LESSONS LEARNED 2 - SHOULD I ROW HARDER TO TRAIN?

While the question whether to row harder to train may seem simplistic or even stupid (how can you get faster if you do not pull harder, right?), at my age I wondered what I could and should do. And with no helpful input from my doctor, other than his faith that I could do what I wanted to do, I had to wonder what would happen when I started to pull harder.

It is common knowledge that an issue with rowing moderately is that it has less of an effect on the body than rowing harder. I suspect that those who only train hard may demand too much of their bodies, leading to stress and possibly damage. On the other hand, was I similarly creating a negative result by not pulling hard but instead rowing moderately most of the time?

To be fair, let me explain a bit about what I was doing before I started to try to get more fit to race. I rowed most days. And/or biked and stretched and did core work. I rowed outside when I could and often indoors. After tiring of repairs to my dynamic erg, I went back to my Model C with a PM5 monitor. I often rowed a fairly good distance - not two hours or 20k or 12 miles a day, but usually 45 minutes or more. And I usually broke a sweat and got my breathing deeper than when at rest. But that is not saying much. I clearly was developing a much slower/weaker pace on average, especially when starting out on a given day. I could remember starting pieces (5k, 10k or more) not that many years ago and beginning at full pressure, planning to set a pace faster than I knew I could maintain, but then facing the challenge of doing my best to maintain it with as little slippage as I could manage for the rest of the piece. (In other words, if I thought I could row a given piece averaging 1:55 per 500, I might start out at 1:50 or 1:52.) Now, I started out very, very slowly. And it felt to me like it took me not just 5 or 10 minutes but longer than that to warm up, to feel comfortable pushing harder. And I usually did, but most often near the end of a piece for a relatively short time, having gradually increased my pace throughout the piece (i.e., the opposite of my old approach). What I did not do was to start out hard or row a power 10 or pyramid or two minutes power piece in the middle of a 45-minute row.

One can imagine the positive effects in the body of rowing, really at any pace. The idea is that using most of the muscles and breathing deeper and getting the heart beating faster all have positive health effects because the exercise is an enhancement from the resting status of the body. I used to think primarily of three benefits, sometimes even using them as incentives or goals to think about while rowing or riding:

1. Clear the lungs - breathing deeper definitely helps engage more of the lung capacity. And whether from coughing up stuff to clear the airways or simply feeling the greater depth of breathing, the effects are clear. What I wanted when I started to train harder - and what I found - was that the harder, interval work and longer, tougher workouts did in fact help me clear my lungs more effectively, more fully.

2. Build muscle - rowing daily certainly helps build or maintain muscle. With the increasingly noticeable withering of muscle size as I age, however, this became important in a different way. I was no longer trying to toughen up the quads to a level of toughness that was visible, to a size that was trunk-like; I was just hoping to reduce the amount of muscle loss and to put some power back into the legs and back. And I wondered, of what I had lost in appearance and functionality (not rowing hard), could I regain that? It is frightening to hear that older people cannot build new muscle. I am not sure where the line is between “build more” and “restore the existing” when it comes to muscle cells, but happily, training harder did have a positive effect when it came to building muscle.

3. Burn calories - As with the prior two forms of bodily motivation, the desire to burn more calories as I worked out harder was a factor I paid attention to. My weight had gone up over the years and rowing daily did not keep the weight off or easily translate into weight loss when I wanted it to happen. Happily, as the intensity and frequency of my workouts ratcheted up during my training to race, I began to feel that I was indeed burning enough calories to make a difference. Not enough to stop watching my diet. But enough to help me lose nearly 20 pounds. Now, I found, when I rode or rowed harder, I could imagine burning more calories and feeling it was really happening.

Now, as I worked at training to race again, I began to think about two additional types of benefits to my body from working out harder:

1. Move digestion along - Maybe it is simply the effects of breathing more deeply, but digestion seemed to improve as my workouts became more intense. Certainly, the whole central part of the body is massaged, if you will, by the diaphragm helping the air in and out of your lungs more extensively. And the caloric demands certainly changed. The muscles needed more energy. The water in the body was flowing more - not just in the higher pulse of blood flow but also with increased sweat and drinking of water.

2. Extend blood flow to kill infection - Just as I used to think of a good hard workout as the best defense against the common cold, I found myself now thinking about raising my pulse and blood pressure while working out harder. And I pictured that causing the flow of blood to increase to extremities, to capillaries, to gums and joints and other places blood may approach but tend not to flow too well, to a disappointingly increasing effect as we age. How many people become ill or die from pneumonia (lungs cannot be cleared) or from infections in the body? It was another positive thought I held onto, that rowing hard would help the blood reach needed areas of the body.

So, I cannot attest to having beaten a particular infection or a achieving specific digestive victory, but when I found that my muscles were stronger, my lungs felt fuller and breathing deeper and I took off about 20 pounds, I have to attribute those changes to the harder workouts. I have been lucky not to have heart problems over the years, and that was the case during this training, as well. I do not know whether this would apply to all, but it seemed if anything that my heart reacted positively to the harder work. My blood pressure went down from high/needs medication, to low/moderate - no medication needed.

