New Breathing Pattern

A few weeks ago I read this blog entry by Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist.  In it, he discusses a breathing pattern which he claims is necessary to achieve proper, effortless rowing.  This breathing pattern is different from what I’ve been doing for the past years, but I decided to give it a shot – you couldn’t get much more credibility from a source of information.  About two weeks into it, I’m regularly achieving this breathing pattern and making it easier and easier (more natural) at low ratings and power.  I haven’t yet tried it at elevated ratings and power because I’m still letting my knees heal from tendinitis (stupidly leg pressing waaaaayyyyy too much weight, and without being properly warmed up or stretched), but starting in January I’ll start building the intensity.

My weight training is going very well.  It’s a program I adapted from one called ‘Beat the Computer’ from the Bigger Faster Stronger program.  I read a book a few weeks ago (while I stopped all exercise for two weeks to let my tendinits heal) by Mark Rippetoe called “Starting Strength” which essentially promotes this training program, and I’ve used this program in the past with good success.  So, about 5 weeks ago after the worst of the tendinitis was over, I dumped the program that got me injured and went back to the one that worked really well.  Sometimes I have to learn things the hard way, and sometimes more than once…

Head of the Charles Regatta

My fall rowing season came to a close this past weekend with the Head of the Charles regatta in Boston, MA, where I placed 10th/57 in the Club 1x event. I was 37s slower than the winner, but it was a great race with regards to technique – the technical changes I made a month ago have helped tremendously. Now begins winter training, with lots of weightlifting and workouts on the rowing machine, with some water rowing when it’s not too cold.

Midway through my race at the Head of the Charles rowing regatta in Boston, MA

DMT’s Development in Rowing

On Sunday, I competed for the first time in 3 years, at the Head of the Potomac regatta in Washington, D.C. I got 4th of 8 in the Open Men’s 1x, 50 seconds slower than the winning time, and in the raced thought “I really need to improve my fitness.” The next day, I locked into a technique that has been eluding me for almost 2 years. It is a technique and rhythm that makes rowing miles and miles so enjoyable. It emphasizes elasticity of motion, and hanging my weight off the oar handles in a way that is both physically taxing and intoxicating. The analogy I use is riding a mountain bike on a slight decline – if you’re in too light a gear, you can’t properly lock onto a strong pedal motion; in the right gear, however, you can stand up and push down on the pedals with a deliberate, satisfying strength that keeps the bike going very fast.

My next race is the Occoquan Chase, on the Occoquan Reservoir in northern VA in a few weeks. One week later is the Head of the Charles, where I’ll be racing in the Club Singles event. More on this in the weeks to come.