The World Championships are this week, and I'm at home training. It's a little weird to not be there racing, but in a lot of ways I'm glad. I am laser-focused on building towards next year, and in the States training and getting fit again after 2 years of grad school is where I really ought to be right now. This is definitely a sign of me maturing as an athlete, because for years I would have been really bent out of shape at missing a race or regatta. After my huge disappointment at the 2004 Olympics, I think I realized that there actually more important things in this world than racing.
Labor day weekend coming up, and I'm making big plans, though- training, sleeping, wash, rinse, repeat. Even though this contradicts what I just said a sentence or two ago, the reality of the finality of my rowing career is hitting me, and I don't want to waste any time (plus I'm headed to Costa Rica next weekend for R&R and surfing - boo- ya!) .
I've also gotten myself a job in NYC, which involves commuting a couple days a week and working out of Princeton the other few days. The job is great, and I'm learning a lot - it's with a private equity fund, which is a pretty tough industry to break into, especially at 20 hours a week. Funny thing is, I am just now realizing how tired my training really makes me. I am not nearly as productive as I expected, and I have already blown up a few Excel financial models in my short tenure (the employers have, however, been very understanding and to my surprise the job will continue). At any rate, this gives me something else to think about for a few months before I really bear down and zone in - after January, I think I'll be going into zero-distraction mode and cut out all my other activities - sounds fun, huh?
I'll keep y'all blogged... thanks for reading.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Inside a year...
So I'm calling yesterday the -1 year anniversary of my official retirement from rowing, because it was exactly one year out from the Olympic finals. I reminded my doubles partner of the fact throughout our entire workout; I'm not sure he was as amused by it as I was.
I'm 'home' in Princeton this week, getting back in shape while the bulk of my teammates are in Munich getting ready to race the World Championships this week (I missed out on the team, see my previous post for details). In previous years I would have been devastated at missing out on a chance to race internationally, but now that I'm an old guy, I've got a little more perspective. I know that being home and not racing this time around is really the best thing for me for several reasons.
So I'm taking advantage of the calm before the storm as best I can, while still training my butt off to make up for lost time. I'm already to starting to feel the positive effects of my training, even if I am tired all the time (one of my coaches stopped in the boathouse yesterday and asked "Mr. Altman, have been on a 2 week bender since you lost trials?", and the truthful answer was no, my eyes were just red the fatigue from all the volume of training I've been racking up). This time around, I'm focusing on the little details which I know can ultimately help me - like core stability and flexibility, so I'm attending yoga and pilates, which is great at opening up my joints and is packed with flexible, stretching girls to keep me entertained. And of course there is the hours of physical therapy. I'm also heading to NYC about two days a week for a job that I just started, which lets me work mostly from Princeton but also lets me get out of here completely for a while and not think about rowing at all (it's a great opportunity in and of itself, so I'm lucky to have it while I am on a tough rowing schedule).
That's all for now. Thanks for reading, gotta get motivated to get some work done and put the finishing touches on my plans to head to Costa Rica.
364 days... in the words of one of my teammates, "Boom, son!"
I'm 'home' in Princeton this week, getting back in shape while the bulk of my teammates are in Munich getting ready to race the World Championships this week (I missed out on the team, see my previous post for details). In previous years I would have been devastated at missing out on a chance to race internationally, but now that I'm an old guy, I've got a little more perspective. I know that being home and not racing this time around is really the best thing for me for several reasons.
- My body really isn't race-ready yet, even though I thought it was.
- I need this time to focus on the long, low-intensity aerobic work which will set me up to handle the high-intensity work later this year.
- My back is a little suspect, and I can take some time to heal it.
- Perhaps most importantly, I get to savor a couple of weeks of quiet time to myself before I commit to my full-time training next year.
So I'm taking advantage of the calm before the storm as best I can, while still training my butt off to make up for lost time. I'm already to starting to feel the positive effects of my training, even if I am tired all the time (one of my coaches stopped in the boathouse yesterday and asked "Mr. Altman, have been on a 2 week bender since you lost trials?", and the truthful answer was no, my eyes were just red the fatigue from all the volume of training I've been racking up). This time around, I'm focusing on the little details which I know can ultimately help me - like core stability and flexibility, so I'm attending yoga and pilates, which is great at opening up my joints and is packed with flexible, stretching girls to keep me entertained. And of course there is the hours of physical therapy. I'm also heading to NYC about two days a week for a job that I just started, which lets me work mostly from Princeton but also lets me get out of here completely for a while and not think about rowing at all (it's a great opportunity in and of itself, so I'm lucky to have it while I am on a tough rowing schedule).
