The past couple days have been extremely busy so I apologize for not posting more.

Yesterday morning we went out for a 14k row in straight (cox-less) fours. As I had the most experience with bowing boats, I was in bow seat. It was my first timing bowing a four and it took some getting used to. As bow seat, I had to keep an eye on the course. However, it is the stroke seat who actually has control of the rudder via his toe. Thus cooperation between stroke seat and bow seat is very important. Additionally, two seat takes control of power calls and race calls. So the job of the coxswain is divided up among the boat. Except for three seat. Three seat just sits there and pulls.

The weather was beautiful again. Apparently my first week here was unusually rainy and somewhat of an anomaly. As I've increase my sample size of days here, I've concluded that New Zealand is not just cold and miserable.

Next, we went back to Sandfly Bay to play some rugby. We wanted to get accustomed to the rules of the game before the evening's rugby match.

The Dunedin Highlanders played the Christchurch Crusaders at the Forsyth Barr stadium right next to our boathouse. Watching the match live was a lot of fun, even if I did it wearing my rowing trou instead of pants. Although it would have been more fun if the Highlanders had won, we all had a good time.

This morning we loaded up the van to start our road trip to Invercargill and Queenstown. The van was entirely full - we are bringing groceries and luggage along the way so no space was wasted. We had bags of potatoes under seats, a box of peanut butter, nutella and jelly as foot rests and granola bars in every bit of free space. This made for quite a cramped ride.

Along the way we stopped at different spots in the Catlands. There was a beautiful light house from which we could see far into the ocean. At another spot, we hiked through a forest with beautiful water falls. I've attached a couple pictures at the end.

The Kiwi landscape is always extreme and variable. One moment, you'll be walking through rolling hills and next, you'll find yourself in a jungle-like forest. Then you keep going and you're in mountains that look over beaches.

While we are here in Invercargill, we are training at Waihopai Rowing Club. Glen's father is a coach there, and today we spent some time on the water with his rowers. We did a 14k in quads. As we were all tired and hungry, the row felt like it went on forever. It was worth it though, because we all got great technical advice.

After a hearty meal of pasta and chicken in the evening, we're ready to train again tomorrow morning.

 I have many videos of me rowing, but I can't upload them until we're back in Dunedin. Here are some photos I took today.

 It's been a tiring day.

This morning, first order of business was a 20 minute erg piece. Afterwards, we had the pleasure of a 20km row. We were on the water for hours - it was brutal but the water was perfect. I have some video of me rowing my single around 12k into the row, I'll upload it as soon as I can.

I had a lot of fun on the long piece, we were supposed to make it hard and battle each other. Both out and back from the 10k point I started in last and had good finishes to make it back to first. It was great. After a long time of being beaten on the ergs, it was fun to prove myself on the water.

Coaching us today was Michael, who just completed his masters at University. He knows everything about physiology and rowing - he's coxed boats with 5 Olympians in them and won countless national titles. The only reason he's not coxing at an elite level? New Zealand doesn't have an eight right now.

Michael gave me a lot of tips. I have to focus on keeping my body forward and arms straight to make the drive more efficient. He taught me to row through my hips and keep the blades in the water all through the drive. I could feel myself improve stroke after stroke.

In the afternoon we had another 20 minute erg session, and then went home to call it a night. Tomorrow we'll go out for a row in the morning and then see the Highlanders play the Crusaders at the Forsyth Barr rugby stadium.

Soon we'll be off to Invercargill and Queenstown.

The day started off with a 10 x 500m erg...absolutely brutal. My mindset was that I knew I could hold a 2k pace for a 6 x 500m, and then I should just see where I ended up for the last 4. My plan worked well, I even managed to get my average for all 10 of them below 2k pace. This makes me more confident that I am ready to set a new personal best. 

After the erg workout, I went out in a double with my roommate Max for about an hour. The weather is starting to stabilize and the row was nice - only a little bit of rain. 

