Post race picnic!

I got up "on the wrong side of the bed" this morning. The alarm went off at 4:50 and I yelled "Nooo, not yet!" at it. It was Sunday, it was pitch black out and chilly, and I had to go wade in to a lake, hop in a boat, and race in 3 hours. The bed just seemed like such a better option.



I begrudgingly got up, packed for my race today, and opted to stop at Dunkin Donuts for my coffee. As I drove away from the drive thru window and took my first sip, I almost gagged....I asked for regular coffee with milk, no sugar, and the woman had given me a blueberry coffee with extra cream and extra sugar...I may as well have been sipping on a melted ice cream sundae. A large coffee with extra cream and extra sugar packs a whopping 300 Calories, 42 grams of sugar, and 15 grams of fat! Not exactly a good pre-race meal choice. I opted to go caffeineless, which turned me in to even more of a grump.



But something happened between my coffee mishap and my race...I drove the boat trailer down to Pittsfield with the head coach of Holyoke Rows, and we had a great time joking and laughing about rowing and life. The view on Pittfield's Onota Lake was breathtaking. My team was in great spirits and super efficient getting the boats ready to go. And my boat felt light and smooth as I warmed up to the start line.

Racing the single went well, but could have been better. It was a 2.5k race with a hairpin turn around 1800 meters in (way too short and way too technical for my strengths!). I definitely sacrificed form as I tried to steer a straight course and pull at an intensity I'm not quite used to. When I got off the water, a 67 year old woman came up to me and asked me to be her doubles partner in the masters double, which was about to start in 20 minutes....so I quickly put my boat away, hopped in hers, and got to give the race course a go again! That was pretty fun. The double is one of my favorite boats. We were edged out for first by 3 seconds, but I was quite impressed with the effort and pleased to make a new friend.

My masters 4's did well, and came back with the best critical analysis of their race I've heard from them all season. We have come a long way since July!

It was a beautiful day, and racing was fantastic, but I have to say the highlight was our team picnic after the race. All 11 of us sat at the Lake's edge and shared sandwiches, fruit, and pasta salad. I highly recommend this potluck-style post race activity. It allowed us time to reflect on our races, discuss the rest of the season, and learn tidbits about eachother's lives we otherwise would never hear! Plus, the high carbohydrate and protein, low fat meal gave us the chance to replenish our energy stores and repair damaged muscle tissue. Much better than going to a pub or fast food restaurant for a sugar and fat-laden meal!

I contributed a cranberry walnut tuna salad served on a variety of wraps (rice bran, whole wheat, white) with lettuce and tomato, which turned out to be a great hit! Here's the recipe:

(Makes 4 servings)
2 cans solid white albacore tuna
2 tbsp greek yogurt
2 tbsp light mayo
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped
1/4 fuji apple, chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp. onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

drain tuna
mix all ingredients in a bowl
let sit in refrigerator for 1+ hours
spread on wrap with lettuce and tomato
roll up the wrap, and dig in!

Enjoy the weekend!