Dropping the hammer

This morning I did my first 2000m on the erg since almost a year ago. My goal was to crack 6:48 (1:42/ 500m), which was the time I put in at last year's peninsula indoor regatta (a poorly paced, hang on for dear life, wow, I'm not ready for this performance). I had plenty of evidence that 1:42 was a sustainable pace. I just wanted to get one good piece in so I could use it to judge what I was really capable of.

I went 6:45.9. So 1:41.5/500m. It was very comfortable (insofar as 2K is ever comfortable) and I could have hit the sprint sooner. Last 500m instead of last 300m. I went 1:41.3, 1:42.0, 1:42.3, 1:40.4.

I'm feeling a lot stronger than I have for a long while. Part of this is probably because I am, in fact, stronger. I'm weighing 180 these days, which for me usually requires lifting and eating. I've never really been above 180 for long without really hitting the weights and the dinner table. I've not done very much with weights at all, and I'm still as lean as ever, so I must have picked up a few extra pounds of muscle. Score.

The indoor regatta is in two weeks. I'd like to crack 6:40. It's possible.

All in all, I'm feeling good about where I'm at in my rowing life. After the erg work we watched some video from Saturday's row. There was a lot of footage of me. I'm still a little tighter in the shoulders than I should be, and I was dumping my finish a bit, but all in all I looked really good. I was getting a lot of length forward (collapsing slightly) and getting my catch in very well before driving. Lineups for San Diego will be out soon. There's a very fast "B" age boat being assembled. I may be in there, though I may also be in the "open" lineup, which means I'll be racing Cal, Washington, etc. Our goal there wouldn't be to win, but to make the final and then make some college kids feel bad that some old guys beat them. Wherever I end up, I'm happy.