Lucerne Finals Day!

First 500, long and strong, in our repechage yesterday.

This morning, we line up against Australia, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Belarus, and race for gold. The women's quadruple sculls will be a great event to watch--there are boats with pedigree and experience, and boats like us that are coming in with focus, excitement, and the knowledge that if we have a great race, we can exceed all expectations.

Staying focused at the start with the swimmers and cowbells!

Yesterday, we raced our repechage, and had our best piece together yet. With so many things going on around you--from the giant, singing Dutch crowd at the starting line swimming area, to the warm-up area wash that shakes up the 500m mark of the course, to the other countries in the race who throw in moves out of nowhere--it is important to be finding our rhythm and race, with awareness but not distraction, and we did a great job of that yesterday. I'm very excited to race today and build on that--and to put all of the work we've done together into something awesome!

We line up at 11:27am local (5:27am EST/2:27am PST) and you can watch a live video and audio feed here. You can also check results post-racing here.

Team USA is doing a fantastic job at this regatta, and we have many, many boats contesting for medals today. Send fast thoughts our way--we're racing to put USA on top of the medal stand!!! Go USA!

Hydration: Notes from a Sweaty Kid

Staying hydrated is key to performing at your best.

Holy toledo, it's hot this week. If you are like me, you had at least one practice this week that knocked you on your butt because your body wasn't adjusted yet to training in 80-plus weather with near-100 percent humidity. I am now in full hydration mode and thought I'd share with you some of my tricks for staying hydrated when it's grossly hot out but you have long miles to log and championship racing to do (good luck to everyone racing this weekend and next!)

Delicious, delicious glass of water. It's erg puddle season!

First, hydration happens ON AND OFF the water. You need to be taking in more fluid than before all the time--when you wake up, when you're rowing, when you're in class or at work, and at meals. It will probably make your stomach feel a little weird for the first few days, but stick with it. You should be drinking at least 32 ounces more--that's one more Nalgene-worth of water--per day than when it was colder and drier. If you're not a water bottle carrier when you're not at practice, add a glass of water to every meal, and one more right after practice.

Hydration aids like Nuun, Powerade, and Gatorade are all great tools.

Second, hydration is ESPECIALLY critical DURING PRACTICE. You can see and feel your sweat, but you're also losing water through breathing. When it is this hot out, using hydration products is essential. I am a big fan of Nuun, but other products, like Powerade and Gatorade, and DIY methods (recipe below) will also keep you powering through long, sweaty practices.

If your workout runs over 75', a small electrolyte boost from gels or chews can make a big difference.

When rowing for at least 60', I bring something more hydrating than just water, and for practices longer than 75', I usually bring an additional hydration tool such as electrolyte-enhanced chews or gel. My favorites are Margarita flavored Clif Shot Bloks and Just Plain flavored Gu, but there are many, many products on the market to choose from!

Everything you need for a tasty, electrolyte replacement sports drink!

DIY Electrolyte Drink
Makes 1 Nalgene full (~32 oz/1L)

1/2 c orange juice (ideally not from concentrate--the fresh stuff has the most potassium!)
1/8 c lemon juice (ditto)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda (optional)

Place all ingredients in your water bottle, stir, then fill to the top with water. Make this just before practice as the one downside to DIY is that letting this sit in the sun for hours can make it go bad. If you find yourself short on OJ and lemon juice, you can also substitute things like an Emergen-C drink powder packet or two, or a tart, strong juice like Cheribundi. If you do substitute, you may want to add 1/2 teaspoon of a potassium-based salt replacer like Morton Lite Salt or Morton Salt Substitute.

Stretching after practice is a great time to finish your workout hydration targets.

Finally, remember that hydration is also about timing. As they say...if you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated, so keep on top of your fluid and salt intake. A good goal is to head into practice having had at least 8-16 ounces of fluid within the hour before you start, and aiming for around 8-10 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes you spend actually rowing. Within the 30-minute window after practice, try to take in the balance of fluid if you missed any during practice, plus another 8-16 ounces, along with your normal refueling snack.

80 minutes of active rowing in a workout means half a 32-oz bottle before,  two bottles during, and the remaining half after.

If you still feel like you're bonking, try adding a few shakes of salt to your meals and the fluid you bring to practice. You won't notice a small amount of salt in your morning oatmeal, but it will make a huge difference!

It's never too early to start hydrating!

If you have any other hydration tips, post them in the comments below. Keep training and racing hard, and Go USA!

...And We're Off!

Final stages of packing (for the OLYMPICS!!!) last night!

  The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of training, media, and packing! We are finally heading out today to London, and I can't wait to get there, train, and finally, finally RACE!

  We have a bit of a planes-trains-automobiles of getting there, but somehow this feels different than the usual traveling. For now, we're bussing it to the airport, heading to Heathrow, then bussing it to the satellite Rowing Olympic Village, then off to get accredited and processed, and then finally back to the Village to get settled in. Whew!

  I am so excited to be traveling with my teammates and heading over to represent the USA with everything we've worked and trained and sacrificed for. All of us are so incredibly excited and ready to race, it's hard to think that we'll still have to wait more than a week to actually get to the starting line! And it's also really cool to see the two- and three-time Olympians on our team as excited as us newbies about this whole experience.

  I'll be updating as we go as best I can, and thank you for sending your support and cheers! Go USA!!!

