Goal update:
--Got rid of stuff, it wasn’t mine, but somehow I got a hold of some stuff that belonged to other people so I gave it back. So now the car is halfway cleaned out.
--have bought coffee twice this week already. Reached my limit. Trying to switch to tea, but tea doesn’t come with a very nice person who asks me how my day is. (We won’t even mention the epic fail of last week)
--am learning to throw hammer and have had two lessons. Going from good in one sport to beginner in another is a little weird and humiliating.
I ran a 5k. last week. Only one. Need to get this goal going.

In other news today was the Long Pairs Race, I was seated 3rd and I’m not sure how standings went but we make have taken second. Its totally a steering contest and we got royally fouled on our trying to pass on a turn. I’m not sure if the other pair just couldn’t give way and sucked at steering, or they really did try to be jerks about it. I didn't have to bow so I didnt have to deal with it, but we had to stop for 5-10 seconds to safely manuuver the turn which was rediculous. Times should be interesting.

We had national team battery testing yesterday, the dread 30 minute test. We were told it was going to be a 6k and then at practice it was changed. Its over and I ranked well for the camp but personally I had better start getting fit because I was slower than a dinosaur with no legs and a smoking problem.

Goals and stuff

I have a lot of goals for this summer.
Run a 5k twice a week
Only buy coffee 3x a week
actually 2x a week,
learn to throw hammer
become okay at sculling
spend time with my family
by playing board games or going swimming once a week
finish my 15 page research paper
help with my brother’s wedding
have a garden
get rid of stuff
get my car cleaned out and figure out ways to not have to fill up everyweek.

I was gifted with a car this summer. It seemed like perfect until I realized it gets 20 miles to the gallon if lucky. I kind of want to puke everytime I think about it. I googled ways to save gas and now using cruise control, not going above 6omph, and am considering loosing weight and emptying my trunk to help as well.

A Bunch of Bullets

After a long retreat into the world of college. I am back in the blogosphere.
Not much has happened:

*Had an amazing senior year
*and I'm not just saying that
*took second at Wira
*and second at Dad Vail
*took 5th at Nationals
*got some awards
*mainly THAT D@MN blanket!!
*decided to take a fifth year
*no more crew eligibility
*so i might do something else
*you just cant walk on to a college sport...
*I did it once, I'll do it again!
*(stay tuned for this wild ride)
*I'm going to pair camp again
*I've made new friends
*Severly irritated the coach who I still do not have a good nickname for
*so I may be off the favored list
*this feels like a repeat of last year....
*am making tons of goals in the hope of fulfilling some of them.
*already ran a 5k this week.
*I KNOW.
*BIG DEAL.
*I hurt all over

so that's basically what's going on. What will this summer bring? besides rowing every day and my brother's wedding and that research paper I haven't exactly finished yet... I don't really know, but what ever it is, it's worth reading about.
(No it's not)

A flying Flute and some other stuff

for the past few weeks I have been sculling again. which is what i intended to do when I ended the UW camp mid July. It just took me longer to get there. i ended up rowing a pair with Abby from PLU and together we formed SPLU. Our mascot was A flying Flute (falcon + Lute) and we were not exactly triumphant but we busted out some crazy practices. Poor Abby was stroking for most of the begining and i was terrifying her. "we're going to miss it by like 6 inches...or two." Then there was that day that we nearly ran into a post but that was totally the fault of the replacement coach. and if it wasnt blaming him was/is very convienant. we had fun. or at least some scary times. to my credit i have never flipped this summer.

when the college program ended the first week of august i transitioned into a sculling class. I dont know why i ever thought this was hard. until i start to make technique changes, and nearly flip. Its been really fun. I'm rowing with a mix of the "middle age" I'm the youngest by probably a decade and a half. i've been in a quad, a double, and mostly a single. working on drills. lots of drills. the coach for the sculling 2 class is amazing and i love going to each class. hopefully this will make me more competitive this racing season.

and i've decided to run a half. because i'm going to finally get the legs i always wanted. or genetics cannot be conquered.

Double Trouble Reunited

on sunday Caity came for a visit.
Pitts and Smith-Staines together again!

(my double partner from the last half of Indiana.) we went to Mick Kelly's Irish Pub for breakfast (I recommend this) and caught up on all of our rowing trials, tribulations, and victories. This was the first I've seen of the Indy crowd since it's been officially a year. I was super sad to have missed out on the Club Nationals Reunion but was super stoked to have Caity call me up as she was coming through seattle. She even said they're were no hard feeling about dragging her into the waters of the Canadian Henley. I can now sleep at night.

Best part was when we went to starbucks and were asked if we were basketball players. should have used catherine's line, "we play croquet." but alas it came to me too late.

Before there was crew there was you, biking

I have all these grand ideas. that usually do not come into fruitition. and are usually quite bad, and its a good thing something stops me from being a total fruitcake. other times i just really want to try, and if i fail well we'll block that one from the memory and chalk it up to a time warp.

There are several awesome things coming this way that i want to do:
Island Aquathon
Lake Stevens Triathalon 70.3 miles
Black Diamond 70.3
Swim Across the Sound. 2.3 miles
High Pass Challange 114 miles
RAW ride around washington 7 day bike trip
Visit TN for Josh's 21st
The levee breaking Century bike ride.

I'm gone for a few of them, not sure if i can get enough training in for the rest half marathons coming from the girl who didnt run last summer? possible but daunting. I really would love to do the High Pass Challange. but its got a 10 hour time limit and the last time i did a century it took me 12 hours and i wasnt messing around. much. its probably time to break out the bike and start riding again. maybe even get those brakes fixed.

The Second Star to the Right

i jumped in. i signed up for pocock's colligiate summer program yesterday. The idea of not rowing for the next two and a half months was not something i could come to terms with. I'm doing it for the skill acquisition. I need more skills. single, double, pair, quad. yes please. will take skills in all of those.

First i got to row the dream over at UW, where my rowing roots began in the 40's and now i get to transfer the dream to phase II. My grandfather rowed with Stan and was coached by George Pocock so i'm pumped.

Today i got used to "The Vega" and rowing with Abby from PLU. I hadnt seen her since WIRA so seeing a familiar face was nice. we were put together in a pair, nearly met our doom with a armada of singles. there were at least 20 of them and only one of us. I miss the UW pocock pairs, but i'm excited for what the next two months will bring.