A lot can happen in a year!

Well hello again ... it's been some time. But in the past 18 months a lot has happened and changed (for the better!) so I thought the blog should be resurrected.  A quick recap: left Leander in Nov 2011 and moved to California where I helped a tiny bit with the US M8+ camp, won the San Diego Crew Classic (by 24 seconds over a bunch of college freshman...), and won the Grand Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta. We were the first US crew to win the event since 1995! Sweet! I also flew back to the UK to watch the Olympics (AWESOME!) and did some fall racing like starting almost dead last at a windy Head of the Charles Regatta (it wasn't all bad, we finished a respectable 10th).

Since then I've been invited on a 3 week training camp with some of the US women- mostly returning Olympians- at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA.  We are beginning our last week of camp and it's been great. Mostly great weather (it's 75 degrees F right now as I sit typing...) and great training. It's been mostly small boats but I've gotten to go out in the 8+ a couple of times. The men's camp is here too so it's great having a lot of people around. Some of the athletes I know and am getting to know better, other's I'm completely just getting to know for the first time.

Beyond getting to know the athletes- their personalities & rowing habits- I'm also getting to know the coaches and everything about training with this group.  I'm super grateful for the opportunity and look forward to being able to prove to everyone that I belong here and have what it takes.  Besides training I'm just enjoying the training center and being at a National Team camp.  The boathouse is really nice and the lake is great when there aren't fishermen to wake us out. The dining hall is open all day and they've even worked with me to have appropriate food for my wacky vegetarian diet.

Also on site is a great weight room, physical therapy and sports medicine services, the AT&T athletes connections center (basically a sweet place to hang out with big screen tv's, sofas, pool and ping pong tables, computers, etc) and a great little jogging path around the entire center. Meeting the other athletes who train here has also been very cool. There's a rugby camp here, some track and field athletes, archers, a BMX camp, and a USA field hockey camp too.  Yesterday I tested out my archery skills (I was terrible but did shoot one TEN! yes!) and I love Meb (Olympic medalist in the marathon! http://marathonmeb.com/) who has inspired me to run a marathon myself and thinks I can qualify for Boston (lofty goal, but hey, it could happen... maybe...) On that note, I need to go get some marathon training in. More adventure stories to come!