In the end, it made me wonder whether the idea of health through moderate rowing might be misleading. I certainly still think it is obvious that it is a positive thing to do compared to not exercising at all, of course. But, maybe I was letting myself down by not training harder or at least incorporating more interval work on a regular basis?

More on the training efforts I made to prepare to race again another time.

LESSONS LEARNED - RACING AGAIN - Introduction

After over two years of not writing, here is the beginning of a series on “Lessons Learned” from racing again. This column simply introduces the series. Other entries will discuss training, how it went, how it felt, what worked, etc.

Before last fall, I had last raced 3-4 years prior to that. After essentially paddling up the course to “race” in a new single during that last race, I decided to let go of even the occasional racing I had been doing. I settled into a routine of erging, biking and other exercise - on my own, no set goal other than general fitness, no performance targets.

In the interim, while I had continued to row and ride the bicycle and get some other exercise on a regular basis, since there was no goal, there was little incentive to push hard and maintain a higher level of fitness. I had even asked my doctor during an annual physical whether I should take a stress test if I were going to train harder (as in, to prepare to race more seriously than in that last, very slow event). He knew I rowed regularly and did not understand the question. He did not seem to “get” the difference in bodily output between rowing moderately and training to compete. I let it go. And I continued not to race or train to race.

About a year ago, I was offered the gift of a guaranteed entry into the Head of the Charles Regatta for October 2022. I had to think hard about it. My fitness remained weak, to put it mildly, albeit above average compared to most people my age. I was on blood pressure medication for the first time. I was busy with work (and still am). I had run my single onto an oyster bed and scratched the hull while rowing in Florida and had not been getting out on the water as much as in the past. And I simply did not know how my body would respond to being pushed harder to regain fitness. In other words, I had become almost a complete convert to the very “moderate” exercise I had championed. Good exercise and I thought healthy exercise, but certainly not competitive exercise.

In the end, I decided to accept the offer. I began to train a bit harder indoors. I considered events in which I would row with others, as well as the possibility of using the guaranteed entry for my single. That led to some discussions with fellow alums I had raced in eights and fours with over the years. I got out on the water more regularly, both at home on the bay and by keeping my rack on the truck and carrying the single into town to row on the river/small inland lake.

I was helped and encouraged by the fact that a women’s quad in the same club (same board that offered the entry the club had won) was training to race. The four of them had worked out together both indoors and out for months. They were working with a team of coaches. They were meshing their backgrounds, whether in rowing or running or weightlifting, to build up all four of them. If I drove my single into town, they would usually be there training. On a couple of occasions, they even invited me to row in the quad with them when one or another had a conflict. All good encouragement and support. It made me realize that my loner lifestyle (self-employed, usually worked out alone, living in the woods with my wife) was not necessarily the best encouragement to train well.

Over the months, I tried a lot of ways to get more fit. I rowed harder and more regularly. I watched my diet and tried to lose weight. I thought about and worked on my wind and my strength. I pushed myself in my single (higher power, higher stroke rate) enough to confirm that my technique needed work to hold together on the power. And then, in October, I raced and took a minute off that dismal time from 3 years previously.

The following entries in this column will discuss some the efforts I made and some of the lessons learned, both during that training and racing, and since then upon my return to a more moderate level of effort.

Warm Climate Rowing Outdoors

Some of us live in climates where we can row all winter. Some live farther north/poleward and move indoors as fall progresses. Some of us are able to spend time in warmer areas for part of the winter and row outdoors during those visits.

There is lots of information on erging throughout the year - tips for workouts and fitness. The chief issue for many is fatigue. What some might call boredom. Or inertia. The body just wants to stop. Use the workout tips to keep it up and to vary your workouts in order to keep at it. Row lighter if that feels relaxing. Turn the monitor away from you. Spend more time stretching. Add some different complementary exercises for a while.

When you get to a warmer place and can row outside, you will likely find it can be like starting over. Getting back on the water after time off takes some adjustment. I like to take it slow. Let my hands adjust to an easy hold on the handle, hang on the oar, use limited movement to square and feather, and minimize blisters. Take a shorter row the first time (or times). Let the wrists re-acquaint themselves with the motions of controlling the blade with as little effort as possible. Work up the overall body muscle use over a few rows to a longer workout. And, of course, there are details like getting used to warmer temperatures, dealing with sunlight/sunglasses, watching for obstructions in a different waterway, getting used to the ways of a different rowing club. Dock usage. Traffic patterns. Other boat traffic. Times people row and do not row. And, of course now, Covid precautions.

