Rocket Fuel: January Update - 2013 is upon us!

Philadelphia Skyline from the steps of the Art Museum, about 4:30pm, Sunday 1.20.13

Training is going well.

It's good when things on the water and in the weight room click along because it means very little of the rest of your day is affected (or in the worst case, spoiled) by the useless contemplation of training sessions. That's what practice is for!

All my anxiety is focused on this coming week's intensive oil painting workshop, 9 to 4 every day, painting the human figure. Although I've been doing watercolor for a few years now, the last time I touched the oils was in Fall 2007. Before that, in 2002! I'll be in over my head a bit in a class of experienced painters, using my drawing skills to learn quick and keep up!

The class itself was inexpensive, but the supplies were costly. Who knew oil paints, thin little tubes, cost so much. The class is an important step to further my artistic career - I've decided that it's absurd of me not to pursue being an artist, and it's important to keep in touch with skill development concurrent to getting the rowing out of my system over the next four years.

Me and Matt

As for paying the rent, and funding an imminent car purchase… I'm doing a fair amount of meetings and networking to get a "boring office job" part-time to be able to fund the creative/athletic lifestyle that I love. Things are going well on this front and I'm making many new and old contacts in Philly, some with the means to offer work. More on that to come.

Matt and Mary in front of Malta

Matt Carey and me training for the 2009 Head Of The Charles,
Men's Championship Double (8th place 6th pre-penalty),
at the Riverside Head of the Kevin race series.
Man... that was a GREAT Fall.
Matt would drive in Thursday night; dinner; party.
Wake up 5am Friday, row. School; another row; party.
Wake up 5am Saturday, row. Nap; another row; party.
Wake up 5am Sunday, row. Matt drives back home.
Weekend complete.
Wash rinse repeat.

The weekend was wonderful, catching up with Matt Carey (former doubles partner for the HOCR 2009, and member of our trials runner up LM4x in 2009, and the trials-winning USA LM4x 2010) and his fiancee Mary Higgins, former Wisco lightweight. They drove up from D.C. for the weekend and we had a blast, including an indulgent breakfast at Honey's Sit n Eat. Speaking of food... I've been cooking up a storm lately working from "The Feed Zone", a book I bought last year with good intentions and then never barely opened. I recommend it so, so highly, it's nutritious, delicious and easy recipes for the time-crunched lean mean endurance athlete. Plus, it's endorsed by Levi Leipheimer, and Tyler Hamilton... so we know the recipes won't make you slower...

My absolute favorite so far is the Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Peanut Sauce. I'll have to share it next post. It truly lives up to its Rocket Fuel title.

More soon,

Hope all you rowers are enjoying the Winter's training.