I am two weeks away from the start of the World Championships and I am getting very excited. These past two weeks I have been training in Northern Ontario on Lake Joe. This has allowed for some idyllic rows on glass-calm water where the only noise is the click-clack of my blades in the oarlocks.
My primary focus has been on introducing more volume and intensity into my training. Most of the past two months have been spent on rigging changes, but now my seat and rig are mostly set. I will write a longer update about all the intricacies of rigging a PR1 scull and all of the little changes Sasha and I have made, but ultimately our goal is to find the most efficient positioning of seat and rigger that simultaneously allows me to have a powerful stroke, while also preventing injury in my low back (which is much more common in a PR1 stroke, because you don’t use your legs.) We have made a lot of adjustments and most recently had an arts and crafts day cutting apart giant blocks of foam for my seat, but ultimately are in an adequate spot where I can get consistent high-volume training in.
I will be incorporating shorter, higher-intensity pieces and workouts over the next two weeks before we head to the Czech Republic. This will help me get used to higher rates as well as build my anaerobic capabilities. In addition to this increase in intensity, one thing I am constantly working on is pivoting from the hips vs. the upper back. As a result of my injury, my core and lower back are much weaker than they normally would be. This makes it harder for me to stay upright at the catch of the stroke (when the blade goes in the water) and contributes to the back pain I have been battling. The foam we added to my seat helps to rotate my hips forward, but there is a lot of mobility and positioning work to be done.
It was very exciting to watch the European Championships two weekends ago and observe how the other PR1 athletes position themselves and what their strokes look like. Every athlete has slightly different strengths and weaknesses so it is interesting to try to see what they are doing that could work for me, while also being cognizant that my body and strengths are different.
I will be sending more regular updates over the next three weeks as I pack up and head to the Czech Republic. We fly over on September 11th and the whole first week will be spent training on the course in Racice, which is 45 minutes north of Prague. The actual races are from the 18th - the 25th and I believe I will be racing on 3 of the 5 days, but I will confirm the dates and times as soon as I know! I will also share the live stream link.
Thank you for all of your support!