I like getting used to interacting with the water. It usually feels odd at first, like i should know this substance and be used to it. I have gotten along with it and rowed on it for 50 years. Yet it always feels in some ways like starting over. If i think to focus on balance and timing and symmetry, you can be sure what I find is that they all need work. I do not think I lean to the side when i ride a bike. Why do i tend to do it when I row? Like when a wake comes at me from a large pleasure boat. When i turn to check on approaching rowers or obstructions in the water. Or when i shift my attention to look at the dolphins behind or the pelicans on the mangroves or an osprey overhead. It reminds me of how I felt only a week after my last college race. Already, my body was losing the edge i had built through training. Already, trying to go back to that would require a re-introduction and a level of effort that had been natural only days before. Already, i felt like i was becoming an ordinary human being.

When i recently went south and got out on the water again, I had the feeling that one oar was finding less resistance in the water than the other one. There was a lot of debris in the water in the aftermath of Hurricane Eta that day. In some spots, it felt like i was rowing across a lawn of sticks and other floating vegetation. Was the water less full of debris on one side, so that my blade eased through it differently?

Was i pulling harder with one side, shoulder or arm, thus creating greater resistance on that side? I seemed to finish with both oars together.

In the end, i figured that i must be squaring each blade differently on some strokes. Perhaps i was not burying the blade on starboard as fully. Or over-squaring and letting the blade ride high, less in the water.

One great advantage to having coaching, or at least a rowing partner who can watch you row, is you can get feedback on technique on these odd occasions when you feel something strange is happening.

Probably me. Probably not different resistance from the water on the two sides of my shell.

At least I was not going in circles. Made it back to the dock just fine.

Happy rowing!

Fall Rowing

At my age, it is common to talk about the autumn of our years. At least for our kids, it may seem that way - we are “old.” For me (and my wife and friends), this age does not seem as old as the numbers used to sound. So let’s forget about calling it autumn, as if we are into the final quarter or nearing the finish line, and just focus on what we have and what we do.

One observation i have made often: I am moving a lot slower than I used to. It does not mean i cannot take some hard (perhaps I should just say “firmer”) strokes. But I used to start a row strong and get stronger. I used to customarily row at length out of breath and sweaty, dripping. I used to warm up quickly. I used to burn more calories than I eat. And it used to be I would not wait to warm up to pull hard(er). Now, I tend to begin very slowly or easily, both on the water and on an erg. It consumes not just a couple of minutes to get my breath up and approach a second wind, but instead it now consumes many minutes for my body to warm up. The aches and stiffness ease as I work on posture and stretch out. The pace I would like to achieve seems unachievable initially. It is only after 10 to 15 or more minutes later when my body has begun to get in the rhythm and work better that i find my pace quickening. And even then, it is not usually to what had once been my standard range or pace.

I wonder whether this is a sign I am letting myself down, not pushing, not seeking a higher plateau of exertion sooner. I confess it seems to me that allowing this more used/older body more time to get accustomed to effort each day (A) seems like giving in but (B) may be a healthy approach. I wonder if a stress test would tell me something about how the body warms up and what my peak or sustainable level of effort has become.

We all know folks our age who have continued to compete. People who are affected more substantially than I am by the cancellation or “remot-ification” of racing in this Covid situation. I find planning to race helps me gear up and work harder. Although for me that is still closer to what I describe above than the level of effort my friends exert in order to compete and medal. For competitive racers, the denial of that test not just once but over and over must be disagreeable. And it must create a training challenge. Perhaps they can find others to compete with privately to help them stay strong. Some of them, i am sure, will continue their self-motivated training regimen and look forward to the time when life returns to something closer to normal. In the meantime, they have the remote racing that is being offered. Along with the drive that has stood them in good stead for so long.

It is also a challenging time for novices. Some clubs are able to keep up a limited offering of novice rowing classes. But the opportunity for a newcomer to learn to row and to move into rowing/sculling with others has changed, stretched out, lost some of the camaraderie. Kudos to all the coaches and boards and rowers who are still making opportunities for novices to start, to learn and to row independently.

To them, to the competitors, to all of us, as Spock would say -

Bubbles

I was rowing recently and watching the bubbles behind my shell.

Most days, if it is not too windy and wavy to row, I row a Martin on the bay. I can head north or south (or west across the bay). On this day I rowed south.

What I saw at one point was three rows of bubbles streaming out behind the Martin. In some water conditions I do not see bubbles behind the boat at all. Sometimes I do. I am not sure what makes the difference - perhaps dust on the surface of the lake affecting surface tension, or something in the water. I am pretty sure it is not my speed, as that rarely varies from a calm, slow pace.

When I noticed the bubbles, there were two tracks or rows to either side. Bubbles from the puddles left by my blades. Although there was space between each sequential puddle on each side, in the distance they appeared to form rows or strings of bubbles converging in the distance.

In the middle were the rows of bubbles from the hull of the Martin. There was a periodic slight gap in the bubbles coming from each side of the boat, indicating the lower speed of the boat at the catch, a blip in my speed that was also apparent from the immediate wake formed at the stern of the Martin. Otherwise, the bubbles forming along the hull were in a constant stream. What struck me this time was that the two rows of bubbles from the hull were converging, forming one row of bubbles in the middle. Between the two sets of puddle bubbles. In the distance, I saw three rows of bubbles appearing to converge, not four.

