First Row with the Big Kids

Today was my first day of rowing with the experienced rowers. It was both stressful and (type 2) fun. I did catch one big crab, and many small ones, but I also had a few perfect rows where I felt the boat moving beneath me as I slid perfectly up on my seat. 

We started with a circle of introductions. Most of the rowers had been rowing for years, but some had been rowing for a shorter amount of time. All of them were pretty chill and reasonable. Our boat was all women, who were very nice. Our cox was Lizzie, and she was like "like in Lizzie Bordon." I actually remembered her name after that.

We started by rowing to the Tufts dock, which I thought was far until we got our drill for the way back - 20 minutes, with 4 sets of 4 minutes at 20 and 1 minute at 24 (I have no idea what the numbers mean, but also it doesn't really matter. I know something will change, and I just follow the person in front of me). I was pretty sure that we did 5 sets instead of 4, and someone else said the same thing, so I think I'm correct about that. It was definitely the hardest rowing workout yet. I really wanted to stop rowing, but I couldn't because there were all the other people in the boat counting on me. 

According to my watch, we went 9.8 km and my heart rate was in zone 3, and even up to zone 4. It's such a good workout! After we finished the boat was feeling pretty heavy, and then this guy came over to help, and suddenly it got a lot lighter :) There was a really pretty sunset, and then I came home and ate popsicles to rehydrate. We row again tomorrow, so we will see if it's any less stressful.

Osceola

As is my habit, I used the middle day of the long weekend for a hike. I went back and forth about where to go - back to Smarts to try again, to Meader and Eagle Crag which I've been thinking about since last summer or a 4000 footer - Osceola or Moosilauke. I couldn't decide, and downloaded all the maps. This morning, though, I overslept a bit and decided that with the shortened time Osceola made the most sense. Also, they just opened the gate at Oscoela this week, so I thought there might be less traffic on the mountain. It was a good day and a good hike! It was in the clouds at the top, so no view, and it was freezing up there, so I only stayed for like 15 minutes, but the hike made up for it.

When I say I overslept, I mean I woke up at about 9 and got out the door at like 945 ish. The sun is setting pretty late now, and Osceola is a shorter hike, so I wasn't worried. I got to the mountain right around noon and actually got a spot in the parking lot. I got myself organized and headed off.

I think all this rowing has really helped with my fitness level. I felt good pretty much the whole way up the mountain. The last 30 or so minutes I was definitely ready for a break and a sandwich, but otherwise I didn't even really have any Dark Trail Thoughts. It's been super rainy and cold out, so the trail was pretty wet, but it wasn't muddy until the top. One thing that was awesome was no bugs - I guess the rain and cold drove them off... I enjoyed my hiking, and all the great switchbacks, and it took me just a little over 2 hours to get up. When I was close to the top I ran into this woman who was in my swim class at MIT, which was kind of fun! Of course I didn't recognize her without a bathing suit and cap on, but some people have better face recognition software, so she recognized me.

I got to the top and there was absolutely no view and it was so cold. I was wearing my ninja hoodie, a patagonia long sleeve shirt and then I added a smartwool shirt and little puff, plus gloves and a hat. I was still too cold to peel an orange, so I wound up carrying it back down. I did enjoy my avocado and cheese sandwich!

On the way down I was in the zone and was moving pretty fast (for me). All the switchbacks really help, as does the fact that it's a pretty steady climb, but none of it is killer. And, my knees weren't really bothering me. I've been trying to do some of the PT exercises that I learned, and I think it's helping. I finished the hike and enjoyed using the bathrooms for changing. On the drive home I got so hungry that I stopped at The Common Man for a veggie burger, and it was delicious! I'd been feeling a little bit in a funk, and I feel so much better after my hike. There's nothing like getting out in the woods, maybe suffering just a little, to help clear the head.

Team Sports

It's such an effort to do team sports. Today this woman sitting behind me in the boat kept trying to tell me what to do, and it was really annoying. We only had seven in the boat today, so we were riding a little lopsided. Apparently when your side is down you are meant to life your oar handle to bring it up, but that's so counterintuitive, especially when you are already dragging on the water. We worked on that a lot today, but it was still hard. Anyhow, way too many people were telling me what to do, and I got a little flustered. On the bright side, I just tried to do better, I didn't snap at anyone. Go me.

