racing this weekend, yahoo

[dichroic]

I am so not ready to race this weekend. It’s been a few years since my last one - looks like that was this same regatta in 2013. I’ve been doing good training on the erg, but we have way too little time on the water; not only has the weather not really cooperated, but it seems like there have been more wake issues than normal. A larger nearby lake

Comments

More plots and schemes required!

[rebeccmeister]

I've got two more regattas on the agenda this spring, Gold Rush (May 21) and the River City Rebellion: http://www.rivercityrowing.org/#!rebellion/c1ofa... )

[rebeccmeister]

But also also...

I'm not particularly well prepared for a sprint race at the moment, either, but OTOH I'm looking forward to just going for it. :-) From getting to train with the other small boats here, I'm reminded of how being around other rowers can provide good encouragement to push oneself in good ways.

[dichroic]

It's a bit different circumstance, though. If you were well prepared for this race, you'd have a good chance of winning; being less ready might just put you a few spots back. I actually *have* been training reasonably well for this race (using this training program, 5 days/week) - it's just been too much on the erg, not enough on the water. But it's still not likely to be enough to do well in the race. Therefore, I have always had to find motivation from within myself rather than being pushed by other rowers. Though the race does at least make me push myself harder than I would if I didn't race.

I know this probably sounds defeatist and negative-thinking to you, but really it isn't. Can you imagine how crushing it would be to go into every regatta thinking I could win, and then coming in way behind? Going into a regatta determined to do my best and row a race I can be proud of is a much better strategy for me - it's achievable, but takes nothing less than my best efforts to achieve.

[rebeccmeister]

I actually tend to assume that overall mentality towards racing anyway. I think people who focus too much on extrinsic factors wind up burning out (or they burn me out!) or getting really pissed off about something that they cannot control.

It makes me think of college, to some degree - so many rowers burned out and quit because they thought the reward for rowing hard/well was winning. Sure, we had a handful of races where we did well in terms of results (I think I have _two_ medals total from four years of varsity DIII collegiate racing), but those were incidental to having kickass races. If I'd really cared about winning I would have gone to a different college, worked my butt off for a seat in a JV boat, and then burned out and stopped after college.

So, shrug. Most people should have your attitude. After all, it's for sport! :-)