Livin' My Love

Better late than never...here is February's playlist! Lots of different songs for different tastes, but hopefully there's one in here that can help you find a few more seconds on your 2K. Links go to iTunes or Soundcloud preview. All songs available on iTunes or Soundcloud for download.


As always, be one of the first 25 to retweet or repost on FB to win a copy! Good luck to everyone racing this weekend, and GO USA!

Livin' My Love

February 2012 Playlist

1. My Love is Your Love (Jonathan Peters Radio Mix II) - Dyme & Whitney Houston (R.I.P., Whitney...we will always love you!)
2. Midnight City (M83 Cover) - The Knocks
3. Youth (Monsieur Adi Remix 2) - Foxes
4. Mother Protect (Goldroom Remix) - Niki & The Dove
5. Put It In Your Manners (DJ 21azy Mashup) - Childish Gambino vs. Chiddy Bang (**Explicit)
6. Tonguetied (Gigamesh Remix) - Grouplove
7. Oh, La (Submarines Remix) - Ra Ra Riot
8. We Got It Wrong (Starsmith Remix) - St. Lucia
9. Without You (Kill Paris Remix) - Lana Del Rey
10. Skinny Pain (feat. Young Church) (2Pac x Birdy) - Mother Earth
11. Journey Without You (3LAU and Acetronik Mashup) - 3LAU
12. Look At Me Now (TYR Remix) - Chris Brown
13. Hellevator - Robotic Pirate Monkey
14. Kick Out the Epic Motherf**ker - Dada Life
15. Levels - Avicii
16. Rio de Fuego - Robotic Pirate Monkey
17. Save the World (Alesso Remix) - Swedish House Mafia
18. Cracks (Flux Pavilion Remix) - Freestylers
19. Eyes - Kaskade (feat. Mindy Gledhill)
20. We Own the Paris Sky (Akilles' Dirty Sexy Smash) - Friendly Fires vs. M83
21. Second Song - TV on the Radio
22. Stay Gold - The Big Pink
23. Six Weeks - Of Monsters and Men
24. Swerve... The Reeping of All That Is Worthwhile (Noir Not Withstanding) - Shabazz Palaces
25. Stay Away - Charli XCX
26. Heaven - Emeli Sandé
27. Till the World Ends (The Femme Fatale Remix) [feat. Nicki Minaj & Ke$ha] - Britney Spears
28. Wildfire (feat. Little Dragon) - SBTRKT
29. Jolene Is Mine (KMT Mix) (Dolly Parton vs. Jay Z) - KMT
30. My Feeling For You (Digital Lab Remix) - Sebastien Drums & Avicii (**This song is awesome. I couldn't find a good preview link for it, but I would definitely recommend checking out the DJ Biglife Edit.)
31. Pressure (Alesso Radio Edit) - Nadia Ali, Starkillers & Alex Kenji
32. Livin' My Love (feat. LMFAO & NERVO) - Steve Aoki
33. If Your Gonna Be Dumb, You Gotta Be Tough - Roger Alan Wade

It's 2K, 2K...

Photo courtesy Allison Frederick.

Howdy from the Chula Vista OTC! We're halfway through our winter training trip here, and California is still awesome. We've been able to get in a lot of good training sessions on the water thanks to a pretty mild winter. The camp group training for the light men's four has just joined us--all we need are Julie and Kristin from the light women's double to come down for another camp and it will feel like the gang's almost all here!

We're a few weeks out from the National Selection Regatta, which will be held for the first time out here instead of at the Princeton Training Center. And although we're not racing there this year, it's also just a few days until C.R.A.S.H.-B.'s, which was one of my favorite races as a member of Radcliffe Crew. I thought I'd share some of my ideas about getting ready to have a great 2K erg test.

Confession time: I had a period when I really struggled with erg tests. I would go out for every test shooting for a PR, and if I realized it wasn't going to happen, it was mentally very challenging to keep pushing myself to the end. What was the point of the test if it wouldn't show that I had worked harder and gotten fitter?

As an older and more realistic athlete, I now understand that while ideally every erg test is a PR, you can and should still have a good test no matter what your training and preparation have been leading up to the test. Sometimes an erg test will happen when you're training for a race later in the year, or when you've had to spend some time recovering from an injury or focusing on school or your job. Being prepared for an erg test is first and foremost about doing the things that work for you, but I thought I'd share some of what I like to do to be ready for an erg test!

