http://www.coxie.com/dictionary/848-beating-burn-out

I've been coxing for six years. Compared to some, I'm sure this is a pretty short time. However, six years of this intense sport can get to be exactly that, intense.

During winter training this year, I found myself fantasizing of a life without crew. What would it be like not to have to worry about team politics, destroying our team's new eight yet again (I've only done it once, but once is quite more than enough), training novice coxswains, and getting up at 4:30 a.m.? Fall season took a lot out of me, and I wasn't sure I was ready for a grueling spring season.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, coxswains can suffer from burn-out.

I never pictured myself without crew. I have always been positive that crew has sunk into my soul so deeply that I'll be an aged and hobbling woman somewhere still yelling over a microphone at some poor high school crew somewhere who's trying to deal with this old fogie of a coach. All of a sudden, however, I began to imagine college life without crew. You know, a life that included sleep and homework and my non-crew friends.

Then, the season really began. I kept pressing on until the season started because I couldn't picture my life without crew. And, I'm so glad I did. Once I got back around my guys and the river and boats, I remembered why I cox.

It's that feeling of coming home when I go down to the river. I never thought any river but my very first practice spot could become home, but my college crew's river now holds memories as well. I [paddle] because when I get into a boat, it's my way of flying. Sitting in a sternloader and getting slammed into the foam padding so hard that it hurts, or getting right up against a boat's hull in a bowloader and feeling every motion of the rowers behing you.

There are two even bigger reasons I [paddle], however. The first is the people. Rowers, I am convinced (and other coxswains), are inherantly superior to the rest of the world. It's not the simple act of being on a crew, but rather that crew tends to attract quality people. I've heard from almost everyone I know that crew is all about the people.

And the last reason is because I was right. [Kayaking] is in my soul. Something about me is more right, more full, when I'm [paddling]. It's like all of me can come into play at once, in one magical moment of intense concentration and focus. One of my coach's used to say that there's no bad day on the water. With the caveat of a major equipment failure, I would say she's right.

So, if any of you are feeling fed up, or burned out, take a step back. Look at the river on a misty morning under a pink sunrise. Run your hand over the fiberglass [carbon fibre] of a boat. Think back over some great [kayaking] memories. Fondle your favorite medals. Then get out there and give it one more try. If you're a [kayaker] to the core, you'll remember why you love this sport.

burnout

Life asks of every individual a contribution, and it is up to that individual to discover what it should be

muddy's 88km adventure

so this is how it went

saturday night was feeling restless

so muddy decided it was time to reset

thus at 11.10pm, wearing my favourite t-shirt, threw on the orange windbreaker and a cap, then took the bike out for a mini cycling expedition (:

first the usual route, harbourfront then to suntec, where i saw random pple leaving the area (F1 in town!). And because of the road diversions, ended up at... Marina Bay Sands aka the casino! Didn't feel real lah that place, seems like some Bali- Hollywood-ish place, not the Singapore i know. Circled around the area for a while (actually, got lost, haha), took a wrong turn and ended up on a highway of no return, had couple of close shaves, luckily found an exit back to Rochor. So made it to Kallang, then cycled on, to Geylang. passed many brightly lit fruit stalls hawking durians. and lots of normal looking folks at the stalls, was about 12.30am.

and the adventure continues, on to Aljunied, Paya lebar, eunos, kembangan, bedok, tanah merah (the east west line!). was a straight road so just cycled continuosly. Then very soon was at Expo, then changi village (: reached the jetty area then u-turned. you won't believe it people are eating zi char at what 2, 3am!

was nice and relatively quiet, though the roads were not as car free as i thought, quite cold as well. On the way back, somehow ended up in pasir ris! then got stuck circling around tampines and pasir ris, all the new towns are similarly designed so was quite confusing. finally found my way out while following the mrt tracks, then headed back. At Bedok, stopped for a drink, and again at 3am, people were still eating zi char! and the coffeeshops were all open still! Came back along geylang serai and the 'seedy' lorongs, nothing much lah, saw some newpaper vans and again, the eating places (fancy char siew rice or rochor beancurd at 4am?)

Next exciting point came at suntec area again, somehow cycled to clarke quay instead of shenton way. again, miraculously found my way out in one piece. the last stretch home was challenging. After tanjong pagar was really sleepy. Legs not too tired, was cycling at a relatively slow pace of 14km/h. Around vivo city and a second time further up, got off my bike, leaned against it and slept for awhile. made it home at about 6.15am.

so there, my weekend (: not very poetic, but it'll do. btw, hardly got horn at, so i'm pretty impressed with the majority of drivers out there. ah, a note of caution, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME! safety wise, of course, don't do this alone (in fact, don't do this at all!!), but it wasn't as scary cos of all the coffeeshops that were operating, petrol kiosks and 24hr outlets. still towards expo/changi it was quite deserted. hopefully it resetted my body clock.

Hayley Mick Warriors endure ‘longest training camp in history'

In an empty locker room this week, coach Dennis McPhee grabbed a blue marker and wrote a reminder for his football team: 352 days to go.

Saturday should have been the former CFL coach's next opportunity to lead the University of Waterloo Warriors into combat. Instead, due to a doping scandal that resulted in his team being banned from competition for a year, he has to figure out how to motivate a legion of soldiers without a battle to fight.

“It's the longest training camp in history,” 19-year-old kicker Jose Patino said.

The team's upheaval began last spring when university administrators suspended the entire 62-member squad for a year after nine players tested positive or admitted to using banned substances, including steroids and human growth hormone. One player faces criminal charges related to trafficking. Months later, a dramatically different Warriors team is struggling to regain its axis. Twenty-one starters have been scooped up by other Canadian Interuniversity Sport squads. Only eight players with any CIS football experience remain. Half the players are rookies. The leadership void, combined with an uphill recruiting battle, means it will take years for the program to rebuild.