We wound up rowing further then we have before today - according to my watch we went over 6.5 km in total. We went up a different part of the river, and when we went around a bend there was a college team there which made everything more complicated because it was a narrow part of the river. And they were really good, and we didn't want to look awful in front of them. Which was the cause of going further than normal. On the way back, we went without stopping for quite a while. We had a little bit where we were pretty balanced on the water, and it felt nice. Most of the time I was fighting to get the oar off the top of the water by pushing up on the handle. I really really wanted to stop, but you can't just stop when you are rowing in an 8, so I kept going. Good for exercise. After I was so tired I went home and took a nap.

I registered for the next session - it's MWTh evenings, so no more morning rowing. I'm a little nervous about it because it's the "experienced rowers" group, and I wouldn't really call myself experienced. 

I got the power

We've been rowing in the eight all week, which is a lot of fun and also much tippier than I expected.  I've sat in a bunch of places in the boat but don't have a preference yet, except not stroke seat because that's so much pressure. Anyhow, after rowing today, the woman who was coxing said that I had a lot of power - she actually gave me a high five!! It was really cool to get that complement, I was so happy to know I was doing something right. And the best thing is that I wasn't even putting all my power into it because I was trying to get all the other stuff right. I think I have crossfit to thank for this :)

There are a lot of different things to focus on when rowing and I feel like when I think about one of them then another gets out of sync. In particular I seem to have a hard time keeping my oar from wacking the water on the recovery and my timing on putting the oar into the water (too fast, believe it or not. I'm never too fast!) So, that's something to work on. 

One thing that I like about being new at an activity is you improve so much each time, and also there's no ego involved. I have no idea what I'm doing, and that's OK.

It is really nice being out on the water in the boat - I'm doing the PM session so I don't have to get up at 5 am and exercise, but we have lots of birds and we have some sunset, it's pretty. 

I'm working hard at my teamwork skills. Always a challenge for me, so I thought being in a tippy boat with 8 other people would help. I think it will be good. Today I had a kind of uncomfortable convo with my boss about our annual end of the year celebration. We do all these affirmations and that kind of woo wooo kumbaya stuff, which of course I was trying to get out of. She wanted me to zoom in because it's so important and bonding for us, and finally I was honest and was like "it's not my jam." It was just all awkward because she is very relationally focused, and was all "are things OK? Do you need my help with stuff?" Barf face. 

Anyhow, I registered for next month's rowing as well - I will be in the "experienced" rowing group. But really I won't be that experienced. I hope I don't drive everyone else in the boat crazy.

Mt Shaw and Black Snout

The weather for today looked so perfect, especially since we've been having a ton of rain recently, that I decided it was time for a hike! I've been sort of pursuing the 52 with a view list - seems like they will all be nice mountains, with good views. Which I like. I thought about a bunch of different hikes, including a couple 4000 footers - Moosilauke and Osceola, and a couple other from the 52 list. I decided on Shaw because it looked like it was a good distance/elevation for early in the season, and the drive was 2 hours, with about 30 minutes each way not on the highway. I added Black Snout to the hike because how could I not hike a mountain with a name like Black Snout??

The hike was supposed to be a bit over 7 miles, with about 1776 of elevation gain. The path I chose was up an old carriage road, which I figured would be a little easier - more level and not just a pile of rocks. Estimated hike time was about 4 hours, so I also figured I could sleep in a little more. I set my alarm for 7 am, but didn't wind up getting up until 8. I packed everything the night before, so I was out at 8:15. I had a banana and three hard boiled eggs on the drive up, and was so glad I'd had all that protein. I listened to a book on the drive up, and was there in no time. 

The hike actually starts on a bit of paved road, which I don't love - it's not really naturey. It then goes to the carriage paths - really nice if you are hiking with someone else because you can be two across. Of course, I was by myself, so not really a benefit. It was perfect weather - couldn't ask for better - mid 60's, sun and a slight breeze. Despite that there weren't really that many people out hiking. I saw about a half dozen on the trail. Not only was the trail graded and not too rocky, it has switchbacks. The way up I was kind of sucking wind for a while, I'm not super in hiking shape. Happily it leveled out after a bit and there was actually a long traverse near the top. I got up there around 1 and sat to eat my avocado and cheese sandwich - so good! Of course, then this guy was also at the top, and a woman with a really wet looking dog. They seemed friendly, though, and we sat around mostly in silence, eating and admiring the view, with the dog checking us out to see who would give him snacks :) From the top you could see the white mountains - I could make out Washington, which still has pretty visible snow, Lafayette, and then a bunch of others in that pemi area. There were just a few bugs, but I guess there will be more by next week.

