Year 2, Week 12

Wow. This means there are only 26 weeks of training and preparation left until we hit the waters of Hong Kong. G and I had planned on getting together for a Christmas Day workout yesterday, but, life and holidays being what they are... it didn't happen. Not that we just sat home idling and eating mind you!! We didn't. G ran and I had a near-normal 40-minute workout on the rowing machine for the first time since my surgery! Very exciting :)

26 weeks to worlds, but less than 3 weeks to the next fit test. Preparations for that are going well, but progress is not as fast as either of us would like. Still, we have to take care not to overdo it... no matter how much we want to push it and improve, we have to take care not to hurt ourselves.

This week's schedule: gym together today; individual workouts tomorrow; pool paddling and gym on weds; circuit on thurs; more weights on fri; and a new year's present ... a couple of sessions with A, our personal trainer extraordinaire, who's coming to ring in 2012 with us this coming weekend. Yay!

OK off to do some chinups then.

Happy Boxing Day everyone!

The day of the half-roster

Hong Kong on the Horizon

Coach M has announced half the roster for Hong Kong... the rest will be set on January 16th, the day that rosters need to be submitted to the IDBF (I think anyway). Team reaction was a mixed bag, but overall I think it's been very positive. Those who have been confirmed have nonetheless been struck with the humble-slash-fear stick... at the next fit test (January 14) these 10 better perform even better than at the first one and show that our coaches do actually know what they're doing (they do). The rest of the crew has a fire lit under their respective tushies and are absolutely killing it in training over these next few weeks to make sure they are their leanest, strongest, fittest, and best possible selves and crewmates.

Practices are looking amazing. The whoosh whoosh of the paddles in the pool could literally make me cry it sounds so good. (And no, it's not the meds talking.. i ditched the narcotics day two of being home!) Goosebump moments all around. I managed to paddle the whole practice 3 days after surgery.. the boot served me well (tho it got a bit nasty sweaty in there, ewww) and then Coach A put me through my paces in the weight room, since I couldn't partake in the killer circuit Coach P had put together for the rest of the crew. I'm glad he rode me as hard as he did, cuz G and the other beasts looked half-dead when P was finished with them!

G and I have not missed a beat in the gym either - but are pushing each other harder than ever. It's a bit odd looking with me in my cast (do you have any IDEA how hard it is to stay put on the decline bench when you can only hang on by one leg???!!) but we're both thrilled to bits I don't have to sit out. That would suck eggs for the both of us. I'm having to be super creative with cardio since i can't do any running, biking or elliptical-ing.. but we discovered that one-legged rowing IS possible.

Other than that we are excitedly shopping for OC-1 canoes. Like little kids were are playing with the design tool at www.huki.com (try it, it's super cool!) and dreaming of getting our very own boats. The kids will have to eat Ramen noodles for a while and forego most of their Christmas presents but I'm sure they'll be totally cool with it ;-)

Countdown to the end of the year...

A good friend reminded me today that things have been awfully quiet around here. I blinked and a whole month went by.. how did that happen? Cuz SO MUCH has happened.

First, we figured out that the trials were not for an IDBF world championship competition, but for an ICF (International Canoe Federation) event. We're still a bit confused by how it all relates, but have come to the conclusion that there is no way we can do Hong Kong in July and then Italy in September, plus tryouts and training camps and everything else in between. So we're sticking to the IDBF circuit... phew!

Second... what happened second? Oh yeah, that Christmas present from G? Well, it involved dressing up and public humiliation. Of course. But it was all for a good cause :) We ran in the first ever Burlington Santa Run.. a 5K through Burlington in a full Santa suit (beard and all... or you risked being DQ'd) with 1199 other similarly attired human beings.. a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I wonder how many children who previously thought there was only one Santa (hey, make a small typo and you get "Satan"... hmmm) were traumatized by the sight of MILLIONS of red-suited ho-ho-ho-ers..?

Third we had our first fit test of the season. It was tough and I don't really wanna talk about it. Suffice it to say that we are going to be working our butts off this month in preparation for the next one in early January.

Fourth... ah yes, fourth... I had surgery on my foot yesterday. Note to self.. next time I let G take me anywhere that involves me getting undressed and drugged up - make sure she leaves her phone in the car. As she picks me up at 6am, she asks if my underwear is clean and sans holes. Oui oui... nice looking, clean underpants and bra. Just in case. Cuz you never know who is going to see you in it.

First, they give G a tracking number for me. She decides I need to have my mugshot taken.  

I'm stripped naked, in a gown that i can't close, and all the nurses (coached by my friend Pam who works on this floor) are threatening me with a series of enemas. The bag they give me for my clothes is of clear plastic.. i neatly fold all my apparel (A! You'd have been proud!) and place it inside, with my pretty bright red bra on top. G about has a heart attack.

"Could you please fold that up and tuck it BETWEEN your clothes?"

"Why?"
"I'm not carrying that THING around the hospital. How embarrassing."
I of course am beside myself at this point, and thinking thank goodness there is a rubber pad under my naked butt should I accidentally pee myself with laughing.

"I'm not folding it up! My memory foam cups are gonna get squished."
"Just fold one under and into the other and tuck it in. I'm serious."

"Oh ok fine. But first..."

This photo apparently started a good rumor that I'm in here for a boob job.  HA.

The nurses took my vitals, and removed all my jewelry. That was a bit of a production. Enough said.

In pre-op, the doctor marks which foot gets the knife... 

There's another photo of me with cap and also a video.. but I think I'll keep those to myself for a bit longer. Apparently by the time I was done the ward was under the impression I was a dancer, I was professing my love to all, crying like a baby and generally extremely loopy. Good times.

Everything went well, my foot got all bandaged up, I got some free pants (scrubs are so hot right now!), G bundled me into the car and off we went home. First though, I made her stop at the tattoo shop so I could get my jewelry back on :) (Ears people, ears!!) 

So here I am, on the couch, bored as all $%^! and looking forward to next practice. Doc says if I can do it in my cast, I can do it. So paddling and weights on Saturday - here I come! Two days of rest is enough right?

Team USA tryout dates are out!!

We're about crapping ourselves with excitement. (Classy right?) And trying to figure out which trials to present ourselves at. Of course getting a little practice in an OC-1 would help (those donations would really REALLY be helpful right now! Can I sell you some chocolate? How about a website? Or a funny looking cat?)

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

We have to get through the November 26 fit test first!

And congrats to our Coach M who kicked butt in a half-marathon on Saturday. 1:50! Who knew the man could even run? But at that speed? Makes our times look lame now.. but love having a new goal to beat!
Speaking of running and goals... got an early Christmas present from G. But I'm not allowed to tell you about it yet.

A second team for Hong Kong!?!!!

The excited words that are escaping my mouth are not really appropriate for publication... but imagine me jumping up and down in my living room and I'm sure you can imagine what I'm yelling. G and I have been invited to paddle on a 40+ mixed team in Hong Kong! When we were first asked we were like "holy crap" (yes i edited) and held our breath a bit because there was an attached caveat. Since this team didn't paddle at the national championships and thus earn a berth for Hong Kong in the usual way, it would be vying for a wild card draw for the remaining open spot. We wouldn't know until November 4th.

Well, it's November 4th and GUESS WHAT?!! We got the spot. Holy freakin' glittery shizzles!! So now we can be excited. And freaked out. And .... really? Two teams? Hey wait a minute! does that mean double the workouts now? LOL. Ok.. on that note... off to the gym!

Tomorrow we travel north for our first indoor paddle and circuit - the rest of the team started last week, but since it was G's birthday party weekend the two of us begged off and stayed state-side. Speaking of which - what an AMAZING night that was. G looked radiant in her sparkly shmarkly sequin dress, and didn't get off the dance floor all night. In fact, I think she danced and sang and yelled so much she lost her voice completely (and lost 2lbs in the process. hee!). And so many of our Montreal family came to celebrate with us.. it was absolutely BRILLIANT. My girl knows how to throw a party for sure.. but our teammates know how to PARTY.

I'll have to steal some pics off facebook and plonk them here :)

One month to the fate-deciding-fit-test

Ok so maybe it won't decide our ENTIRE fate, but it sounds good. Today, inspired by last night's Biggest Loser episode, G and I cranked it up a notch in the gym. We sweated, we grunted, we came to the brink of throwing up. We also self-tested our max bench weight at the beginning of the workout and were VERY pleased with the results. We're stronger than we thought!! Phew! Hooray! Hallelujah! Tomorrow we head north for circuit training.. last week was full of yoga and stretching (truth be told that slow deliberate stuff is not my favorite, since ADD-afflicted as I am I have a hard time sitting still, but my body really appreciated it). I don't think we'll get off so easy this week... in fact, I half expect we're gonna get murdered properly. If you never hear from us again, you know what happened. (Is anybody even out there? Sometimes I wonder if we're just talking to ourselves...like crazy people in little white rooms...)

A crazy event with a crazy crowd!

So every year, G's BFF (yes she has more than one, I have to share her) organizes a run in memory of her dead cat. (I assume it's dead.) Well, I say every year, but I believe this was actually only the 3rd annual such run. Anyway, the first year I got injured, the second year I can't remember why I missed it (probably because G skipped it AGAIN due to baseball, but, since the Red Sox got creamed and ousted early this year, she was available). The logistics (in theory) are very cool... it's a staggered start, so everyone estimates how long they'll take to run the distance, and the slowest go first, then the next slowest, etc.. with the idea that (assuming everyone was honest) everyone will cross the finish line at the same time.

2011 PusHy Run runners - the winner has the kitty ears on ... can you spot them??

Of course, however, people aren't honest. Or overestimate, just to be safe :) Plus most of us are super competitive.. we can't really play nice. And then there are the 'added value' elements that make the run crazy. Last year's runners had to down babyfood at the halfway point apparently... what we'd have to do this year was anybody's guess.

A (who'd agreed to join us only if he could be a cheerleader cuz he was nursing a knee injury, uh huh) was our fantabulous time keeper/starter. P was our half-way surpriser. In the first group, off went G with 2 others. 3 minutes later, it was my turn along with the handsome fellow on the far right of the photo. "I haven't run in 6 months" quipped he earlier... didn't stop him from dashing off like a mad man on fire though. I wasn't about to let him get ahead of me but I was definitely a) wondering how the heck I was gonna maintain such an insane pace for 3 miles and b) wondering if my timekeeping skills were as bad as my math skills because this did NOT feel like a 10-minute mile pace! (He eventually paid for his foolishness which was compounded by the halfway surprise but that's another matter entirely.)

The rest of the 9 followed in a few more groupings, and the race was on. As I rounded the last curve (dirt road, hilly, at the base of Camel's Hump mountain) before the halfway point, G and her group were coming toward me. G was grimacing. "You're NOT gonna like that!" Oh GREAT. Just fabulous.

When I got to P though, and saw the bottle of liquor he was holding - i thought, ha! Piece of cake!  I got to him, took the shot glass and with a quick "cheers" downed whatever it was (think I'm too trusting?), gave the glass back, turned around and started the run back. I had a fire in my belly now. Good GOD what WAS that shit!? It was good, don't get me wrong, but $#%^&(!!!! Very glad I'd had breakfast. (Unlike my unfortunate starting partner whose breakfast WAS the shot. Ouch.) Determined not to let anything slow me down, I cranked up my pace a notch, and caught up with the threesome ahead of me. (Thankfully I hadn't gotten passed yet.) I caught up, and sped up some more. Maybe a shot of something should be part of every run? This was pretty cool! P bombed past me on his motorbike... guess that meant everyone had passed the halfway line... if I was gonna get passed, now would be the time. Go faster feet, faster!

G got some fire of her own and started a mad dash after me "that's my partner!!!!" she was yelling in her head, and pretty soon we had the finish line in sight. I saw A's smiling face and was practically pleading as I got near... "PLEEEEEASE tell me this is the finish line and I can stop!!??"

P was back there at this point too and had an almost evil grin on his face. "Well, you can't win until you drink this" he says, handing me a beer. GOOD GOD. REALLY?? Hmm... well I AM parched... and it's a nasty light beer, so other than the bubbles, just like water right? HAHAHAHA. Not nearly. But I managed to chug my way to victory. And G? The Runner Up (yes, of course she chugged too). Yeah!!! Hungry Dragons Dominate! (We won't mention anyone lowballing times or getting disqualified for not imbibing, or any of that stuff, as that would dilute the story and our victory.)

Anyway, it was a good laugh, a good time, and was followed by a phenomenal feast up at P's and K's (the BFF of the dead cat) amazing house. Life is good.

Something weird(er) is happening...

Got to the gym, no G, so hopped on the treadmill to warm up. Had a nice long uphill walk, decided I'd had enough... hopped back off, turned around.. there she was! All bundled up in her hoodie from the brrr outdoors... she hung her backpack on the hook by the door, peeled off her hoodie and... WAS DRESSED ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME AS ME. The only difference.. her shorts had stripes in them, and mine were solid blue. On top - black tank tops. And this was the SECOND time this week. On Monday we showed up in the exact same shirts and similar bottoms. Guess we really are twins.... what could be next?

Got our pictures in one of the local papers...

Does that mean we can sign autographs now? That we can get a movie deal? That we have to come up with an array of disguises for when we want to go out in public? HAHA. Just kidding. We've still got a long way to go, and by no means are we ensured a spot on that final Hong Kong roster of course, but a little attention (or fock-us, haha inside joke, don't worry if you don't get it and don't ask either because we probably won't tell you) like this really goes a long way to keeping our momentum and inspiration going!

http://www.otherpapersbvt.com/veve-headed-to-hong-kong-for-dragon-boat-championships.html 

First circuit of the winter season...

Since we'll be whooping up G's birthday with an all-out all-star bash the same day the first Saturday training circuit and pool paddle is scheduled (seriously coach, didn't you know it's a national holiday? and we have to do our hair?? what were you thinking???) we decided to get our butts up north and join the Thursday circuit - see the team, get back in the groove, blah blah blah. We met as usual, I threw all my junk into the back of G's car and off we sped.

We pull up to the border, G hands over our documents.