That's all for now. Thanks for reading, gotta get motivated to get some work done and put the finishing touches on my plans to head to Costa Rica.
364 days... in the words of one of my teammates, "Boom, son!"
Monday, August 13, 2007
Counting down
So according to the geeky spreadsheet I put together, we are now inside a year to the start of the racing at next year's Olympics. 364 days, to be exact (although there is the whole issue of the international dateline my spreadsheet doesn't factor in....). So it really hit me that from here, everyday counts. In training for Worlds/the Olympics, I've kind of dreaded the off-season training because it is so boring. It's repetitive, because in reality its really just a lot of rowing. Rowers use the fall season to build up their aerobic base with lots and lots of miles at low intensity, so that when the spring and summer rolls around and its time to race hard, we have a lot of general fitness under our belts and can focus on shorter speed work.
But anyway, this year I realized I don't want to go through the motions with the off-season. I've always seen at as a necessary evil that I had to put up with in order to be good in the springtime. The time ticking down to Beijing is not just the time until raceday, but also the time ticking on my career, which in a way I'm both excited and bummed about. Excited because when it's over, I can get on with my life and not worry about getting my 80 - 160 minutes of cardio everyday. I'll be able to take these trips I've heard of called vacations that regular people take - they are supposed to be fun and relaxing. But it'll also hard to let go of being an athlete and being so good at something. But the reality is that after this year, I won't be willing to make the sacrifice I make to be so good at this. The time I spend at this really adds up, and while I'm lucky to have been able to work this quadrennium around school, I know I won't be able to be really good at a career while I am so committed to racing.
So I realized I want to make this year count. This fall is not going to be about just putting my time in. I put that lame spreadsheet together so I am constantly reminded of the fact that my last race is coming up, one way or another, whether it's in Beijing (knock on wood), in the U.S. at Olympic trials or in Europe at an Olympic qualifying regatta. For this one I'm going to put together lessons learned from all my experiences - good and bad, success and failures. But I know its not the result that defines the experience. Rather, it's an unexpected moment in the middle of training where suddenly you learn who you really are and what you are capable of.
When I look back on my career, its not the big international races I remember. They are kind of a blur, and surreal to the point that its hard to believe they really happened. Its the random moments in training. Most notable are the times that I had to I dig so deep in the middle of a hard workout that I didn't really care where I placed or what my score/time was, I was just proud of myself that I finished. That's where I really found the character that carried me through the high-pressure racing. And then there were the times when I busted out of a slump I never thought I'd get out of, when I'd been going slow for some unknown reason, and suddenly everything made sense to me all over again and my confidence in my ability would skyrocket, and I felt I was ready to race anyone in the world.
Anyway, I know that in the next year I'm going to have moments like that and that's what I am really looking forward to - not the travel, the press or the gear. And when I do have those moments, I'm going to know that the clock is ticking to build off their momentum because my last race is right around the corner. And this time, come hell or high water, I'm going to be ready.
PS - On a more humorous note, I got to work with a new coach today, an Australian - we'll call him Mim TimClarren, an Australian. Our coach-athlete relationship is off to a rocky start because he told me to recite my 'A-B-C's' while rowing. No joke. When I wanted to know why (I'm pretty stubborn), he said it was my balance was bad and he didn't want me thinking. So he wanted me to say A-B-C's and nursery rhymes (he suggested hickory-dickory-dock, I really should have responded with an Anderw Dice Clay comment). I'm not making this up. You can't make this stuff up.
But anyway, this year I realized I don't want to go through the motions with the off-season. I've always seen at as a necessary evil that I had to put up with in order to be good in the springtime. The time ticking down to Beijing is not just the time until raceday, but also the time ticking on my career, which in a way I'm both excited and bummed about. Excited because when it's over, I can get on with my life and not worry about getting my 80 - 160 minutes of cardio everyday. I'll be able to take these trips I've heard of called vacations that regular people take - they are supposed to be fun and relaxing. But it'll also hard to let go of being an athlete and being so good at something. But the reality is that after this year, I won't be willing to make the sacrifice I make to be so good at this. The time I spend at this really adds up, and while I'm lucky to have been able to work this quadrennium around school, I know I won't be able to be really good at a career while I am so committed to racing.
