Lifelong Rower

  Lifelong Rowing Blog #25.         Photo Credit:  J. Zydeck   You need fuel, you fool   Nutrition is such a hard subject to discuss.  If you are like me, it feels like the rules are constantly changing.   Have you ever bonked on a long row, a long bike ride?  It just happened to me on a 50mile bike along the North Shore.  Unfortunately, at a local coffee shop I decided to eat a gluten free vegan blueberry muffin. It was not enough to get me home.   As I always do, before I put something on paper, I conferred with several nutritionists about how to fuel up for the long haul.     I spoke with Monique Ryan, MS, RDN, an Evanston sports nutritionist and received some good tips about timing.  For early rows, you may have to rise a little earlier than you would like and drink a glass of orange juice to replenish your glycogen.    Keep it simple, peanut butter, bana...

  Lifelong Rowing Blog #24                                                                                 Photo Credit:  J. Zydeck See in the Mind’s Eye   This morning I interviewed Bill Schaudt, North Suburban Crew Coach and Sculling Coach,  about mental techniques to prepare for the Fall Racing Season.  Bill has been my sculling  coach for numerous years, and he has given us plenty of pre-race talks.   According to Bill, a coxswain can help their rowers walk through the start of the race, the cadence, specific calls they will make, when they will start a sprint.  Ideally, walk your team through the race a day before. Having their eyes closed, will help them visualize the race.  If  yo...

     Photo Credit:  J. Zydeck Lifelong Rowing Blog #23   A Competitive Spirit   Swimming was always the hardest part of my first attempts at a triathlon.  That’s why I so much enjoyed biathlons, just the biking and running.  Arriving at the venue, I was pretty excited, a good chance to win a medal.  I was none too happy when my biggest competitor  in my age group had a technical issue and my husband, Bob, the former bike mechanic came to the rescue…pretty small of me.   Watching the Olympics and the commercials I am bombarded with an abundance of hugs in the swimming pool, the track, and the gymnastics venue.  The pictures hit the mark, sincerely appreciating each other’s accomplishments.   At one of my many jobs, I had a woman supervisor who competed in sharpshooting competitions.  I once asked if the other woman competitors were friendly.  “Are you kidding me, they hate me bec...

Photo Credit:  J. Zydeck     Lifelong Rowing Blog #22   The Need for Balance   When I was 12 and had free summers, I visited the library and picked up a very old small paperback on yoga filled with black and white photos of a skinny old man doing headstands and turning himself into a human pretzel.  I thought why not try to do some yoga.  Remember this was in the 60’s.   Off and on, I have tried to take a yoga class at least once a week and tried to stretch as much as possible between workouts.   Right now, stop reading this blog and try to stand on one leg for 30 seconds, now switch. Can one leg last longer.  When you are sculling and go straight, you may think you are equally pushing with both legs.  I have found that is not necessarily the case.   My favorite go-to-yoga class is taught by Brittany Zimmerman.  I had the chance to speak with her after class last Thursday. ...

Photo Credit:  J. Zydeck The Forgotten Muscle   When I sat in on Craftsbury Sculling Center Webinars last year, (they were doing weekly Wednesday webinars during the pandemic) they discussed “Glute Amnesia”   I have known for years that using your glutes during the first and middle part of the stroke could up your game. When I focused on lifting my butt off the seat at the beginning of the drive, I saw an immediate drop in my splits.  After about 20 “butt lifting” strokes I was exhausted.   I decided to act, I signed up with a personal trainer, to work on my glutes. It’s too early to tell if it will make a difference, but I am working on it.      Past blogs have mentioned the work of Will Ruth, author of  Rowing Stronger . I checked in with some of Will’s weight workouts and here is a link. Deadlifting is one of the best weight workouts for glutes, but deadlifting needs to be done safely.  Finding a good trainer, using a m...

Photo Credit:  J. Zydeck   Lifelong Rowing Blog June #20   Iron Lady   When I was in my 20’s, before I started my rowing addiction, I ran.  I was training for a 15K but was struggling to add the miles I needed to complete the race or to compete.   After weeks of frustration, I decided to see a doctor.  This was not an easy choice; I did not have insurance nor a family doctor.  I found a free clinic and a wonderful clinician who after asking a few questions, ran a blood test.  He quickly determined that I was horribly iron deficient.  Before I had my follow-up exam, my husband and I researched (no google at this time) what I could eat to alleviate the situation.  It meant a lot of beans, because at the time I was a vegetarian. After talking to my doctor, though I was close to being hospitalized, we decided on a heavy ingestion of iron supplements.  Within a week or two my energy returned, and I...