The ultrashea
"It doesn't have to be fun to be fun"
"We don't make sacrifices. If we truly love this sport and we have these goals and dreams in the sport, the classroom, or in life, they're not sacrifices. They're choices that we make to fulfill these goals and dreams."
-Deena Kastor
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift"
-Steve Prefontaine
Penny is full of healing magic
Well, I’ve not wanted to talk about this, but I have to sooner or later. Last Thursday night, in the midst of my last hard workout before CRASH-Bs, I tore the meniscus in my left knee, most likely badly enough to require surgery. I’m hobbling around until I see my friendly neighborhood ortho specialist in March. No CRASH-Bs, no Illinois Marathon. No idea where the rest of the year is headed right now. Bummer.
Steak au poivre, baked potatoes w/ roasted bone marrow, good Bordeaux in a cheap tumbler. A little bit of heaven.
Post-PR, Pre-Dinner Snack #YesI’mGoingToEatTheWholeThing (Taken with instagram)
PR Wednesday is followed by sleep late Thursday. I’m sleeping in tomorrow.
Recap + gratitude
Drove to Indy on Saturday to race in the Indianapolis Rowing Center’s 2012 Indoor Rowing Championships. Raced in the Men’s Masters Division 2k race. Placed 6th, 8 seconds faster than my previous 2k PR. Roughly 3 hours later, raced again in the Men’s Masters Novice Division 1k race. Placed 3rd, almost 11 seconds faster than my previous 1k PR. Not bad for only training in the sport for about 4 months. Thanks much to Tracy Thomas for selling me her erg before she moved, to UCanRow2 for fantastic lessons learned at their Indoor Rowing Foundations and Programming Intensive Courses, to all the coaches and fellow athletes at CrossFit CU, and last but not least, to my lovely wife Kathleen Kern, for putting up with a spouse with a serious case of adult-onset athleticism.
I am truly standing on the shoulders of giants. Thank you all.
We are but jungle gyms for our dog (Taken with instagram)
Um, wow. 3rd place finish in the Men’s Masters Novice Race, and cut just under 11 seconds off my 1k PR
New 2k rowing PR. BY 8 SECONDS. Trust me, that’s absurdly huge. “Are you taking steroids?” huge. (And for the record, no, I am not taking steroids, although it is a running joke in my home)
Lessons learned:
1) There’s a stage after tunnel vision that doesn’t involve passing out.
2) How long does the “I think I’m gonna puke” feeling last after the race? Roughly 1 hour.
3) I need to find me a coxswain.
4) I’m declaring an immediate ban on playing Katy Perry at rowing events.
5) It’s true what they say, a lot of 2k racing is pain management
A few hours of rest and recovery, then a 1k race.
Conan! What is best in life? Setting a new 500m row PR (Taken with instagram)
More PRs + scrapple + maple syrup = WIN #YesIKnowItIsntPaleo #Destrominate (Taken with instagram)
Truth. Any guesses as to what I’m going to do at the gym today? (Taken with instagram)
Vacuum pickles! #KitchenTechFTW (Taken with instagram)
