Thanksgiving Workout

I think ever since I started rowing in high school I've done a Turkey Day workout. Sometimes it was a gym workout, sometimes on the erg, sometimes a hike or a trail run. More recently its been on the bike; today was two hours in the soaking rain. Now that I've dried out and warmed up I'm reminded that one of the reasons I do these workouts is to enjoy the good fortune of being mobile and active. I'm so very thankful to have my health, my family, and the opportunity to work and live in such a great spot.

The workouts are also very good as an appetite stimulant. Looking forward to a grand feast tonight!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Great Quote

"it's about the process. It doesn't matter what you do tomorrow and it doesn't matter what you did yesterday. It's about today, and making today count. That's especially true in training, but it's the same mentality that I carry into racing. Focus on the task at hand, not on the finish line, or the next part of the race, but what it is that is right there in front of you in the moment."
- Jordan Rapp (professional triathlete)

Bay Area Trip

Getting back to work slowly this morning. I was in San Francisco last week visiting three distinct and different rowing clubs on a recruiting trip. It's always interesting to make these trips; it's a great opportunity to talk to prospective students for sure but equally fascinating is to look at each club and see how they've adapted to the space around them. How do they use their body of water, their facility, and their resources? Do the coaches work with the challenges they're presented with? Rowing is a sport where we often have to take what comes to us (weather, water, access, etc) and adapt in order to achieve the desired goals. It's always good for me to see how other folks do it and compare and contrast to our systems.

Regardless, I came back with some great conversations with some folks who I hope might be joining us next year as well as some ideas to mull over in the coming weeks as to how we might change a few things at Lewis & Clark for the better. The USRowing convention comes up next week and no doubt there will be more good ideas there.

Good Read

Came across a blog post by Shannon Rowbury, a 1500m runner who won a bronze medal at the world championships this last summer, much of it on keeping sport (even elite sport) in perspective. My favorite quote:

"In this way, I have come to realize that it's not about the medal at all. Instead, what matters most is the sense of pride in accomplishing a goal I had worked so long towards and the joy of sharing that success with the people that helped me to achieve it."

Regardless of the races you participate in the results mater very little if you don't work for them. A loss can be as rich as a win if it's accomplished through great hardship and you know you gave your all. Similarly, a win earned without struggle is hollow and quickly forgotten.

Check out the full article here.

PacNW Weekend

Sometimes I feel like I gush about the place I live. So be it. I love it here in Portland, and this weekend was yet another opportunity to talk about why. I started out with a Friday night home swim meet; I'm writing press releases for the swim team this winter and there was great energy in the pool as the Pioneers took home a men's and women's win against Pacific. It was great to watch and to write about, and it was great to see several rowers in the stands to cheer on the swimmers.

Saturday I was up early to join with my cycling team for a great ride; out to Oregon City along River Road (next to the Willamette), up the Clackamas river, and back through the Portland suburbs along some awesome back roads. Cool, crisp air and good company-- much the same as what we do for our Saturday practices in the fall. Back home by 11, yard work and errands, then off to dinner in the Pearl District of Portland with some good friends. The only thing I missed Saturday was seeing Pioneer Football closing their season with a win-- their first conference win since 2003.



Sunday dawned cool & gray, but my wife and I loaded up our car and headed out to the Columbia River Gorge. We did a great hike finishing at Multomah Falls (pictured above). While the falls are always a tourist zoo the hike was quiet and scenic with great views of the gorge through the mist. Forty minutes from our house in the middle of the city there are moments of absolute solitude to be found in the forest.



After the hike we jumped back into the car and drove another ten miles up the gorge to Eagle Creek where we got to watch one of the most amazing things in nature; salmon making their last desperate push to their spawning grounds. Hundreds of fish are in the creek, most in some state of decay, struggling up against the current.



The smell is awful but the sight is amazing. The fish struggle upstream then turn off into side eddies to rest. On the banks those that have already spawned-- or didn't quite make it-- are dead, half eaten. The life cycle of the salmon is at the very center of Pacific Northwest culture and some studies say it is the bodies of salmon that fertilize the dense lush forest that line the rivers and streams of the northwest.



Why write about all this? Because this could have just as easily been a day in the life of a Lewis & Clark student. All of these activities are accessible easily from Lewis & Clark; obviously the sporting events are on campus, the ride I did is one you could easily do from school (or you could substitute practice!), the Pearl can be reached on the Pioneer Express. Even the gorge is only a short drive if you have a friend with a car, or you could go along on one of many college outdoors trips that happen every weekend. I love Portland because all this is right out my door, and every weekend is an opportunity for a new adventure.

Gorgeous Fall Day

There's nothing like the Pacific Northwest sunbreak after a week or so of rain; it's wonderful outside right now with all the roads drying out and everyone walking around with their heads turned up towards the light. I spent the morning moving launches into their winter storage; very happy to be doing so in the daylight rather then in the rain!

Been having good conversations with recruits the last week or so. One of the main points I'm trying to get across to folks right now is the opportunities available at Lewis & Clark; athletic, academic, and exploration wise. When compared to other rowing programs I hope we offer a more complete educational environment that encourages excellence and experience in all facets of life. To me the point is not to participate in rowing so that it takes over your life, but rather to have it enrich and expand your world.

The goal is to graduate folks after four years with a great education, excellent experiences from around the world, and hopefully their most meaningful challenges and triumphs having taken place on the river in the presence of their best friends.

The Best Part. . .

. . . about regular training is clearly the ability to consume more then the average amount of cheese. Having gone for a nice long ride, I rewarded myself with one of my favorites.

Regardless. It's been good for me to start to get back into a good training rhythm, and I'm hearing that echoed from both the men's and women's teams. Sounds like we've got some solid groups forming right now and folks are taking their fitness into their own hands. I have lots of good memories of winters in the erg room during my college rowing career, and I think our athletes are building some of those memories as well.