Mom Fit!

It's been a long time since I posted anything about training, because the last year or so has been a bit of a roller coaster (in a good way!) of getting pregnant, being pregnant, having a wonderful baby girl, and getting healthy after giving birth.

Our little dumplin', Ryan Valkyrie!

I've just picked back up into working out daily, and it's humbling - but also feels so good to be back. Unfortunately, the nearest on-the-water rowing is a good 45 minute drive away, so I'm only able to do that some weekends, but the good news is that there are lots of beautiful places to run, hike, and bike nearby.

The first four months of being pregnant, I was trying to manage all-day morning sickness nausea with doing some training. It wasn't easy and I have a lot of respect for women who keep training at a high load while feeling like that! I also had to give up running after just a few months because it got really uncomfortable. Thankfully, rowing and erging still felt pretty okay for most of my pregnancy. I raced the Head of the Charles, in honor of my cousin Byron, with my mom at 7 months pregnant, and we actually went more than 2 minutes faster than our race a couple of years ago! (Shoutout to JL for hooking me up with a maternity unisuit!)

Lofgrens 1, 2, and 3 - just finished racing HOCR, 7 months pregnant!

For the last month or two of my pregnancy, I ran out of exercises to do that weren't really painful or uncomfortable, and ended up doing a lot of walking and light hiking, as well as some squats and stretching. An interesting thing about the last months of pregnancy is that your body produces a hormone called "relaxin" that literally relaxes your joints - for me, that meant I got super flexible even though I wasn't actively trying to get stretchier.

Ryan arrives!

Little Ryan came along at the end of a 24-hour labor, arriving at 3:33am. For those wondering: yes, it is harder than a 2K. I think being a rower helped with overall pain tolerance, but probably the best thing you can do to prepare would be those (awful) workouts where you're going for an unknown number of intervals, and you just have to keep going and not be able to tell that the interval you're on is the last one. I didn't want pain meds during labor or delivery, and thanks to having the support of my husband and a great doula (who's also the #2 Muay Thai fighter in Germany...what?!), was able to do that.

First family walk...

Thankfully, Ryan and I were both doing pretty well after she joined us, and we were able to go for a first family walk just a few days after we got home. I mostly walked for the first month, and tried to get a lot of sleep (not so easy with a newborn, nursing, healing, etc.) The second month postpartum, I started doing a little erging and some core. Our gym was sponsoring a 5K erg contest, so I decided to step up my training - doing 5K steady state pieces, 500m and 1K and 1500m interval sets, and other prep workouts. I ended up with a 19:02 5K, which I was pretty proud of, considering I'd had a baby less than 10 weeks earlier!

Around the time that I went back to work, I decided I wanted to work out every day. I didn't realize it at first, but I got really dehydrated and my milk supply was affected. I didn't know what was going on and got really worried, and backed way off of working out. Thankfully, it resolved quickly, and I've been able to get back to building up into training again.

It's really weird, as an athlete whose life pretty much revolved around being in touch with my body, to go through a year-plus where I was constantly feeling weird or nauseous or uncomfortable or just - not like myself. I love our little girl, and going through this journey has made me respect even more the women in rowing and in other sports that train while pregnant, have their baby, and get back to training and continue to dominate. I am also so grateful to be part of a sport that I've already been able to get back to. I'm also linking up when I can with a running group for new parents here - "Stroller Warriors" - and it's awesome to have a group that is so supportive of each other.

"Stroller Warriors" PT testing day. Pullups!

When you're part of a team, it's so much more enjoyable to push yourself to go faster and try and go just a bit further past what you thought you could do. In some ways, it's humbling to be quite a bit slower than I have been before. In other ways, I'm really proud of how quickly I see myself getting stronger and fitter. I also feel lucky that so many of my U.S. teammates and international competitor-friends are going through similar journeys now/recently/soon - and to see all of us kicking butt, in our own ways!

I'll be working to post more regularly now - it's tricky with a little one! - but I'm hoping to be racing at the Charles again this year, if not sooner, so... playlists at the very least. It feels great to be back at it! Thanks for all the support. Go USA! (And go moms!)

Keeping Your Back Healthy and Injury-Free During Erg Season

Rowers on both coasts are off the water and onto the ergs ahead of 2K season, CRASH-Bs, and the important erg tests that start recruiting processes or slotting rowers into 1V, 2V and 3V. Staying healthy and keeping your body feeling good is critical to getting in the training you need to succeed.