Border guard: Bonjour
G: Bonjour!
Guard: Where are you going?
G: To practice. On the Lachine Canal [Excellent, here we go again. Canada is bigger than DB and the Lachine Canal, but I'll keep my mouth shut.]
Guard: Is this your only license?
G: Who? Me?
Guard: Yes you.
G: Oh, yes... why?
Guard: It's expired.
G: What??!! It's expired?? ... OHHHH!!! My BIRTHDAY!! It expired YESTERDAY! OH MY GOD!
Guard: chuckles.
G: I PROMISE IF YOU LET ME GO I WILL GO AND RENEW IT STRAIGHT AWAY TOMORROW! OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. OH MY GOD! [hangs head in shame and disbelief. Me trying not to pee myself with laughter at this point]
Guard: chuckles some more. You might have a problem on the other side.
G: Oh dear.
[a little more back and forth that i can't remember but it's not all that important...you get the idea]
Guard: Have a nice day. [Waves us off.]
G: Oh thank you thank you!

HAHAHAHA. Barely 40 and already senile.. good sign for fun times ahead. hee!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEST FRIEND!

Today is G's 40th birthday. She's finally back from vacation and we are going to celebrate the big event appropriately with a kick-ass workout. Today's focus is back and shoulders, plus some abs thrown in for good measure. I hope the gym is prepared for us, 'cause we're gonna OWN it today! Who wants to bet that the birthday girl will be so pumped that I'll have to hustle to keep up with her!?

Tomorrow we head to Montreal for an indoor circuit - the first one of the season with our team. It seems like it's been for freakin' ever already.. can't wait to see everyone again and see what new faces there might be too :) And start readying ourselves for the first fitness test - November 26 is gonna come so fast!

Miserable and missing each other

G is away on vacation, visiting family in warmer climates. I miss her like crazy. Working out by myself sucks eggs. She's had family to workout with but apparently that's not cutting the mustard either.

Me (texting): 
My abs and back are so sore today! How is your body?
Why aren't you heeeeeere? I miss you!!
U r not allowed to go on vacation again (unless you take me too)

G:
Seriously... I am dying to workout with you. Everyone else sucks.
(I think there was also a bit about her 'spotter' talking too much, to the extent she just wanted to slap him, hahahaa)
I miss you... Sunday I am back :)

HHOOORAAAAYYYY!!

Tried my first TRX (ok ok, "suspension trainer" seeing as it's a home-made knock-off version) workout on Tuesday. Focused on chest and biceps... Not easy at all. Afterwards I felt like my biceps had swollen to double their size..they were so stiff and tight. And despite not really being able to do full extension on all of the exercises, I am feeling the effects like nobody's business. And then the abs piece on top of that. ouch! Stretching, coughing, even laughing hurts! Today I'm going back for more - back and shoulders this time. And abs of course. Is it 3 o'clock yet????

Wanted: 2 OC1s

So, here's the thing. Kayaks on our beloved lake do not good practice for an OC1 time trial make. We're going to need to get a little creative now (not to mention shamelessly, unabashedly ask for donations and free gifts - for the price of a little advertising of course!)

All joking aside... the only way we're going to accomplish what we need to do, make the roster for Hong Kong and make the cut for Team USA is to get ourselves the right boats to practice and perfect our technique, sprints and endurance. Here's a little video of the 2011 OC1 timed trials in Philly.... looks like slow heavy water. Ick.




I wonder if my garage is long enough to house one...

Trying something new... and being creative with it!

So, while we're waiting for the official start of year two, we're trying a little experiment. Under the careful eye of our favorite personal trainer A (getting joke choked by G here), we're embarking on a couple of weeks of weights, cardio and plyometrics. This custom program calls for use of a suspension trainer - but who has an extra $200 or more to spend when this sport has already burned a serious hole in our wallets? So, taking some good advice and a youtube video, I made us each a rock-solid, heavy-duty suspension training system akin to the TRX but for a tenth of the price. Yup - for less than $20 a pop we now each have the pleasure of hanging on appropriately girly salmon-pink straps. I've tested them on the kids (pretty hilarious), on the chin-up bar hanging on my bedroom door (the key is to hang on the CORRECT side of the door so as not to go flying face down), fashioned my own door anchor (works, but eh, doesn't thrill me, cuz in my tiny little house i end up in the bathroom and who wants to work out in there?) and finally hit upon the idea of throwing the straps up over one of the open joists in my garage (which i spent all Sunday cleaning out and organizing - now i barely recognize it it's so open and uncluttered!). Lo and behold I think we have a winner. I might go and get some padded rubber mats tho, just in case i do take a nose dive... the coarse aggregate in my historic concrete floor could definitely make a bit of a mark. Now if I can only remember how i'm supposed to do the exercises, we'll be all set!

In withdrawal already...

Was flipping through the pics on my phone yesterday, and came across this one - snapped during a moment of boredom on the customarily-jammed approach to the Champlain Bridge one afternoon. This place always made us laugh... I wonder how many people eat there, it's not the best marketing strategy I've ever seen. On the other hand, it could be pure genius. So honest, not to mention memorable!

truth in advertising :)

Today is Thursday... and it feels so strange not to be planning on leaving the office early to get up to Montreal to practice. Whatever will we do with the extra 14 hours of time we get back each week? ....

the in-between...

So season 1 ended, season 2 is about to begin... but even in the "off-season" there are medals to be had... check out the fabulous weekend I just had! A serendipitous paddle that netted a much coveted gold medal for about 55 seconds of work; and a 10K dash through my now-favorite-city-slash-second-home as part of the Montreal Marathon that earned me another medal, yes, but also my best run time EVER. I did it in 55:38 - and with an effed up foot to boot. Yaaaa! My running partner (not G for once - she had adventures of the family kind instead.. and much needed they were!) exceeded his expectations too... it was just perfect. So many firsts this weekend...

Season 2 of the road to Hong Kong starts October 10. The training will be murder. Our first fit test is set for November 26 (guess that means no turkey, no pumpkin or pecan pie, no nothing on the 24th!); and the roster for Hong Kong is being announced on December 5th. Good thing the Biggest Loser is back... we need the inspiration. Presently we're considering developing our own crazy-outdoor-in-the-woods-monster training session - with the help of Coach A (should he accept the challenge, woodland creatures and bugs) - and are just SO pumped to GET. IT. DONE.

Ok - gotta go train...!

the consequences of spending so much time together...

yup, it's true love :)

• people tell me "go - your husband is waiting" (and are talking about G)
• we both look at a crazy looking cloud in the sky and think it looks like a jellyfish
• G quietly thinks about what it would be like to try out a Concept 2 rowing machine with Vermont adapter at the same time as I blurt out "so.. i tried the VT adapter thing..."
• We gun the accelerator (yes we, not just the person driving.. because now even the passenger's foot twitches as if it were on the pedal), pass a big tractor-trailier, and then do a simultaneous and FREAKING IDENTICAL siren-like "whooooo!!"
• We hit a big toad on the road and both cringe, scream and scrunch up our faces in the exact same way
• I email G that there have been a few eating excesses over the weekend and therefore I need to cleanse and eat light the next few days, so please don't bring any additional stuff for our after-practice-dinner - on the same morning that she has decided she needs to detox because of those yummy but so-NOT-in-the-program mozzarella stix

Seriously - sometimes it's just dang uncanny.

Scariest storm ever.

Practice got cut short yesterday, due to a mega-threatening storm. We barely made if off the water as the lightning started dancing and the skies opened up. Since we'd planned on being there for a second late practice as well, we decided to go out to dinner and make a fun night of it. We sat inside while the rain continued.. and passed. A couple of drinks, amazing fried calamari, big plates of sumptious pasta, double espressos and much good conversation and laughter later.. we hit the road home. Just across the border we found ourselves barreling into the biggest, craziest lightshow we'd seen in a while. The lightning lit everything up better than a nightgame at a ballpark... the rain was torrential... the thunder just BOOMED. It was pretty scary at times. Then G's hubby calls. Tells us it's dangerous to drive in it. That we shouldn't use our phones. That we could basically die tonight. Grrreat. Pretty much exactly what we needed to hear at that moment!

