Lightweight Eats

7AM: The birds are chirping. They've apparently nested in the gutters of the office/hut where I'm sleeping and wake me up at this luxurious hour. I roll out of bed.

Breakfast is oatmeal with raisins and almonds. And then a PB&J. And then another handful of almonds, and a few spoonfuls of J. And a few more spoonfuls of PB.

7:50AM: Pull on some spandex and venture out into the cold. Come back in and trade out my regular socks for the thick wool variety. Regret leaving my oars outside in the cold, damp grass overnight.

8AM: Carry my boat down to the dock. Oars in, shoes off, electronics on, and shove. As a scattered group, we row down the river and through Lover's Leap Gorge--a gorgeous, shaggy gorge, with rocks diving into the water at odd angles and trees hanging onto the smallest crevices. We meet just on the far end for the rest of practice.

9:30AM: Back on the dock. Oars out, shoes on, electronics off. Quick snack, quick shower and back into bed for a 45 minute nap.

11AM: Lunch (pasta that I made earlier in the week) and some putzing around on the computer. Writing blog posts, checking Twitter/Facebook, reading the news and sending cute emails to my wonderful husband.

Noon: Time for work. I settle into the comfy armchair, notebook and pen by my side, and get ready for a few hours of productivity. My time is spent emailing tour guides around the world, reading about incredible places I want to visit, and discussing cool opportunities and ideas with my coworkers. While life on the road can be tough sometimes, working at a travel company has made me really appreciate all of the cool places I'm getting to experience.

3PM: Grab a quick snack before pulling on dirty spandex; the wind has picked up some, but the warm(er) weather beckons us to the water! The afternoon session is on-your-own--an easier row where I get to spend some time with my own thoughts and some time practicing the technical work I've been doing all week.

Since there's no coach watching, I feel more comfortable making some mistakes or trying new things just to feel how my boat reacts. It's one of my favorite parts of rowing the single--having time to take risks without affecting anybody else. I'm sure I've taken my share of horrendous strokes, but every time I try something that doesn't work, I learn. Then, when my boat is doing something I don't like, I'm that much closer to being able to identify what I'm doing to cause it.
(My other favorite part of rowing the single? Nobody cares when you fart in the boat.)

5PM: Off the water, I eat a snack before showering. (What luxury--two showers!) This time, I actually take the time to use soap.

5:30PM: Time for dinner. I have mastered the art of microwave cooking and pull together a tofu/sweet potato/spinach/peanut butter dish that could really use a bit of fresh garlic. Although I've been pining for a bit of texture, this satisfies my hunger.

6:30PM: Back in the big lounge chair, putting in a few more hours of work. As I work, I also munch on a few different food stuffs: raisins, cold cereal, a granola bar, an apple..

9:30PM: Dan has made it home from work, and we get to video chat for a bit before I have to hit the lights and call it a night.

10PM: Lights out. I'm not exhausted yet, but I trust that I will shortly fall asleep. Double days will do that.