Tag Archives: CRASH-Bs

Introducing…the 2013 National Training Center Blog

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In addition to my (hopefully becoming more frequent) personal blogging here, I’ll be working with USRowing on the 2013 National Training Center Blog. I’m excited for the opportunity to help represent the athletes at the Training Center, sharing our funny stories, personalities, and insight as we head into the first year of the 2016 cycle.

My first post featured an interview with Gold Medalist (W8+), Meghan Musnicki and her 2013 C.R.A.S.H.-Bs experience. Check it out: CRASH-Bs with Meghan “Moose” Musnicki

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http://www.usrowing.org/News/13-02-21/2013_National_Team_Training_Center_Blog.aspx

USRowing is excited to announce its newest addition to the website – the 2013 National Team Training Center Blog! Princeton Training Center’s Meghan O’Leary will share her insights on training, racing and the life of an elite rower.

O’Leary began rowing less than three years ago after an Internet search led her to a small rowing club, Riverfront Recapture, located on the banks of the Connecticut River.

The rest is history.

Before she came to discover her love for rowing, O’Leary was a two-sport athlete at the University of Virginia, playing both softball and volleyball. After graduating with her undergraduate and Master’s degrees from UVa, she went on to work for ESPN.

She joined the Princeton Training Center in November of 2011 after attending a National Team Identification Camp earlier that fall. Giving up her desk job for a boat and oars, O’Leary hopes to make the 2016 Olympic Team.

Join O’Leary on her journey to Rio. Access the 2013 National Team Training Center Blog here.

Ergs Don’t Float…

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For many, that can be a brutal reality. What you do on the erg does matter in terms of volume and building your base. You have to work to develop your fitness; that’s a no-brainer. But as anyone knows, it means close to nothing if you can pull an unbelievable 2K or 6K time with handle and chain, if you can’t move a boat with oar and water. Maybe you’ll win the hammer at CRASH-Bs but I’d much rather win a Gold at Worlds or the Olympics. Just my two cents.

So, I finally bought my own boat last week. Cross that off the list of goals set for the year! It is February 8th and I couldn’t be more excited to take MY single out on the water. Hurry up warm weather. The idea of having my OWN boat is exciting, scary, and a bit of a reality check. I’ve been putting in the time on the erg and in the gym; now I’m putting in the money, personal investment and commitment to truly go after a dream. There is something unbelievably powerful and yet frightening in acknowledging the reality of climbing that high dive ladder and jumping straight into the deep end. It looks real nice to talk about it with your feet dry and on the ground, but taking the plunge is an entirely different experience.

Hudson 1x

Hence, why I have probably experienced a little bit of the “holy shit” feeling of a little fear but mostly positive anxiety over the past week. There is nothing easy about putting in the hours of hard training-waking up at 5:30am (or earlier), then putting in a full 8-10 hour work day…only to finish your day with a second 1-2 hour workout. Truly it is easy to “play National Team” and train in the safety of name-your-boathouse, facility, or gym. Putting in the time can be physically tough and perhaps mentally strenuous if you’re balancing a family, friends, a job, or simply your life; but I keep reminding myself that this is the easy part. The hard part comes when I’m getting destroyed in the first few (or dozen) races come April and May. Taking a physical beating is easy to recover from: you rest. Taking an emotional beating takes guts, perseverance, and the ability to put your pride (because, let’s face it all athletes have egos) on the shelf for a while.

Bring on the high dive. Ready to jump in headfirst and get a little wet.