Al Urquia Regatta

We did it, we got another full regatta under our belts.  It's April 25th and we've had 2 full regattas.  This is the most insane season I ever remember.  Another successful outing.  Zack's Light 8 rowed as a 2nd 8 because there were no other entries and they came in 4th.  Not too bad.  They seem to be getting better and faster each week.  He still seems happy enough, so that's all I really care about.  It's definitely challenging to be a coach and a parent, especially when decisions are made that you don't understand or agree with.  You have to just trust that it will all work out and right now it seems to be doing just that.  I still don't totally agree with Zack being moved out of the Junior 8, he's definitely a better rower than a couple of the guys in that boat, but at the same time he certainly doesn't have the same power they do.  So, if you're going with straight up power and not technique, then I see what they are doing, but it's not always about power.  Anyway... as long as he seems to be happy where he is, then that's all that matters to me.

The little twit has started this new plan.  He started putting up 2 fingers in a V shape or a #2 sign and we've been teasing him about his "gang sign."  His new goal it to have his "gang sign" in every picture of him taken this year!  It's infuriating but also hilarious!  If you look at any pictures he's in, there it is.  I don't know how he keeps that much awareness, but it's now become a competition between us.  Can I catch him unawares and get a picture minus the gang sign.  Even when he's not paying attention, he's got the sign going!

What a bunch of hooligans!

As for my Freshman 8, this was a very exciting regatta.  Their first opportunity to race twice.  They actually had a heat, where the top 3 advanced to finals!  It's so nerve wracking!  I want them to do well and be happy with their performance.  And at this point it's hard for me to separate their performance from my ability as a coach.  I have to keep reminding myself that if they do poorly, that doesn't mean I'm a bad coach.  I know their performance is not a direct reflection on me - but I still feel like it is, and I'm still worried that's what everyone else is thinking.  I just keep having to remind myself, it's not about me and that I'm doing the very best that I can.  So.... they raced... and came in 3rd!!  They got to move on to the finals.  Needless to say, EVERYONE was thrilled!  I was so happy for them, their parents were giddy and I think they were pretty stoked!  They ended up 6th in the final, but that's not what's important, what's important is they got there!  

What truly cracked me up, is after their heat I sent them back to the tent to get something to eat and to relax.  About 30 minutes later when I walked over to the tent this is what I found...

Every single one of them was sacked out!  It was like on a Kindergarten field trip when you come home on the bus, they all fall asleep.  My poor boys rowed their little hearts out in their heat and pretty much collapsed afterwards.  Too precious!!  I love my freshman.

Run This Year

It's getting a little tougher for me to keep up my pace, but I'm still trying...  Today I hit my 400 mile mark.  Once the season starts, it gets so much harder for me to work out.  I'm just busy and tired.  But I'm still trying... never give up!

Mail system...you are just whacked

So after my mail day yesterday.... This is what came in the mail today...

Mail person you can just take that right back into your little truck with you!!  I will soooooo take day one's mail delivery over this one! USPS get your head out of your ass and don't come round here with this trash again!!!

Too much in one day, just too much!

Today in the mail I received

#1 - A reminder from Radford that Brenna is graduating in less than a month

#2 - Seriously... SENIOR.FREAKING.PORTRAITS

#3 - A complimentary copy... Does anyone younger than 80 actually subscribe to Reader's Digest?  I remember it was the only magazine that my grandparents had at their house.  I would read it because I didn't have anything else to read.  I guess those were the days before I traveled with at least 18 books!  But I digress....

Okay cruel world... I get it!  I'm getting old... old...old...rub it in why don't you!

Smokey Jacobs Regatta

Finally!!  We made it through and entire regatta and everyone got to race!!  They played fruit basket upset on the boys varsity side this week.  Seems like there must be some kind of rule or regulation in the "crew lineup handbook" that says nothing good can stay the same.  This week they raced a Junior 8 and a Lightweight 8.  Zack is back stroking the Lightweight 8, separated from some of his friends, but back and reunited with others.  He's had a really good attitude and said that the boat feels really good and pretty fast.   So, off we went to the regatta.  An absolutely beautiful day!  It turned out to be quite successful for most everyone...  The Junior 8 took first.  Zack's boat was 2nd, the Novices were 2nd after catching a crab and recovering well, they would have been 1st without a doubt.