So I realized I want to make this year count. This fall is not going to be about just putting my time in. I put that lame spreadsheet together so I am constantly reminded of the fact that my last race is coming up, one way or another, whether it's in Beijing (knock on wood), in the U.S. at Olympic trials or in Europe at an Olympic qualifying regatta. For this one I'm going to put together lessons learned from all my experiences - good and bad, success and failures. But I know its not the result that defines the experience. Rather, it's an unexpected moment in the middle of training where suddenly you learn who you really are and what you are capable of.
When I look back on my career, its not the big international races I remember. They are kind of a blur, and surreal to the point that its hard to believe they really happened. Its the random moments in training. Most notable are the times that I had to I dig so deep in the middle of a hard workout that I didn't really care where I placed or what my score/time was, I was just proud of myself that I finished. That's where I really found the character that carried me through the high-pressure racing. And then there were the times when I busted out of a slump I never thought I'd get out of, when I'd been going slow for some unknown reason, and suddenly everything made sense to me all over again and my confidence in my ability would skyrocket, and I felt I was ready to race anyone in the world.
Anyway, I know that in the next year I'm going to have moments like that and that's what I am really looking forward to - not the travel, the press or the gear. And when I do have those moments, I'm going to know that the clock is ticking to build off their momentum because my last race is right around the corner. And this time, come hell or high water, I'm going to be ready.
PS - On a more humorous note, I got to work with a new coach today, an Australian - we'll call him Mim TimClarren, an Australian. Our coach-athlete relationship is off to a rocky start because he told me to recite my 'A-B-C's' while rowing. No joke. When I wanted to know why (I'm pretty stubborn), he said it was my balance was bad and he didn't want me thinking. So he wanted me to say A-B-C's and nursery rhymes (he suggested hickory-dickory-dock, I really should have responded with an Anderw Dice Clay comment). I'm not making this up. You can't make this stuff up.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Update 1 - Number crunching to rowing
Here is my first update on my training since graduation (2 versions, the short and the long).....
Here is the short version of the update. If you want more detail you can read below:
____________________________
OK, the longer, wordier version for those of you with some spare time.
The back injury
Training
Since I've been back, I've doing a mix of sculling (rowing with two oars) and sweeping (rowing with one oar). It's two slightly different skill sets with the same set of muscles, much like long jump versus the triple jump. My coach and I finally settled on sculling for me this summer, because I could race the single and train at my own pace while I was getting my fitness back up to the level of the other athletes who have been training year-round. Sweep is what I focused on up through the 2004 Olympics, and I've only learned how to scull in the past couple of years and it turns out I have a knack for it. Being able to do both makes me a little more versatile and will give me a few more options for racing as we got closer to the Olympics.
When I got back, I mixed in with all of the other athletes who have been training, it's a small community so it's all guys that I know and have raced with before. The good news is my skill and my mechanics are as good or better than anyone's here, the bad news was that despite my best efforts to work out while I was at school I wasn't able to keep up the same level of fitness.
It's been a strange transition for me going from being in school, where I was busy every minute of the day, with a ton of different classes and activities, to working out twice a day with about eight hours of downtime in between. My days have gone from spending hours in the library, class or the occasional happy hour to spending hours on the water or in physical therapy and recovering from hard workouts by heading to bed early. I haven't been working while I am transitioning back into training so I can get rest between workouts (but if anyone knows anyone who could use an MBA for about 20 hours a week, please point them my way - I could really use some intellectual stimulation). Another big transition is the California to New Jersey switch, I had blocked out this whole concept of humidity that I left behind when I headed to UCLA. Finally, I've been losing a lot of weight to get back down to my racing weight - lightweight men rowers race at 155 pounds internationally. Needless to say, I am very hungry for any kind of junk or fast food right now - McDonald's commercials have been driving me crazy because Quarter Pounders have never looked so tasty, and those of you from UCLA can relate to my cravings for In-N-Out and Didi Reese.
Racing
Okay, so the big question I need to answer is "How did this guy not make it thru the semifinals of the event he won last year?" Short answer is, I was overconfident going into this week's racing, because I've performed exceptionally well in sculling the past two years without training very hard. (I actually won a spot in the lightweight single on the 2006 National Team, but turned down the trip to the World Championships in England order to finish out my summer internship and get to UCLA on time for the start of school). This year I followed a more regular training schedule, but what became apparent is that the past two years I was doing well because I was benefiting from fitness that I gained in 2004 - training in the Olympic year is really intense, with up to three workouts a day for a good portion of the year. That has been gradually eaten away while I've been away from the training center at school, and even working out more regularly this year wasn't quite enough to pull out this week's racing.
I am actually really happy with how well I raced given where I am physically, although it was a bit of a shock to lose an event I had been fairly dominant in for the past two years. I had a bit of a target on my back and a lot of people gunning for me. Strategically, I rowed a perfect race. Those of you that have seen me race know that I am a closer/sprinter, meaning I usually hang back in the early part of the race and put myself in position to sprint in the last quarter (we call it the 'last 500' of the 2000 meter course.). I actually was exactly where I wanted to be going into the last bit, but when it came time to put them away in the race, I simply didn't have the physiology to do it. It was disappointing, but I don't think I could have done any better than what I did based on how much I have trained.
Those of you that know me well know, while I really hate to lose, this will only make hungrier and train harder for next year's Olympics, which is the race I am building towards. It is actually a bit of a relief to because I've been non-stop on the go finishing school, moving, dealing with an injury and preparing for trials. But I am all set up to train for the next 11 months - I've got a great place to live right by the boathouse, I got a good summer of training which was really productive, I identified the discs in my back as a potential weak point so I know I have to stay on top of it.... and I can get some much needed R & R before the training really kicks up in the fall. I'm going to break out my running shoes and my road bike to build up my aerobic capacity away from the boat for a little bit. I also get to go to a buddy's wedding that I would have missed if I had raced at Worlds, can look for a part-time job to keep me occupied and am looking into potentially a taking a quick trip to Central America to get my surfing skills up and relax before I really have to hit the training hard again. So I am disappointed at losing, but I do think I couldn't have done much more given my schedule the past two years and I am psyched to gear up for next year.
That's it. Those of you still reading, thanks for taking so much time to read about the life of Altman. Talk to you all soon.
Here is the short version of the update. If you want more detail you can read below:
- I arrived here the in Princeton the day after graduation from UCLA's MBA program, and jumped right into training w/the national team
- After one week of training I had a back spasm and couldn't walk for about 2 days, which was followed by my first MRI, which showed me that I had 2 bulging discs in my back
- The back is totally fine now, I'm heading to physical therapy three days a week to stay on top of it and keep it healthy, and taking anti-inflammatory
- I raced this week in the lightweight single at the US National Team trials. Somehow or another, I managed to win this race last year without really training. But this year two years of b-school finally caught up to me and I didn't have the fitness to pull this one out, so I won't be heading to the 2007 World Championships.
- I disappointed because I hate to lose, but in the long run it's actually a good thing. I actually think I raced really, really well given my limited training schedule, and I think I was riding on too much confidence after winning the same event last year.
- I am really upbeat because I can start to focus on training for next year's Olympics at a reasonable pace instead of rushing into World Championship competition after being in school until June. My body is not quite ready for that level of intensity in racing, and could use a breather to get myself mentally ready for a hard year of training upcoming.
- I'm going to take a few days off, and start building my fitness bike early next week in preparation for Olympic selection next year. The upshot - I'm excited to get going with my training for the next 11 months. Now that I've wrapped up my degree I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do fully committed to training again.
OK, the longer, wordier version for those of you with some spare time.
The back injury
- June 15 - graduation from UCLA Anderson's MBA program
- June 16 - frantically move out of my Brentwood, Los Angeles apartment in one day, take red-eye out of LAX
- June 17 - arrive in Princeton, NJ, start rowing
- June 24 -my back goes out on me while picking up a t-shirt following first week of training, reminding me that I've been rowing for 15 years now
- June 25 - July 3 - flat on back, on painkillers and anti-inflammatory
- July 11 - get MRI, find out I've got two bulging discs in my back.
