I've been doing some serious rowing stalking lately. Partially because I'm obsessed with the sport and partially because it's really hard to train on your own and stay motivated to the same level that you would be with teammates and a coach present. I came across this blog post written by Felice Mueller that really hit home for me. I've shared this blog post with 2 of my teammates from last summer, but it's just too good not to share on here as well. Below is my favorite quote from the post: "It's hard to train for the Olympics. It's hard because it's physically very hard, but it's also hard to do financially, and it's hard to defend the decision to put careers and other interests on the back burner as you go for this one incredible goal." Having started rowing my super senior year at Penn State, I moved immediately to OKC to train after finishing my first and last collegiate season. If you had asked me what my post graduation plans looked like any time during my first four years of college, I would've told you traveling the world/teaching in some foreign country -- sound familiar? It's exactly what I'm doing now. But that fifth year of college changed my perspective more than a little bit. I've had a hard time doing exactly what Felice is talking about: it was hard for me to justify putting off this career/interest of foreign languages and traveling. So I didn't. But I feel like I am half-assing two goals. I'm in Spain living out this dream of mine, having an incredible experience. But I'm also trying to train like an elite athlete without teammates or a coach. I was given the opportunity to come back to this school next year or even apply to teach in a different location in Spain. 20-year-old Emma would have jumped at the opportunity to continue this career abroad. 23-year old Emma knows exactly what she wants to be doing: rowing. It's become blatantly clear to me what I want to dedicate the next 10 years of my life to. Up until this point, staying in one place or committing to just one thing for more than 2-3 years was a terrifying endeavor. I'm quite content, ecstatic actually, with the thought of training for (at least) the next decade of my life. Here's to committing to a goal - "this one incredible goal."
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I had my trial crossfit class on Friday. I had to bike there and back. I was debating with myself whether I should include both of those bike rides in my workout log. Then I actually did the bike rides, and there was no question. Definitely both workouts...especially the ride home. |
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