During the same row, there were times when bubbles did not form. And other times when they seemed to form smaller in size and in fewer numbers. And then those fewer bubbles lasted a shorter time. After I turned around and began the row home, I could see in some places that I was rowing near but not right on the same path I had rowed south. I could see surviving bubbles from the row down the bay.

Years ago, I filmed a number of head races. There was a morning in Boston when I filmed from the Western Avenue Bridge. You could see a trace or contrail or lingering line of travel on the water’s surface where each shell had rowed. The trail of each shell remained visible until the boats were far away, so you could compare their paths from bridge to bridge. You could see where the next shells were traveling in comparison and watch their approaches to the Weeks Bridge turn and how those approaches varied.

When I see my Martin’s bubbles while I am rowing on the bay, i can also see a similar slight disturbance in the water from the hull of the Martin. Right in the center. Right where the bubbles converge when they do converge. Right between the bubbles when they do not converge.

We celebrated a birthday and anniversary recently. Once with champagne. Once with prosecco. Both bubbly. And sometimes when I would pour a glass, the bubbles would rise up like suds to and even over the top of the glass. Perhaps I should have chilled the glass. Or tipped it more and let the prosecco run down the side. Or poured slower. Sometimes the drink did not bubble out of control, but simply filled the bottom half of the glass and was handed over, ready to drink.

Dog Days of Summer

When we would normally be rowing outside everywhere now (OK, northern hemisphere!), and despite good weather, clubs more accessible than in the past, good equipment available, good markets for used equipment, and general recognition of the health benefits (not to mention relaxation/enjoyment) of rowing, a virus has us tied down.

Clubs are learning how to minimize contact that could pass the virus. Some rowing associations meet on private property; others are housed in public parks and must also meet government guidelines and restrictions.

Some singles owners have taken their boats home or use them where they do not risk contact.

Many of us are erging more than we normally would this time of year. Simple and efficient. Available at home, so it is not necessary to go to the boathouse or a health club and come into contact with others.

For competitors, the impact is doubled. Not only is their training affected; but they also are going to miss out on competitions that are cancelled or delayed. Forty years after the 1980 Olympics boycott by Jimmy Carter, the loss we suffer seems pretty minimal compared to what the 1980 Olympians went through. may they continue to re-unite and row together for many more years once this crisis passes!

For recreational rowers/rowers for health, the situation is not so bad. We can still “get out” (or on the erg) and break a sweat and come away feeling better.

Enjoy and stay healthy!

Indoor Rowing to a Safe, Sane Conclusion

Social distancing and other rules to reduce health risks in this unusual time make it all the more attractive to have a way to exercise without social interaction. If you have a rowing machine or access to one in a place and condition you trust and can use, use it.

Long, slow rows: Streaming movies or binge-watchable shows offers a distraction that can make long, slow rows easier. The time can pass and the meters add up without your having to focus on your rowing or push your limits. Getting in lots of meters can be good for your health and also offers a simple way to gain a sense of achievement. To me, it beats counting steps.

Rowing harder: It is possible to row harder (whether long rows or short) while watching a screen. However, some find it easier to increase their pace or “pressure” when not watching a show as it enables them to focus better on their pace, their length, leg pressure and prying the back on while driving the legs.

Music: Listening to music while rowing can support rowing harder or can provide background for interval training. You use a certain amount of focus to stay on the intervals. The music gives you some distraction. Or even, if the music suits you, supports the drive to succeed, use power, set a record (or other goal) for yourself.

Rowing machine maintenance: In this era of hand washing and surface cleaning, maintaining and cleaning the erg comes naturally and can be a satisfying complement to your use of the machine. it only takes a couple of minutes to oil the chain periodically and/or clean off surfaces regularly.

Videos of rowing: One great distraction and motivator is to watch championship rowing while erging. DVDs of Olympic and world championship finals used to be readily available for purchase. Now, most such video is available for streaming. If you want to own the DVDs, try Regatta Sport to see what copies they have on their shelf. Or go to the source in Deutschland, New Wave, which has (or at least recently had) a large stock of the set of DVDs (and videos before them) created over the years before the practice changed to streaming. Or, you might find someone who bought them long ago and no longer uses them willing to sell to you. If you search, look for video of other racing, too. For example, the Head of the Charles created video of every racer going by the Cambridge Boat Club for a number of years. Some have also created their own videos by placing a camera on the shell and taping a row/race or passing scenery while rowing. Watching those can provide a nice pace-setter or entertainment, especially if you know the venue.

Happy rowing!

Enduring the Pandemic

In these months of hunkering down during the Covid-19 pandemic, being able to use a rowing machine is a blessing. Sometimes, it can be relaxing just to put a movie on the tube and row at a leisurely pace for a long time. There are a number of short workouts you can find on the web. An intense interval workout followed by plenty of stretching is a great change of pace. If you want to row long/many meters, but find it difficult to continue for an hour or more, break your rowing time up into two or three sessions, morning and afternoon, noon and evening, or whatever works for you.

There are many alternatives and complementary workouts you can do to supplement rowing on the erg. Many communities have bike paths or roads that are relatively protected and allow for road biking. Running is safe as long as you can maintain social distancing. And even walking is far superior to sitting and does the body lots of good, whether you are a “New York walker” (fast) or not.

When you row, consider keeping track on your own, or even logging your distance and time into an online portal such as the C2 log website. If you record your workouts there, you can also compare times to the experience of others. And there are numerous competitions that add a layer of interest, some for individuals and some for teams. Consider joining a team if you do not already belong to one for purposes of keeping track of your time and distance rowing. For many of us, that added layer of context adds a significant incentive to simply rowing for yourself.

Enjoy!

Palms & Wrists; Balance, Symmetry & Timing: and More

Increasingly long spring rows, after starting with short rows, to let the fingers and palms and wrists adjust to hold an oar handle and to feathering with each stroke.

If I am holding the handles of my sculls correctly, they should be mostly nestled in the finger joints, so I do not expect much palm damage or callusing. If I am holding them lightly and pulling with the oars in position rather than forcing it, there should be little strain on the skin. If I am minimizing movement while squaring and feathering, there should be less chance of carpal tunnel (or similar) strain.

Balance, symmetry and Timing:

You may enjoy Gordon Hamilton's Sculling in a Nutshell and William Irvine's With Two Oars. Interesting ideas about approaching the stroke and training for smooth, effective rowing from both of these rowing coaches.

Starting on the water again in the Spring is really like starting again.  When I push off from the dock, I think about balance - not something that is too much on my mind while on the erg all winter. That leads to paying attention not only to my body position and movement, but to the symmetry of my blade work. Are the sculls balanced and even off the water? Am I catching and releasing at the same time? Is my pressure even (watch the stern wiggle!). Am I achieving full reach on both sides at the catch and using both legs evenly? In both of those slim but helpful books you will find loads of ideas to give you focus and direction when on the water.

Breathing deeper on the water: Now I am lifting my boat and my body along with each stroke, not just spinning a wheel. I can breathe in deeply at the catch - or try to, if my winter gut will let me; and then out deeply at the release.

Mantras for 10 strokes: 

Think "Burn fat" and I can feel myself carrying that extra weight and wanting to row a bit longer and harder to burn it off to a manageable weight.  "Build muscle" and l can focus on muscle groups and how I am using them and the goal of building up strength. [One of the most depressing articles that came out this winter said that older folks can build up strength of muscle cells but once we lose a cell it is gone as we make no more. Did I get that right? Is that one reason bed rest for the ill kills us?] And "Clear the lungs" and I can feel the deeper breaths doing me more good. That is especially true after a cold for the days or weeks when congestion remains.  What a great feeling to have it gone completely!

Why Row Harder - and When

First let's start with when to row harder. We all tend to want to see how hard we can pull on our first row after a long time off. Let me tell you, it will not be as hard as you want to pull. Or as hard as you can pull.  After working out regularly for a period of time.

And it may be hard on the joints or muscles or organs. Sudden change can be hard on the body.

So my suggestion for when to row harder if you have not been rowing is, "Later."

Now, get out and row and do it comfortably. Do it longer. Do it each day. Do it twice a day if you cannot stick with it for a full-length workout at first. Do it strongly. But do not flail. Do not seek your limit. You are in this for the long run, not a record today.

As your muscles tighten, stretch them. As they get stronger, work longer. As you naturally want to row harder, let it happen.

And as you row more and push harder, what can you imagine or picture is happening in your body.  Go to the Body of Water page for more on that.

Start the Transition from Erg to Boat

Last year, I got out on the bay to row five times before the end of March. Right now, there is still ice along the shore.

I can erg more regularly to get ready to row outdoors.

But for me the biggest parts of the transition are the boat, the hands and the wrists.

Have to check to see if the boat is ready to row. I do not want to get out on 35 degree water and start taking on water. And that will be the Alden or Martin at this point, not the Hudson. The racing shell can come later.

Have to get the car rack ready to make it convenient to take a boat to calmer water on windy days.

The hands are a relatively small problem as the blisters and callouses have been less of an issue in recent years.  Is that because I am not pulling as hard?  Or is my technique better?

But adding the wrist movement of squaring and feathering the blade is a major transition. I get in more short rows early in the season to let the wrists develop. That helps me avoid strain and tendonitis.

Then, I need to develop a race plan - when might I race and where this summer and fall? And from that I can work backwards to develop a training plan for my rows.

And what worked as a focus?  I have found many types of focus useful. Here are two examples.

One thing I sometimes use on the erg or in the boat is to focus on a particular part of the body. Drive the knees down. Push with the quads. Strong hamstrings. Use the glutes. Hang on the lats! ten strokes at a time. Feel the emphasis in the muscles in question. Feel for the effect on my stroke and the boat.

