my 23^nd when the team threw me a surprise party? Was it my 16^th or my 17^th that fell during our family raft trip on the St Joe River? How old was I when we celebrated with a backyard bbq? Well, I will never have any problem remembering my 26^th birthday: I WAS AT THE OLYMPICS!

An Olympic Birthday!

Coach tries to stress that, for all intents and purposes, this event is just like any normal World Championships, but there are still minute-by-minute reminders that this is no ordinary competition—this is something special!

The magic started the moment we landed at Heathrow. A LOCOG (London Organizing Committee) host and a USOC rep met us at our gate to expedite our trip through Customs and Immigration. On the bus to the Olympic Rowing Village, we took advantage of the “Olympic Lanes” on the highway—designated lanes to help athletes and othe VIPs avoid the typical London traffic.

Arriving at the Olympic Rowing Village. Despite their huge guns, the policemen are actually quite jolly and excited to see us.

We arrived at the Village, where a security team greeted us, checked the bus for bombs, screened and x-rayed our luggage, sent us through a metal detector, and put us onto a secure internal shuttle to pass through two more guarded gates before we reached the Village Center. (For all the media hubbub over Games security, the athletes at the Rowing Village are feeling *very* safe! It seems that there are more policemen, soldiers, and armed guards than there are athletes!)

I get my own room!

This superstar treatment didn’t end at the security checkpoint– as we were one of the first delegations to arrive, our reception was especially enthusiastic. The LOCOG volunteers and staff could not be more cheerful or accommodating (“Oh my, look! A real athlete!”, spoken by the volunteer in the athlete internet lounge). We have single rooms (!), a laundry service (!!),  a well-equipped gym and hi-tech rec center, and a 24-hour dining hall! AND, if all this wasn’t enough to make my birthday special, there was the gear!  Nike and Ralph Lauren were almost overwhelming in their generosity, and thanks to my awesome teammates, Amanda and I are outfitted in head-to-toe USA Olympic gear!

Best. Birthday. Present. Ever.

Of course, we don’t spend all day just trying on posh Ralph Lauren outfits and noshing on tea and biscuits in the dining hall. We also have a job to do: stay fit, hone our top-end speed, and perfect the final race plan. We’re logging the miles out at the race course in Eton Dorney, enjoying the quiet boatyard before all the other countries start arriving. (Like the Village, we’re one of the first countries to show up at the course, so the multitude of officials and volunteers are extremely excited to see us!)

Two friendly volunteers gave me a tour of the bike rental tent (free bikes for any athletes or coaches who want to ride around the lake!)

All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a more memorable birthday! Definitely one for the record books!

Hurray for the Olympics!

I just posted many more photos up online! For a more detailed behind-the-scenes look at our life at the Games, check out my two facebook albums!
–“Headed to London”: Team USA flies across the Atlantic and arrives safe and sound at the Olympic Village
–“Welcome to the Olympics”: Team USA begins their final week of preparations at the official Olympic race course at Eton Dorney

Read Full Post »

Off to London!

[I just posted a new public album on Facebook: “Headed to London!”  Check it out and share!]

Off to London!

Today’s the day!  Team USA headed to the airport in t-minus one hour! My bags are packed, my passport is up-to-date, I have my in-flight entertainment (NY Times crossword + People Magazine= bliss!)… I’m ready to go!

The past three weeks have been an absolute whirlwind… team fundraisers, media events, athlete meet-and-greets, and of course, good hard training. I don’t want to give away any team secrets, but suffice it to say: Team USA is FAST!

Not only is Susan an amazing rower, she’s also baking rockstar! Her W8+ cake was over six feet long, and came equipped with eight Barbie rowers (and one Skipper coxie), each with a custom hairstyle and a hand-stitched unisuit.

Amanda and I were selected as the reserve pair, which means that should any medical disaster or unforeseen catastrophe befall one of our teammates (knock on wood!), we will step in and race. We must be ready to hop in any seat, in any boat, at any time; so for the last three weeks, we’ve found ourselves in singles, pairs, doubles, fours, eights… the goal is to be fit, fast, and adaptable!

Amanda and I preparing for another training session

It’s easy to get distracted by all the pre-Games hype: everywhere we look, there’s another magazine cover or celebrity tweet or news article about the Olympics. But from now until race day, Team USA will be focused on only one thing: preparing to RACE. Until then, we won’t be distracted by the hubbub over the Ralph Lauren apparel (made in China!), or the London nightclub scene (parties everywhere!), or the perks of being a US athlete (gear package!). USRowing has some business to take care of at Eton Dorney…

Eton Dorney, here we come.

Go Team USA!

P.S.  On a different note, my teammate Megan Kalmoe put together an insightful video blog and essay about “What it Means to be an Olympic Hopeful“. Check it out!