Back Pain in Rowing

I'm not a doctor or a PT, but I can share some of my experiences and my teammates' experiences. Here is why your back may be hurting. The gist is that your back can get tweaked either because you don't have good body position from the get go, or because you lose your good body position as you get tired - from a long session or from taking hard strokes. As you get tired, you stop sitting up well and using your core as much (because you're tired), and start having more flexion through your back. Back fatigue or back pain that you only feel at the end of a training session can be different than back pain that you have all the time on the erg - if it's hurting from the first few strokes, it's a good idea to go see a PT or doctor.

Strong and weak body position at finish. Image via +WorldRowingFISA.

Your coach may have a series of warm up or cool down exercises or stretches that you do as a team. Current thought for rowers and all athletes says that it's important to warm up and strengthen your muscles through their functional range of motion (the movement range you'll be using during rowing). If you're looking to add in bodyweight exercises that activate, warm up and strengthen some of the really important muscles for keeping your core strong and engaged, I've put together some good ones below. Each is linked to a video showing good form.

Warm-Up (2 Sets of 10 each)

Do 10 of each exercise, going through all exercises twice (2 sets of 10 each)
Good Mornings (put your knuckles on your temples if behind your head is uncomfortable)
Back Extensions
Lunge Series (Front and Back, Lateral, Spiderman - do 10 each leg for each direction)
Deep Bodyweight Squat
Pushups

Post-Practice Stretching (2 sets of 45 seconds each)

Do 45 seconds on/15 seconds off for each stretch, going through all stretches twice (2 sets of 45" each)
*Can also use these between erg pieces to help relieve tension in back. Good Mornings, above, also provide a good stretch.
Half Pigeon
Figure 4
1 Leg Across

Bonus: Strengthening Your Functional Range of Motion

These exercises will help you build and strengthen your core. These can be done with bodyweight or using a 10 to 25-pound plate or dumbbell. Do 2 sets of 10 of each exercise.
Back Extensions (if using weight, hold against chest with arms crossed)
Bulgarian Split Squat (hold weight in front of chest, just below chin, and keep chin and chest up)
Deep Bodyweight Squat (hold weight in front of chest, just below chin, and keep chin and chest up)
Reverse Hyperextension (if using weight, works best with a medicine ball held between feet. You can use a bench pull or weight bench to create a platform; the range of motion is similar to a back extension.)

If you have other bodyweight warmup, stretching or strengthening exercises that have made a difference for your back, share them in the comments below!

Stay healthy and happy erging!
Esther

2K Ninja: Breaking Through the No-PR Plateau

Thanksgiving is over and winter training has officially commenced. I sat down to write about strategies for breaking through the no-PR plateau (when you're training and racing and should be getting faster but for some reason your 2K - or 6K - isn't showing it). And then I realized: who better to hear this from than someone who's just done it in a big, game-changing way?

I worked with this athlete - aka 2K Ninja #1 - this summer (along with her counterpart, 2K Ninja #2). After taking big chunks of time off her 2K in her first year of rowing, it had been months and months since she'd PR'd. Unfortunately, her 2K was right in the "maybe" zone - not slow, but not quite recruitable. The Ninjas put in a lot of hard work and in just under 2 months, 2K Ninja #1 was on her way with a 2K PR that got her recruited to - and accepted at - her dream college.

Our training mixed some of the things she was already doing, like steady state and longer hard pieces, with strength training, super-focused steady state, and some really tough 2K prep workouts. But as she puts it, it was something else that made the difference.

Here's our Q & A on how she broke through the plateau.

Esther: Let's talk numbers. What did you start with, and where'd you end up?

2K Ninja #1: I came in with a 7:30.3, which was basically where I'd been last winter and spring. Halfway through working with you, I pulled a 7:28.8. Then on the last day of our program I went 7:21.4. So in just under 8 weeks, I took 8.9 seconds off.

E: What was different about the work we did compared to what you were doing before?

2KN: I didn't expect for us to do so much steady state work (I kind of expected the hard stuff!) At first I was skeptical that it would help me, but as I kept working I saw my steady state split drop and drop, and then my 2K split as well!

E: What gain are you most proud of from last summer?

2KN: Probably even more than my 2K score, I'm proud of how I was able to mentally tackle each erg and water workout you gave me. At the beginning of the program, you wrote down these workouts that seemed insurmountable. But we worked on not just the physical aspects of the rowing, but the mental aspects as well. By the end of the program, I was able to mentally tackle any workout you wrote down and take it one stroke at a time, and I was able to translate that into my mental state during my 2K.

E: Sounds like a lot of hard work! If you had it to do over again, would you?