It boils down to being prepared, and I like to break it down into three parts: the week before, the two days before, and test day. Confidence comes from knowing you've prepared. If you can check off those boxes leading up to the ergo, you'll feel mentally and physically prepared, and that's a huge step towards having a great test.

THE WEEK BEFORE: Test plan, playlist, logistics.
Having a plan for your 2K is extremely helpful. Your coach can give you suggestions for a race plan—usually what works is something similar to an on-the-water race you’ve had that went well. A few times in the week leading up to the test, make time to sit on the erg for 2000 meters and visualize your race plan while holding steady state splits. Practice transitions—when you want to increase the rate or drop your split—and rehearse in your mind encouraging yourself through a good test. If you have no idea what your plan is, check out my post on the three best 2K erg test strategies.

If you can listen to music for your test, make a playlist several days before. A 2K is only two or three songs long, so pick ones that you know will inspire and encourage you. I’ll be putting up a playlist this weekend that you might find some good ones on! Check back Monday for my February blog playlist! You can also look through my teammate Megan Kalmoe’s playlist that includes one song from each of the women training here in San Diego.

If your erg test is somewhere besides your normal boathouse, figure out logistics ahead of time. Make sure that you know how to get there and plan backwards so that you can arrive with plenty of time. Figure out what options are available for warming up and cooling down, and plan to bring a book if you’re going to be there well ahead of your race. The first year I planned to race CRASH-B’s, I showed up at the event site ready to register and come back later to take my test—only to learn that I was supposed to pre-register, and I only had 30 minutes to test in the “Bullpen” before it closed! Planning ahead will make race day that much easier.

TWO DAYS BEFORE: Sleep, nutrition, hydration, final preparation.
As you probably already know, a good night’s sleep the night before the night before your race, as well as the night before your race, are very helpful towards performing your best. Try to get the things that might normally keep you from that—such as schoolwork, work, errands, etc.—done earlier in the week so that you can be relaxed, get to sleep early, and log some good ZZZ’s.

Eating well and staying hydrated will also ensure you have a good performance. For the two days before your race, stick to foods you’ve eaten before and that you know sit well. Drink lots of water and other fluids, and if you’re not trying to make weight, consider adding a little salt to your meals to increase hydration.

The day before your test, if you are able to, do one last erg walkthrough. See yourself hitting your goals for each 250- or 500-meter portion of the test. The night before, pack your bag with water, snacks, your sweats, your mp3 player, and whatever else you want to bring to the test, so that you know you won't forget anything for the big day!

Philadelphia City Rowing throwing down at the Center City Slam this morning! Photo courtesy smugmug.com.

RACE DAY: Stay calm, focus in, trust yourself.
After so much preparation, your race day will hopefully be without too many hitches. You’re physically and mentally ready—all you have to do is your erg test! Don’t worry if you’re still nervous about your ergo. As my dad says, “Everyone walks to the boathouse a little slower on test day.” But also be excited for the opportunity to test the work you’ve done and knowing that you’ve prepared for a personal best.

This article from High Performance Rowing has specific nutrition and warm-up recommendations for 2K testers—it’s definitely worth checking out! One thing that was especially helpful for me: you can fuel up with a solid meal 3-4 hours before your test, but stick to gels or electrolyte beverages within 2 hours of your test, so that ideally you're racing on an empty stomach.

Ali warming up for a 30-minute! Photo courtesy concept2.com

My PTC teammate Ali Cox also put together a great post for Concept2 last year about the specifics of race-day readiness for C.R.A.S.H.-B.'s, which you can find here.

This is a long post, but if you take anything away from it, I hope that it’s that with a bit of preparation, you can put yourself in a good position for having a personal best on your 2K! And also that you will probably look better than this when you're in your last 250.

Sprinting for the finish a few years back. Beastmode!  Photo courtesy row2k.com.

Good luck with your 2K preparations, and check back on Monday for the February playlist!

Happy November Playlist!