I got a short rest once we got back on land, and then it was time for strength training at the High Performance Center. I love going there because we get to see loads of elite athletes from different sports - today we saw Nonu of the Highlanders / All Blacks. 

In the middle of my first relaxing shower in weeks, I was told that the van was heading out to Sandfly Bay to check out the beach. Although I had been looking forward to the shower all day, I did not regret coming along. The views were absolutely stunning, I've attached a few photos below. We saw a penguin!

This is where we usually row

If the weather gets a bit nicer we'll be able to row out to here

The view onto Dunedin

Sea lion!

I saw a lot of progress today. In the morning, I went back to the laboratory to do the next 2k in the study I am participating in. This one was really interesting, because I did it "blind". The screen was covered so as to not influence me (because I knew my score from last time). What made me quite happy was that I was 4 seconds faster than my last 2k in the lab, but I felt like I did not pull nearly as hard. I had some trouble pacing myself so I was pretty conservative with my energy. Interestingly, last time my lactates were very high (17 mmol) but this time they were very low (10 mmol) with a decrease in time and perceived exertion.

This makes me confident that I can set a personal record when I get to do my 2k in "normal", non-lab conditions with a taper.

I scheduled that 2k for this morning so that I wouldn't miss more hard workouts (I missed a couple from arriving late to the camp), so I got to enjoy a 1500m, 1000m, 500m race pace workout in the afternoon. Hitting my 2k splits made me even more confident and excited for whenever my next "real" 2k is.

Now I'm off to sleep - 10 x 500m workout tomorrow morning, looking forward to it already. Then it's finally an afternoon off of rowing! ...but with strength training instead.

First of all, big congratulations to the Harriton Girls Varsity 4+, for getting 2nd at the Women's Henley in London, being one of two American boats to make it to a final. Impressive ending to an already fantastic season.

I didn't post yesterday so now time for a longer one. As promised, I've attached some pictures of the last week.

Yesterday morning we did a 29 minute piece with rate changes every 5-4-3-2-1-2-3-4-5 minutes between 18 and 26 spm on a dynamic erg with a damper setting of 0 (a rowing machine that slides back and forth to simulate the feeling of a real boat at the lightest possible resistance)

Rowing 18 strokes per minute on a dynamic erg for 5 minutes with 0 resistance is one of the most frustrating processes known to man. It's quite tricky keeping the rate that low (especially on a dynamic erg) while still meeting the required times with nothing to push against.

The weather was absolutely beautiful, the best weather I've had here. I took the opportunity to bike around Dunedin. I found a couple museums and churches that I might want to look in. When I arrived at the Boat shed, I looked out from the club room to see a full rainbow stretching across the lake. I've attached a photo but it does not capture the magnificence.

In the afternoon I spent half an hour on a RowPerfect (a rowing machine that gives huge amounts of data and displays a force curve) to experiment with my technique. It was good fun and I can imagine the machines would be quite useful for comparing the way several rowers in a boat work together.

This morning we went down to the High Performance Center's weight room and spoke with one of the trainers. Although he was not a rower, he studies the rowing technique so that he can work with national team and university rowers on their strength training. He gave a great talk explaining the purposes and pros/cons of weight lifting.

Later, as he was teaching us different core exercises, the Dunedin Highlanders professional rugby team walked right by us.

Afterwards, Dave brought the van over and we drove along the water to check out the country side. I've attached some photos of we saw (and I kept a rock as a souvenir!)

Next was the afternoon workout. It was called erg resistance training. We put the damper up to 8 and did 5 three minute pieces, changing the rate every minute. After that, we dropped the damper all the way to 0 and did 4 one minute pieces. The leg drive has never felt so fast...

It was such a tough workout that, when we finished, we went outside and put our legs into the water. It was very cold but my legs feel great.

After dinner, one of the university guys (who are headed out to Australia tomorrow to race the best Australian university crews) gave a few of us a tour of his floor and dorm. He lives on the top floor - he had a great view from his window!

