It was a long day of travel today.
After practice, we piled into the van and made our trip back to Dunedin. A rockslide knocked out the highway so the journey was a bit longer than anticipated.
A couple guys went bungy jumping, but the ~150 dollar price tag was a bit too steep for me. I'm not sure how much I would have enjoyed jumping off a bridge anyways.
Training continues tomorrow morning, back at the University of Otago boat shed. Time to tune up for the 2k test next Saturday.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Last day in Queenstown
Our last day in Queenstown was an adventurous one.
In the morning we went out in prioritized quads and I was in the top boat again. This time, since we only had access to a coxed shell (and for a challenge), Charles, who is injured, became our coxswain. A 93kg coxswain is noticeable. He did an excellent job though! The weather was great in the morning. It was sunny enough that I could row shirtless during the pieces. Here is a photo.
After practice, Michael, who has just completed his masters in Sport Physiology, gave us a short lecture on how to properly train. He talked about building an aerobic base, pushing up the lactate threshold and using periodization. I'm excited to use what I learned when I get back to the states.
Later, Michael, Dave, Ryan Sparks and a few of us rowers went on an adventure to Glenorchy. Glenorchy is an old small town by a beautiful lake and mountain. Disappointingly, the weather wasn't great so we couldn't see much. But Michael knew of an area where many Otago students go to camp. It was absolutely stunning. We walked through a forest and came to a clearing right by the base of a snowy mountain. The Uni students had built a European-style sauna with a pool filled with mountain water. We saw herds of horses, sheep and cattle.
The best part of the day was when we were driving through the countryside on a very rocky dirt road. We had to drive through several fords and deal with lots of cows. We were so far away from other people that all the rowers who came along where allowed to drive the van. I learned to drive stick! (even if it is on the "wrong" side of the road)
Dave taught me how to cook yesterday, so I made my dinner by myself tonight. Even the most basic mashed potatoes, broccoli and onions taste great when they're your own work.
Looking forward to one last row in Queenstown tomorrow morning, and then we're off to Dunedin. Hope to upload more photos and videos soon.
In the morning we went out in prioritized quads and I was in the top boat again. This time, since we only had access to a coxed shell (and for a challenge), Charles, who is injured, became our coxswain. A 93kg coxswain is noticeable. He did an excellent job though! The weather was great in the morning. It was sunny enough that I could row shirtless during the pieces. Here is a photo.
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| I'm in bow today |
After practice, Michael, who has just completed his masters in Sport Physiology, gave us a short lecture on how to properly train. He talked about building an aerobic base, pushing up the lactate threshold and using periodization. I'm excited to use what I learned when I get back to the states.
Later, Michael, Dave, Ryan Sparks and a few of us rowers went on an adventure to Glenorchy. Glenorchy is an old small town by a beautiful lake and mountain. Disappointingly, the weather wasn't great so we couldn't see much. But Michael knew of an area where many Otago students go to camp. It was absolutely stunning. We walked through a forest and came to a clearing right by the base of a snowy mountain. The Uni students had built a European-style sauna with a pool filled with mountain water. We saw herds of horses, sheep and cattle.
The best part of the day was when we were driving through the countryside on a very rocky dirt road. We had to drive through several fords and deal with lots of cows. We were so far away from other people that all the rowers who came along where allowed to drive the van. I learned to drive stick! (even if it is on the "wrong" side of the road)
Dave taught me how to cook yesterday, so I made my dinner by myself tonight. Even the most basic mashed potatoes, broccoli and onions taste great when they're your own work.
Looking forward to one last row in Queenstown tomorrow morning, and then we're off to Dunedin. Hope to upload more photos and videos soon.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Great row
This morning's row was excellent - although it was a bit rainy, the water was fantastic. We started to stack boats and I was stroking the top quad. We were absolutely flying, I have a great video that I need to get on my computer. I'm already excited for tomorrow's practice.
After practice and a quick nap, I went running for about 45 minutes. I had hoped to run up one of the mountains, but it rained yesterday so I could only make it about half-way before the trail got too muddy and slippery. Instead, I did a couple laps around the lake walkway.
As beautiful as Queenstown is, I'm looking forward to getting back to Dunedin so we can train twice a day again and have some more flexibility in boat usage. I only have 2 more weeks left here, so I hope to make them count.
After practice and a quick nap, I went running for about 45 minutes. I had hoped to run up one of the mountains, but it rained yesterday so I could only make it about half-way before the trail got too muddy and slippery. Instead, I did a couple laps around the lake walkway.
