Sunday, September 27, 2009

Photos just for fun

On Saturday night Mickle and I stopped at the grocery store for some toothpaste and somehow wound up buying a can of pumpkin as well. Then we brought it to her house to try out my brand-new pumpkin muffin recipe. After a few more tweaks I'll post the recipe here.


Stirring up some fun


Waiting patiently....



Voila!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Engine Room Fitness

I took an indo row class at Engine Room Fitness this evening. The class (and the gym) are the brainchild of Dan Walsh, bronze medalist Olympic rower who also happens to live with several of my teammates. So, in the spirit of supporting housemates, Mickle and I attended the class to see what this indo row thing is all about. Well, we LOVED it. It was a fantastic workout, and Dan is a great motivator. If you're in the San Diego area, I highly suggest checking it out. The first class is free, so there's nothing to lose!

On the News

This clip was aired on channel 10 news in Rochester last week. (The link goes to the article, and the corresponding video is in the right-hand corner.) Thanks to Robin, Tim, and the folks at WHEC for making this happen... and Brownstone for setting it up!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Congrats BMX athletes!

I forgot to talk about last weekend's BMX world cup, which happened to be here last weekend. BMX= bicycle motorcross, aka How To Be Fearless On A Bike. I love watching other athletes excel at what they do. My online research tells me the ramp is 35 feet tall at nearly a 30-degree angle and the riders reach speeds of 30mph as they're banking turns and flying over jumps. (Watch this video to see!)


Poorly-timed action shot


The course

Here are better photos.

Congratulations to resident athletes Arielle Martin and Mike Day, who finished 3rd and 5th overall (and Arielle did it with a broken hand!)

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Happy Autumnal Equinox!!

Today is the first day of fall, and that makes it one of the most exciting days of the year. I have to use my imagination on the weather; in my mind I'm home running on a frosty morning, apple-picking, and knitting by the fire.

And here's the autumn photo of the week!



My sister and I in Connecticut, Thanksgiving 2007. We were on a very cold hike and huddling together at the summit for warmth!!

Erg Test

Mickle and I did an erg test today, as part of our beginning-of-the-year testing regimen.


Mickle warming up


Me, mid-test

I don't normally use the erg, but maybe I should, as there is a strong correlation between how fast you can do 500m on the erg and how fast you can paddle 500m in the water.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Planning for this week

Currently without a coach, I'm writing my own training programs. So what's on the agenda for this week?

Keeping things simple, I've decided to work on everything I'm bad at. You know, the old train-your-weaknesses-and-race-your-strengths cliche. (Planks, rope-climbing, bench press, pull-ups, any leg exercise, YOGA, and the rowing machine are just a few of my weaknesses I'll be throwing in my workouts this week.)

Here's the cardio medley that I have planned for tomorrow. This workout is a Forge Special-- we do this when the river is frozen over for paddling/ the roads are too dangerous to drive to the ski trails. The idea is to go as hard as you can for each segment, because you're switching every 5-10 minutes.

-10 min warm up
5 min jump rope
10 min rowing machine
5 min-- 1x arms-only rope climb, then planks for the remainder of the time
10 min run
5 min- jump rope (actually I'm really good at jumping rope, but I still have to practice a lot for my jump-off with Morgan)
5 min 1x arms rope climb and planks
10 min run
-10 min warm- down

If done correctly, this should be pretty killer.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

My day was worse than your day.

I woke up this morning feeling awful. It was one of those, slouching, drag-your-feet, direction-less, nothing-sounds-good kind of days.

I decided to take a drive in the desert to clear my head, and also because my car has been sounding really loud lately and I wanted to drive it on a highway to observe its behavior.

Twenty minutes later, completely isolated in the dusty brown mountains.... POP! I heard a snap and an horrible grating noise noise. I pulled over and assed the situation. Exhaust pipe= two pieces, dragging on the road. Me= alone in the desert. Provisions= a half of a Nalgene full of water, a dead ipod, and a book about wolves. Cell phone service? Of course not.

Luckily I'd broken down close to a ranger station, and I was able to hike there and use their phone, call a tow-truck, and ultimately get a ride back to the Olympic Training Center.

I am laying in my bed now, hopefully out of harm's way, when I realize...

My tent and sleeping pad necessary for this weekend's trip to Joshua Tree are in the trunk of the car at the auto shop... and they are inaccessible because my bike tire is deflated and I don't own a pump.

Please world, what else you got? Lay it on me.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

A few weeks at home is NEVER enough.

I didn't have much time or desire to post entries while relaxing at home in Fairport, New York. Words can't really do it justice, so here are some photos of my time there.


While shopping, I found a crown.


Cooking was a highlight because I hardly ever get the opportunity. Here I was making pasta sauce, broccoli, cauliflower, hummus with garbanzo beans and peppers, and chocolate-chip cookies!


However, I didn't want to eat any of the chocolate-chip cookie dough, so I put tape over my mouth.


I got to help move my little sister Anna back to her dorm at SUNY Cortland, where she is a sophomore studying health sciene.


It's a good thing Matt has me to draw tough stuff on his biceps to make them look halfway decent before he raced La Classique.



One of the locks on the Erie Canal, taken from my kayak


Running... or rather, pausing my run to take a photo


Kayaking with Nicole on the Genesee River... this session was so much fun because there were all these marching bands practicing on the riverbanks throughout the park... like 4 or 5 different bands, and the drums were vibrating the water!!


Holly, Danielle and I did a 2 hour 45-minute paddle while the boys did 4-hours... and clearly we were just in it for the sun tan ;)