T-13 days till Qualification Regatta
Finishing off a solid training block as I pack my bags for Europe
Following a solid performance at the Paralympic trials (you can watch my full race here), my teammates and I drove the trailer back to Austin and I got back to work. Three weeks later I am entering my final week of training in Austin before I head to Italy for a week of pre-race training and then Lucerne for the Final Paralympic Qualification Regatta (FPQR). As most of you know, this is the last opportunity to secure a spot in the Paris Paralympics in August and I will need to win to do so. There are currently 9 other competitors from around the world who will be vying for that top spot, so it will be some exciting racing.
My race in Sarasota at trials was a bit slower time-wise than I had hoped, but there was a pretty strong headwind and when comparing percentages to other events, I was happy with my performance. Every event has a “Gold Standard” time that is calculated from the past several years of world and Olympic times in the event. This is useful because at an event like Trials where I am the only competitor in my event, I can see the percentage of the Gold Standard that I hit and compare it to other events and see what the top boats hit in theirs. For example, I went 10:32 which was 87% of the standard. The other Men’s and Women’s singles event winners at trials went 89% of their respective gold standards given the headwind, so this means I wasn’t too far off my own gold standard. While this isn’t super accurate, it is useful when I am racing the clock.
I still have a lot to work on though, specifically focusing on rating higher throughout the piece. This has been a big focus of my most recent training block over the past couple of weeks. There is a lot I can do at low-rate pieces that build the technique that allows for me to hold higher rates more easily.
The past three weeks have been notably different in one other regard as well, I am now training alone. The lightweight double, Jasper and Timmy, had a super solid weekend of racing but unfortunately, ended up third, missing out on the top spot which would have qualified them to go race in Lucerne. Similarly, Ian missed out on the top spot so after getting back to Austin the training crew was down to one, me. This was definitely a bit of a change and took a bit to get back into the swing of training alone, which I thankfully haven’t had to do in a number of months. I have been fortunate, however, to have some training partners from the master’s group and Coach Mark joining me on various days for my pieces.
This past week was my last volume week of the 3-week training block and I am entering the two-week taper period ahead of my race. Tapering always feels unnatural because I am reducing my training minutes by almost 50% so I feel like I am losing fitness. I need to trust the training and the science though, which is pretty clear that you need these days to let your body fully recover from high-volume aerobic work.
I fly over to Gavirate, Italy on Friday where I will meet my coach Sasha, and will train and adjust to the time change for a week before driving north to Lucerne, where racing kicks off on the 19th. It seems the past 7 months have flown by, but I am very excited to have a lot of racing in the next couple of weeks and be able to see how I match up. It will undoubtedly be very stiff competition, but I am rowing as well as I ever have and feel strong and fast. The nerves haven’t yet kicked in, but I am sure they will as race day gets closer. I am also looking forward to rowing on the Rotsee in Lucerne, known for being one of the nicest racing venues in the world. It is a natural lake that is 2200 meters long and just wide enough for 7 lanes, which is why it is dubbed, “God’s Race Course.” I have never been to Lucerne so, I will hopefully be able to explore a bit!
I will share more news and pictures over the next two weeks as we get closer to the big race! I have been fortunate to have received a grant from Airbnb which will help cover my coach and my housing costs in Italy, as well as the support from Texas Rowing Center High Performance which is covering the costs of my flights. West Side, is running a fundraiser to help cover the difference which includes my coach’s flights, our hotels, and entry fees for the regatta, which each athlete has to cover themselves. Many of you have already been so supportive over the past couple of years and I appreciate any and all support in helping me fund this dream. If you would like to support you can do so, tax refundable, at this link: https://gofund.me/130ab659.
And now, some pictures!
Great update, Andrew! What an amazing journey!