Though practice doesn't start until 6am, it has become the norm on this team to be an overachiever: everyone completes the warm up of a 1.5 mile run and dynamic lunges and stretching even before practice begins. We all want extra time to stretch, do yoga, hit the tanks for technique, and prepare for the practice ahead. Training here is different: the level of focus, dedication, and desire to achieve is so high among this group of girls. I find this team to be so energizing because of that.
We took out an 8+ and a 4+ and practiced some drills, focusing on gathering at the finish and leveraging ourselves in unison. Then, we did some 12 minute pieces at low rates, trying to get the most power per stroke. After practice, we had to walk up the hill again (ugh...though, my calves have gotten really strong!) but breakfast was, as always delicious. The cafeteria here actually has ridiculously good food: we get everything from pancakes and barbeque ribs to lasanga and a different dessert every day. Good thing we're training so much!
We chilled out during the day, watching TV and taking naps, and then went down to practice again at 6pm. It has been insanely hot, and everyone was pretty drained. By the end of practice though, we were a lot more focused on our pieces, and Cas was happy about them so she let us jump in the water! It was really fun and felt so good. We got back to the dorms to get some rest so we could get ready to do it again the next morning.
In the weeks I've stayed at Connecticut College, I am improving faster than I ever did during the season. I think it's because we are given the chance to completely immerse ourselves in the sport, either training or preparing ourselves for the next time we train. Centering my life around rowing this way has allowed me to focus in a way that I usually can't when I'm at home, where distractions like school sometimes take precedence over my training. Here though, my level of focus can be intense, driven, and unobstructed. It's just all about rowing. Every time I eat something I think about how it will affect me at an upcoming practice; every time I go to bed I am dreaming about what I'm going to accomplish the next morning. We train, we eat, we rest, and we mentally prepare to do it all over again even better than before. It's almost overwhelming, but ultimately, I am grasping the sport better than ever before. I feel a lot more confident about coming into the fall season.