University officials are standing behind the move, saying their hard-line stand will inspire other universities to take the problem of doping seriously. They say they are teaching important life lessons to their students about accountability, team responsibility, and ethics in sport.

“The decision to suspend the team is about sending a message that individual decisions have team consequences,” said Bob Copeland, the university's athletic director. “With time, people will look back on this experience and hopefully it will be a very powerful one.”

But among some senior players – who have been robbed of their year as the big men on campus, had their academic transcripts scrambled by sudden transfers, and have best friends strewn across the country – the lesson hasn't sunk in the way university officials may have hoped.

Their bitterness is targeted not at the teammates who cheated, but at administrators who punished the large majority who tested clean and knew that drugs are bad. Dustin Zender is a fifth-year wide receiver who would have been the Warriors' captain this season, but now plays for Wilfrid Laurier. What has he learned? “Nothing. Except life isn't fair sometimes.”

On a recent weekday evening, some 50 players clad in shoulder pads and helmets plunged into a high-tempo, two-hour practice behind Columbia Icefield Arena on the north side of the Waterloo campus. Coaches drilled plays into the heads of new recruits. Players grappled and sprinted. “Get into the huddle. Don't fucking walk!” a defensive tackle shouted.

The intensity is impressive considering so little is at stake. The team practises four nights a week, and on Saturdays they scrimmage against the second and third-string teams from nearby universities. A few parents might show up to cheer. Nobody will keep score.

“I'll be honest, for guys like myself … I don't really get pumped up and get the adrenalin rush of a real game,” said Luke Balch, one of the few remaining fifth-year veterans.

Instead, after the games, Balch finds himself standing in the middle of the field, catching up with old teammates wearing their former rivals' uniforms.

“I was pretty sad when I was talking to him,” said Balch's former teammate, Patrick McGarry, one of seven players with nearby Wilfrid Laurier. “Obviously it's not easy for him to see us in another uniform.”

But while the senior players are struggling with new identities, the younger crop of freshman Warriors say the decision has been an unexpected boon.

“It's a good experience for us young guys,” said Paul Cecile, 19, a first-year wide receiver from Sudbury, taking a break from practice Wednesday. “We get a lot of one-on-one coaching. We'll definitely be seeing the field sooner [than freshmen at other universities].”

That's what McPhee has been emphasizing recently, during what is perhaps the most difficult and important recruiting period of his 30-year coaching career. Inevitably, he says, the first question he gets from high school players is: “How much am I going to play?”

But this year he's also been asked: “If I come and play for you, and one of my teammates tests positive for a banned substance, will I be punished as well?”

McPhee said: “The way we spin that is, ‘Obviously, they've tested here. And it will happen again. You would have to be crazy to think that you wouldn't be under scrutiny here after what we've been through,'”

As for motivating the troops, his battle may be already won.

“The players wrote that,” McPhee said in the locker room, pointing to the white board and the words written below the number 352.

They said: “What have you done to get better today? Warriors 2011.”

have edited my webpage (:

https://sites.google.com/site/muddizer/home

what is this

been a while since my last post

well i've busted my butt again, so no paddling. cycling and running and weights

so started the week as usual,
attempted the 10km paddle (found out that i've not recovered despite 3 days)
then 4k run to second bridge
PM was about a 16km cycle (with various intensities)
Tues AM 28km cycle (with various intensities)
PM 15km run (with various intensities)
Wed AM was weights 15 reps, 16.... to 25 and back to 15 of 40kg bench press bench pull, and 20 declined situps per set.

THEN

i don't know what happened something must have snapped

wed pm rested. thurs am was feeling strangely tired, did 2.4km run then 1.5h of soccer. and probably after that i ko-ed. thur pm fri am fri pm sat am out of action; i have no idea what's going on.

so many plans for so many things ahead

and i'll figure it out

What if you believe?

The loneliness of the endurance athlete

September 18, 2010 – 10:37 am

Sure there is loneliness, but in my view it’s of the positive kind. Solitude. Peace. Calm. Silence. Just you and a line — the running path ahead of you, the white line on the road, or the blue line at the bottom of the pool. It’s refreshing to be alone. In a world where eating or watching a movie alone is looked upon negatively – “That person has no friends,” they say, or “He/she must have no life” — I think it takes people of a certain positive character to be able to pull it off.

What’s wrong with taking the trouble to spend time with yourself? Everyday we devote most of our lives to pleasing others, or at least interacting with people. Sometimes the best conversation you can have is between your mind and heart.

But opportunities to do so are rare, especially in this technological age where you can never really get away from it all. Mobile devices have made our work and lives completely mobile. And that’s why I enjoy swimming, cycling or running alone. Yeah yeah, training in a group has its benefits: camaraderie, motivation, fellowship, yadayada… but you’re inclined to talk, or to have someone in close proximity to you.

It’s not that I hate human interaction. In my line of work, it’s a necessity. But that’s exactly why I like to train solo, because it’s my time to myself, to reflect, to think, or to blank out.

This morn I went out for a solo 2h strength endurance ride. Of the numerous cyclists out on the roads, perhaps only two or three were solo riders. Everyone else was in a group, and when they whizzed by you could sense this energy and intensity among them. They weren’t speaking, but still, from the way each of them sped up their pedals strokes to match the other’s, there was no doubt of some sort of non-verbal competitive talk going on. In a group there is hardly time to zone out or reflect, because you’re always chasing a wheel, keeping pace, and staying fully alert to avoid hitting another bike. I was happy to have my whirring wheels, beating heart and rhythmic breath as the soundtrack to my ride.

Loneliness is not as bad as what people make it out to be.

And with that, I’m going to roast a chicken for our lunch.

By jeanette |

nice (: