One Trick To Keep Rowing Fast

I’ve spent the past 35 years in the pursuit of speed. Over those years a few common themes have popped up. In a nut shell four of those are:

1. Most people (rowers, coxswains, coaches) will work intensely hard to go fast
2. Speed (the art and science of going fast) is always a work in progress
3. There will be a price to pay for going, and trying to stay, F-A-S-T
4. Going F-A-S-T can be fun, really fun, but you have to work at the fun part. If you don’t do this one well, #3 becomes a huge factor

These may sound somewhat discouraging (not meant to be). However, as I sit here waiting to race my first heat at the NCAA Championships, those four themes keep coming to mind.

Number 4, working at the fun part, is probably the most difficult.

One trick I’ve learned to help find the fun is to row slow.

What I mean by that is to ever-so-often go out in a boat and row for pleasure. Take a spin, look for wildlife, throw a fishing line over the side (makes no difference at all if the only thing you catch is an old raincoat-which I’ve done), really check out that sunrise/set, play a trick on a sculler.

I’ve written about it, but friend Chris Partridge has written extensively and dedicated a whole site to this. Heck, viewing his site just might help you with the fun part.

There is an entire slow movement developing these days (Slow eating. Slow driving. Yes, even slow sex). Why are people interested? It seems the slow is helping some be fast.

Hmmm . . .