And now the pictures:

University of Otago campus

Right behind the boat shed...interesting juxtaposition

I hate the mask..

Champions are built

Porridge and bread - post-practice meal

Some boats are bigger than ours

Right down the road

The University of Otago!

Cross this on the way to practice

A bit outside of Dunedin

The aptly named Neptune Street (right by the wharf, sailing club and rowing club)

Low tide

Home base for the next weeks

Only part of the rainbow

This day ended up being rather light and was great for recovery. Our morning session became a recovery row, we probably only got in 4 or 5 kilometers. Jackson and I went out in a double. There was not a single instance of rain today, and we could see a blue sky. The conditions were fairly nice at the start of our row, but the wind quickly changed directions and all of a sudden we saw large wakes and whitecaps.

Once we got back on land, it took awhile to get warmed up again. As usual, a bowl of delicious porridge made the cold go away a bit faster.

We had the afternoon off, so we decided to check out Dunedin's indoor pool. Sitting in a hot tub felt amazing after a tough week. The pool even had a large water slide, which was hilarious to ride down because it was so rough and fast. Sometimes it felt a bit like we were being waterboarded though..

After dinner we listened to a lecture on nutrition. The nutritionist suggested "pre-workout snack, during workout, recovery snack, breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, pre-workout snack, during workout snack, recovery snack, mid-afternoon snack, dinner and supper". I'm a big fan and definitely subscribe to the same philosophy.

Another eventful day here in Dunedin...this is actually the longest I've been awake since starting the program - it's past 10 pm!

We went out in singles this morning. There's nothing quite like wet launching a single in freezing temperatures.  One of our guys actually flipped his single and had to be rushed inside. No worries, he is fine and was laughing shortly after. After some relaxing at the lodging, it was back to the boat shed for the afternoon work out. 20 minute piece, and 3 x 250 meters to practice finding the 2k rhythm.

After the work out, a dietitian/nutritionist from the high performance center talked to us about hydration. She took urine samples and concluded that most of us were not well hydrated. I was actually significantly dehydrated. Being in the cold so often, we tend to forget how much we need to drink. She told us that even 1 or 2 percent dehydration can mean between an 11 and 20 percent decrease in performance.

After the talk, we headed over to one of the University guys home to watch the rugby match. New Zealand beat France 24-9, after an awe-inspiring "Haka War Dance" before the kick-off.

20 km row planned for tomorrow morning, time for some sleep.

Best of luck to the Harriton Girls V4+ racing at Women's Henley in London!

Today was a fun day. The weather was cold and rainy, but that goes without saying at this point. From now on I'll only mention the weather if it's anything different. I've gotten used to it at this point.

Our morning workout was a 30 minute erg piece at 20 strokes per minute on dynamic ergs. Keeping the rate low was tricky, but in exchange we didn't have to do them at 0 resistance. I'm not very good at these types of workouts, because they don't play to any of my strengths, but I can feel that I am getting better at them.

We had the afternoon off, so we toured the Cadbury chocolate factory. We got to go behind the scenes and see the various stages of chocolate production. Free samples were dispensed quite liberally, which added another layer of fun to the tour.

After the tour, it was time to celebrate Zach's 17th birthday. We did so with a cake which appropriately had kiwis on it. From that feast we moved on to the potluck dinner being held at the boat shed. All the University guys were at the dinner and we had loads of fun. They are all very welcoming of us and always eager to talk. Many of them will be travelling to Australia next week to race their top Universities, and others are preparing for NZ Trials. Some of us watched the Uni guys 15 x 500m workout this morning. Quite impressive and inspiring. One guy pulled ~1:32 average split through the whole thing, and did his first and last pieces at a 1:22. We have now dubbed him "The Beast".

On the way home from the Boat shed, Charle's bike pedal broke off and he and I ended up walking home instead. We had a nice chat and reflected on the copious amounts of food we ate today. Not to worry, our workout tomorrow morning is a 14 km row (or a 40 minute erg if the conditions are too rough). Then it's back to bread and porridge.

Another long day done..

The bike ride to the boat shed this morning was colder than normal. I keep forgetting to wear the gloves that I brought..it's a learning process. Luckily it hasn't snowed yet, but we're due for some any day now. Snow itself won't stop us from going out, we just need the wind to cooperate. It certainly didn't today. (Video to come soon) In that sense, I could consider myself lucky that I had a 2k today.

After a very light "Pre-erg test" workout this morning, I enjoyed some porridge before practicing for my ACT test. I also looked over my final grades, now that they are released, and was quite happy with those as well.

The actual 2k test did not go as well. I'm not sure what effect the 4 x 5 minutes of leg compression before the test had, but the VO2 max mask definitely got to me. I could hardly breath at the 1k mark and then things went down hill. I was also a bit weak mentally, likely from being in a strange surrounding (a laboratory). I'm due for another test with the same conditions next week, so hopefully I can better adapt then.

I got some interesting data from the tests, the most striking was that my blood lactates were very high (~17 mmol) directly after the test. I was told that normally they are ~14 mmol after a 2k test, and ~1 mmol at rest. Once I do the next test, I'll have to compare and see what I figure out.

Still cold, still rainy. To have a bit of fun, we are touring the Cadbury chocolates factory tomorrow. That should be fun. Until then...row, eat, sleep, repeat.

It's been a long day..

My first adventure of the day was at morning practice. The University guys were rowing boats across the lake to a different boat shed to store there. The eight being rowed across didn't have a coxswain. As the lightest guy in the Sparks program, I was the one selected for the job. It was quite the experience.

In freezing cold temperatures, before the sun was up, I was supposed to steer this eight across the lake. The boat, all of my rowers and myself are unharmed.

Being a coxswain had its perks - I got to wear a survival suit and I was carried into the boat during the wet launch. However, being a rower acting as a coxswain had its downsides - I couldn't really fit in the seat and ended up sitting on the ropes attached to the rudder. This made steering quite difficult, but I managed.

Coxing the University guys also meant that I had to do my erg workout alone. While it did get a bit lonely, I'd say that that is good for some mental toughness.

My favorite part of the day was when we all went to do some community service at the local indoor sports center. Once a week, the center offers various sports like basketball, volleyball and table tennis to children with mental disabilities. Myself and two of my team mates helped out in the basketball match, where we emphasized the importance of passing and team work. The whole experience was quite rewarding and I look forward to doing more next week.

On the bike home, Charles and I decided to get a little lost and went on a short adventure. We ended up biking through the industrial part of Dunedin and by the wharf. Maybe I'll go back some time and take pictures, they're quite a site.

Now that my afternoon practice is done and I have eaten dinner, I'm ready to go to sleep. Tomorrow will be an important day - it's 2k test day. I feel exhausted from all this hard training, but I'm aiming for a PR. As part of the study I wrote about in the previous post, I'll be getting all sorts of tests done before and after, and I hope I can use that data well.

It didn't rain today! The weather was still very cold and windy, but there was no rain. That made the trip from the lodging to the boat shed much more enjoyable. My morning workout was 2 x 20 minutes changing the rate between a 20 and a 22 every 2 minutes, rowing as hard as you can. As usual, 0 resistance to emphasize the connection and fast drive. Felt solid but I could really feel how hard I have been working the last couple days - I'm tired.

We were able to get on the water (for me the first time) for a little while. The conditions were so choppy that we were relegated to a short portion of the lake that is in somewhat of a wind shadow.

We went out as an 8+, which was great. I was excited to go out in an 8+ because I have spent most of my time rowing small boats and I've never been in a really strong 8+. I learned a lot during that row - even before I took one stroke.

In New Zealand it is common to wet-launch, which is where there is a gradual slope into the water in place of a dock. Doing this barefoot in the middle of winter is not fun, but I suppose it builds character. I must say that I find using a dock much more efficient, but to each his own. This was my first time doing a wet-launch, and it's a tough adjustment.