As beautiful as Queenstown is, I'm looking forward to getting back to Dunedin so we can train twice a day again and have some more flexibility in boat usage. I only have 2 more weeks left here, so I hope to make them count.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Hiking
The internet was down yesterday, so here is yesterday's post:
July 4th, 2013
We had an optional practice this morning, so it was a good opportunity to get more individual coaching on the water. The weather was just a bit chilly, and the water was beautiful. One of the guys has a GoPro camera that we put on our stern. As I was stroking, I now have a huge amount of video of myself rowing. It's mostly too big to post but I might edit some and upload it.
July 4th, 2013
We had an optional practice this morning, so it was a good opportunity to get more individual coaching on the water. The weather was just a bit chilly, and the water was beautiful. One of the guys has a GoPro camera that we put on our stern. As I was stroking, I now have a huge amount of video of myself rowing. It's mostly too big to post but I might edit some and upload it.
As stroke, I got to practice my toe steering. We all worked on timing at the catch, getting the blade in before the drive and proper finishes. The boat really started to move fast.
Afterwards, Dave (program coordinator), Michael (our coach this week) and I went hiking. We trekked for a couple hours on beautiful trails. I've attached some photos.
Practice again tomorrow morning, looking forward to getting back on the scenic lake.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Pictures and videos!
We had an adventurous row this morning. The club we are training out of during our time in Queenstown is on a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. However, we only had access to coxed quads. Seeing as we didn't have a coxswain, we tied the rudder, put in extra weight and steered by pressure. It was fun, until the waves got so high that we started swamping - I've never had the water come that high. Water came halfway up our shoes. It's pretty hard to sink a boat though, so no worries.
We had the rest of the day off, so I grabbed my backpack, a big bottle of water and a baguette and went exploring. My favorite place was a park that had a path going around the lake. I snapped some pictures.
I also got access to a bunch of pictures from the last couple weeks that I've attached below. I have a lot of video of me rowing that I'll add later.
We had the rest of the day off, so I grabbed my backpack, a big bottle of water and a baguette and went exploring. My favorite place was a park that had a path going around the lake. I snapped some pictures.
I also got access to a bunch of pictures from the last couple weeks that I've attached below. I have a lot of video of me rowing that I'll add later.
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| First time back in the single for a while |
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| Opening the back too early! |
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| Rugby on the beach |
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Queenstown
Today was our first day in Queenstown
Queenstown is a ski city similar to Aspen and Vail. It's a bit tourist-y but in a nice area. In some ways it looks a lot like Switzerland - including the prices. (4 dollars for a bread roll?) There are loads of crazy things to do here, like bungee jumping and sky diving, but they're all expensive. I'll be sticking to hiking and exploring. Today we had the afternoon off so I wandered around for a couple hours to explore. I've attached a few pictures below.
In the morning we're training at a local rowing club. I'm excited to get on the water, its a beautiful lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Miles make champions...
This morning we did a 20k with some guys from the Waihopai Rowing Club in a quad. It felt good, and I like switching between sculling, port and starboard so often. This way I can improve all aspects of my rowing and be ready to row for my various teams.
After the row, we went to a place called Bluff, which is the southernmost point of mainland New Zealand. Afterwards, we checked out Bluff Rowing Club, the southernmost rowing club in the world. Pictures are attached below.
For our afternoon workout, we went out in doubles for some technical work. I looked around the club for a bit beforehand and I found a picture of Storm Uru - bronze medalist at the London Olympics in the lightweight double. He used to row here.
We've had a hearty dinner of stirfry and rice. Now we're getting ready to keep moving. Tomorrow morning will be our last practice in Invercargill before we head off to Queenstown for more adventures.
After the row, we went to a place called Bluff, which is the southernmost point of mainland New Zealand. Afterwards, we checked out Bluff Rowing Club, the southernmost rowing club in the world. Pictures are attached below.
For our afternoon workout, we went out in doubles for some technical work. I looked around the club for a bit beforehand and I found a picture of Storm Uru - bronze medalist at the London Olympics in the lightweight double. He used to row here.
We've had a hearty dinner of stirfry and rice. Now we're getting ready to keep moving. Tomorrow morning will be our last practice in Invercargill before we head off to Queenstown for more adventures.
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| Invercargill |
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| Southernmost point of mainland New Zealand |
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| Bluff Rowing Club - Southernmost rowing club in the world |
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| Another rainbow! |
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| Storm Uru in the center |
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