When did my baby boy become such a man!?!

Then there were my freshman..... I was so extremely proud of them.  They raced their little hearts out.  The last 100-200 meters they were neck and neck with Woodson.  Literally each stroke the boats took, had them squeak ahead of the other one.  I was at the finish line, standing next to the Woodson coach and we were having heart attacks.  My guys were edged out literally by a stroke.  2 seconds between third and fourth.  Woodson may have gotten third but they had to really work for it!  Last week Woodson beat us by 47 seconds!  This week 2 seconds!  I'd say that's a freaking success!

What a crazy season.  One more regatta and then it's States, then Stotes and then god willing Nationals!  It's like a whirlwind! 

It doesn't get much better than this...

I found this treasure at the used bookstore... does it get any better than this...
Natural disaster, secret government lab, genetically engineered virus and zombies... Seriously....
If I can't exercise, then I'm going to indulge in eating trash and reading trash!

Darrell Winslow Regatta

We almost made it through a whole regatta this time... but not quite.  It was the wind this time, instead of the cold or rain.  We got all the races done except for the Novices, which is the worst.  Those poor guys still haven't raced.  It didn't make ONE BIT of sense, they sent the freshman and the novice 4's down the race course - but they cancelled the 8's.  What??!!?!  Anyway, we had quite a few disappointed rowers and just as many upset parents and rightly so...  But as for those that did race, it went pretty well.  Zack raced as a 1st 8 and they made it into the finals and ended up 5th.  Not too bad.  I think they felt pretty good about that.

Rowing is hard work!

My Freshman did get to race and it was pretty exciting.  They did really well... everything you want from a freshman first race... they made it down the course, they didn't run into anyone, no one fell out of the boat and they weren't last!!  I think it was a pretty insane day for them, the wind was crazy so they had a very difficult time at the start platforms, the wind blew them into another lane (but they weren't the only ones) no penalty and they didn't impede anyone. 

I think they felt pretty good, getting one under their belts.  Now they can focus on getting better and it won't be so scary next time.... for any of us! :o)   

This shit hurts....

I've done something to myself, sharp stabbing pains straight through my boob.  I felt a twinge on Monday during Erg class, but nothing big.  But, it' progressively gotten worse.  Now it hurts to sit up, lie down, cough, sneeze, blow my nose... of course immediately I convince myself I have a tumor in my chest wall or breast cancer and I'm going to be on my last legs.  I start planning how I'll schedule my surgery between regattas...  I wonder where Brenna gets it!! :o)  Fortunately John was home to talk me down off that ledge and convinced me that most likely I've just pulled an intercostal rib muscle.  Which definitely makes more sense than suddenly developing a tumor... thank goodness...  So, now I'm taking it easy.  I haven't worked out since Monday, no running, no erging nothing and to be honest it's really driving me crazy!!  I just know those fat globules are just racing around my body looking for somewhere to plant themselves!  I'm really not very good at relaxing.  Plus it seems like if I'm not exercising, then I'm eating.  It's either one or the other for me.  If I'm exercising then I'm hardly eating or if I'm eating then I'm hardly exercising.  I have to keep telling myself that I'm not being lazy, I'm actually resting my body and letting it heal.  But I don't like all those 0's on my Run This Year Chart.  I'm going to have some making up to do once I get back on my feet.

This shit is getting real!

While Brenna was home over Easter, we worked on her Graduation announcement.  We decided to go homemade instead of shelling out the big bucks for the professional ones.