ME: "Nah, the car is the safest place to be. Rubber tires!"
G: "Get on your phone and Google it."
ME: (looking, accessing all kinds of advice, contradictory and consistent alike). "Well, it's fairly  safe to keep driving. But it looks like if lightning strikes us, it won't be THAT that kills us, it'll be YOU that does it."
G: "Huh?"
ME: "Think about it... the lightning hits, we'll be ok, but you'll lose control of the car, and bang into the ditch/tree/whatever..."
G: (laughing and getting a teensy bit of a hysterical note in her voice) "Oh GREAT. NO PRESSURE THERE!!"
ME (ever so helpful as always): "Just be careful. Don't touch anything metal."
G collapses in a fit of giggles: "Just be careful? Is your phone metal? What's metal in here? My steering wheel is fine right?"
We're yelling at each other at this point, the noise from the rain and thunder is so loud. We turn the cabin light on and look for any and all metal parts. The shaft of the shift. The 4-wheel drive switch. That's about it..the rest is leather or plastic, we think.
ME: "Yeah, you're fine."

It lasted about 30 minutes... we had to slow it down to 40mph in parts, but overall it wasn't so bad. And we didn't die. Instead we started planning how we're gonna make the cut for Team USA next year. HA!

This is it. Year one. DONE.

This past weekend we were in Pawtucket, RI at the Taiwanese Festival and Dragon Boat races. It was supposed to be work, but as usual it just seemed like a mini-vacation. The coolest thing ever was that I got to try steering their boats.. which are NOT like any dragon boat I have ever seen. These are floating BATHTUBS and about as agile as you'd expect an old cast iron one to be! Impossible to turn on a dime, wide enough to lay crosswise, and steered from the wrong side with an oar that weighs.. well, seven tons at least. Ok, maybe not seven tons, but definitely more than I'm used to. The paddles too were shorter, thicker and heavier than conventional ones.. didn't get to try paddling but it looked quite interesting to say the least.

What dragons do for play :) We were going for the Titanic look...

The boats were gorgeous, the teams a lot of fun, and the day just brilliant - hot, sunny and perfect. (And did i mention that even though i couldn't turn the boat around with anything even resembling finesse or elegance, i was able to keep the thing straight down the course and won my first raceout?! Whoop! Oh it was awesome.) It was the last festival we're gonna work for the season - and next weekend is the last festival we're going to compete in. The Quebec Cup is the mother of all festivals for me - I think for G too. This is because of the insane 2000m race we have to do. It's full of aggression, determination, skill, and just plain old brutality. The steers are in the spotlight in this one.. and they do all they can (most of it legal) to get the edge they need to win. Raced around a 250m course, there are 7 turns to be made (and they need to be tight around the buoys so as not to lose time or allow another boat to get the advantage) and it can get really rowdy. Just our kind of fun.

Can't believe we're here. Yesterday was our last weight training session of year one. We have two last on-water practices this week, and then a weekend of crazy racing, and FINITO. (then three weeks of "vacation" and right back into murderous indoor training. Can't wait!)

Year one almost complete

Hard to believe that we are now just about half-way through what seemed like a massive and highly ambitious two-year plan to get to Hong Kong in 2012. But here we are, still traveling internationally twice-weekly, still seeing each other six-days-a-week, still laughing and loving it. LOVING it. And still total goofballs.

Last week's approach to US customs:

"Hello"
"Hello. AAAARGH" [L can't find ID quickly enough.]"
"Oh shit sorry.." [G drops IDs out the car window]
Customs guy starts laughing.
"What was the purpose of your trip to Canada?"
"Dragon boat practice."
"Did you get hit on the head with the paddles?" he laughs some more.
"You'd think huh? We are just NOT with it today!"
"Ya, coach about killed us today, maybe that's the problem."
"Here you go ladies, stay out of trouble." And he waves us off.

Oh if only he knew the trouble we are capable of getting into!

don't really think this needs much explanation. besides, using your imagination is good for you.

Last competition of the season is approaching September 17 and 18. And then three weeks (semi) off and BANG winter training begins. Think this year was intense..? Ha, it's about to get nuts. And we CAN'T WAIT.

Last month of outdoor paddling...

Hard to believe we are nearing the end of the season. This weekend we are heading up to a fun festival in Rawdon, QC with a mixed crew that we just adore... then training hard for our final competition of the year - the Quebec Cup, in mid-September. Then three weeks off and BANG BANG BANG for the start of the indoor season. Back to fit tests, killer circuits and scrutiny in the indoor pool. And winter weather.. YUK. Trying not to think about that just yet tho!

Several of our girls at WORLDS in Tampa!

So several of our crewmates are in Tampa competing for TEAM CANADA. Cheering them on like mad, following their posts and emails like fanatic groupies, soaking it all in and socking it away ..... So proud of our girls, they are and will be AMAZING this week. Show them how it's done ladies! (Bang Bang Bang to get the Bling Bling Bling!)

fun at the border (not instigated by us!)

Had a great practice last night..went out with my boat, steered a second, then paddled again with a third team.. three hours of on-water bliss. I love the perspective that different coaches and crews impart. Plus I had to entertain myself as G took the day off to travel half-way around the country to catch up with family. Anyhoo.. got to the border and saw quite a sight. An RV, towing a very nice, shiny, black, convertible pony was jammed between the yellow radiation (as we call them affectionately) poles marking the tight little lane. The driver had obviously followed the curved lane markings, rather than approached the thing straight, and neglected to realize that big square bus-like vehicles don't bend in the middle. The resounding impact had apparently caused the tow package to buckle a bit, so that the pony somehow shifted on the hitch -- the poor guys were having a terrible time trying to disengage it. When i drove off, 11pm at this point, they were still at it. I soooo wanted to take a pic of the whole thing.. it was surreal and pretty amusing, but one of the guys looked so incredibly frustrated, and unhappy look that i thought that would just be poor form. I hope they got out of that mess!

how to pass the time in stop-n-go traffic: #241

A little face grooming - you can do that anywhere! And you can arrive to practice looking absolutely stunning. (The hairy legs however, well, that you need to take care of at home.)

not your usual border crossing

We roll up to the border. Thin, older, sour-looking, freckle-faced man in the little yellow booth takes our IDs and asks the standard question.

"Where do you live?"
"Burlington and South Burlington."
"How do you know each other?"
"This is my friend and team mate."
"What were you doing in Canada?"
"Dragon boat practice."
"Dragon boat." It wasn't a question. His eyes narrowed. His face got sourer. "What charity event was it?"
"Oh no charity event.We are part of a regular team, and we had a practice."
"No event? Were you working?"
"No, just practicing. But we have a charity event in a couple of weekends in Burlington."
His eyes just bore into me. Make me squirm a bit. "Are you asking me to come?"
"Err... sure!" I say and laugh, not really sure what the correct response is. If it's even possible his eyes narrow a tad more...
"You can't hit on a federal officer when he's on duty you know."
Seriously? Goodness!
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
"OK then, here you go," he says handing back our IDs, "have a good night."