Read Full Post »

When your best isn’t good enough…

**UPDATE!!** Shortly after I added this blog post, I received an invitation to travel to the London Games as a spare. I’m thrilled… even if I can’t race, I’m excited and honored to support my teammates/best friends in their Olympic preparations.  The Dream lives on! Go Team USA!

.

2nd at Trials… (photo by Alison Frederick)

Last Thursday, I had the chance to finally punch my ticket to London: all I had to do was finish first in the pair at the USRowing Olympic Trials. We had won the “race for lanes” by several seconds on Tuesday, so we knew we had the fitness and strength to pull out another win.  We were strong, we were ready, we were in the best shape our lives. During our warmup, we knew it was going to be a tough race, but we were confident in our ability to push through the pain.

All we had to do was win… and we lost.

What do you do when your best isn’t good enough? I keep on replaying our race in my mind, trying to find that one moment that made the difference, or that single stroke that might’ve boosted our momentum. I think back on all my work in the last few months… maybe I should’ve rested more, or done more sprint work, or lost more weight, or met with the sports psychologist. Maybe I’m in a two week funk. Maybe I never actually recovered from the car accident. Or maybe I just choked. Woulda, shoulda, coulda…  on the one day that mattered, that was the day I faltered, and now another crew is going to London. Kudos to Sarah and Sara— they absolutely raced like champions at Trials. If they bring that relentless mentality to London, they will definitely be a force to be reckoned with.

The official US Olympic roster should be published this evening, there isn’t a single crew in the world who can match the American squad for strength, athleticism, and heart. It’s been an honor to train alongside these women, and I’m proud to call them my teammates. Look out World, here come the Americans.

Thank you to everyone who has cheered for me over the last few years: this is a community effort, and I absolutely could not have made it this far without all your encouragement and support! I’m so so so sorry I couldn’t pull it through for you in the end…

.
.

On a [slightly] happier note, even though my Olympic dream might be over, a different life-long dream was realized last week: namely, to appear in the New York Times. Check out the NYTimes’ coverage of our world record-setting race in Lucerne (I’m not mentioned by name, but I’ll take what I can get…)

The New York Times also published a cool article about rowing in the 6th Floor Blog, in conjunction with the *awesome* photography published in the NYT Magazine.

Read Full Post »

Fast Times and Tight Racing at the Lucerne World Cup! A World Record!

As a reward for our first-place finish, we received an awesome Swiss Army knife! Susan and I are super excited. (photo by Alison Frederick)

What an incredible three days of rowing!  Excitement and drama was the order of the day at the World Cup Regatta in Lucerne, Switz… there were close finishes and surprise upsets in almost every single boat class! Definitely a good foreshadowing of the intense competition we’ll see in London.

The women’s eight race was no exception: all seven entries were serious contenders for a podium finish. During the heats on Friday, the brisk tailwind made for some very fast racing… so fast, in fact, that six world records were broken!  The men’s eight, the women’s quad, the men’s quad, the men’s four, the lightweight women’s double, and the women’s eight (USA!) all set new World’s Best Times.  (Of course, Mother Nature is primarily responsible… you gotta love a blazing tailwind).  Check out some awesome writeups here and here.

Some faaaaaaast conditions on the Rotsee! (photo by Alison Frederick)

Our win in the heats granted us an automatic berth in the Grand Final, so we lined up this afternoon against Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Great Britain, and Germany. A beautiful sunny Sunday, light tailwind, tons of spectators cheering on shore, the Swiss dairy cowbells clanging at the starting line… a perfect day for racing!

From the first stroke, it was obvious that this race was going to be a barnburner.  The entire field was only separated by a few seconds at the 500m mark, and we only led Canada by a seat at the halfway mark. In years past, the USA would start to seperate from the field in the third 500m, but not this year! There was absolutely no letup from our competition; it was obvious that we’d have to fight for every inch. Coming into the final stretch, it was USA ahead of Canada by about ¾ of a second, followed closely by Netherlands, with a tight race for 4^th between the Australians and the British. And all of a sudden, Canada started to sprint. At 300m to go, they were 2 seats down… then they were 1 seat down… 100m left… ½ a seat down…. they’re level!… 5 strokes left, we’re giving everything we’ve got… they’re still level!… and we cross the line dead even.    We wait for the official time, and it’s USA, by only THREE-HUNDRETHS of a second.  Whew! (Here’s the USRowing press release)

Only point-zero-three seconds! (We’re in the yellow boat) The official photo-finish from worldrowing.com.

A thrilling race, a tight race, but it’s obvious that we still have some work to do before London. We only have two weeks until Olympic Trials (for the pair), and less than a month until Naming Date (for the quad and the eight), so we’re headed straight back to NJ to continue training and selection. Send me some good vibes over the next few weeks… as intense as the World Cup Regatta is, I think it’ll pale in comparison to the seat-racing we’ll see in the next few weeks!