It's still completely unreal to me that she is going to be graduating from COLLEGE and moving to Wisconsin in just over a month!  I really don't want to think to much about it.  I know it's the natural progression, and most of the time in my life when I've been dreading some milestone that is coming up, but the time it gets there - I'm ready.  Kindergarten, B leaving for college, Zack going to high school - it all worked out and we were all ready and navigated it just fine.  But somehow having her move away to Wisconsin, I don't think I'm going to be ready for that.

More Coaching

I've been spending more and more time on my own with the Freshman 8.  The Novice 8 and Freshman 8 have a hard time staying together, the Novices are just too big.  But it's going pretty well.

Today we did a long row, just trying to get some rowing under their belts.   We rowed by 6's, occasionally by 8's.  Doing some Focus 10s on various things.  Handle heights, posture, head and eyes in the boat, slow slide, early rollups, all those things we've been talking about.  It went well.  Right at the end before we got to the cove, an 8 came up behind us and I noticed it was girls (and so did a few of the boys).  I asked them if they were going to let a girls boat pass them???  That if that girls boat passed them, we weren't going back into the cove, we were going to keep working.  They started grinning and kicked it into gear.  First time I've really seen any fire in some of them.  They made it past the girls with open water and they were grinning the whole way!  It was pretty funny.

The Board bought all the coaches jackets which was pretty nice of them.  Although I must admit, I still feel pretty uncomfortable wearing it and it still startles me when one of the kids (or anyone) calls me Coach Hyzy.  I have to remind myself that they aren't making funny of me or being sarcastic.  Especially for the novices and freshman, since they don't know me as Mrs Hyzy, the way everyone else does.  I think it's still going to take some getting use to.

Easter 2015

Both Mimi and Brenna came for Easter!  Score and Win!!  It was a very quiet day.  We did all the typical Mt. Burnside BBQ things.  The Easter BBQ is usually the first one of the season and we all stumble out of our houses all squinty and pale from a winter stuck inside.  Today the weather was beautiful, we had a ton of food and the kids had a great time hunting eggs.  As tradition calls for, the big kids hid all the little kids eggs, over 200, and then the Dads hid all the "big kid" eggs.  Each big kid gets to find one giant egg and the Dads make it a point of pride to hide the eggs where they can't be found! :o)  There's also the much coveted Golden Egg... which has more special stuff... usually more money... Heath found it again this year for a 3-peat!  He's got the knack.

It's a little bit weird when the Easter Bunny brings alcohol!  

Just a small sample of all the eggs that were hidden.  I have a feeling we're going to be finding eggs until Christmas.  

Brenna hoping her big egg will just magically appear in front of her eyes!

Is he hunting eggs or getting ready to break into the house?

All the big kids were successful in finding their eggs, but they had to work for them this year.

What a pair...so damn cute!!

O' Spring where for art thou?

It's really been quite yucky lately.  I know Spring is out there somewhere....  We see the signs...

These crocuses...croci? are so beautiful, I stumbled on them on one of my runs.  So, I'm hopeful that it's coming.  It's just that the temps don't seem to realize that it's April now and the wind...the freaking wind.  God, how I hate the wind.  I've actually always hated the wind, even as a kid I can remember despising it.  Let's think about it.... what good does the wind serve?  I mean I know in theory that it disseminates pollen and seeds, flies kites...blah, blah, blah...  But in reality, it just sucks.  It messes up hair, it blows pollen into your face, it provides unwanted and unasked for resistance training, and it blows our boats all over the Occoquan.  It just needs to stop!

On the other hand, these delicious, delightful, amazeballs snacks make waiting out the wind, completely worthwhile.  These snacks actually make just about anything worthwhile.  These pretzel crisps are THE BEST thing I have ever put in my mouth.  They may very well be my downfall.  I'm not sure if chocolate toxicity is a thing... but I'm about to find out.  The only thing that will save me, is that these are a "limited Easter edition."   Seriously,  I bought 8 bags of them at Target yesterday and I'll be lucky if they last the weekend.  I cannot stop myself from eating them.  I could eat them until I threw up and then eat more of them!  I guess if Spring is going to be crappy, then at least I have good snacks!