   

Downtown Princeton, about an hour into the storm.  Photo: Liv Coffey

So the fall head racing season is fully underway, with the Charles over, the Schuylkill and Princeton Chase just finished this past weekend--as well as my little brother's first head race, with Newport Aquatic Center at the Head of the American! Only a few more races to go before we head indoors (on this coast, anyway). We had a big ol' snowstorm Saturday--trees down, power out, and lots of good reasons to be training indoors (or be cuddled up in a blanket in front of the fireplace and/or space heater!) So...since erg season's just around the corner, here's a playlist that will help ease the transition from long, beautiful swing rows to sweaty five-minute pieces in the hurt locker.

As always, be one of the first 25 to comment on the playlist post, share on Facebook, or retweet to win a copy of the November Playlist! AND...one lucky reader will WIN A POWER AND GRACE CALENDAR SIGNED BY THE ENTIRE WOMEN'S TEAM! These awesome calendars are going fast, so share to get yours before we sell out! (And if you just want to order calendars, go to the Power and Grace website or email me at esther.lofgren@ gmail.com to order a signed one!) Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

The Happy November/Grady Loves Dubstep Playlist
All links are to previews or YouTube clips. All previewed tracks are available on iTunes.

1. Shake It Out (Benny Benassi Remix) - Florence + The Machine
2. This Ain't Water (Thirsty Pt. 2) - Starting Six ft. Mann
3. I'm A Goner - Matt & Kim ft. Soulja Boy and ANDREW W.K.
4. Pumped Up Kicks (feat. Dr. Pack) - DJ Shocker
5. Good Feeling - Flo Rida
6. Lights (Bassnectar Remix) - Ellie Goulding
7. Mr. Saxobeat (Radio Edit) - Alexandra Stan
8. Danza Kuduro - Don Omar & Lucenzo
9. We Found Love (feat. Calvin Harris) - Rihanna
10. Crave You (Graz Remix) - Flight Facilities
11. After Midnight - Blink 182
12. Dignity - New Politics
13. Better With the Lights Off (feat. Chris Brown) - New Boyz
14. Rabbit Heart (SLOF MAN Remix) - Florence + The Machine
15. Turn Me On (feat. Nicki Minaj) - David Guetta & Nicki Minaj
16. The War Inside - Switchfoot
17. Countdown - Beyoncé
18. Without You (feat. Usher) - David Guetta & Usher
19. We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe) - Fun.
20. Feel So Close - Calvin Harris
21. Gold Guns Girls - Metric
22. Cinema (Skrillrex Radio Edit) [feat. Gary Go] - Benny Benassi
23. Faster Than My Angels Can Fly - Eric Church
24. Barefoot Blue Jean Night - Jake Owen
25. Sail - AWOLNATION
26. Stay Don't Go - Spoon
27. A Real Hero - College feat. Electric Youth
28. Dystopia (The Earth Is On Fire) - YACHT
29. Paradise (Fedde le Grande Remix) - Coldplay
30. Pass At Me (feat. Pitbull) - Timbaland
31. Da Mystery of Chessboxin (TF2 Remix) - Wu-Tang Clan

Kicking off the New Year!

So 2011's been around for a week and a half now, and it's been a pretty good start.

We're back in Princeton, slogging through snow everywhere, but getting some good training in and getting back in rowing and racing shape after the funny schedule of Worlds this year.

A November bike mishap led to training for a month on an elbow that I didn't know was fractured (oops)...I've been logging some miles on the (stationary!) bike while I waited for it to heal, but have started back up on the ergometer after getting an all-clear last week. It's frustrating to feel like I wasn't able to start the winter season exactly how I'd envisioned doing so, but I've definitely improved my fitness, and I'm eager to get back into the team's workouts so that I can show that.

Two big things: first, my friend Jen Whiting wrote a really neat piece about our 8+ from this summer and the experience of training with the group here in Princeton. We sat down for dinner a couple of times this past summer and fall, and I think she did a really great job on the article. It's the feature story in the latest Rowing News Magazine, which you can check out in a boathouse near you or order online here.

Second (for all you ergers out there!) I will finally be putting out my January playlist this week! So get excited. Props to Adam Barhamand (you can find his music-focused blog here) for once again putting together an exceptional genre-spanning collection that pointed me in some good directions for the playlist. I'm planning on putting together at least one playlist per month for this year...so if you have any suggestions for songs, artists, good music blogs, or anything else, feel free to leave them via comment or email!

Happy training,
Esther