Fall Goals and Racing Schedule

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In rowing, fall is the time for goal setting. By New Year's Day, you've already lost months of valuable time and are entering the scramble to prepare for spring racing.

I always start my goal brainstorming with outcome goals: 2k PRs, big wins and gold medals. But to reach those targets, I also set process goals. 

This fall, I've got a big process goal, something I can work on every day for the next three months.

GET MORE OUT OF THE WORK YOU'VE DONE INSTEAD OF DOING MORE WORK.

What does that look like for me? Sleeping more (including a midday nap), stretching after each practice, rehydrating and refueling more effectively, and ultimately trusting the training plan.

This is a really difficult process to stick to. Because I'm more rested going into each session, the temptation is to use that energy doing more work or adding other activities into my day. It's helpful to remind myself of all the times in the past that this has failed. This fall, I am embracing patience and balance.

If you'd like to follow along with my fall racing, here is my race schedule.

Head of the Riverfront - October 2nd - Hartford, CT
Last year, I won the open 1x in ridiculously slow headwind/current conditions. I loved this race as a low-key fall season opener. I'm entering the single again. If you're interested in covering the $55 entry fee through a tax deductible donation, send me an email or visit the Northeast High Performance Rowing Foundation website directly.

Head of the Housatonic - October 8th - Derby, CT
By the afternoon that entries opened, there was already a waitlist for the women's open 1x. If I make it off the waitlist, I'll be making my debut at this regatta. This is a slightly bigger race than Head of the Riverfront, so it will be good preparation for Head of the Charles.

Head of the Charles - October 22nd - Boston, MA
Last year, Morgan McGovern and I won the lightweight championship double. This year, we'll be back to defend our title—a tall order as we will be competing against the Swiss national team. A generous donation (thanks Chris!) covered the entry fee and gas money for this regatta; a friend's couch is covering housing.

Fall Speed Order - November 5th and 6th - Princeton, NJ
This is my least favorite race of the year. Since it is a two day affair and far from CT, it requires a two night hotel stay, which is expensive. It also involves a weigh-in and an erg test. And attendance is usually very low, with lots of last minute scratches. Attendance at this regatta is undecided.

Newtown Turkey Trot - November 24th - Newtown, CT
Back to the roads! The 2015 winner ran the 5k in 19:20, so I will have to have a big PR if I want to take the win. In any case, I'll definitely earn my Tofurkey.

What's on your race schedule? Will I see you at any of these regattas??

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About Post Author

Michaela

Michaela is a lightweight rower based in New Milford, CT. She writes about life as an elite athlete and always travels with snacks.

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