Golden heatwave

Temperatures were so high this weekend, that I half expected to come back to a car (left in a hotel parking lot so we could carpool) with melted, oozing tires. Thankfully that didn't happen... but for sure WE oozed a lot! A new friend of ours, a fellow dragon boater from Philly, told us that for every ten pounds of weight lost a boat gains an extra three seconds of speed... well... i think we definitely delivered on that one!

The Montreal International Dragonboat Festival is a rather unique event - e.g. the women's class is just that... one big hot mess of women's crews. There are no subdivisions (like senior, BCS, community, intermediate, premier, etc).. you're all just lumped together and going for bust to see what happens. This year, there were 48 female crews... ours among them. As in June, we were being pitted against one of the national teams on which three of our crew sit. It was gonna be a challenge.. and we welcomed it!

Our boat did fantastic. We "got the $#%& off the start line" as directed, and had really strong races - strong enough to get us into the Division A finals in both the 500m and the 200m - along with two premier teams and Team Canada. In the 200m - dang it was close... less than half a second between the top 4 teams:  54:03 (Team CA, with our girls on it!), 54:17, 54:21 and 54:29 (our boat).... so sweet!  The 500m final was very similar. 2:18:26, 2:19:04; 2:19:18 (Team CA) and 2:19:26 (us) - we were one second off from the gold, and just a dragon's whisker from bronze. Even though we wouldn't medal, we would be going home very happy. Great training ground, really SOLID.

Still, G and I are accustomed to bling. And since we decided earlier in the season that we wouldn't leave another festival without some sort of jewelry, we had our work cut out for us. We were lucky enough to be able to paddle with a second, mixed crew from our club... made up of a lot of folks from one of the teams we were with last year.. so it was like coming home in a sense. And we did so well, we got bumped up to the premier division finals (your times earn you a spot in either the Rookie, Intermediate or Premier finals) - and 2:18:19 was enough to net us GOLD in the 500m... in the worst, heaviest, crappiest lane to boot. As our coach said, that was like a TRIPLE win! So very very satisfying.

On the way home, at the border, we were asked if we were bringing anything back. G and I leaned over and waved our bling at the guy. "Hell yeah!! Medals!" we yelled. The guy chuckled and asked "did you beat a Canadian team?" "Hell yeah!" We answered. He laughed. We laughed. He didn't need to know we were WITH a Canadian team. And technically, we told the truth so no harm no foul. Hee.

So yeah, hot hot weekend! Medal is on the rack... next race, August 13. This one will be strictly for fun: we're paddling with another of our former teams and coaches... the one we started with in Montreal and really owe all our successes to, so it'll be pretty special actually. Love love LOVE that crew.

The summer is starting to wind down... BOO.

Preparing for the Montreal International Dragon Boat Festival

Can't seem to stay out of the city. Went up last weekend just for fun - which completely flabbergasted the border guy. "You're going TO the city? Are you crazy? What on earth for? I'm staying off that island for the rest of the year!" he declared quite animatedly. "Well, there's a multicultural festival we want to check out, as well as the Biodome..." He wasn't impressed. A few years older than I, he had just been to the U2 concert the night before - which he proceeded to tell me all about. Never mind that there was a car behind me, and then another, then 3 more (and this was the only lane open)... there was apparently a lot that needed to be said. I got a rundown of the concert itself (awesome and loud); heard just how close to Bono he had been (never gonna get that close to him again); and how getting home through all the traffic had taken the poor man over 3 hours (what the heck had he been thinking?). I couldn't get a word in edgewise... so i just grunted and smiled and ooed when it seemed appropriate. Eventually he gave us our IDs back, but still kept talking.. and tho i tried inching the car forward and giving the signal that hey, maybe it's time for me to go...he was having none of it. I toyed briefly with the idea of just gunning it forward but decided against it. If the man wanted to talk, who was I to deny him an audience? Eventually he had to take a breath so i jumped in, wished him a pleasant, quiet rest of the weekend and continued up to that awful island of traffic horror (on a Sunday morning.. really rather pleasant!). 

Anyway... enough of that digression. 

Hard to believe we only have two competitions left in the season.. one next weekend and the other at the tail end of September. Coming up is the Montreal International Dragon Boat festival - where we will have the added challenge of racing against all sorts of premier women's teams rather than in our usual division. It'll be tough, but soooo good for us. Plus I love this festival.. it's where G and I both got our first taste of what dragon boat racing is REALLY about... where we fell head over heels in love with the sport... and where we've made some amazing friendships. We've competed in it every year since - and our summers are generally measured around it. We're also hoping to again join a second, mixed team to race with, just for a little extra fun and action.. otherwise it ends up being like a very looooong track meet. Anyway, we'll see. In the meantime.. the day is wearing on and it's almost time to head to practice. Yay!

GOING TO WORLDS!!!

A bronze medal & confirmation that the team is Hong Kong bound!

Incredible weekend in Welland. Saw a lot of amazing paddling. The divisions were so close, I think all 85 teams racing got quite a reality check. I know we did. The time differences between us and our competition really came down to one or two strokes for the most part. CRAZY!

Friday morning we walked from our hotel down to the course for practice. The water was calm, deep and a gorgeous green color. We'd heard so much about this course we couldn't wait to get out on it and see if it truly was as good as we'd been led to believe. We found our team, helped raise the tents and get settled and then it was time to load up. The boat we got was so new, they hadn't finished taking the bubble wrap off the seats!

The practice was short, but delicious. The water warm and oh soooo fast. Perfection! We stayed out there just long enough to whet our competitive appetites and came back in. A few hours of meditation and focus were now in order before our 500m heat - the time we registered strangely eludes me at present. The final would be the next morning.. and we knocked that out at 2:12.81. A great time, and four seconds faster than our goal, but not quite enough for first place... which was logged at 2:12.64. CENTISECONDS!  We had a screaming start and held everyone at bay for at least 480 of the 500m, but they crept up on us at the end and slid in by a dragon's nose hair. Silver was to be our color for the day. Grr.

Saturday afternoon it was the 2000m that would torture us. You generally either love or hate this race. Personally, it's one of my favorites. (Then again, I don't think I've ever met a race I DIDN'T like. I just love this stuff top to bottom and sideways.) And OMG it was hellish and brilliant all at once. Hopefully there'll be video available at some point.. i'd love to actually see how it looked from a spectator's vantage point. It was mad crazy, and our boat was so SOLID. Sitting in seat 5, smack in the middle of the boat, I felt the power all around me. I was barely aware of anything else... and by the time we crossed the finish line my right foot and hand were visibly mottled with the sheer effort of it. Despite losing ground on a few turns, we finished with a respectable (but, sadly, 4th place) time of 9:56, ready to puke our guts out.

Sunday morning we walked to the course again. Already at 9am it was scorchingly hot. We passed a gaggle of the biggest, fattest Canada geese we'd ever seen and immediately envied them their cooling swim. By the time we were up to race our first 200m heat, we were ready to melt. But a little cool race water on the backs of our necks and we were ready to rip it. Just before we headed to the starting blocks, we were stopped in the water, focusing. Our boat is stunning. We sit there and just breathe. 22 women sitting still, totally focused, breathing in and out deeply... it is powerful and calming and so much more. As I was breathing I felt a strong need to turn around and look back, look for G, my partner through all this. I turned and she was looking right at me...it was uncanny really - our eyes just locked for a second, and that's all we needed.

Boy did we rip it. We screamed down that bloody course in 53:67 - ahead of all the other crews. Again.. it was centiseconds. Might as well have been nanoseconds tho. Of the five boats in the heat, four were bang on top of each other: our 53:67, then 53:77, 53:88 and 53:90. We had some serious company here!

We knew we would have a run for our money in the final. Again we hammered it out at the start.. quite possibly that was our best start ever. All boats fought extra hard for that race... and again the top times were a hair off from one another. 53:66; 53:68 (ours, another silver race); 53:87. The difference of one hard stroke... UGH!!

We took bronze for the competition as a whole, and are secure in the knowledge that we have fully and unequivocally earned our berth for the World Club Crew Championships next summer. Still, despite setting off for home without that coveted and elusive gold, we left with something much more valuable. The fire that is now in our bellies is going to keep us roaring hungry over the next 12 months as we step up our game and prepare for Hong Kong. And hungry is what we need to be... so that we may grab the gold where it REALLY counts: on the WORLD course.

Celebrating the end of a fantastic racing weekend (holy crap we're going to Hong Kong!)

Arrival in Welland

Had a fast ride through New York State to get here.. we laughed, told stories, and tried to contain the excitement as we neared nearer and nearer. When we finally saw the sign heralding our arrival, we screeched to a stop and did the goofy tourist-picture thing. Part 1 of the dream is really here!! As we drove into town to our hotel, we passed the race course... a total goosebump moment. There it was, the best course in Canada, and tomorrow WE would be racing on it. Yeeeeehaaaaa!!!

After a good supper and an early turn in.. we are ready to rock it. Tomorrow just became today :) Just got up, heading to breakfast and a practice. First races are this afternoon - the 500m and the 2000m. WHOOOOP!!

3 more hours of practice and then....

NATIONALS! We're so excited we can barely sit still. Personally, even when I'm sitting I can't stop fidgeting... that could be because I've got great music blaring through my earbuds and I'm dancing in my office chair but that's beside the point. We are soooooooo excited-scared-amazed-crazy happy-thrilled to be going off to Welland, Ontario to deliver on the promises we made to ourselves, each other and our team last October. The butterflies have been in my stomach at least a week, I can't walk past a mirror without stopping and quickly practicing my drive or my exit or some other aspect of the stroke. And we both still catch our breath when we realize that the girls looking back at us are.. US... how much our bodies have changed... :)

Gorgeous gorgeous day outside.. can't wait to swap the office clothes for shorts and a tank, hit the road north and get out on the water...

How we prepare for practice...

a double espresso and two iced coffees... each!

That was on Thursday.. poor G suffered the consequences of all that caffeine and was in such bloated pain by the time we arrived at the gym... seriously, it got so bad that during the traffic jam on the Champlain Bridge (let me make it clear in case you don't quite understand: NO WAY OFF OR OUT) that the empty paper cup was considered as an option. Thankfully I (for once) did not have the same problem, so, supportive team-mate that I am, I found great entertainment in the whole episode.

But silly toilet jokes aside, practice was AMAZING.. we felt strong, powerful and hammered ths CRAP out of the water that day. As our pacer extraordinaire likes to say, BANG! BANG! BANG! It was the perfect prelude to Saturday's races... which went very well. We performed well, and got to watch (more like drool over) the national teams in attendance. So inspiring!

Next: 3 weeks of hardcore hell and then... NATIONALS. WHOOP!

More marathon day pics...

Just because they're so beautiful.. thanks R for taking them!!

G crossing the finish line - whoop whoop girl!

Yes it's an ambulance, no we didn't need it.. just posing with our pal Sully :)

And here with the Chief :)

Could our smiles be any bigger? Such an amazing day!

Four happy runners ready to eat and drink!

What a weekend!!

a little nap pre-races

Saturday started around 4am for us.. I think G might have gotten a little more sleep than me.. but not much. First the crazy thunderstorm woke us up and lit up our respective bedrooms with all the flashes of lightning.. then the incessant rain just pounded and pounded, giving us no respite at all. Then on my end, the dog got scared, the cat began yowling, and well, call the night pretty much over.

We hooked up at 5:30am and began our drive north. Butterflies in our stomachs... the first race of the season. Woohoo. Got to the border, and saw something we'd never seen before. No cars and and an orange traffic cone in the one open crossing lane. What, the customs guy chose NOW to have his breakfast break? We sat there for about 5 minutes .. then finally saw signs of life in the little booth. An officer lumbered out, grabbed the cone, and lumbered back in, motioning us forward with an impatient flick of the wrist. We moved up, gave him our cards.. he looked at them, barked a quick question at us, and sent us packing...into torrential rain.. oh great. This was gonna be a GREAT racing day.

We got to the races early, and decided to just sit in the parking lot and nap for a little while.(Not to mention stay warm and dry for as long as we could!) Eventually it was time to get on out and hook up with our team.

First up: 1000m. No easing into the day here. We warmed up, lined up, and smashed it. Our competition in the first heat were 3 elite women's teams in a younger age bracket. We stayed neck and neck with two of them for the first 500m... oh it was beautiful... and then got tired and slumped back taking third place. 4:38 - 6 seconds behind the winning team and 10 seconds ahead of the 4th place finisher. We knew what we needed to fix, but overall it was a pretty beautiful race. Next up would be the 500m... followed by a 200m.

Blah blah blah (i'm tired.. keep reading you'll understand why).. the rain cleared for each of our races and we went home with the bronze.. awesome! (I decided that I'm not leaving any more competitions without medals. Nuh uh. We're 2 for 2 now.. let's keep it rolling!!)

And today, the day after ... we could have rested but... we ran in the Vermont City Marathon instead. 13.1 miles (21.1 km) each.. oh it was AWESOME. Despite starting in soggy nasty rain (which eventually cleared, thank goodness) I felt like it was my strongest attempt yet.. i ran the whole course (where the first time i had walked part of it) and even found enough in me to speed up the last 3 miles and then sprint the last 10th of a mile to the exchange with G. She took off like nobody's business and, despite crazy heat and sun, bested her last time on this course too. Official results aren't in yet.. we have our own unofficial ones but we'll wait and see what the marathon clock logged.


Time to ice my knees and take my sore feet out of their delicious soak and put them up now. And then.... oh my heavenly BED!

so much good...

Driving back from practice yesterday, we were quietly excited, for want of a better description. Busting at the seams with emotions and simultaneously in suspended disbelief. Tomorrow we'll be one step closer to THE DREAM. When I went to the 2009 Nationals (as a spectator of course) i was just blown away by the beauty of the races and the athletes. I never imagined that I'd actually have a chance to be among the competitors just 2 years later.. it continues to surprise me just how far we've come on this whirlwind journey. Tomorrow is our first official competition.. yesterday we got our Dragon Boat Canada IDs. We were like two little girls who'd just gotten Valentine's day cards from their kindergarten crushes... we kept taking them out, looking at them, turning them this way and that.. relishing the feeling of being part of something so freakin cool... Neither one of us has ever worked so hard for anything in our entire lives (that we can recall anyway).. and had it feel SO GOOD. Love this life :)

excitement is building...

Kickass training week - on the water and off. The return of the big yellow thing in the sky has improved our mood and morale tremendously. And we feel like we've done a full season of paddling already, between  the two training camps and getting out on the water in Montreal earlier this month. It's been such a huge difference from last year... i don't think we even dipped our toes in the water until early June! Our trips to Canada are much more frequent now (twice weekly) and we're getting extra chummy with (most of) the border guards. We've been thinking about getting our NEXUS travel cards.. but then we'd lose that personal interaction bit! Case in point.. coming back over into the USA yesterday - a middle-aged (oh hey, that's our age!) freckle-faced, border agent with slightly disheveled red hair and mustache greeted us with a smile:

"What was the purpose of your trip to Canada?"
"Dragonboat practice."
"OH! I haven't been here in about a month - I should remember these things. You go up what now, once, twice a week?"
"Yes!"
"Do you have anything to declare?"
"Just a bottle of scotch from the duty free shop."
"Just ONE?" (apparently they know us REALLY well up there now)
"Whaddaya mean just one? We're ATHLETES!"
"So what?" ... much laughter was had all around. Very cool.

We're making great strides to our weight goals too. This weekend will be a huge help - racing on Saturday in our first outdoor competition and then running in the marathon on Sunday (half each). We've been joking that we might meet ALL our weight goals this weekend, we'll have been working so hard, not to mention all the medals we'll be weighed down with! HA!

cold wet weekend of training...

We just spent an active, for want of a better word (I'm only on coffee cup #2, so the words aren't flowing smoothly quite yet) weekend in Mont Tremblant. It was cold and rainy, but glorious - though we sorely missed four of our crew who are on national teams preparing for the world championships this summer. Part of our training involved watching and analyzing footage of the Canadian senior women's team... We sat there mesmerized and pretty much in awe of how easy they make it look. Can we make our boat look like theirs..... ?? Very inspiring.

It's raining and raining and raining... getting extremely depressing. Beginning to forget what the sun looks and feels like. Weather forecast doesn't even mention a hint of the big yellow thing for another 6 days at least :( Boo.

Levels in Lake Champlain are so high... not likely to see any dragonboats in here for a while. Which totally stinks.. even tho we are on the water in Montreal already (who'd have thunk we'd be saying thank goodness for that canal!!??), we love paddling in our own backyard. But I shouldn't complain - others have flooded homes and fields to contend with.

Fingers crossed it recedes enough soon!

out on the (cold!) northern water...

Yesterday we were out on the canal ... though the sun was shining and it was much warmer than last week's miserable, rainy, raw practices, it was still enough to make us wince when our hands dipped into the water. There's a sure-fire way to stop immersing our hands too far though.. coach M would have been pleased! Farted around with different length paddles a bit.. last week i brought my 50" just to make sure i really DO want to shorten it and the verdict was.. HECK YEAH. I was decidedly uncomfortable and it showed. G and I both have new paddles on order (check 'em out... http://www.kialoa.com) but they won't be here for a few more days. So yesterday I used my old 47" and G her 45"...yuck. Then I tried a club paddle.. like paddling with a cement block! One of my teamies graciously lent me hers for a good 1/4 of the practice though, which was fabulous - and reassured me that I've ordered a good length (48.5 in case you're wondering and yes, i can definitely feel the 1/2 inch difference) - fingers crossed that it gets here before we leave for our weekend training camp.

Today: 6 mile runs. Our half-marathon is in just over 2 weeks! Tomorrow: gym and rowing machine. Whoop whoop!

back at the gym

The routine has switched up a bit and now that we're on the water during the week, Saturday morning has become a gym day. It was nice and quiet there today, and a few new faces - well, new to us at least. Since our schedules this week were a bit chaotic, we had a bit of makeup work to do. So we did two weight routines, and a little bit of rowing until finally we were shaking so much we had to stop. Not sure which one of us had the brilliant idea to do a few pushups to cap it all off - ha. I went down for my first one and collapsed. A fraction of a second later G was face down in fits of giggles herself. Somehow we managed to squeeze out 10 suckers and called it quits.

In the parking lot, as we were trading equipment between cars.. we heard a man's voice calling out to us across the parking lot. "Thanks for the inspiration! You guys are awesome!!" How can you top that?

Where did the time go??

2 very tired, very happy and sunkissed dragons (pic by R)

The rest of camp whizzed by in a total blur. It was an amazing experience - one in which  we learned a lot about paddling, our teammates and ourselves. We paddled, were videotaped and photographed, evaluated, critiqued, revved up, pushed to max and congratulated on our accomplishments. We started out less than perfect (coach, bless him, pulls no punches) and finished stronger than I think any one of us dared hope. Several hot-tub sessions and healing ocean swims later it was time to bid goodbye to the sunny south and head back home. And endure a nail-biting week or so of waiting for the final roster to come out. Would we make it? Would we survive the final round of cuts? What if we didn't? The thought of the dream ending right here was awful. Our stomachs developed knots as big as basketballs and nausea came in waves. (Or was that just the after-effects of being on a boat all week?)

We texted each other incessantly. Did you get anything yet? No, you? No. Is the list out? No, just the week 29 training plan. Balls. WTF, where is it? Bah, I feel sick.

So,what did we have to do with ourselves but wait and continue with the program until we heard? I opened it up to see what it looked like and about fainted when I saw the first line: "If you are receiving this program that means you are officially on the senior women’s roster for the 2011 racing season."

HOLY FREAKING SHIT. I reread it three times to make sure I wasn't hallucinating and then dialed G's number.

"Dude, did you get the week 29 program?" I screeched.
"Yeah, but I haven't looked at it yet."
"You're an idiot. We both are.." and I read her that first line.
Silence. And then she started weeping.
"Oh my god, I need to sit down," and the tears began to mix with laughter.

When she was calm enough to listen again I read her the next line: "We are not easing into our outdoor season. We are jumping in head first. Our season is short and nationals are nine weeks from now."

just look at this fine fine crew! whoop whoop! (pic by R)

Wow. 9 weeks to nationals. Well, 8 now. 1 week to another, 2-day, training camp in Canada's chilly waters. 3 weeks to our first competition. 5 weeks to our second. And then nationals. Time to hit the gym hard, run fast and long, and paddle with extreme purpose. If this boat wants to get to Hong Kong, these next few weeks are going to be critical. And we're going to get ourselves into the best possible shape to help make this boat leaner, faster and stronger. BRING IT ON.

Halfway thru camp, hurting bad and LOVING it...

Well, a little over half-way I guess, since this is day four of six. Today we completed a 22km paddle, complete with boat-surfing, bailing-while-paddling, and a 500m sprint at the very end. As soon as we got back onto dry land we headed to Starbucks for double espressos and then hit the hot tub until our muscles were mushy and happy again. Pics are coming as soon as we can borrow a cord to connect the camera to the computer...

heading to training camp

The day is finally here!! I'm watching the clock so I can get out of work, run home to throw a mountain of belongings, paddles and kids in the car - and start our adventure! Warm southern waters here we come! G and most of the team will fly down on Saturday.. first training is on Sunday morning. Can't freakin' wait!

we absolutely NAILED the fit test.

My day started off with a text from G at 6:15 am. "Can't sleep. I am shaking. My tongue is cold." Yeah, meeee tooooo! We drove up to Montreal as nervous as could possibly be... what if..? How would we strategize on the bench press? What if we couldn't do the chinups? The ride was pretty quiet, with snatches of pretty serious and subdued conversation as we wiped our clammy sweaty hands on our pantlegs and shared a  banana for a bit of last-minute energy. It's like we're going to our execution we joked.

Got to the gym, walked the death walk to the door filled with dread and anticipation all rolled into one . Warmed up slowly and quietly. G went first. Coach got up on a box so he could have the bar at eye level. G breathed deeply, and put one foot in the purple elastic band.  She hung for a moment, and then up she went. Chin over the bar... ONE! Came down, controlled it and went back up. TWO! Down again, her face tight with concentration and up... THREE! Could she get one more out of it? She'd been struggling with the fourth one these past few weeks at the gym... up she went, looking so strong... FOUR! YES!! Came down and went for another one. This one was harder.. she got her chin to within an inch of the bar, pawed at an imaginary step - got a teeny bit higher.. but not quite enough. The official count was four...but oh man.. she was right there at that fifth one. WAY TO GO LITTLE BEAST!

2 minutes rest, then onto the lactic bench (2 minutes of pumping the 45lb bar as many times as you humanly can). Last time she'd managed 57 reps. Her goal was to do 67. She got down on the bench, ready. "Please tell me every 15 reps," she said to the man doing the counting. Our team captain yelled GO! and off G went, pumping that bar as fast as she could. 15... 30... 45... 60... Standing behind her, I could see her starting to waver and slow down just a bit, taking rests between every two reps. She fought it for ten reps. "You just did 70.." I said quietly... and tired as she was, she perked up and nailed it for three more. Goal of 67 met. And surpassed by 6. BEAST.

2 minutes rest and over to the erg. My test was coming up and i had to start warming up. But I saw she was in good hands with another teammate who sat down to talk her through the row. As i ran on the treadmill, i kept an eye on the mirror and G as she began her 500m. She sat tall, kept the air in her lungs and made that machine woosh woosh with power. Total focus on her face, stone cold determination. She started out fast, eased into a good pace, and then banged it out for the final stretch. 1:51. SOLID.

Soon enough, it was my turn. I was still trying to decide whether to go for the unassisted chinup which i wasn't sure i could do, or to use the lightest band which i knew I definitely could do. I asked one of my mentors on the team.. "go for it..." she said. "Just go for it." I admitted my hesitation to my coach, the one officiating and making sure all chins got above that damn bar. He echoed that same sentiment. "If you do it unassisted, you get 100 points. Hell, you get 90 just for trying." Alright then. Go for it. Being as tall as I am, i didn't need to stand on a box to reach the bar. I looked over at G. She was mouthing something at me. What? Lip-reading, much like math, is not one of my strongest talents. W-O-R-L-Ds she mouthed. Oh fuck yeah. Worlds. That's what this is about. I reached up, wrapped my hands around the bar, and went for gold. I heard a big fat "YEAH!" as i got above the bar. HOLY SHIT. I did it. Could i do another. YEAH! I don't know how but i cleared it again. Did i have one more in me? What did i have to lose, right? My mind played in slow motion as my body just took over.. i went down, and then back up.. struggled a bit ... and then I heard the most amazing sound. YEAH!!!! I let go, looked around.. i hadn't imagined it. There were my teammates, hooting and hollering, coming at me with high-fives. And there was G, in the middle of the pack, almost in tears her smile as big as Alaska. I started jumping like a mad woman. Hoping to get up there for at least one, I'd done three. This training thing really works!

2 mins of rest and then off to the bench. My last test I'd done 59. My coach had set the goal at 70 for me this time. Got there, laid down, heard the "GO!" and went for bust. I vaguely remember G somewhere around me, felt her presence more than anything, and somehow managed to just keep pushing that stupid bar up. I think it was somewhere around 75 that i felt like my arms were no longer mine. I held it at the top for a beat, and there were G and our awesome captain... bring it down and PUSH. It's amazing what you will do when you're dead tired and there's someone yelling at you. So I rested, brought it down, and drove it up as hard I could manage. 80...81...82...83... my mind went blank... pause, push, pause push.. was all i could think of. My arms hurt, my throat burned...  ah shit.. no more. That was it. All I had in me. And then I realized, HOLY SHIT. 87... what a dream!

And then the erg. My nemesis. I had done it in 1:43 the first test. 1:44 the second. Coach had said in our last meeting no one on this team had ever broken 1:40... so that was my goal. Could i do this in 1:39:9??? I was gonna try for sure. I heard "GO!" but couldn't get my stupid shoe in the strap. ARGH. Finally i stuffed it in, tightened it and went off... started out strong, the first 200m at around 1:37... and then lost it a little between 300 and 400m. And then I heard G's voice. "BIGGEST LOSER" and "WORLDS" and "you can do this, NOW DO IT!" and i tried. I went as hard as I could but it wasn't quite enough. It was amazing, and better than I'd ever done.. but not quite the 1:39:9 i'd wanted. Still, 1:40:9 is something I am pretty damn proud of.

I have to say, in the last 100m of a 500m test I get pretty loud. I'm a bit of a grunter. Not proud of it, but what can i do? So I started making some noise. Come to find out, the coaching class upstairs heard me and thought I was having a baby. "It's a boy!!" was apparently the consensus. HA! Glad I could provide a little entertainment :)

What an amazing experience. The two of us glowed the rest of the morning. Once our throats had stopped burning and we'd stopped hugging each other, we rallied around the rest of our teamies still waiting their turn. When the last one got to the erg, we formed a big protective circle around her, and just did it with her. I know I wasn't the only one whose hips were thrusting back and forth as we stood there mentally pushing our girl on.  And when she finished, oh the hugs and high fives and beaming smiles. Awesome awesome day.

We said our goodbyes, hopped in the car, and headed south, back to the USA. When we drove up to the checkpoint the officer greeted us with the biggest smile. "Hi ladies.." he said, in obvious recognition. "Dragonboating today?" "Yeah!!!" we responded. And he smiled, and sent us on our way. How cool and fitting is that? Love this life!!

halfway done

got a lovely text from G today... "I have had the best 25 weeks ever with you." Aww... the feeling is totally mutual. I'm happy to say that we're still having as much fun and liking each other just as much (more!) as when we started out on this journey. This has been a stressful week though.. Saturday we have our last fit test before the final cuts are made and it's making us crazy. Today as i was standing in my kitchen, making myself as healthy and full-of-protein-but-non-calorific a lunch as possible, i literally started shaking and thought i might actually puke with the stress of it. Will I be able to get my stupid face up that last damn half an inch and have my chin come to the bar or not? "It's easy" says A, "just bring your shoulder blades together." URGH. (Not all that helpful, tho your faith in us is pretty awesome!) G's been the same... Breathe girls, just breathe. The amazing thing though, is that despite training like demons, we feel amazing. Nothing is broken, no pulled muscles, we're feelin' strong. Hard to believe it's been 6 months already since we began this program.

SO yes, 25 weeks done. And next week we head to the warm sunny south for a week-long training camp. Sun, water and warm temperatures.. and a whole week with our team. Can't wait!!

what is a dragon boater??

this little video says it all: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8225839/i-am-a-dragon-boater

now do you understand??

thanks julie and guy for sharing!

lunch wars

Snapping our lunches and texting each other the pics. I win!! Oh the things we entertain ourselves with :)

Or as G put it: "No, not competitive at all...you win... dork."

Yum.