A “Rest” Day

As strange as it sounds, the hardest days of competition trips are days off. They’re a necessity to prepare the mind and body for the task ahead, but after months of daily training, it’s hard to “turn off”. We’ve been in New Zealand for a full week now, and it has flown by, mostly because we established a routine early and kept on it. I finally have my eating, training, and sleep cycles down pat so that I feel rested, fueled, and excited everyday. With the Opening Ceremonies tonight and the end of our high-volume, high-intensity workouts, we begin the first part of our taper. We’re still working through this week, shooting to peak for the final, but the change in routine is noticeable. Part of the reason I’ve been sleeping so well is that the workouts are adequately tiring and I’ve cut out midday naps. We did a mock race piece yesterday that went pretty well, and we won’t be on the water again until Sunday after the races.

So with a day off, everyone immediately thinks of what we can do to explore and have fun. *Here is where my original entry was edited after the conclusion of our off day. I had written how I typically spend my time laying low and trying to do as little as possible. I started to write that I’ve worked too hard to mess it up by spending an off day, but after spending today sight seeing and playing on the beach, I had to do a rewrite.

The day started like normal: 6am wakeup to get coffee and a light breakfast followed by an erg session to get the body going. We had talked about going to the western coast to see one of the black sand beaches, but by 11am, nothing had been planned, and it looked like we were destined to pass the day playing cards and watching TV. As we all milled around the lobby, one or two of my boatmates continued the quest, and as it turned out, we had the option of taking a van to the beach as a boat, and the momentum kept rolling. Before we knew it, we were cruising through the countryside on our way to Raglan, an expansive black sand beach known for its gorgeous views and surfing. We were all just happy to be out of the hotel. We had no agenda other than to take in some views.

As we neared the coast, the cameras came out and everyone was awe-struck by the beauty of the coastal town. Our first stop was at a rocky shore that overlooked the coast, with a few brave surfers catching a left hand break back toward a cove. It was a beautiful spot, but we quickly agreed that we actually wanted to go to a beach with some sand where we could dip into the cold Pacific waters. We took a few wrong turns and one-way streets in the wrong direction, but in the process we found a local surf club a few miles down the coast from the actual town.

Walking down the hill, my roommate Kenny and I immediately got bit by the surfing bug, and tried to find a rental shop. At the bottom of the hill, right on the beach, we found a small cart that provided us with a wetsuit and a board for $20. Neither of us are very good at surfing, but the prospect of actual surfing was secondary to the overt act of being able to paddle out into the waves among the droves of locals. Even in the cold waters, we were energized by the scene and the fact that we were surfing a black sand beach in the South Pacific. We both caught a few good waves, riding them all the way back to shore, and as we packed up to grab lunch in town and head back to the hotel, any fatigue that we all had developed over the past few days and weeks was erased, or at least ignored. In terms of a “rest” day, we may have missed the target. In the process, though, I had one of the top ten days of my life. I will definitely sleep well tonight.

- Matt Muffelman, 2010 USA LM8+

More Blogs by Matt Muffelman:
The First Row
Holy Cow, We Leave Tomorrow!
Introducing Matt Muffelman’s First Blog

Please consider supporting the USA LM8+ on their journey to the World Championships. Not all boats are funded and many athletes pay the costs to represent our rowing community from their own savings. This year rowers in the LM8+ will have to pay just over $6000 each for their trip. Please consider making a donation at http://www.firstgiving.com/2010lm8. Every little bit helps.- shivs

If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Matt Muffelman at muffelman@gmail.com.

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 31st, 2010 at 8:26 pm. It is filed under Rowers, TEAM USA, World Championships. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.