Our coxswain, Michael, is a local from the University of Otago. He's a super nice guy, and also an excellent coxswain. It was interesting hearing the differences in American and Kiwi coxing. Here in New Zealand, the phrase "easy off" is used instead of "weigh 'nuff", "bowside" instead of "starboard", "strokeside" instead of "port", and "on this one - yup" instead of "in two...".

It was also interesting to see how everyone in the eight had a different style of rowing. Since we all come from different coaches and types of teams, that is understandable. It all started to come together near the end of the row and I was having such a good time that I was reluctant to have to take it back in. Partly because the new experience was so exciting, partly because I didn't want to have to stick my feet back in freezing cold water.

After the row, it was off to the erg room for the afternoon erg work out. Mine was fairly short. 3 x 250 meters with a long warm up and cool down. Nothing too hard this time.

Before dinner, Dave and a couple other rowers went down to the University's College of Physical Education to be briefed on a study we will be participating in over the next two weeks. The study sounds quite interesting. It is an investigation into the effect of some sort of pressurization of our blood on athletic performance. In two days,  I will be doing a 2k test with a VO2 max mask, lactate blood sampling, urine sampling and muscle oxidation tests. Before hand, I will undergo a series of leg pressurization.

I already had my familiarization session today. Essentially, the researcher places two pads, similar to a blood pressure testing machine, one on each leg, and then can adjust the pressure they exert. Today, they went to about 170 mm/hg which was a bit painful. Apparently some people find the pain excruciating but to us rowers it wasn't so bad.

I'm interested to find out what effect these pressurization had and what data I can use from the erg test.

I'll be back at the boat shed at 7am for practice. Between morning and afternoon practice we will be doing some kind of community service with children. I'm excited to learn more about that and participate.

I took one picture today...there will be more soon. Hopefully of us on the water! I hear its supposed to snow in the next couple days....

Today's afternoon practice was much more civil. My training plan didn't call for a workout, so I hopped on the tanks for about 30 minutes. Coach Malcolm stopped by for a bit and watched me row. He gave me some great technical advice. I was told to imagine a walnut in the center of my back that I should try and "crack" with every finish. Malcolm also told me to rotate a bit more before the catch, and to lean my head slightly into my rigger. He even praised my rowing form afterwards - coming from someone with Malcolm's coaching background, it meant a lot.

We have a lot of exciting things planned for the next couple of weeks. I'll be participating in a study where I get to do a 2k with a VO2 max mask and lactate sampling, we will be hearing a nutritionist give a lecture, and we are watching the All Blacks play France in rugby with some university guys. Apparently we might even make it to a "Dunedin Highlander's" match, whose stadium is right next to our boat shed.

Next practice is tomorrow morning, so now I'm off to sleep. Still cold and rainy.  

You know the next 5 weeks are going to be great when your first practice is the hardest practice you've had in your life.

We biked to practice in the cold, dark, rainy and windy morning, which at least served as a good wake up. After getting to the boat shed, we went upstairs for some stretching and a core workout. The core work was good - lots of emphasis on balance in stability. An interesting, and quite eye-opening exercise involved us sitting on a  core ball, while slowly moving our stretched arms in the full horizontal range of motion. We started with both feet on the ground and then gradually used our feet less and less. This was to teach us to use our core to balance, not our feet. Very important in a boat. I was surprised at how well I did, I was a lot more balanced than I expected.

The next portion of the workout was less fun. We couldn't go on the water because of wind and whitecaps. So instead our workout was a "6-5-6". 6k run, 5k erg, 6k run. All out, timed, race. Hardest work out of my life. After the 5k erg I ran shirtless - I felt pretty manly.

What I found the most difficult about the entire practice was that it was all before breakfast. I was absolutely famished at the end. Luckily, our beautiful boatshed has a kitchen where we all eat after morning practice. The entire breakfast consisted of bread, peanut butter and porridge. I ate as much as I could - slice after slice of bread.