2KN: Yeah, it was, but it was definitely worth it. I not only dropped a significant chunk of time off my 2K, but I became stronger as an all-around rower. You pushed me harder than I'd ever been pushed before, and I learned things I'll take with me for the rest of my rowing career. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

E: Is there any part of rowing you like better now?

2KN: I definitely have a better appreciation for longer steady state pieces and how they help build endurance and speed. I also developed a weird liking towards the erg. At different points in the program we would be doing the same workout each week, and each week you would lower the splits I was supposed to hit. The first week I was all over the place and not even close. But by the last week I was able to hit them right on, even though the splits were significantly faster. Being able to measure that difference on the monitor really helped me see that my hard work was paying off.

E: What did your parents think of how you spent your summer vacation?

2KN: My parents were amazed by both the process and what it accomplished. They'd seen me over and over again only being able to take tenths of seconds off my 2K, and seen my frustration. I don't think they were prepared for such a big PR. I would come home every day pretty worn out, but I don't think they really understood  the work we were doing until they heard my score.

E: What would you tell someone who's thinking about putting in the work you did to get better at rowing and to get a better 2K?

2KN: Go for it! If you're willing to put in the work and you have a good plan, the changes you'll see in your erg score and in your rowing overall will astonish you. Be willing to give everything you have and to push for one split lower. Also, "impossible" workouts are almost never impossible. Take it one stroke at a time and trust that you can accomplish what you set your mind to.

So there you have it! Set your big goal, figure out your plan to get there, commit to the work it'll take and to building the toughness it will definitely take, and then get after it...one stroke at a time!

Happy training,
Esther

8 Power Foods for Rowers and Athletes

Whether you're training for your very first rowing race or towards the Olympic Games, choosing great nutrition is one of the biggest ways to up your game. It's not always easy or convenient to have good foods available or incorporated into every meal and snack, but I pulled together 8 of the big ones that you really can utilize every day, along with some recipes that work for real life!

BERRIES | QUINOA | NUTS

FISH | BANANAS | BEANS

GREENS | MILK

Rower Power Food: Berries

Bang for your buck, these are some of the most potent nutritional nuggets out there. Antioxidants and vitamins give berries high ANDI scores: they help protect against and process the damage you do to your muscles and body from hard workouts or a high-stress day at work.

Quick recipes:

• Add your favorite berries (or whichever type is on sale at the grocery store that week!) to plain or vanilla Greek yogurt.
• Add to ½ cup regular or gluten-free oats, add almonds and water or milk, and microwave for 1:30 to get a quick breakfast or pre-workout snack that will stay down but keep you fueled for hours.

Rower Power Food: Quinoa

I love this commercial. But...quinoa (KEEN-wah) can actually be really delicious, and for athletes, it's also 100% superfood. It is one of the smallest grains in the world, which is great because (getting all nerdy here) that means it has a lot of nutrient-dense outer casing compared to the amount stuff inside each grain. Translation? More proteins, fiber, and amino acids (including all 9 essential aminos) than just about any other food.

Quick recipes:

• Following package instructions, cook quinoa on the stovetop with water or chicken broth. Add spices (I love garlic, a bit of onion, salt and black pepper). Eat as a side dish or a quick pre- or post-workout snack.
• Cook quinoa with water and make a few cups extra. If you regularly blend pre- or post-workout shakes, add 1/2 cup or more of cooked quinoa to your shake for an extra boost of the good stuff.
• This recipe (YUM!) for quinoa, kale, walnut and sweet potato goodness. Add some cooked chicken breast for an extra protein boost.

Rower Power Food: Nuts

Nuts (I’m partial to almonds and walnuts) and nut butter are awesome nutritional tools. Adding a small handful of almonds to a primarily-carb meal or piece of fruit will balance your blood sugar out and avoid hangry-ness for longer! They have good fats and protein, so a little goes a long way.

Quick recipes:

• Buy the individual packages of raw almonds at Trader Joe’s or your grocery store, or make your own by bagging ¼ - 1/3 cup portions for a quick on-the-go snack.
• This recipe for DIY all-natural gluten-free protein bars. If it’s a little plain for your taste, add a touch more honey or stevia, or go crazy and add chocolate chips. Delicious and nutritious!

Rower Power Food: Fish

Oily fish like salmon (fresh, frozen or canned) and fresh or frozen tuna are huge nutritional boosters because of their high levels of omega-3 fatty acids as well as lean protein. While canned tuna (I prefer water-packed, low-sodium white tuna) lacks the omega-3 boost, it is a tasty and convenient way to get lean protein cheaply and on the go.

