5am. My alarm goes off. Did I set it for the wrong time and I actually have to be up at 7? Nope! I wish. I look out my window and everything looks frozen. Too bad! Practice starts in 30 minutes. Rowing isn't an easy sport. The 5am winter practices in the freezing weather don't make it any easier. 6 days a week, 12 weeks straight. No days off, no breaks. Because champions train everyday. The erg is the most hated of them all. Actually it's a love hate relationship. The pain makes you dislike it so much, but the reward is so great that you forget the pain and you get back on it the next day. 2500m pieces, 6000 pieces, 1000m sprint pieces, and the deathly 500m all out sprints can transform a boy into a man. You really do discover a lot about yourself when you are on the erg.
Considering the toughness of the erg workouts along with the multiple weight training sessions during the week, water days may seem like a break from the craziness. If only that was the case. Water workouts are 90% the same intensity but now add in the -10 degree Fahrenheit windchill. Your oar gets wet from the splash... the water freezes. The sides of the boat and the rigors collect ice.
Definitely not a fun experience.
One could ask... why do I go through this? Wouldn't it be so much nicer to be able to sleep in everyday till 8am and not have to practice for 3 hours at the crack of dawn? Wouldn't it be easier to not have to push my body through so many grueling sessions?
Maybe, but I'm not about the easy life. Good things in life don't come to those who chose the easy path, they come to those who worked their ass off and achieved greatness.
You may think I'm crazy, but in reality I'm just a rower.
Considering the toughness of the erg workouts along with the multiple weight training sessions during the week, water days may seem like a break from the craziness. If only that was the case. Water workouts are 90% the same intensity but now add in the -10 degree Fahrenheit windchill. Your oar gets wet from the splash... the water freezes. The sides of the boat and the rigors collect ice.
Definitely not a fun experience.
One could ask... why do I go through this? Wouldn't it be so much nicer to be able to sleep in everyday till 8am and not have to practice for 3 hours at the crack of dawn? Wouldn't it be easier to not have to push my body through so many grueling sessions?
Maybe, but I'm not about the easy life. Good things in life don't come to those who chose the easy path, they come to those who worked their ass off and achieved greatness.
You may think I'm crazy, but in reality I'm just a rower.