On the way home, I crashed my bike when I slipped in a puddle. One of my brakes isn't attached, that could be part of the problem. I'll fix it later. No injuries for me though. Now I'm sitting in my bed, below my semi-functioning heater conveniently placed near the ceiling (because warm air goes...down?) Awaiting my next practice this afternoon. Around 3:30 I'll make my way back to the boat shed for afternoon practice. Summer vacation!

I made it!

The 30 hour voyage came to its long awaited end when I met David Payne, the program coordinator, at the baggage claim in Dunedin. He's an awesome guy, we chatted a lot on the way from the airport to our lodging in the city center.

Dave gave a quick tour of the place, introduced me to a few of my team mates, helped me get my bike and then we were off to the boat shed. (NOT boathouse). Although the bike ride was relatively short, it gave a nice first impression. Lots of rain and wind made for an exciting warm up. We met Jackson, one of our rowers, at the boathouse.

The boat shed (though calling it a "shed" seems insulting) is absolutely amazing. Everything is clean, big boat bay, nice locker room, spacious core room, a kitchen, and an erg room filled with new Model Es, dynamics, RowPerfects and a tank. Its a real upgrade from the old warehouse we use back in Conshohocken The erg room is where I spent my first practice. I was instructed to do 2 x 20 minutes at no drag, just to get back in the swing of things. From my erg I could look out onto the very choppy water and see how the night got darker as my workout progressed. I felt amazing. Taking the last week off really had me itching to get moving again. Working out in such a great building was lots of fun. Dave even told us we could do extra practices whenever we want.

After the workout, Dave, Jackson and I braved the cold and rainy conditions in our quest to fill our stomachs. We quickly made it to the University of Otago dining hall, and began to stuff ourselves with low-quality high-quantity "standard college" food. I met a few more of my team mates and we got along well, discussing the recent SRAA National Championships.

Now its time for some much needed sleep before my first practice with the rest of the group tomorrow morning. Looking forward to it, although Dave says we might not be able to get onto the water.

Ahhh...travel..

The last 24 hours have been quite adventurous. Had things gone to plan, I would probably be unpacking my things in the lodging.

Alas..I'm in the Auckland airport, waiting for my next flight. I was supposed to fly to Dunedin, but a ~1 hour delay and a long line at customs ended up causing me to miss my flight. Since the next flight to Dunedin is 6 hours away, I've decided to shuffle a few things about and take the next flight to Christchurch. If things go to plan this time, I'll be able to fly to Dunedin from there. If that all works out, it'll only be a 30 hour trip!

Even if things got a little bit messed up, my experience with the Kiwis so far has been great. Everyone is warm and friendly. The first thing people did when they sat down on the plane over here was introduce themselves to their neighbors and start chatting.I knew I was headed to a great country when the safety video was done by Bear Gryllis and the pilot updated passengers with the latest rugby scores via the intercom. 

Looking forward to finishing the travel, taking a shower and getting my legs moving again. 

On my way!

After finishing up my final exams, saying goodbye to my friends, family and girlfriend, I'm finally off to New Zealand. Just arrived in San Francisco, next stop Auckland.

Flying over the San Francisco bay area was incredible..I caught a glimpse of the Golden Gate bridge, and the Bay Bridge's sheer length was stunning. It even looked like there were a few people windsurfing. Crazy.

The flight gave me some time to reflect on what this trip will mean for me and what the next couple weeks hold in store. I looked over the goals I set for myself a couple weeks ago and renewed them. In the next 5 weeks, I want to:

-Pull a 6:45 2k
-Learn to properly optimize a boats rigging
-Improve my steering/bowing in the boat
-Learn to write an effective training plan
-Become as mentally tough as the Kiwi athletes

I'm also going to use my free time to "train" for the SAT/ACT

More to come soon..next time I write I should be in New Zealand!