Quote of the Year - "When do you guys blow off steam?"

So the funniest moment of my training thus far this year happened this week. 'Coach' was asking us about the schedule, and what our preferences are for our schedule. Generally, we have between 10 and 12 practices a week - right now we are using all 7 days, meaning we haven't had a day off since early September. Our most important/intense practice of the week is on Sunday morning at 8 AM right now, which kind of crimps our style on Saturday evening.

Anyway, if you read one of my previous posts about losing my social skills as a result of my training so much, you might understand my surprise when our coach said - "I'm kind of concerned about the dork factor. When do you guys go out and blow off steam?"

After about a two second delay of shock and exchanging looks with each other, we all burst out laughing. We had naturally assumed that the schedule was set up this way to keep us in check and too tired to get in any trouble - which it is doing a damn fine job of, I have to say. Rowers definitely have a habit of going kind of over the top when they do get to go out - rowing was where I got the idea for the 9-house, 9-drink progressive golf party that became a staple of my business school years. But not on this schedule, which puts into fatigue and keeps us there. Even our days off have us prepping/resting for test pieces on the rowing machine (aka the ergometer for you rowers).

I will never forget that quote as a staple of this fall. Blow off steam. Ha. If lying on a couch watching a rerun of Friday Night Lights, too tired to get that bottle of water on the coffee table, can be considered 'blowing off steam', then I'm pretty good at it.