5 Tips for Successful Winter Break Training (*And no, it’s not too late!)

It's that time of year again: it's cold and dark out, you're on a break from school or work, and you are perhaps feeling like sleeping in every morning, eating Christmas cookies whenever you want, and maybe-just maybe-putting off today's workout(s) til tomorrow. (Or maybe that's just me...) Regardless, here are five tips to help you make the most of the rest of your winter break training!

1.   Set yourself up for success.

When you’re at school, work or not on vacation, you know what time you’re heading to the boathouse or gym, and (usually) have a general idea of what you’re going to do when you get there. You know where your running shoes, workout clothes, water bottle and iPod are. Look ahead at your schedule between now and the end of your break and see where those good time slots are – and then mentally and physically (use your phone alarm and calendar) to schedule them in. If you’re dressed for a workout and your alarm is going off, it’s easier to get out the door and get moving – even to the workout equipment in the unheated garage – than if you’re lounging in your new Snuggie on the couch and thinking about whether today should just be your rest day.

2.   Find a buddy for the hard stuff (and the easy stuff).

If you have a recommended workout plan for the break, chances are you looked at it and thought the cross-training/steady state workouts seemed do-able, but groaned when you saw the hard erg workouts. FYI: it’s much better to do these with a teammate/workout buddy if you can. When I’m home, I wake up before 5am and drive to my nearest teammate, 30 minutes away, so that I can get in at least the challenging part of the day’s workouts with a buddy. No, I don’t always want to get up early, but guess what? That’s what naps are for, and you get to take them, because you’re on break!

For cross-training off the erg, check out November Project – chances are there’s one near you that you can join for one to three weekly workouts while you’re home.

3.   Be realistic.

Individual training during winter break is not usually when you are going to PR on workouts. (Although if you do PR – awesomeness! Enjoy it!) Be realistic about what you are shooting for in each workout, whether it’s heart rate, split, dumbbell weight, speed, or attention to technique. You are far more likely to continue to move towards your training and racing goals by training consistently – being able to check off every workout – than by cramming many workouts together to try to make up for lost time, or by blowing it out on the workouts you do so that you’re forced to rest due to injury or fatigue.

Consistency isn't sexy, but it's what produces results. Set realistic goals for each workout and if you are feeling like you have more in the tank, get faster as you go.

4.   Don’t throw nutrition out the window.

It’s a time-honored tradition that the holidays are meant for indulging – big meals, lots of drinking, whipped cream as a part of the food pyramid, etc. If that’s part of what makes the holidays great for you – don’t give it up! But you will enjoy those indulgences more if you plan them, but stick to good nutrition the rest of the time. If you’re going to have several drinks on New Year’s, get your Dec. 31 workout(s) in early and eat right that day before going out. Plan your schedule so that Jan. 1 can either be a rest day where you eat right, or an eat-right day with an easier workout in the late afternoon. The huge holiday breakfast at your relatives’ house will be that much more enjoyable if you haven’t also stuffed your face every other morning that week!

5.   Get some good tunes!

Training mostly by yourself over the holidays can mean that you get sick of your music really fast – but you keep listening to it because you can’t stand the terrible tunes that are being blasted by the gym/the high school rowers at your hometown club/your parents.

To that effect, here are three new playlists to help you stay motivated through the rest of your break!

For logging miles:
See Ya Next Year Playlist

Everybody needs a little electro/house:
Ecstasy Erg Playlist

And now for a little throwback:
Music Make You Lose Control Playlist

And you can find more playlists here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. :)

Happy Training!

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

Edge of Glory Playlist

  The past two weeks have been all over the place, with coming back to Princeton, jumping right into selection, some weather delays (oh, New Jersey! It wouldn't be selection without 100°+ weather and thunderstorms...at the same time!), and then some interesting trials still coming next week.

  I've been changing gears quite a bit this spring, and last week got a chance to try for the eight, which ended up going well. I'm excited to have the opportunity to race again with my boatmates from last year's eight--including our entire four from 2009, now three years in a row together!--and I think Susan and Caroline coming in have brought some great talent and experience to the crew.

Racing with Susan, Meghan, Amanda, and Jamie
(all in this year's 8+) in Lucerne last year!

  This playlist has been in the works for a while, but it's all about racing. The excitement and deadly calm just before the race starts. The energy of surging off the line. The focus of base pace. That incredible feeling of knowing that in two strokes you are going to unleash an unstoppable move--what the line "I'm on the edge of glory" reminds me of. And, of course, the sprint--being deep in the pain cave but finding it in yourself to will more speed out of your legs, out of the hull.

  So, enjoy this musical tribute to the best part of our sport! Good luck to everyone racing at Canley--the most fun week ever--and trials! (**Except for the Wugazi song, which is available for free on the linked website, all links go to previews of the tracks. All songs are available on iTunes, or for free if you are one of the first 20 to retweet this or share it on Facebook!)

1. Slow Like That -- Wugazi
2. Drop -- Ying Yang Twins
3. Give Me Everything -- Ne-Yo ft. Pitbull, Nayer, Nadia
4. Liv Tonight -- Nelly & Keri Hilson
5. The Edge of Glory -- Lady Gaga
6. Call Your Girlfriend -- Robyn (**The official video is here, but the more awesomer video made by my teammates Mara Allen and Adrienne Martelli is here!)
7. Party Rock Anthem (feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock) -- LMFAO
8. Hello -- Martin Solveig & Dragonette
9. BodyBounce (feat. Akon) -- Kardinal Offishal
10. Temperature -- Sean Paul
11. I Wanna Go -- Britney Spears
12. Get Up (Extended Mix) -- Stanton Warriors, Ruby Goe & Hollywood Holt
13. S.C.O.M. (feat. Ryu, Juelz Santana & Mike Shinoda) -- Celph Titled
14. Blind Faith -- Chase & Status
15. Fortune Days -- The Glitch Mob
16. Make Some Noise -- Beastie Boys
17. Off That (feat. Drake) -- Jay-Z
18. Otis (feat. Otis Redding) -- Jay-Z & Kanye West
19. Dance With Me Remix (feat. Beanie Sigel) -- 112
20. Dancing With the DJ (Chiddy Bang Remix) -- The Knocks
21. Feel It In My Bones (feat. Tegan and Sara) -- Tiësto
22. Houdini -- Foster the People
23. Shine a Light -- Wolf Parade
24. Girl Is On My Mind -- The Black Keys
25. The Magic -- Joan As Police Woman
26. Furr -- Blitzen Trapper
27. Worn Me Down -- Rachael Yamagata
28. Drive It Like You Stole It -- The Glitch Mob
29. Sweet Disposition (Yes Giant Remix Radio Edit) -- The Temper Trap

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