I then went over to Black Snout, which has a really nice view of Lake Winnipesaukee. I had the top to myself, and I sat on a rock in the sun and ate an apple and some pistachios. I spent another 15 minutes or so there before heading down. There's quite a network of trails up there - I guess now snowmobilers use them in the winter, and there were a bunch of turns on the way down. I had to check all trails several times (pretending that I wasn't just looking at where I was). One time, near the top, I almost went the wrong way, so that made me even more vigilant. 

It's been raining so much, parts of the trail were just slush. I had on my gore tex boots, but they did leak a little. I also had my new smartwool hiking socks, and I was so pleased with them. A few times I could feel water coming into my boots, but soon my feet felt warm and not uncomfortable. I got down and there were no blisters, but the socks were definitely wetter than I expected them to be. So that was a win. 

I thought about going back via the kittery outlets. They close at 6 on Sunday. I finished my hike at 4 and could have had about 45 minutes of shopping, but then I decided I was hungry and would just rather go home. There was a lot more traffic on the way back, so I was glad I wasn't hangry. In the end, the hike wound up being over 9 miles with the trip to Black Snout. Very doable, though, and the hardest uphill at the beginning. When I look at my splits, I was actually moving quite fast for me. Weirdly I kind of missed the suffer fest of typical NH hiking, so this might be a one and done, but quite an enjoyable day overall!

Ran a mile

I dragged myself to the gym today and made myself run a mile. I started at a 12 minute mile, but I forgot my phone and was so bored I sped up to an 11 minute mile to finish sooner. It was totally fine, though I was glad to stop. I've been doing some of the PT exercises that I got for my knees, and it seems to be helping a little. After running I lifted a few things up and put them down for 15 minutes and then decided to call it a day.

I stopped at the garden before going to the gym, and I have a little bird's nest in my raspberries, with three little eggs in it <3

Feathering oars

Today we learned how to feather our oars while rowing crew. It's complicated because there are so many things to remember, they all have to go in the right order, and when you don't get them right you can trip everyone else up. But, for the most part I sort of got it. I'm really enjoying rowing so far. We haven't gotten into a real scull yet, but apparently we will on Saturday - super excited for that!  

My apple watch GPS captured our rowing course :)

crew

Spur of the moment I signed up for a learn to row program on the mystic river. I've always thought rowing was so iconic boston, and the rowing machine is my least hated machine at the gym, so I figured I would give it a try. It's 3 x a week for a month, which is kind of a lot. So far I've done week one and it's been really fun, and kind of painful (to prepare I read the boys in the boat, which told me that it would be painful, and they weren't kidding!)

The first class we just "erged" which is what we rowers call using the rowing machine. So, from now on I guess I erg. Then for the second two classes we went out on this barge that they have that seats 8, but in two rows of four so it's a little easier as you learn what you are doing. What I am doing is banging oars and catching crabs, so it's a good thing that we aren't in a regular boat yet :)

The first day we just practiced trying to sync up our rowing with the person in front of us, and tried to break our row into three phases - legs, torso and arms, with the legs being the most powerful. Today we tried a bunch of drills to improve our strokes, and get a feel for what is supposed to happen. Like any new sport, I can only focus on one thing at a time, so when I tried to pull with legs, torso and then arms, I would drag my oar on the way back, for example. But, it's only the second day out on the boat, so it's all good.

The funniest part of the rowing was on the first day - this woman thought we were doing great, but then realized that we were just rowing around in circles. She was so funny about it.

Anyhow, I'm really looking forward to getting into an actual boat, and rowing up the river - I think it will be fun, and it's definitely great exercise!

I haven't been outdoor swimming much - I lost my mojo after the outdoor swim comp. But I did rejoin the Y, so I've been lifting and of course doing yoga. I did the fells walk once over the weekend, and parkour is across the street from me on Sundays, so I've done that some too.