- July 11 to present - physical therapy 6 hours a week, which involves massage and rolling around on a big blue Swiss Ball (this is in addition to my 30 hours of training I already do on the water).
Training
Since I've been back, I've doing a mix of sculling (rowing with two oars) and sweeping (rowing with one oar). It's two slightly different skill sets with the same set of muscles, much like long jump versus the triple jump. My coach and I finally settled on sculling for me this summer, because I could race the single and train at my own pace while I was getting my fitness back up to the level of the other athletes who have been training year-round. Sweep is what I focused on up through the 2004 Olympics, and I've only learned how to scull in the past couple of years and it turns out I have a knack for it. Being able to do both makes me a little more versatile and will give me a few more options for racing as we got closer to the Olympics.
When I got back, I mixed in with all of the other athletes who have been training, it's a small community so it's all guys that I know and have raced with before. The good news is my skill and my mechanics are as good or better than anyone's here, the bad news was that despite my best efforts to work out while I was at school I wasn't able to keep up the same level of fitness.
It's been a strange transition for me going from being in school, where I was busy every minute of the day, with a ton of different classes and activities, to working out twice a day with about eight hours of downtime in between. My days have gone from spending hours in the library, class or the occasional happy hour to spending hours on the water or in physical therapy and recovering from hard workouts by heading to bed early. I haven't been working while I am transitioning back into training so I can get rest between workouts (but if anyone knows anyone who could use an MBA for about 20 hours a week, please point them my way - I could really use some intellectual stimulation). Another big transition is the California to New Jersey switch, I had blocked out this whole concept of humidity that I left behind when I headed to UCLA. Finally, I've been losing a lot of weight to get back down to my racing weight - lightweight men rowers race at 155 pounds internationally. Needless to say, I am very hungry for any kind of junk or fast food right now - McDonald's commercials have been driving me crazy because Quarter Pounders have never looked so tasty, and those of you from UCLA can relate to my cravings for In-N-Out and Didi Reese.
Racing
Okay, so the big question I need to answer is "How did this guy not make it thru the semifinals of the event he won last year?" Short answer is, I was overconfident going into this week's racing, because I've performed exceptionally well in sculling the past two years without training very hard. (I actually won a spot in the lightweight single on the 2006 National Team, but turned down the trip to the World Championships in England order to finish out my summer internship and get to UCLA on time for the start of school). This year I followed a more regular training schedule, but what became apparent is that the past two years I was doing well because I was benefiting from fitness that I gained in 2004 - training in the Olympic year is really intense, with up to three workouts a day for a good portion of the year. That has been gradually eaten away while I've been away from the training center at school, and even working out more regularly this year wasn't quite enough to pull out this week's racing.
I am actually really happy with how well I raced given where I am physically, although it was a bit of a shock to lose an event I had been fairly dominant in for the past two years. I had a bit of a target on my back and a lot of people gunning for me. Strategically, I rowed a perfect race. Those of you that have seen me race know that I am a closer/sprinter, meaning I usually hang back in the early part of the race and put myself in position to sprint in the last quarter (we call it the 'last 500' of the 2000 meter course.). I actually was exactly where I wanted to be going into the last bit, but when it came time to put them away in the race, I simply didn't have the physiology to do it. It was disappointing, but I don't think I could have done any better than what I did based on how much I have trained.
Those of you that know me well know, while I really hate to lose, this will only make hungrier and train harder for next year's Olympics, which is the race I am building towards. It is actually a bit of a relief to because I've been non-stop on the go finishing school, moving, dealing with an injury and preparing for trials. But I am all set up to train for the next 11 months - I've got a great place to live right by the boathouse, I got a good summer of training which was really productive, I identified the discs in my back as a potential weak point so I know I have to stay on top of it.... and I can get some much needed R & R before the training really kicks up in the fall. I'm going to break out my running shoes and my road bike to build up my aerobic capacity away from the boat for a little bit. I also get to go to a buddy's wedding that I would have missed if I had raced at Worlds, can look for a part-time job to keep me occupied and am looking into potentially a taking a quick trip to Central America to get my surfing skills up and relax before I really have to hit the training hard again. So I am disappointed at losing, but I do think I couldn't have done much more given my schedule the past two years and I am psyched to gear up for next year.
That's it. Those of you still reading, thanks for taking so much time to read about the life of Altman. Talk to you all soon.
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