Another focus is simply to remind myself why I am pushing harder than average. I like using a set of three "mantras," if you will:  Build muscle - clear the lungs - burn the fat. These three remind me I am not there just to move the boat but for the positive effects on the body. If I can push harder for a longer row, I will burn more fat, use the lungs more efficiently and put a demand on my muscles that results in stronger, harder muscles for the next row.

Losing Excess Weight

As mentioned before, one goal in 2016 was to lose excess weight.  Get lighter in the boat.  Lift less weight doing pullups. Free the gut from the excess padding and - I hoped - breathe deeper and longer at full power.

I cannot recommend one right or best way to lose weight. But i did succeed in losing 25 pounds and felt a lot better.  I used the "try a little of everything" approach:

• Cut out or cut down intake of bread, rolls;
• Reduce sugar intake;
• Eat less meat and more salads and vegetables;
• Smaller portions;
• More meals but less after dinner/approaching bedtime;
• Exercise more and harder - which seems to support feeling good a little hungry rather than a little (or a lot) full;
• Take water on the road to help avoid buying drinks (sugar/calories);
• Avoid fast food;
• Eat more whole grains.

All in all, i found what worked was partly the basic mechanics of what I chose to put in my mouth.  But it was also developing a change in my thinking. And that has been the hardest to maintain after the racing ended.

I wanted to be light for racing, to reduce what I had to "carry" across the finish line. And, while i felt better having a looser belt, the latter has not kept the weight off as the focus on racing did. I think going to double workouts and adding more interval training helped, too. Both put a premium on not feeling full, as that feeling tends to result in a weaker workout.

Clothing - as with the belt, losing some of the belly/waist/hip fat helped make clothes fit more comfortably and i even wondered, If i can keep this up, will i need to get a smaller waist shorts and pants?  That did not happen, but the same waist became comfortable to loose instead of tight. The belt got notched one spot tighter - and was comfortable.

I also felt that doing more core work helped.  Holding my body tall through the middle helped improve the appearance of slimness compared to the increasing paunch.  Sometimes appearances are real and they help.  Starting to see some of the core slimness of earlier years was encouraging.

Any encouragement is helpful.

Races Entered 2016; and in 2017?

I raced my single in four head races - the Lift Bridge Regatta in Fairport, NY; the Five Bridges Regatta in Welland, ON; the Head of the Charles in Boston; and the Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga.  Three were about 3 miles (Fairport has shortened its course to closer to 2 miles).  I was lucky with weather and water conditions with all three (it got much windier at the HOCR later in the day).  I raced several people more than once but many different people in each regatta, given the distances between them. 

I did not win any of the races, but I also did not come in last in any.  I improved my time in comparison to some others, while some of my competitors improved in relation to me.

My main takeaway was that, while I rowed hard, I was never rowing at full power.  This tells me several things.  First, I enjoy rowing lightly on the bay in the Martin and that may be good for my aerobic base, but it does not prepare me to compete.  Second, the increase in power I experience during most workouts (i.e., I start slow and end stronger) is productive as far as it goes, but does not achieve what I want for a race pace without intentional increase in pressure.  Third, the planned workouts I did, both on the water and on the erg when the bay was too windy, were far more effective as training sessions than simply going out for a row.  Fourth, the more I planned and used interval workouts, the easier and more helpful they became.  (With regard to this last, I have to say that not too many years ago, I did very little interval work.  However, at that time, my average pace on the erg was under 2:00 minutes per 500 for almost any distance and my practice was to start strong and stay strong.  Now I start - it seems - half asleep and gradually strengthen my pace.  Inserting intervals after a warmup improves my pace throughout.) Fifth, I need to find time to get out in my racing single more times during the summer and fall. The Martin is great - and better for open water that rarely stays flat, but I need more time in the racing single to improve my comfort and control and technique.

In 2016, I considered doing some summer racing (1k sprints) but did not enter any summer regattas.  In 2017, I will consider it again.  And if I do enter those races, my intention will be to use them to 'up the ante' on the interval work I do in the summer for the fall. And to do so sooner (and perhaps with something closer to 'full power') in order to gain a competitive advantage on the pace I had by Labor Day in 2016.

And then, for the fall, I like the idea of 4-5 head races.  I have a guarantee at the Hooch but not the HOCR.  I do not need one at the Lift Bridge and Five Bridges regattas.  And perhaps it is time to add a new venue.  We will see.

Today, with snow on the ground and ice on the bay, my hope is to get some miles in on the water before the end of March!

Looking Back at 2016 to Prepare for 2017

In 2016, many of us decided to compete, indoors and out.

I decided to race my single in four events in 2016, all in the fall.  In preparation, I wanted to do several things.  For my rowing, I wanted to spend more time on the water and more time in my racing single.  (I do a lot of open water rowing in a Martin, too.)  For fitness, I wanted to build up my strength (fight muscle loss) and do more interval work.  For efficiency, I wanted to lose weight - 20-30 pounds.

Here is a quick recap of how I fared with those goals. 

First, because I planned to race, I immediately became more serious and more effective at working on the other goals.

Second, as I worked on weights and exercises like pushup and pullups, I realized that a lighter body would be easier to pull up to that bar.  That added a specific incentive to cut down the layer of fat that had grown over what used to be pretty lean muscle.

Over a period of months, I lost just over 25 pounds, probably partly with the exercise but also with diet.  Another 8 pounds would have been perfect, so I was pleased with that progress.  I did more pullups (though still did not reach 10).  I felt lighter in my Hudson.  And it made me more aware of design options for a new single, such as the fact that Empacher makes singles for a sequence of sizes/weights, not just heavy or light.

I thought about doing some summer racing but did not enter or compete at that time.  (I will not blame my daughter's Labor Day wedding, but it was a busy summer at home.)

I entered four fall head races - in Ontario, NY State, Boston and Chattanooga.  More on those events later.

And I spent a number of weeks doing double workouts.  I came to realize that even when I pulled hard, it was "half-power" hard, not (with very rare exceptions) full power.  I did much more interval work, and I incorporated sequences of decreasing duration intervals.  More on that later, also.

I had some good races, not in the sense of being truly fast or winning, but of staying focused, finishing, being competitive with others, and learning more about things I need to do to be efficient racing on unfamiliar courses.  I got passed, but I also passed some other rowers.  I saw old friends/competitors and met some new ones.  I faced the fact that at 65 I was at the low end of my age group, so others with more years could beat me with handicap as well as speed.  More later.

And then winter came.  I went indoors.  I spent more of my time on the erg.  I moved where I store my racing shell and put a roof over it.  And I began looking forward to spring again.  And planning to take back off some of the weight i re-gained and to race some more in 2017.

How about you?  How was 2016 and what is coming in 2017?

Catching Up and Looking Ahead

With four months since the last post on this page, there is a lot to catch up on.

Winter has come and gone.  Got in 200k in the C2 Holiday Challenge – did you try and how did you end up with the challenge? 

Traveled; sometimes found an erg to row (never took the single along this winter, but have looked at options in Florida).  Continued to erg through the winter.  Took up weight lifting – erratically.  Kept rowing long pieces.  Occasionally inserted interval work of varying length – satisfying but challenging and inconsistent.

Cord on my C2 dynamic broke again this winter.  Frustrating but also great to find C2 so willing to help.  Since I had an original part to hold the mechanism that did not allow ready access to thread the replacement cord, they sent a new one.  Worked great and I was back in the saddle.

Got final city approval for Traverse Area Community Rowing (TACR) to offer rowing in Hull Park, Traverse City, Michigan, beginning this year.  (Amazed and disappointed to find rowers in the next county trying to block this community effort!)  TACR has begun offering indoor rowing LTR classes with help from many and cooperation of a local health club (TACR has no building yet).  Fenced compound to go up next month and looking for boats and oars to supplement the small fleet of singles we have.  LTR classes begin on the water in June.  Have found others to be very willing to help locate equipment for sale.

Enjoyed the Lubbers Cup Regatta last weekend on Spring Lake, near Grand Haven, Michigan.  Two of us acted as announcers with great support by the media group of GVSU and a local television station.  Fifteen universities’ rowing teams and club teams competing over two days.  Great regatta despite the wind and cold.

Got out on the bay to row three times in March but winter kept coming back.  On the water twice so far in April.  Tried the C2 Bantam sculls and new skinnies – both felt good.

Planning a first, informal “group row” (not a race) across Grand Traverse Bay from Suttons Bay to the Old Mission lighthouse this year, perhaps Memorial Day weekend.  Have 4 of us now planning to participate – subject to calm weather, of course.  Safety launch to follow – a local businessman who rowed in high school.  Join us?

Finding it challenging to increase my wind after a winter of long low rows.  With the number of friends I have who are dealing with early onset Alzheimers, Parkinson’s disease, blood cancer and lung problems, I cannot complain. And the fact is that the body responds when I do interval work or keep the longer rows going strong after fully warming up. But the process of aging makes it a daily challenge.   Good to have rowing to use in all seasons and conditions.

Summer racing?  May do some sprint races this summer to prepare me better for the fall head racing season.

The books (“Row Daily” and “A Row a Day”) – getting some good feedback but always welcome more.  Additional books in the works.  Always interested in discussing ideas.  I am still interested in pursuing the idea that the way exercise helps us with fitness and health is through the changes it (movement and deeper breathing) makes in the way water is used in the body and how water moves through the body.  So far, I have not found a doctor who is excited by that idea and I need to follow up with physiologists.  Reactions or input?

Ways to Row Stronger

If you feel you can row with more strength but are not sure what to do, consider the following thoughts on power application.  (You can also do many other things, from changing your stroke rate to lifting weights and more to get a better erg score/row stronger, but the following points assume you are rowing regularly and moderately but feel you could reduce your pace in terms of how fit you feel when you row, apart from other tools in your tool box.)