Fun Times in the One-Times:How to Succeed in the 1x without Really Trying

It's summer again. Championship racing is either just over or just beginning for you. And chances are, you will be hopping in a single at some point this summer, whether to race it, because there's an odd number of rowers at practice, or because your coach has told you it will be "good for you."

It's no secret that the single is the most technically difficult boat to row. While some might claim it’s the naturally-asymmetric pair—perhaps also because of the pair feature that the late coach Mario Katunarich explained as, "If something is wrong, it’s either you or the other guy…and it's usually the other guy”—the responsibility of moving the single rests entirely on you. Unlike an eight, where there is a coxswain calling "Ports—tap down at the finish!" or "Catches in!", in the single there is simply a constant internal monologue: "Row better—me!"

The women's team has spent most of this year sculling, in singles and larger boats, and we are currently training in singles for at least one practice every day. Although I've been sculling for more than ten years, this is the first year that I've really felt I can move a single well. Every day is still a learning process, though! I talked to some of the best scullers on our team, who are also rowing in singles right now, to see what insights they had on rowing the boat. Believe it or not, the best scullers in the world are thinking about the same things that people just learning to scull should be thinking about! Sometimes, it's funny to me how simple our sport is (although rowing the single is anything but simple!)

--The single only moves forward when your blades are in and your leg drive is connected to them. The single actually moves very slowly. For steady state, unlike an eight, you could actually keep up just by running along the shore. Therefore, it’s that much more important that you make sure you are connected before you drive, because an ineffective catch will not only add less speed, it will make the heavy boat even heavier and slower before your next catch. Stesha Carlé, who raced the 2x at the 2010 World Championships, says that one of her favorite drills to build a good leg drive is the reverse pic drill.

Sit comfortably at the catch with blades flat on the water, feeling your body weight down in your hips, with your core engaged so that your chest isn't supported only by your quads. Square your blades and bury them. Tap down with both hands and "bounce" in the water, fully submerging and fully releasing both blades, about one catch every second or two. By itself, this catch placement drill is great for feeling comfortable in the boat and confident at the catch.

To build off of the catch placement drill: after ten catches, use your last catch to connect and take a top-quarter stroke (use about 4-6 inches of your track, moving only your hands—to catch—and your legs to drive). Row top-quarter on the feather for ten, then lengthen to legs only for ten strokes. Take your time, making sure you can feel the blade submerge before you drive the legs. Add the body: place the catch, drive the legs, connect the torso. Don't jerk the finish to yank the blades out—tapping down lightly at the end of the connection will pop them out. Finally, add the arms. Don't worry about your boat speed; just try to feel the connection from the catch all the way to the finish in a smooth, aware motion. Try to carry that feeling over into the rest of your row.

--The worst thing that can happen in the single is that you'll flip. Okay, actually, hitting something could be worse, but most of what holds us back from trying to make technical changes is the fear that we'll lose our grip on an oar, catch a crab, or do something else that will cause that long, slow, tip over, as the thought "Agghh! I knew this would happen!" flashes through our minds. All in all, though, flipping's not that bad. Imagine being a pole vaulter or a ski jumper and having your coach tell you that you need to make a technical change. At least we're not 25 or 80 feet in the air when we realize we're having an "Oops!" moment!

We all try to be comfortable in the single—the boat’s inherent instability is one of the reasons it’s so difficult to row well—and pause drills and square blade rowing are the means to achieving better comfort and a feeling of control. Multiple-time NSR1 single winner, Head of the Charles Champ Single winner, and U23 World Champion Gevvie Stone says that core awareness and square blade rowing help her stay balanced and level in the single. “Not only does square blade rowing help the balance, but it also helps me to be more horizontal on the drive and recovery,” said Stone. “It also helps me have a cleaner release and catch,” she added.

Besides square blade rowing, the same pause drills and catch placement drills you did with your high school, college or club program in sweep boats are very useful for improving in the single. Drills such as a double pause at the finish—tapped down, blades off the water—and then at the gunwhales—with knees relaxed, arms extended and body over—can help you find relaxation on the recovery and a confident catch. Stone focuses on engaging her core and feeling connected to the footplate through the entire stroke to keep rowing well, even through the final strokes of a race.

--Don't pull so hard! When you're trying to learn to scull or make technical changes in the single, one of the worst things you can do is to get competitive and try to go at a certain speed or beat someone else on the water. If it's a piece that your coach is timing or a race, don't hold back. But if it's a technical row, treat it like a yoga class—it's not about "beating" other people, but about focusing on yourself and improving the things you need to work on. If you're only focused on beating someone else, chances are you're not thinking about putting your blades in before you drive, or you're going to tense up in the boat because you're not working on the set.

"The single is reactive—you can't throw yourself around," says the stroke of the 2010 World Championships quad, Natalie Dell. "Everything has to be three times smoother and more patient than you think it needs to be." Taking deliberate and effective strokes will ingrain good habits, so when you do bump up the pressure, you'll be able to think about racing, not just whether or not you're going to catch a crab!

For those looking for a magic bullet: unfortunately, the best way to get better in the single is to...take more strokes in the single! But if you focus on these things, you will find yourself rowing better very quickly. Just remember to relax, breathe, and maybe even enjoy it!

**Photos courtesy of Katelin Snyder and USRowing**