corporate challenge

The Firm has decided to sponsor two boats in this years Dad Vail Corporate Challenge. Approximately 3.4 seconds after the email caused my blackberry to vibrate I replied and mentioned my interest and the fact that I rowed in college. A few days later I was in a boat told there would be five practices each Saturday before the event (May 10th 2008).

Saturday morning I show up at #5 Boathouse Row (Crescent Boat Club) and find my boat mates. I learn that only two other people in the boat have experience rowing. Our stoke decides to invite us into the boathouse to get changed. After I came out of the locker room I saw the crew in the erg room practicing the stroke on the rowing machines. Next thing I know this loud little woman walks into the room and announces that she is our coach and will be training us for the next five weeks. Then she announces that we will not be going on the water today and will be practicing on the rowing machines. Boy did I regret only bringing sandals to practice.

We strap in to the rowing machines and start out our practice going over some basic drills and form. The coach then tells the crew to follow my lead (which was a mistake, I am not a good stroke). After that painful experiance we did some yoga streaches and started the real practice… Back on the rowing machines coach announces that the corporate challenge races are typically between 1000m and 250m depending on the officials and ability of the crews to line up. So, we do a number of 4, 2 and 1 minute pieces at full rates as practice. Had I been in rowing shape this would have been an easy practice. Being in the shape I was, I felt that my ass was sufficiently kicked. At the conclusion of practice coach announces that she will be sending out cross training workouts to do in between our Saturday practices. And our third practice will consist of racing against the other Firm boat.

Whoa. I thought this was going to be easy and fun…

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