Any blog post would be incomplete without a HUGE CONGRATS to my American teammates for their success this weekend!  Silver medal in the pair, bronze medal in the quad, and a close 4^th in the lightweight women’s double, woohoo! Another shout-out to my Yale teammate and good friend Tess Gerrand ’10, who just punched her ticket to London with the Australian W8+!

Check out race results or racing coverage at www.worldrowing.com or www.usrowing.org

Read Full Post »

Rowing on the Rhine: Adventures in Breisach

Greetings from Germany!

Guten tag! We’re here in Breisach, an old fortified town on the German-French border. We’re training here for two weeks as we prepare for World Cup #2 in Lucerne, Switz. The Rhine River forms the physical boundary between Germany and France, so we have the pleasure of sharing the river with rowers from the “Ruderverein” on the right bank, and the “Club Nautique” on the left bank. Quite the international rowing experience!

The Upper Rhine is a beautiful place to row—miles and miles of wide, flat water, with nothing to worry about except the occasional territorial swan. (The shipping barges and the cruise ships run on the parallel “Grand Canal D’Alsace”, as our section is a little too shallow).

Rhine (English), Rhein (German), or Rhin (French)… it’s a beautiful river, no matter how you spell it

I often have to remind myself that this is a “business trip”, not a “tourist vacation.” With only five weeks until Naming Date, it’s more important than ever to train hard, recover well, and stay healthy. It could be hard to stay focused in a foreign country, where we’re surrounded by interesting attractions and sights and foods and people and adventures… it’s a testament to Team USA’s focus and dedication that we’re keeping our inner tourists under control! So on our afternoon off, instead of catching a dinner cruise downriver, or exploring the nearby woods, or going on a taste-testing tour of Breisach’s gelato shops, I took a two-hour nap. Zzzzzz.

That being said, the short drive to/from the boathouse provides many interesting sights. Although WWII wreaked havoc upon the town, there are still old structures and buildings from centuries ago. Our hotel is literally across the street from Breisach’s trademark attraction: St. Stephansmünster, the cathedral overlooking the town. And last weekend’s “Hamburger Fischmarkt” was definitely an interesting cultural experience: the salesmen loudly promoted/auctioned/sold their respective products to the crowds from their loudspeaker-equipped trucks (alas, the language barrier made it impossible for us to figure out what was going on… and made it that much more intriguing!). Combine a grocery store with a flea market, add five loud auctioneers with microphones, throw in a beer-and-bratwurst tent, and viola! you have the Hamburger Fischmarkt.

Hamburger Fischmarkt: the sausage and fish salesmen use their megaphones to win the crowd’s attention (and business!) with funny jokes, crazy antics, and free samples. The chocolate, cheese, noodle, produce, and florist salesmen hold court across the square. A noisy, boisterous shopping experience!

It’s been an absolute pleasure to row here. The water (beautiful!), the boats (brand-new!), the weather (tumultously spring-like), the people (friendly), the food (aaaah! so yummy!)—everything so far has made for a productive and enjoyable training experience. We’re only here for a few more days, then we’ll make the drive down to Switzerland for our final preparations for the World Cup. Go Team USA!

I posted many more photos on my Facebook album. Check it out!

In the meantime, some interesting items:
– A Huffington Post article about the US Men’s Eight, as they prepare for the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta (aka “The Regatta of Death”)
– A good friend sent me this interesting essay…  whimsical and fun, and totally applicable to our training!
– Taylor Ritzel’s update on the National Rowing Foundation blog!  www.nationalrowingfoundation.wordpress.com

Read Full Post »

T-Minus Three Months Until London!

An April sunrise on Lake Carnegie. Less than six weeks until the Olympic boat is named!

We have less than three months until the Olympics, and only six short weeks until the boat is named.  It seems that wherever I look, I see reminders that the Opening Ceremonies are just around the corner. This week, I opened up the New York Times travel section to see a full feature on London, the TV networks are starting to run the inspirational patriotic ads, I’m spotting the Olympic rings logo plastered on various credit cards and grocery items, Boathouse Sports (our gear sponsor) arrived in town to take our measurements for the Olympic gear package. I even met the cast of “The Today Show” when they came to the Princeton boathouse for a learn-to-row session with the Princeton varsity– Al, Matt, Ann… the whole gang!  With all the increased publicity and excitement, it’s often a humbling reality-check to realize that there are still 24 very qualified athletes competing for 15 coveted spots.

You’re Fired! Some of my teammates met Donald Trump at the “100 Days Till London!” celebration in Times Square

Healthwise, I’m feeling night-and-day better than I did in San Diego. A capable physical therapist + diligent stretching = a better-than-new rower! The training is intense, the volume is high, but I know I’m finally reaching my pre-accident level, whew.  Thank you for all of the positive messages; I’m so grateful to have such a stellar cheering section!

It’s going to be a crazy few weeks for Team USA. I’m typing this blog post at Newark International Airport, where we’re waiting to board our flight to Europe. Some of our teammates raced this weekend at World Cup #1 in Belgrade (see results here!), so we will join them in Breisach, Germany, for two weeks of training and selection.  We’ll then head down to Lucerne, Switz., for World Cup #2 (May 25-27).  Row2k wrote an excellent overview of the Olympic qualifying process for the US crews, you can check it out here.

I’ll try to stay updated with news and photos, but in the meantime, check out some of the media coverage of my talented teammates!

– Natalie Dell’s profile in USA Today
– Mary Whipple’s radio spot on NPR
– Megan Kalmoe named as World Rowing’s “Athlete of the Month”
– Giuseppe Lanzone named “#1 Most Mouth-Watering Male Olympian”  by Ryan Seacrest. com

Read Full Post »

Spring Update: Back in the Boat!

First, I want to thank everyone SO MUCH for all your encouraging comments, emails, and letters! Every time I felt depressed or discouraged, a heartening message would pop up in my inbox, or a fun postcard would appear in the mail, and all my doldrums would slip away. THANK YOU!

A huge thank you to Ms. Yanuszeski's class at Windsor Elementary for all their wonderful letters! We posted them at the boathouse, and all the rowers loved reading them!

The good news: I’m not broken! I’m not brain damaged!  Starting in mid-February, I was cleared to rejoin the team at practice. After two weeks of medically-mandated rest, I was understandably excited to jump straight into full-time rowing. However, it would be foolish to go from zero activity to 200km/week, unless I wanted return to the doctor’s office with an overuse injury!  (No, thank you. I have enough to deal with at present!)  So it was a delicate balancing act—trying to get back up to speed as soon as possible, but without hampering my physical recovery.

I couldn’t have asked for more capable medical care… Gerard (our team PT) was an absolute godsend, and Prima (my PT at an off-site clinic) was both a skilled therapist and patient listener.  Between the two of them, along with the entire medical staff of the Olympic Training Center, I was in very good hands.

In the ice bath... brrr!

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were a few times when my enthusiasm overcame my better judgment, and I experienced the classic symptoms of overtraining (extreme fatigue, night sweats, crazy emotions, loss of appetite, etc).  However, with diligent recovery and rehab, I became stronger, to the point where I can now complete the week’s training cycle with minimal pain. I am forever indebted to Susan, my pair partner over the last few weeks, for her wonderful patience and encouragement—she keeps my spirits high, even during the most exhausting workouts.

The finale of our California training trip was the National Selection Regatta—an intense weekend of racing with aspiring Olympians from all over the country.  This race is the first step toward Olympic qualification: coaches will use the results as a good indication of an athlete’s speed, and a top-five finish can guarantee an invitation to the W8+ selection camp this summer. In addition, the NSR winners have the opportunity to race the pair at a World Cup race later this spring (and potentially earn their spot on the Olympic roster).

Racing at the National Selection Regatta

For me, this race was even more significant. For the past eight weeks, I’ve been constantly asking myself the same questions: Am I recovered? Am I fast? Am I capable of holding my own with my powerfully-strong and extremely-motivated teammates?  The NSR would serve as a symbolic measurement of my physical recovery to date, and of my reentry into full-time Olympic selection. While I’m disappointed in our final placing (5^th place, in a chaotic and windy race), I was heartened by our solid efforts in the time trail and semifinal races. I may not be at 100%, but I’m still in the mix!

What’s next for Team USA?  The scullers are staying in California to prepare for the Non-Qualified Small Boats Regatta (for the women’s single and double sculls), and the rest of us have returned to New Jersey to continue our training in Princeton.  I’m encouraged by my progress so far, and my plan is to stay positive, stay healthy, stay tough, and take my recovery one day at a time.

In the meantime, I am constantly inspired by my teammates. Read about Taylor Ritzel’s motivation on Fox Sports,  Kara Kohler’s profile in Sports Illustrated , and the USOC’s video profile of Susan Francia. I am so lucky to train with such amazing athletes!

Russian winter fun during the Fulbright Conference in Moscow

Side note:  my sister just published several updates about her public health research in Siberia… between her medical discussions, Russian election commentary, Moscow exploits, and springtime pictures, I was on the edge of my seat! Her ability to connect with people across language barriers and social differences is truly compelling; any med school would be lucky to have her. Check out her blog at www.romanyredman.wordpress.com

Read Full Post »