1. Row long:  I often shorten my stroke when I am not pulling hard.  Be sure you are reaching all the way forward (while still sitting upright/not slumping over/not over-reaching), and pull the arms in firmly to the body to finish the drive.  Not reaching out and letting the hands languish over the thighs are sure signs you have shortened up.

2. Catch with the legs: If your leg application follows your beginning the drive with your arms, you have lost out on your primary engines from the catch.  As is often said, "hang" on the handle at the catch while beginning your drive motion by pressing the legs down.  This does not have to be explosive, but use adequate leg pressure to begin the stroke, which pressure can then accelerate through the drive.

3. Couple legs and back: As you have begun to drive the legs and the knees begin to lower, you are reaching the position with the legs where you have the best leverage.  Couple your back/use your back/open your back at that same point/through that same range to achieve maximum acceleration (through the water if you were in a boat - with the added advantage that your blade is closest to perpendicular to the shell so the effort goes into forward movement).

4. Legs finish strong: Believe it or not, it is possible to begin a strong leg drive but then let the legs lag as the body and arms finish.  Pay attention to the knees completing the drive firmly and see how much more you feel that in the quads.  You can even do sets of 10 'firm leg finishes.'

Holiday Challenge

Are you participating in the C2 Holiday Challenge between Thanksgiving and Christmas? 

Now above 100k and working to get above 200k.

Are you enjoying it, or hitting bumps in the road?

Power on the Drive

Let's say you are sculling.  Probably rowing 24-32 SPM.  At 30 SPM, and assuming an even ratio of recovery to drive, you are spending one second on the drive each stroke.  It seems to go by too fast to be thinking of breaking down the motion; just pull, right?

At full reach, the shafts of your sculls are approaching a position parallel to the hull.  The first part of that second on the drive is simply connecting with the water and getting the blades moving.  Assuming you start with arms straight and do not lift the shoulders and back to begin, you are beginning the motion of the drive and setting the blades with the legs.  At full reach, the knees are compressed. This initial motion allows the legs to transition from recovery to drive without delay and begins to open the knees to a position of greater power than you have in this compressed position.

Equally interesting, as the drive progresses, the sculls move through the beginning of the arc to the portion closer to perpendicular to the boat.  In the arc of the blade 'through the water' from before perpendicular to after - call it the middle 75% of the drive, the power you put into the oars is most useful at moving the boat forward; the sculls drive mostly toward the stern.

With the legs in a stronger position during this portion of the drive and the blades in a more effective position, powerful acceleration is called for. And moving the back (hips, back and shoulders) through the range of motion they will apply on the drive at this time compounds the effectiveness of the legs. 

Then the legs are down and feet pressing against the foot stretcher, the shoulders back and the elbows pulling through while the fingers and thumbs tweak the handles as the blades lift and feather and begin a return on the recovery.

See http://www.last500.com/ for more.

Repetitive Motion vs. Repetitive Motion Injury

I am happy to be corrected, but I do not think repetitive motion (read: rowing) necessarily leads to repetitive emotion injury.  The latter, development of a problem like tendinitis, may arise out of repetitive motion some of the time.  But I suggest that the injury does not result from the motion or the repetition itself, but rather from something about the motion that is stressful to that part of the body - and which the person making the motion is not handling properly.

For example, in the spring when a rower begins to row outside after a winter indoors on the rowing machine, one key change is having to feather and square every stroke, which requires quick back and forth movements with the hands/wrists/forearms.  And it may be in colder weather, possibly another aspect of stress on the part of the body newly in use.  The combination of a new motion, back and forth and rapidly repeated, may result in strain on tendons in the wrists.  However, all that is needed to avoid the tendonitis is to work into it (rowing with feathering) gradually.  Make the first few rows a little shorter, fewer strokes, lower rating, less pressure/pull on the arms.  Build up the distance and number of strokes you take and allow the wrists to strengthen, relax, acclimate to the new motion over a period of days.

If repetitive motion such as the rowing stroke always or inevitably caused repetitive motion injury, every rower would suffer from it. And given the use of the whole body, the RMI conditions would be pervasive - hands and arms, shoulders and back, hips and knees.

When done in moderation, one aspect of which may be the phasing in of more challenging work or motion, rowing need not result in injury, from repetitive motion or otherwise. 

Dr. Carolyn M. Kaelin

The obit for Dr. Kaelin appears in today's NYTimes.

Dr. Kaelin dedicated her career to research, advocacy and surgery to help breast cancer victims.

As the obituary says, she "helped start research that found rowing could help relieve lymphedema, the painful swelling in the arms that affects many women after breast cancer surgery."

Google her. Honor her. Buy her books.

Support programs that use rowing to support breast cancer survivors.  See, for example, Recovery on Water, a Chicago-area group:  http://www.recoveryonwater.org/