Quick recipes:

• Check out your grocery store selection of canned fish and try something new. My boyfriend, Jake, is often on the go, but makes a healthy lunch by crumbling gluten-free crackers into a bag of tuna. You can also try eating the mix in lettuce wraps, or mix it up and add something sweet or savory, like relish or black beans.
• Broil a fresh or defrosted salmon filet with a couple of pinches of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon. Leftovers work well for lunch the next day on a spinach salad with balsalmic vinegar and olive oil!

Rower Power Food: Bananas

Bananas are nature’s perfect on-the-go snack. We went through so many in the Olympic Village cafeteria that the U.S. team staff had to go buy more boxes every day! Water and a banana with some salted almonds after a workout or for breakfast delivers all the food groups, plus the right balance of electrolytes—the natural potassium found in bananas and salt—to hydrate the natural way.

Quick recipes:

• As is, plus some salted almonds or mixed into plain or vanilla Greek yogurt—balanced nutrition that tastes great!
• I found out earlier this year that I have a food sensitivity to eggs. You can actually substitute half of a ripe banana for eggs in many baking recipes. Just don’t try to use them to make an omelette!

Rower Power Food: Beans

Beans are the secret way to add lean protein, fiber, nutrients and FLAVOR to your diet without adding saturated fat, found in many meats. If you are trying to limit your meat intake while being an athlete, beans are your friend! As a California girl, I love Mexican food, and you can use healthy bean options to make that cuisine an athlete-friendly option.

Quick recipes:

• Fat-free refried or whole canned black beans, low-fat cheese, shredded chicken breast, salsa, and a big pile of spinach or shredded lettuce makes a delicious and healthy Mexican salad.
• Plunking rehydrated or canned black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans, a can of stewed tomatoes, some browned lean ground beef and onions, spices, and beef stock into the slow cooker all day yields a delicious superfood chili with leftovers you can freeze in single-serves and bring to work for lunch.

Rower Power Food: Greens

Whether you eat them straight, juice them, wilt them, or bake them into chip form, leafy greens (my favorites are spinach and kale) are unbelievably good for you. In fact, they get the highest scores of anything we eat on the ANDI guide! Besides great nutrition, greens also provide a great source of fiber. Shooting for at least two big servings of these a day is a great way to help boost your systems across the board.

Quick Recipes:

• Switch out your regular sandwich bread for lettuce or kale wraps.
• Try a green juice blend of kale, carrots, spinach, a green apple, and a little ginger. It’s a lot less sweet than the smoothies you can buy off the shelf, but it’s yummy and has a ton more nutrients!

Rower Power Food: Milk

Milk has recently gotten an undeserved bad rap. Yes, we can turn it into ice cream, butter or Brie cheese, but on its own, low-fat or non-fat milk is an awesome power food. Likewise, Greek yogurt (the low or fat-free varieties with no or little added sugar, like plain or some vanillas) and low-fat cheese can be great tools for getting enough protein without a lot of crazy extras. And chocolate milk remains one of the best recovery nutrition tools you can buy in your grocery store.

Quick recipes:

• Try plain Greek yogurt with berries, a ripe banana, almonds, and/or gluten-free oats. Try making your own version of Bircher Muesli, a popular European breakfast.
• A glass of low-fat milk with a handful of almonds or a banana is a great pre-workout or for when the afternoon drag hits in the office!

Fueling smart lets you keep training hard. Eat to win!

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!

An Apple-Pickin' Good Time!

Just some grown-ups doing some grown-up apple picking!

 This weekend we had some amazing weather in Princeton, and I decided to mix it up by going to pick some fresh produce with a couple of (non-rower!) friends. After conferring about where to go (our usual place, Terhune Orchards, was overrun by shrieking children for a Family Fun Weekend), we headed out to Lee Turkey Farm, which thankfully was not overrun by shrieking turkeys.

Yasmine, apple warrior!

I see you, Karen!

The produce was a bit spotty--this summer had too high of temperatures and too much rain (thank you, New Jersey!) for many good crops. But we managed to get a big five-gallon bucket of tomatoes, eggplants, and apples. It was our first time using apple pickers, little cages at the end of PVC pipes that are ingenious for reaching up to the highest branches. We also did a bit of tree-climbing, which turned out to be against the rules...which we only saw just as we were leaving! Oh, well.

Looking for apples!  All photos: Karen Pszonka.

I'm baking my share of the apples into my favorite apple crisp today...I'll have a photo up tonight!

Training has been going well as we build back into the year. It's been great to see Tweets and blog updates from athletes from other countries also building back into training--it makes us feel less alone that the first couple of weeks feel exhausting. I think everyone has a moment or two when you wonder if you lost all the work you put in over the last year! But after a bit, you realize it's all still there, and you're right back on track.

1x the pleasure, 1x the fun!  Photo: Stesha Carle.

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

Hello from Chula Vista!

Hello, world!

I've revived this blog, which I've kept on and off since 2007, in the hopes of 1) more regularly publishing content and 2) not needing to start a new blog for each USRowing-linked event! This year's two blogs can be found at the following links:

2010 Lucerne World Cup
http://usrowinglucerne.blogspot.com

2010 World Rowing Championships
http://usrowing2010nz.blogspot.com

We're coming into the final few days of our week-long camp at ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA (near San Diego). The camp has been great so far--nice weather and good conditions have allowed us to get in a bunch of training. I'll try to post more pictures before we head out on Sunday, but for now, enjoy a brief panorama of the weight room/cross-training tent. It's really neat to get to work out here in part because we get to train alongside athletes from other sports. This morning, I was in there with athletes from track and field, weightlifting, boxing, and BMX. Cool!!!



That's all for now from San Diego...

Notes on 1x Training

So this may be more of a personal training journal entry than a blog entry, but I had a really great training session in the single yesterday and thought I would share some of my realizations. Well, mostly the things that Linda told me to think about, because I have been rowing and racing and training in the 1x since my junior year of high school, and I made more effective changes in the 45 minutes I spent with her than I did in the last 5, 6 years of trying to figure things out on my own! Part of me thinks I should be upset about that (think about how many training sessions I have spent working so hard at taking bad strokes!), but instead I am so happy to finally be starting to have a more effective technique that that doesn't even enter the equation. Anyways, here are the 4 things Linda had me focus on:

1. Wrapping my hands further around the oar. This feels slightly uncomfortable, because the sensation is one of diminished control over the feathering and squaring of the blade. The goal with this is to have flat wrists when the fingers start to roll the oar out at the finish, so the wrists are actually slightly lifted at the catch and throughout the drive. When this is done properly, the work can be felt as locked on through the arms throughout the drive, and the legs' drive is effectively translated through the lats and then the arms onto the blade.
2. Holding my shoulders down and engaging the lats just before the catch. This is tricky because it doesn't feel loose and relaxed, the way it's easy to think a recovery should feel. When I was able to do this, the catch was quicker and the leg drive more effective off of it because my whole body was ready to go as soon as the blade was buried. The feeling is almost like I'd imagine it feels to wear those big football shoulder pads, sort of a solid locked feeling in the shoulders which pushes them down. Then, off the drive, the only feeling in the arms is after the elbows break for the finish, and all of the work is down in the lats--it feels like all the power is in the engaged lats, swinging low back, and the quads as they drive the hips back.
3. Transfer of pressure on the hands from drive to release. Linda gave the visualization of the left-hand handle as a clock face as you look along the shaft towards the blade. As you pull in, the pressure is felt in the fingers and is geometrically aligned at "3 o'clock". At the finish, the pressure switches instantaneously to "12 o'clock"--there is no transition through 2 and 1, and no pushing around at 10 or 11 to get the blade out. In order to do this, the stroke has to finish a bit earlier than with maximal layback--essentially a visualization of releasing at almost the shorts line, which results in a finish a couple of inches in front of the shirt. The result is a powerful drive the entire time the blade is in the water, and a quick release that doesn't slow the boat down or wobble the set with an uneven blade extraction. This is helped further by keeping the elbows high during the drive and at the release, which feels kind of like a bench pull into somewhere between your sportsbra line and bellybutton while swinging the elbows out from your sides (I suppose like a narrow-grip bench pull, then).
4. Lowering the hands slightly and gradually from release to catch. This results in the blades being high enough off the water to square them cleanly, while also better enabling the lats to pre-engage (1). Thinking about bringing the blades from a fairly high release a few inches in front of the shirt, closer to the toes as the seat starts up the slide, results in more room to square up just before the catch. This is one of the things I need to work on the most, since it feels a bit like I need training wheels once I have that much more space in which to work!

Anyhow, those are a few of the things I am learning and working on...It's kind of difficult to hold all of them in my head at the same time while steering and trying to stay clear of crazy high school crews, so I end up thinking about one or maybe two for twenty strokes at a time, but I feel like a new rower! Hopefully, this extremely helpful coaching will result in me being able to move a boat more effectively…and feel faster and more powerful…which is really what this whole sport is about anyway!