rebeccmeister | Back in the saddle

Well, I managed to haul my ass out of bed this morning and schlep over to the gym to erg. It felt really, really good to be back, although about halfway into the workout I started having different thoughts (more along the lines of, why am I here?). But that's pretty typical. It made me really excited about getting back on the water, which should happen next Monday. We had a bit of a cold spell, which makes rowing on the water dangerous, but we are really fortunate here to be able to row year-round. Now I just have to make sure my rowing buddies are also motivated to come and train with me.

Rowing in Melbourne was a whole lot of fun. Despite the fact that Australians drive on the left, they actually row with the same traffic pattern as Americans (on the right, although keep in mind that we face backwards). It's difficult for me to communicate to non-rowers just how rewarding the experience was. Rowing is a fun sport because the rowing community is strong and supportive of all rowers. The woman that I rowed with shared many of the same experiences and frustrations as I have experienced--feeling like she works really hard but her hard work isn't always recognized; feeling like she isn't making good progress; having to deal with teammates who don't show up to practice, etc. It was a good reminder for me to be grateful for the rowers I am lucky to row with in Arizona, because they are exceptions to this all-too-familiar norm. It was also nice to be reminded of the things I have learned through rowing, like patience, good sportsmanship, and teamwork skills. I owe a large part of who I am to rowing.

On my second day of rowing in Melbourne, my host and I took a double out into some of the harbour areas, and I got to take some pictures of Melbourne in the morning. This one is my absolute favorite from our entire trip to Australia: